Summary
- Roadhog's rework in Overwatch 2 has made him less frustrating to deal with and provided him with new tools like the Pig Pen ability for crowd control.
- Sombra, Pharah, Illari, and Zenyatta are effective counters to Roadhog, each with their own unique strengths and abilities.
- Ana is Roadhog's best counter due to her ability to prevent his healing and immobilize him with Sleep Dart, making him vulnerable to attacks.
November 2023 saw the massive Roadhog rework in Overwatch 2, and the powerful and often annoying tank was made easier to deal with. His ability, Pig Pen, gives him some crowd-control, so he can do more than just deal damage, and Take a Breather was reworked to be a resource rather than a “don’t die” button. This rework and subsequent patches brought in more complexity and a higher skill ceiling, resulting in Roadhog's counters in Overwatch 2 changing by a fair margin.
While the rework was a solid move, the new Roadhog shares many similarities with the old version. He can still seem unkillable without coordination and can punish squishy targets with his hook. However, some characters can easily counter Roadhog in Overwatch 2, and players just need to know who the right pick is to delete that pesky tank.
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Roadhog is back in town with a rework including changes to his Scrap Gun, Take a Breather, and a brand new ability, Pig Pen.
Updated on August 21, 2024, by Amjad A. Asma: Amid the number of hero adjustments in each season, Roadhog in Overwatch 2 has retained the status of "annoying tank" with his well-rounded arsenal comprising self-sustenance and crowd control. Following the major changes to his kit in November 2023, he lost some of his old flares only to gain a high skill ceiling. This, in the right hands, can bring impressive results and wins across the board. When planned carefully, Roadhog’s Pig Pen and Chain Hook combo is an instant kill for squishy targets.
Regardless, some heroes have the tools to become dominating Roadhog counters in Overwatch 2. Players can rely on someone who can either go toe-to-toe against the tank or deal adequate damage while staying out of his range. Overall, teamplay is the key to taking down this enforcer from Overwatch 2's Junkertown map.
10 Sombra
Hack Roadhog To Boost Damage Against Him
- Hack boosts damage but no longer disrupts Take a Breather or his ultimate.
- Virus can deal 200 damage to a hacked Roadhog.
Before his rework, Sombra was a great Roadhog counter in Overwatch 2. The Hack was the perfect tool to interrupt Take a Breather and deny all that healing. However, it is now a channeled ability, meaning that the tank can just reactivate it after the hack and significantly reduce the window of vulnerability.
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Still, Sombra isn’t a bad Roadhog counter in Overwatch 2. Her Hack can increase the damage she deals (by 25%), and Virus deals more than a quarter of his health. Players should pick the DPS if they are confident in their abilities and good at deciding when to engage. However, if they aren’t a dedicated Sombra main, easier Roadhog counters can be used in Overwatch 2.
9 Illari
Efficient With Long-Range Damage And Healing
- Solar Rifle is a perfect weapon to deal massive damage from a range.
- Illari can use Outburst to escape Roadhog's clutches.
- Captive Sun is a threat to the opposing team.
Illari isn’t exactly a direct counter for Roadhog in Overwatch 2, but she can be an excellent support for teams going against the menacing tank. Her Solar Rifle can deal excellent damage from range with a decent headshot multiplier. Illari players should be able to poke opponents with charged shots and make the tank focus more on healing instead.
When hooked, Illari has better odds of escaping, even when compared to some of the best support heroes in Overwatch 2. She can use the Outburst to leap away in the opposite direction, but playing outside Roadhog’s range wouldn’t bring up the situation in the first place. Lastly, her Captive Sun ability has always been a threat during teamfights, so comps running the ‘hog’ will have to rethink before any engagements.
8 Pharah
Stay Out Of Reach And Go For Poke Damage
- Can poke Roadhog from a distance where the Scrap Gun damage falls off.
- With Jet Dash and Jump Jets, Pharah becomes a nimble target for hooks.
- Concussive Blast can scatter Roadhog's teammates.
Ranged characters are extremely effective against Roadhog in Overwatch 2, especially when they can play from a position where the Scrap Gun’s damage falls off. As a flying DPS, Pharah checks out the box, spending most of her time in the air and out of the tank's reach. In fact, she has excellent mobility with her Jet Dash, and when paired with the Jump Jets, it is a nightmare for Roadhog players when they cannot hook her down from flight.
Not to forget, Pharah can poke the tank's teammates, forcing them to mold their strategy accordingly. Her Concussive Blast is also a great tool to scatter the backline, effectively hindering their assistance. Overall, with her agility and further reach, Pharah is one of the best Roadhog counters in Overwatch 2.
7 Ashe
Long-Range Shots & B.O.B. For Defense Keeps Roadhog At A Distance
- Can ignore Roadhog entirely and focus on squishier targets from a distance.
- Coach Gun, Dynamite, and B.O.B. Are great tools to get in close.
Ashe is less of a counter to Roadhog in Overwatch 2 and more of a hero who takes advantage of the tank's weaknesses. The big bad has no way to block his teammates besides literally standing in front of them. Roadhog's focus on short-range combat means that snipers are free to take shots at their supports and DPS.
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On the off chance that players do get hooked, they can try to escape with the Coach Gun ability. Widowmaker has similar advantages but is beaten by Ashes' versatility. She can deal AoE damage with her dynamite, and B.O.B. Can be a nuisance if placed right. So, find a good sniping spot and get comfortable; it's not like Roadhog can do anything about it.
