Hazard

Hazard
"If you're in it with me, you're in it for life."
Real Name	Findlay Docherty
Aliases	Haz
Status	Active
Birth	November 11
Age	24
Nationality	Scottish
Occupation	Soldier (formerly) Punk rocker
Base	Glasgow, Scotland (formerly) Unknown
Affiliation	Scottish military (formerly) Phreaks
Relations	Susannah (partner)
Voice	Conor McLeod (English) Jhos Lican (French) Amadeus Strobl (German) Ítalo Luiz (Brazilian Portuguese) Kim Sin-woo (Korean)
Cosmetics	Cosmetic page
Quotes	Quotation page
Role	Tank
Health	275 (Open queue) 425 (Role queue)
Armor	225
Character Video

Hazard is a Tank hero in Overwatch 2. He was released in Season 14, making him the 42nd hero added to the game.

Overview

Hazard's cybernetics allow him to be a highly mobile tank focused on diving in and diving out. His cybernetics have a shotgun inbuilt into them, also powering his jump to be quite high. The Vanadium injection grants him the ability of a shield with being able to fire homing spikes onto nearby attackers. He can build Vanadium crystalline walls that also knock back and deal damage.

Abilities

Role: Tank

Type

Passive Ability

Reduces knockbacks and critical damage received. Less ultimate generated by healing and damage received. Increases base health in Role Queue game modes.

Health:

150

Dmg. reduction:

-25% taken

• Details

Ability details:

• Reduces the speed of knockbacks received by 25%
• Ultimate generation is reduced by 40%.
• Reduces the total damage received from critical hits, such as headshots, by 25%.
  • Weapons with a lower 1.5x headshot modifier ignore this damage reduction completely.
  • The effectiveness on abilities that deal critical damage through other means than headshots is ambiguous: Earthshatter and Overrun are affected by the damage reduction, but Virus and Volatile Chaingun's forced critical hits against burning targets are not.
  • The reduction stacks additively with other modifiers affecting damage taken.
• All tanks have 150 more health in Role Queue. The amount of armor and/or shields remains the same.

Vault

SPACE

Type

Passive Ability

Effect Type

Movement

Scale short walls and grab ledges.

Duration:

Up to 0.2 seconds

Movement speed:

6.33 m/s (vertical)

• Details

Ability details:

• Wall Climb ends when the player stops holding the button, the wall ends or the duration is up. It cannot then be used again until the player has landed on a walkable surface.
  • Violent Leap resets wall climb.
• Hazard will grab and mantle ledges if the input is held while facing a ledge of a walkable surface.
  • This does not count as starting Wall Climb, and can be done even if Wall Climb was already used.
• Can reach up to 5.7 meters from ground (6.5m with jump) due to momentum being kept.
• The obstacle must be at least 1.25 meters tall to trigger Vault.

Bonespur

Type

Weapon (Primary Fire)

Effect Type

Shotgun (projectile)

Fire a burst of spikes.

Damage:

7.5 - 2.25 per pellet
75 - 22.5 per shot

Falloff range:

15 - 35 meters

Headshot:

✓ (x2)

Rate of fire:

1.75 shots/s

Bullets per shot:

10

Ammo per shot:

1

Ammo:

8

Reload time:

2.3 seconds

Projectile speed:

140 m/s

Projectile radius:

0.05 meters

• Details

Ability details:

• Damage per second: 150 while firing (100 overall with reload)
• Each blast's center projectile always launches straight without random variance.

Spike Guard

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Projectile

!

Protect yourself, firing homing spikes at nearby enemies. While active, reduce damage taken and regenerate ammo.

Damage:

11.67 per projectile
245.07 maximum

Headshot:

✕

Rate of fire:

6 shots/s

Bullets per shot:

1 per enemy

Dmg. reduction:

-75% taken

Cast time:

0 + 2.9 seconds

Duration:

0.3 seconds (min)
3.5 seconds (max)

Area of effect:

7 meters radius, 6 meters height

Spread angle:

70 degrees (targeting)
180 degrees (dmg. reduction)

Mov. speed penalty:

-50%

Projectile speed:

20 m/s

Projectile radius:

0.14 meters

• Details

Ability details:

• Damage per second: 70
• Resource meter recharges over 5 seconds.
• Can fire up to 21 shots per target over the full duration.
• Spike Guard is a channeled ability; Hazard cannot use other abilities or fire while it is active and it is interrupted if he is stunned, knocked down or hacked.
  • The impact damage from the instance that applied the effect will still be blocked.
  • Activating any other ability deactivates Spike Guard. If secondary fire is held, Spike Guard starts again when the previous ability finishes.
• While active, periodically fires 1 missile at each enemy within the area, dealing damage to first enemy in their way.
  • Targets heroes and all objects, excluding barriers.
  • Enemies can be targeted through barriers, but barriers still will block projectiles trying to pass through them.
• Damage is blocked if the horizontal angle between the direction Hazard is facing and the direction from the impact location to its source is less than 90 degrees.
  • Hazard's vertical view angle does not affect blocking or targeting.
  • Head hitbox is hidden while the ability is active.
  • Effectiveness extends to area abilities and splash damage from projectiles. Damage is generally blocked when facing the center of the AoE.
    • Damage from Dragonstrike and Molten Core is blocked regardless of facing direction.
    • Does not reduce damage from Sombra's EMP or Sigma's Gravitic Flux (incl. both lift and slam).
  • Spike Guard mitigates delayed or triggered detonation damage from stuck projectiles and debuffs, regardless of the direction Hazard is facing.
  • Following abilities are affected: A-36 Tactical Grenade, Sticky Bombs, Pulse Bomb and Captive Sun.
  • Does not affect damage over time effects from abilities.

