Updated at: 28-04-2022 - By: Leo Hall

While other Overwatch Tanks specialize in taking out tougher opponents, Roadhog uses his shotgun to take out the weaker foes.

Roadhog, the vicious one-man apocalypse, is one of the most difficult characters to master in Overwatch.

Our Overwatch Beginner’s Guide is a great place to learn about hero roles, team composition, and the best ways to win.

Roadhog Abilities and Role Explained

In spite of his tanky appearance, Roadhog is a deadly flanker with his Chain Hook and the ability to repeatedly rip foes to shreds.

While his self-healing ability helps him to function freely, it also exposes his Supports to flank attacks from the enemy.

Roadhog is forced to be extremely aggressive in order to protect his comrades, and we’ll go over all of his abilities in further detail below.

How To Use Scrap Gun

A modified shotgun with two modes of fire, the Scrap Gun is the primary weapon of Roadhog, and it is most effective at medium and close ranges.

When using the primary mode, the projectile goes a long distance before exploding, whereas the secondary mode travels only a short distance before the pellets explode.

Due to its limited range, you’ll find that using his primary mode is a lot easier than using his secondary mode, which requires a little of practice to get the timing and coverage right.

Make sure you’re at least 8 meters away from the target, as its projectiles won’t detonate if they come into contact with an adversary or a solid surface.

How To Use Chain Hook

Having limited mobility, Roadhog relies on his Chain Hook to draw in opponents and paralyze them so he may use his Scrap Gun shotgun to finish them off.

Chain Hook, which has a maximum range of 20 meters, is extremely effective at exposing your enemies to the rest of your team, but perfect aiming is required to pull it off.

Prior to hooking an enemy, check your ammo to make sure you have enough to finish them out. If you run out, switch to melee mode and finish them off.

You can use Roadhog’s hook to achieve environmental kills by instantly pivoting to face a death pit or ledge once you’ve hooked an enemy in front of you.

How To Use Take A Breather

Roadhog, in contrast to other tanks, lacks regeneration shields and instead relies on a short-duration self-healing ability called Take a Breather to restore 300 health.

As soon as Roadhog uses this ability, he is frozen in place, unable to move or do anything else until he has finished channeling.

Although Roadhog is still vulnerable to stun attacks, the amount of damage taken during this time period has been lowered by 50%.

Because this ability makes Roadhog extremely vulnerable, it’s best used when you’re out of sight of the enemy. However, you may also use it to absorb damage for an ally by standing in front of them while using this ability yourself.

How To Use Whole Hog (Ultimate)

After loading his Scrap Gun with ammo, Roadhog unleashes a hail of shrapnel that deals damage and knocks opponents back for 5.5 seconds.

Roadhog’s movement speed is lowered by 25%, he is unable to perform any other abilities, and he is vulnerable to stun attacks during this period.

Even while each pellet deals only 7 damage, it can be quite effective at disrupting the enemy team and preventing them from completing the main goal.

For maximum damage from Whole Hog, position yourself such that your attackers are pinned against the wall, making it impossible for them to flee.

Roadhog Strengths

When it comes to offensive prowess, Roadhog is head and shoulders above the competition because he doesn’t have to rely on Supports for most of his healing.

His Chain Hook may be used in a variety of inventive ways, and the more you use it, the more obvious these possibilities become.

For the most effective team composition, you’ll want to partner Roadhog with the particular Tank and Support heroes specified below.

Which Heroes Combo Best With Roadhog?

  • Roadhog’s Chain Hook combo is made possible by Orisa’s ability to utilize Halt! to yank adversaries from cover.
  • By taking up the role of a frontline tank, Sigma frees up Roadhog to concentrate on getting kills.
  • The Biotic Grenade can be used by Ana to ensure that Roadhog gets the kills he needs.
  • Reinhardt – Reinhardt is similar to Sigma in that he serves as a frontline tank, freeing up Roadhog to deal damage and use his shield to grapple his foes.
  • Roadhog’s ally Mei may help secure kills by encircling adversaries with an Ice Wall once they’ve been hooked, similar to how Ana can do the same thing.