6 Mauga
Any-Range Heavy-Hitter With A Lot Of Health
- Can fight against Roadhog on equal terms.
- Mauga has a range advantage but can also hold his ground in close combat.
- The Incendiary Chaingun and Volatile Chaingun combo guarantees critical hits on large targets.
If there’s any tank in Overwatch 2 that can go toe-to-toe against Roadhog, it is Mauga. This duel-wielding mercenary has a few moves up his sleeves, including the ability to obtain overhealth from his Berserker's passive. So, players can expect to see a drawn-out battle between the two, where the one with the highest sustainability should win. Although, this may change in the future as a Mauga rework in Overwatch 2 seems to be on the cards.
Mauga has better odds since he can turn Roadhog’s body into a giant crit spot using his Incendiary Chaingun and Volatile Chaingun combo. The latter will be forced to play defensively unless he wants to tank the deadly barrage. Mauga also has a range advantage for using guns and can escape the hook with his Overrun ability, making him a great hero to counter Roadhog in Overwatch 2.
5 Zenyatta
Weaken Roadhog With The Discord Orb
- Discord Orb makes Roadhog much easier to kill.
- Zenyatta is done for if he gets hooked.
Zenyatta’s Discord Orb is a handy counter against Roadhog in Overwatch 2 as it increases all damage done to its target by 25%. This effectively means that Zen's team only has to deal 560 damage to kill Roadhog (as opposed to the usual 700). However, the monk is a risky counter because, if he is hooked, doom is assured. Any Roadhog can easily deal with a pesky Zenyatta in about two shots.
The support does have an escape route via his snap kick to give him a little space, but without any movement abilities, it likely won’t be enough. Zenyatta has great lore in Overwatch 2 and is a fairly decent character, but some other supports can deal with Roadhog with less of a risk.
4 Bastion
The Configuration: Assault Ability Melts Through Roadhog's HP
- Configuration: Assault tears through Roadhog's HP.
- Configuration: Artillery can attack Roadhog's vulnerable backline.
While other heroes in this list usually have very specific methods for countering Roadhog in Overwatch 2, Bastion's strategy is fairly straightforward. The tank is tough to kill because of his ability to heal; the simplest solution is to deal damage faster than he can replenish his health. Bastion's Configuration: Assault can deal over 2000 damage in a single use.
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This is more than enough to take care of Roadhog or get him extremely close. Not only that, but Bastion has a great ultimate that can finish off the fleeing tank or take out his supports (pairing it with Mauga's ultimate makes it a devastating combo). Players should just make sure that Bastion doesn't get hooked. If he keeps his distance, there's little that a Roadhog can do besides switching heroes.
3 Zarya
Create A Bubble On Allies That Roadhog Is Targeting To Gain Weapon Power
- Zarya can bubble anyone that gets hooked.
- Choose battles and build up enough charge to kill him.
Zarya is an amazing pick to counter Roadhog in Overwatch 2, so long as players play smart. Even if the latter hooks the former in for a kill, he will suddenly get a shield absorbing all that damage. Zarya thrives when she can put her shields directly in harm's way, and Roadhog isn’t exactly subtle about what he’s about to do.
Zarya can get into trouble if she runs out of shields, but strategic use can easily create a situation where Roadhog hooking allies (or Zarya herself) actually becomes beneficial to the team. Once she has built up enough of a charge, she can punish the opponent tank and finish him off.
2 Echo
An Airborne Target Is Hard To Hit
- Focusing beam can finish off a Roadhog faster than he can react.
- She's a difficult target to hook.
While Echo may be a difficult Overwatch 2 hero to play at times, she can take Roadhog out with the right timing. Given that he doesn’t have any means of shielding against incoming damage, his health is in constant flux as the game progresses. Echo’s Focusing Beam deals 3.5 times more damage to targets below 50%, meaning that, in one use of the ability, she can deal a whopping 350 damage to a single target.
In addition, Echo can use her Sticky Bombs to get him below that 50% threshold and use her Flight ability to make her a difficult target to hit. Overall, she is a good Roadhog counter in Overwatch 2 because, if she uses her abilities correctly, she can take him out alone.
1 Ana
Sleep Dart & Biotic Grenade Roadhog To Make Him Sleep And Stop Him Healing
- Biotic Grenade turns Roadhog into a sitting duck.
- Sleep Dart neutralizes Roadhog whenever he tries to help his team.
Ana is easily the best Roadhog counter in Overwatch 2 because of how much the tank relies on his ability to heal, something the support is very good at preventing. Ana's Biotic Grenade inflicts anti-healing on enemies for three and a half seconds. During this time, Roadhog loses his primary survival tools, mostly leaving his supports powerless to help him. However, the rework does remedy this weakness a bit.
If Take a Breather is used, Roadhog still gets the damage reduction, but that's it. Ana's Sleep Dart is also perfect for interrupting his Ult or saving a teammate if they've been hooked. Picking Ana will always give a Roadhog trouble and provide plenty of opportunities for their team to deal with the tank. Moreover, her overall prowess makes her a great counter for Sombra in Overwatch 2 as well, in case fans are having trouble with the DPS character.
Overwatch 2
- Released
- August 10, 2023
