Overwatch 2 Roadhog Rework Changes Explained

• The Overwatch 2 Roadhog rework is going to make this character one of the best picks for matches, especially after being a low-tier hero in most tier lists for months.
• This rework and change will make Roadhog more viable in competitive games.

The Roadhog rework in Overwatch 2 was a long time coming, and it was even delayed from being a mid-season patch due to not being ready at the time – to being revealed on November 14, 2023. This rework was much needed after the significant nerfs that he got early this year. Now, this hefty tank gets a brand new ability, changes in his firing as well as healing.

With the Sombra rework being well received by the community, it’s yet to be seen how this change will reflect in games. But it sure has made the hero more interesting to play. Here’s what you need to know, plus, some thoughts from the Reddit community.

What’s the Overwatch 2 Roadhog Rework with New Ability?

Here are all the adjustments being made in Roadhog’s weapon, ultimate, and abilities applicable from Season 7 of OW2. These changes were revealed in a Twitch stream and will be going live on November 15, 2023. Thanks to this Reddit post by u/nmpraveen for the image shared, we have these details about the new Hog abilities.

Scrap Gun

• Previous secondary fire functionality has been removed
• Total damage per shot increased from 150 to 160
• Shotgun pellet count reduced from 25 to 16
• Shotgun pellet damage increased from 6 to 6.25
• Now fires a shrapnel volley of 4 large projectiles in the center of the shot
• Each shrapnel projectile deals 15 damage
• Critical damage multiplier reduced from 2x to 1.5x

Take a Breather

• Now activated by holding Secondary Fire
• Cooldown for each use decreased from 8 seconds to 1 second
• A new resource meter has been added. This meter will deplete while Take a Breather is active and then recharge when it’s not in use
• Take a Breather requires 12 seconds to reach full charge from empty
• At a full charge, Take a Breather can heal up to 450 health over 3 seconds
• Take a Breather will now remain active as long as its assigned hotkey is held
• An option to “Toggle Take a Breather” has been added under Options > Controls > Roadhog
• Damage reduction decreased from 50% to 30%
• No longer amplifies healing received upon ending

Pig Pen

• This is a new ability assigned to Ability 2 by default
• Launch a trap that slows and damages nearby enemies
• Deals 60 damage when triggered and 30 damage per second in an area
• 3-second duration once activated
• 40% movement speed slow
• Cooldown is 12 seconds

Here’s a video that shows the Roadhog rework changes in action:

Welcome to the Pig Pen 🐷

Here’s everything you need to know about Roadhog’s new and reworked abilities going live TOMORROW 📆 pic.twitter.com/oL2GeMhTsB

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) November 13, 2023

The most important changes to note:

The secondary fire function has been eliminated completely and there are major changes the primary fire.

His healing (Take a Breather) can be activated by holding the secondary fire button instead. Cooldown for each use has been drastically reduced from 8 seconds to 1 second. Moreover, at full charge, this ability can heal 450 health over 3 seconds but it requires 12 seconds to reach full charge from empty.

This also brings a new resource meter which will get drained once Take a Breather is active and recharge when it’s not being used. The meter looks just like the other meters that Moira players or Pharah players see.

The brand new ability Pig Pen may remind you of Mauga’s Ultimate or Junkrat’s trap. This is assigned to Ability 2 by default, and it will set up a trap that will slow and damage nearby enemies. If you play in Open Queue or No Limits, and face a Roadhog with a trap, Ramattra with his Ravenous Vortex and Mei with her Endothermic Blaster, you’re going to be slooooowed and take damage.

Update: Here’s a video by KARQ that explains the changes well:

Streamer Opinions

Flats, one of the most popular tank players in OW2, has reacted to these changes in his video below. He calls the newly added Pig Pen ability massive and a tank killer one, but how it actually reflects in the game remains to be seen because Flats hasn’t playtested this hero prior to this reveal.

Here’s another opinion from KarQ:

Here’s a video by Cyx (Top 500 tank player) that shows how Hog used to be and a verbal comparison of his new ability changes.

Community Opinions

Here’s a compilation of some top comments from OW2 players on Youtube and Reddit.

@georgejordan100 says:

Wait, if you think about it, the take a breather rework is actually massive.
Even if you take into consideration that it takes 12 seconds to fully restore, it still means that at the 8 seconds mark you will probably have 300 heal, which is basically what it is now.
8 secs cooldown with 350 heal. But now you can stop at any time and won’t have to wait 8 secs again to use it.
But the damage reduction nerf could be the thing that makes it more balanced

@LoveLetter_01 says:

It reminds me of the Sombra rework. She’s deadlier. But she’s also far easier to kill as well. At first you will probably be melting everything. But that 12 second Take a Breather is gonna kill you faaaaaar more than it used to help. Kinda like Translocate.

u/NoxEnjoyer says:

Breather changes make it easier to go up against Ana. Sometimes you’re anti’d or slept right as your popping TaB and it goes to waste. Now you can cancel it and use it again the moment anti is over, or just use it as soon as you’re woken

u/GameBoy09 says:

I’m glad they aren’t adding more defensive capabilities like a lot of people were expecting ala shields and aura heals.

He still seems to fit the niche of a scrapping tank that’s primarily meant for dueling. The added trap allows him to be more mindful of space, while protecting his allies from flanks. And the resource meter on Breather means his up-time is way more consistent so he’s never out of the battle.

u/BlinkToThePast says:

An additional CC that seems like old Sojourn and Rams, combined his left click and right click and made take a breather a resource. Its less underwhelming than the initial first look from the infographic but his kit it still very selfish for a tank.

As a selfish tank player if his new primary fire gets me kills and makes him viable I’ll still be happy but this is still an “ehhhh rework, really?”

u/HeyCuppp says:

As a roadhog player, I love this, you can still go for the cheeky hook and kills with the traps if the enemies aren’t careful + smart trap placement.

Breather management is a great way to add versatility to his kit and make you think a bit more about your breather rather than pressing it when low health, but this also kind of sort of helps with ana nade, it felt super sh*tty to be hit with a nade right as you took a breather, now you can atleast save the charge by letting go of it.

The primary fire sounds interesting I’ve got no clue how the numbers are gonna work out, but pellete count reduction and a bit of a damage increase will prob mean its about the same amount of damage but now you have to think less about distancing for your alternative fire and your primary while also thinking about hook range.

I also think the addition of the trap and the breather management gives hog a higher skill ceiling. he no longer feels 1 dimensional with a single objective in mind.

Overall, I love this, I think its a great change. Hopefully if it turns out sh*t, they tune it up or down or around!

So, that’s everything about the new Roadhog rework in Overwatch 2 and what players and streamings have to say about it.

At face value, it doesn’t look like Hog is massively buffed and sounds like a balanced tank as of now. Let’s see how it affects matches and if the devs decide to buff or nerf certain aspects of this hero. But one thing is clear – we will miss the alt fire on Hog.