Roadhog Weaknesses

While Chain Hook is on cooldown, Roadhog’s major vulnerability is his lack of mobility, making it difficult to track down targets or evade threats.

His defense is among the poorest among tanks and he is extremely vulnerable without the capacity to self-repair, making him an especially dangerous target.

Roadhog’s weaknesses can be exploited by certain characters, and we’ve highlighted the most important ones below.

Which Heroes Does Roadhog Struggle Against?

  • Reaper — His Lifesteal ability, which allows him to out-heal any damage done by Roadhog, makes him a major threat to Roadhog.
  • Using Cryo-Freeze, Mei can withstand Roadhog’s hook combo and disrupt Whole Hog with an Ice Wall.
  • D.Va – Her great mobility helps her to pursue Roadhog around the map and prevent his damage with Defense Matrix.
  • Zarya – Zarya’s bubbles make it difficult to hook her or any shielded allies, making her one of the strongest Tank counters for Roadhog.
  • Take a Breather and Whole Hog can be interrupted by McCree’s flashbang, which has a significantly greater effective range than Roadhog’s.
  • Protective Barrier and Fortify make Orisa nearly unstoppable; she also performs effectively against large-hitboxed foes.

General Tips for Playing Roadhog

Mastering Roadhog’s playstyle, as with every other Overwatch hero, will require time and persistence, especially if you’re aiming for Grandmaster.

Tanks are better at shielding themselves than Supports, but he isn’t quite as good at dealing damage in the appropriate circumstances.

Here are a few more general pointers to keep in mind as you run around hooking your foes to death to round up this guide.

  • It’s best to avoid taking too much damage, even if Roadhog can self-heal, because it gives the opponent team free Ultimate charge, or “feeding.”
  • If you want to get the most out of Roadhog, you’ll need to spend a lot of time honing your Chain Hook skills.
  • Reignhardt’s Charge, D.Va’s Mech and Junkrat’s Rip-Tire can all be disrupted by Chain Hook’s ability to stop channeled abilities.
  • To maximize damage potential, you’ll need to allow the bullet to travel a distance before exploding.
  • Make use of Roadhog’s Ultimate by positioning yourself in a way that the enemy doesn’t anticipate you to arrive.

Roadhog’s abilities and strategy tips

While understanding Roadhog’s skills isn’t too tough, the best approach to use his primary weapon will primarily depend on how close or far away the target of your aggression actually is.

All of this Hero’s signature abilities are here, along with some crucial tactical advice to help you make a big impression in your first match.

There are two ways in which Roadhog’s Scrap Gun can be used. To unleash shards of shrapnel, hold down the left mouse button while aiming at an enemy. This will cause short-range damage. However, because to Roadhog’s limitations in mobility, you’re more likely to shoot using the right mouse button than the left. A big cluster of shrapnel explodes about 20 meters in front of your Hero.

“Chain Hook” makes Roadhog stand out in the Overwatch hero pack, and it’s this ability that sets him apart from the rest. Toss this ability at an enemy to pull them toward you and your teammates. You’ll be able to use this strategy to your advantage against Support heroes who are assisting the enemy in combat. It is important to remember that Roadhog is immobile until the chain returns to you, regardless of whether or not you strike your target. Any shield or barrier standing between you and your victim won’t let the Chain Hook through.

In the same way as Soldier: 76’s health may be replenished over time by using Take A Breather [E], Roadhog has this skill as well. The effect is not supplied as an aura in this situation, but is instead channeled. The entire procedure takes a bit to complete, although Roadhog himself will not be harmed during this time. It doesn’t have a long cooldown, so you should be able to use this ability frequently — in total, Roadhog’s huge health pool can be topped off.

It’s a Whole Pig [Q] Roadhog’s Ultimate isn’t all that exciting, at least not in comparison to some of the other heroes in Overwatch. Although Whole Hog momentarily transforms your shrapnel gun into a minigun, your movement becomes unnatural and you must use only this ability until the effect wears off, making it difficult to navigate around the battlefield. For short-range opponents, it’s more effective, but keep an eye out for reticule drift — you’ll need to compensate for it over time if you want to maintain hitting shots consistently.

