Players have been awaiting a viable Roadhog rework ever since he was nerfed way back inOverwatch 2’s Season 2. Finally, five Seasons later, Roadhog has finally received it. This rework has made significant changes to his Scrap Gun and Take a Breathter abilities, and has introduced a new ability called Pig Pen. While these are certainly positive tweaks for the beefy Junker Town Tank Hero, these changes will take some getting used to for players who spent dedicated hours playing Hog in his previous states. It’s helpful to learn in advance how his rework operates.
If gamers are looking for a rundown of Hog’s new abilities and how he stands in currentOverwatch 2gameplay, this guide will cover everything they will need to know. From his best strengths to his biggest counters or weaknesses, this guide summarizes all the relevant information. Armed with the knowledge, Tank players can get a head start on mastering Roadhog’s new kit.
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Overwatch 2 Roadhog Rework: All Abilities, Explained
Roadhog’s rework finally went live on Jun 22, 2025, just one day after it was reveled to eager fans.Some players feel divided on these changesdue to the need to adapt to his new inputs and ability. However, Hog is still fairly easy to pick up and play, at least in terms of learning the basics of his kit. While not all players will be immediate Roadhog masters, most people should be fine giving him a try and getting used to his changes, or enjoying a bit of fun in Quick Play. Here is a summary of all Roadhog’s abilities, as per his recent rework:
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Roadhog: General Playstyle & Counters, Explained
Following his rework, Roadhog’s playstyle has remained the same, with a few minor tweaks to how he operates in certain situations. This means that, for the most part, he’s the same Hook-wielding menace capable of making games difficult for squishies. However, there are a few tweaks that should be noted.
Changes to Controls
The most important changes to consider first are his newScrap Gun and Take a Breather abilities. Previously, Roadhog’s Scrap Gun had two ranges: a short-ranged shot (left click) and a long-ranged shot (right click). However, with Hog’s rework, hisScrap Gun now has a single shot that operates at both close and medium range,triggered by left click. In place of his secondary fire, Take a Breather has now been moved to his right-click. The E key, which was previously assigned to Breather by default, now triggers Pig Pen.
It will likely take some getting used to before players stop using Breather when they want to do damage, or using Pig Pen when trying to heal themselves. A few practice matches may be necessary.
Changes to Take a Breather
The second important factor to consider when playing Roadhog’s rework ishis changes and recent buffs to Take a Breather. This ability now provides significant damage reduction on top of his healing, as well as a few tweaks to how it operates in general. While Take a Breather is active,all incoming damage Roadhog takes will be reduced by 40%.He will alsoheal up to 500 HP across 2.5 seconds.The ability has acooldown time of 10 secondsonce used completely.
This is a huge buff for Roadhog. He previously struggled with survivability among high-damage team compositions utilizing focus fire, as well as abilities such as Anti-Nade and Discord. With these changes in place, Roadhog has much more survivability between using Take a Breather and natural cover to ensure he can keep himself alive. Technically, Hog should always be looking to play with clever positioning, seeking toHook in enemy squishies for an easy pick, or even pull unsuspecting enemies off the map in locations such as Lijiang Tower and Ilios. However, this Breather change also gives players more opportunity to push forward on the frontline and take incoming damage for their more vulnerable teammates, which all tanks should be capable of doing.
New Ability: Pig Pen
Hog’s newest ability, Pig Pen, operates quite similarly to those of his comrade, Junkrat. Pig Pen is a floor trap that can be placed around the map, triggering once someone steps on it or enters the area of effect.Once triggered, Pig Pen will slow the movement of targets and inflict extra damage on them.Pig Pen is perfect for setting up near Hog, letting him use his Hook to pull a vulnerable target into it, then finish them off to get an easy pick and gain the upper hand in numbers for the current team fight.
Roadhog’s Counters
The final thing to consider with Roadhog in his reworked state are his biggest counters. While players are free to select whoever they’d like as their match Hero, there will be certain situations, maps, and enemy team compositions that will make things significantly harder for Hog, which can make the job of Tanking a real uphill battle. Depending on a gamer’s individual skill level with Hog, they may be able to play against one or more of these counters. However, knowing when the enemy has too many counters to make Hog viable is also important. Switching Heroes can often be more beneficial than one would think.
Here is a summary of Roadhog’s most significant counters, and what can be done to play against them when switching off Hog is a player’s last resort.
