Overwatch 2 playtest reveals how Roadhog plays in sequel
Activision BlizzardIn an Overwatch 2 playtest, a select few pros were able to test out how some heroes will likely play in the sequel, including Roadhog.
In the sequel, there are going to be a series of heroes that receive major reworks to accommodate for the game’s change to 5v5 from 6v6.
During a recent pro exhibition match, the world got to witness some of these changes firsthand, including a major overhaul to Bastion and a seriously strong new Sombra.
But, one Tank hero that has flown relatively under the radar is Roadhog. So, what will become of the self-healing hook maestro in OW2?
Activision BlizzardOverwatch 2 Roadhog gameplay
In a recent episode of the Overwatch and Valorant podcast, Plat Chat, two Overwatch League (OWL) pros appeared as guests to discuss the playtest and their thoughts on Overwatch 2.
During the video, the pros were asked about the status of Roadhog amid the litany of Tank adjustments and reworks. Surprisingly, it appears that Roadhog may not be getting any significant changes coming into OW2.
Most Tanks have either been reworked and were available for the test, or, they were disabled for the preview due to their updates still being in progress… All except Roadhog.
Both Matthew ‘super’ DeLisi and Indy ‘SPACE’ Halpern shared their thoughts on the hog as he stands in the current state of OW2.
“I can’t tell if Hog is good or not,” said SPACE, “He’s the Doomfist of Tanks, right? If he’s disgusting at all you’re getting hard carried, but if he’s trash he’s just feeding his brains out.”
Super thinks “It’s going to be a lot harder to be sneaky” with Roadhog in OW2, due to the fact that the hero has immense success on flanks in Overwatch. In the sequel, hog will have all eyes on him as a solo Tank.
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The fact that Roadhog was available during this playtest shouldn’t be overlooked. This is a big indicator that only small tuning changes are coming for Roadhog in the game’s sequel, pending a late decision from the dev team.
There is always a chance hog receives smaller changes, like the double Fire Strike we saw from Reinhardt or the apparent long-range “rail gun” that Winston will have as a secondary weapon.
Whatever happens to Roadhog, whether simply cosmetic or a surprise rework, it will be interesting to see how such an offensive Tank fits into Overwatch 2.
Hopefully, plans will continue as projected and fans will be able to see firsthand when the OWL returns in 2022 on a build of the new game, with some Dexerto sources even projecting a Spring 2022 release.