Although Blizzard rates Roadhog as a “Easy” hero, that doesn’t mean he can’t be mastered despite his simplicity as an Overwatch character. Over the past few years, members of the community have shared some of their greatest advice.

  • All things considered, if your RMB damage doesn’t truly explode, the cluster itself causes very little damage. If you don’t think you’ll have enough time to get a detonation, stick with the LMB firepower instead of practicing.
  • Using your Chain Hook, you can bring down an enemy even if they are in the air (hello Pharah!). Aim slightly ahead of your target’s path of movement, as the hook itself takes some time to arrive at its destination.
  • It’s also important to remember that Chain Hook’s most powerful application is to disrupt channeled abilities that threaten to overwhelm your team. Make no apprehensions about getting in there and putting an end to the chaos!
  • Now that you’ve caught an enemy, what do you do with them? One of the most common fighting combos is firing your primary weapon, followed by a melee whallop to the face and then another LMB burst. Your target should be on the ground in no time if you can keep cycling through these abilities.
  • Your Chain Hook should be used to draw healers and other support characters into range, which will deal the most damage to the enemy team. Because of the difficulty they’ll have in evading you, the rest of their pals will find it much easier to take them down.
  • Remember to account for the recoil effect of Whole Hog, as we’ve already discussed, to keep your aim on target. The only thing that can help you is to keep practicing, so don’t stop!
  • Taking simply a tiny amount of damage doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use Take A Breather if you have a safe place to hide and the ability to do so is available to you. This ability’s cooldown is incredibly low, so you can chug away at will. You’ll have to decide if it’s better to take more damage and win the fight, or if it’s better to suffer more damage and lose the fight.
  • Whole Hog takes some getting used to, but you’ll find that the knockback effect increases the overall damage adversaries take if you use it on them when they’re in an enclosed environment.
  • Whole Hog is extremely successful in preventing the opposing side from capturing an objective, according to our research. For them, the Ultimate’s jarring knockback impact should be incredibly difficult to deal with. If you’re waiting for your team to catch up to the action, every little bit helps.

KIT BREAKDOWN

Roadhog’s primary and secondary weapon is the Scrap Gun. Using his primary weapon, he fires a shotgun blast of shrapnel at adjacent adversaries. A ball of debris is thrown forward by his secondary fire and explodes a few feet distant from Roadhog. When utilized appropriately, Roadhog’s shotgun has a greater range.

Roadhog’s usage of a shotgun should not come as a surprise. Roadhog players should stand with their squad and search for a hook, but the Scrap Gun gives them the ability to engage in close combat and fend off dueling dives up up and personal. Secondarily you can get a fair amount of damage done while you’re waiting for Lucio to turn a corner with the close-range fire.

Roadhog’s first ability, Take a Breather, is a single, huge heal. However, Roadhog will use a gas canister to swiftly heal himself by smashing it into his face. As a result, Roadhog is an impenetrable barrier to defeat. The ability to sustain oneself is what keeps Roadhog going even when there aren’t any healers nearby. While Tracer’s or Soldier 76’s primary fire may provide an easy means to recover yourself, keep in mind that you can still be burst down with heavy damage abilities.

Roadhog’s signature move is the Chain Hook. When he is activated, he launches his hook straight ahead. An enemy hero will be pulled to Roadhog if it is hit by this. Roadhog and his teammates are then able to inflict significant damage on them for a brief period of time. This is why Roadhog is the best choice. That’s why we need a hero like him.

Roadhog is a pick hero, which means that his primary objective is to track down, capture, and destroy any potential threats. Pharahs can fly above you, so draw them down and take them out. Mercy? Zenyatta? Tracer? There are no champions that pose a threat to your friends that this hefty behemoth can’t take down. Roadhog isn’t a tank in the conventional sense. Not one of his comrades is protected from harm by him. In order to keep his teammates safe, he acts aggressively and eliminates threats before they can reach them.

Roadhog’s greatest weapon is Whole Hog. Like most of his talents, this one is both basic and extremely potent at the same time. Roadhog loads up his scrap gun with a ton of trash and fires it like a machine gun at top speed. In addition to dealing damage, this shot also causes all around enemies to flee. Even while it’s useful in a teamfight, it’s more effective when utilized to keep your friends safe from enemy engagement. Wind that also cuts through your enemies’ health bars is what you’ll get from this attack.

WHEN TO PICK ROADHOG: TEAMMATES AND MATCH-UPS

Roadhog isn’t necessarily the best tank, but he can be deployed in nearly every team composition. It’s less important who your team has than who the opposition has when it comes to picking Roadhog. It’s possible that they might bench Roadhog for this match if they don’t have any viable targets for Chain Hook.

Having saying that, a good Roadhog can help his team win the game. There are two things to keep in mind when contemplating your allies. The first question to ask yourself is whether or not you have any allies who can help you deal burst damage swiftly. Roadhog works well with Reaper, Soldier 76, and Mei. Are there any allies who require protection as a second consideration? Pulling targets away from your adversaries may be counter-intuitive if you have a secret agent team oriented on rapid penetration with Symmetra, Tracer, and Genji diving your foes.

On the other hand, if the secret agents are on your side, they’re the ideal opponents for Roadhog. Genji and Tracer’s speed and agility make them invaluable assets to your team’s overall survivability. It is possible to disrupt an enemy’s strategy and completely derail their competition.

There are a lot of tanks and opponent shields to contend with when it comes to picking Roadhog. Chain Hook is rendered useless if all of Reinhardt’s friends are stacked behind him by Reinhardt’s barrier. Not that you shouldn’t ever take Roadhog on Reinhardt, but you’ll have to be a little more inventive about how you approach the matchup.

HOW TO WIN WITH ROADHOG

It’s a piece of cake to triumph over Roadhog. Is it possible for you to maneuver around the map in a unique way and hit your hooks? No? I’m sorry, but your team lost because you blew a draft pick. The hooks were hit, weren’t they? Congratulations on winning the game for your squad by making every fight a 6v5 battle.

That may sound like an oversimplification, yet it’s true in so many different ways. The Roadhog tank is a high-risk, high-reward tank. You’ll crush him every time if you’re better than the others you’re playing against. Those who fail to meet their objectives are essentially worthless and would be better served by switching to a different type of fuel storage tank altogether. Prepare for a fight by learning about your own and your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

TIPS AND TRICKS

  • Be cautious with the people you allow yourself to become attached to. Winstons and Reapers can be snagged by Roadhogs who aren’t paying attention. I don’t think this is a good idea, as it basically gives the enemy to your team. Make sure you don’t end up like that.
  • Save Take a Breather till the last possible moment. Considering how potent it is, the cooldown is quite brief. Save a pig’s life by using it liberally.
  • In spite of Roadhog’s imposing stature, he’s no slouch when it comes to sneakiness. Get beyond the opponent team’s lines by using flanking or covert ally methods. Then begin to move their backline away from them, as well. This can frighten part of your team and draw their focus to you, giving your allies a leg up.
  • To hit Whole Hog, you’ll need a lot of concentration and precision. The ability is not a “fire and forget” one, so don’t let go of your mouse or stick when it begins.

FAQS:

Is roadhog overpowered?

No, Roadhog isn’t outmatched. That doesn’t mean that he’s an overpowering hero in one-on-one situations, though. You can’t really be overpowered as long as you have a counter. Overwatch is a multiplayer game.

How much damage does roadhog do?

Using his chain, Roadhog launches a strike against a target and pulls them into close range. Damage: 30 ft. / 30 m max range

Who can roadhog one shot?

Doesn’t matter what kind of hero you’re dealing with. If you become addicted, it is your fault, and you must improve your game as a result. To save a target that’s been hooked, Brigitte has Sheild Bash and Whip Shot.