Violent Leap

LSHIFT

5 seconds

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Movement
Melee

Lunge forward. Activate again to slash enemies, knocking them back.

Damage:

80 (slash)

Headshot:

✕

Cast time:

0 + 0.18 seconds (leap)
0.05 + 0.5 seconds (slash)

Max. range:

14 - 15 meters (leap)
6 meters (slash)

Movement speed:

18.6 m/s (directly up) - 24 m/s (along ground)

Knockback speed:

12.3 m/s

• Details

Ability details:

• Cooldown begins immediately upon use.
• During leap, Hazard can slash by pressing the ability button again or Quick Melee.
• There is a brief period after hitting ground where the slash can still be activated.
• Slashing gives Hazard a slight boost.
• Hazard can use primary fire and all his other abilities while leaping.
  • Activating Downpour or starting to wall climb will interrupt the leap and prevent the slash followup, but firing or using other abilities do not.
• Leap trajectory and distance can be adjusted with view angle and directional keys.

Jagged Wall

E

12 seconds

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Projectile (initial)
Area of effect (after deployment)

!

!

!

Launch a spiked wall that damages and knocks back nearby enemies.

Damage:

50

Headshot:

✕

Health:

400

Cast time:

0.14 + 0.4 seconds

Duration:

10 seconds (projectile)
0.5 seconds (wall, min)
6 seconds (wall, max)

Max. range:

∞

Area of effect:

5 meter length
~3 meter width
3.5 meter height

Knockback speed:

7.5 m/s

Projectile speed:

60 m/s

Projectile radius:

None

• Details

Ability details:

• Cooldown begins as soon as it's fired.
• The projectile will transform into a wall upon impacting the ground, ceiling, wall or a surface of another terrain-like object.
  • The projectile doesn't collide with enemy heroes.
  • Projectile can be blocked by barriers while in flight, but contact with the deployed wall cannot.
  • Projectile can be destroyed by Defense Matrix, Kinetic Grasp and Javelin Spin and reflected by Deflect while in flight, but contact with the deployed wall cannot be blocked.
  • If the object the wall is attached to is destroyed, Jagged Wall will be destroyed as well.
  • The deployed wall can be manually destroyed by pressing the ability button again.
• Enemies that touch the wall take damage and are knocked back. Whenever an enemy is hit by the wall, there is a 1.75 second delay before they can be hit by it again.
• Deployed Jagged Wall is a terrain-like object; it has collision and blocks line of sight.
  • On ground and ceiling surfaces, the wall will be oriented longer side facing the player. When deployed on wall surfaces, the top side will be facing away from the wall and the shorter side will be facing up as the new top surface.
  • The wall has a walkable top surface regardless of the orientation it was deployed in.
• Hazard can use Vault on the wall, and touch a friendly wall without taking damage.
• Wall cannot be damaged or destroyed by EMP.
• Wall can be lifted by Petal Platform if attached to it.
• Unlike most other objects, Jagged Wall does not get crushed by Tree of Life. The tree can be deployed on top of Jagged Wall or next to it but not in the same space.
• Jagged Wall may prevent pillars from Ice Wall from rising if the latter is attempted to be deployed in the same space.

Downpour

Q

1900 points

Type

Ultimate Ability

Effect Type

Hitscan

Rain down a torrent of spikes, Immobilizing enemies.

Damage:

90 over 0.29 seconds

Headshot:

✕

Cast time:

0.59 + 0.3 seconds

Duration:

2.5 seconds (trap)

Area of effect:

30 meters length
12.5 meters width
30 meters height

• Details

Ability details:

• Downpour's cast can be interrupted from being hit by crowd control during its startup.
• Hazard loses 50% of his aerial momentum while casting Downpour.
• Falling spikes are hitscan projectiles fired from above at each enemy in the area.
  • The area and spikes are not blocked by terrain.
  • The spikes can be blocked by barriers, destroyed by D.Va's Defense Matrix, Orisa's Javelin Spin, Sigma's Kinetic Grasp and Genji's Deflect on the way down.
    • Deflect does not reflect spikes, only blocks them.
  • The initial animation, where Hazard fires the shots upwards, is only a visual effect and does not produce projectiles that can be interacted with in any way.
  • Also targets objects, excluding barriers.
• Spikes start falling in front of Hazard 0.9 seconds after the startup finishes. The rain then extends away from Hazard, reaching the maximum range over 0.7 seconds.
• Enemies hit by Downpour take damage and are rooted for 2.5 seconds.

Strategy

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Match-Ups and Team Synergy

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Story

Hazard is a charismatic and contrarian punk rocker who might look a little rough around the edges but is a fierce defender at heart. His story is one of resilience and survival. The Phreaks are Hazard's "found family," and his loyalty to them and their anti-establishment ideals are core to who he is.

A Lonely Youth

Born to veterans of the Omnic Crisis, Findlay Docherty grew up poor and surrounded by stories of violence. His mother died when he was young and his father was absent and unkind, leaving young Findlay to fend for himself. It seemed the only thing keeping food on the table was the regular check the government sent as compensation for his parents’ military service. Findlay grew up respecting the institutions that fed him, but his poverty and poor performance in school made him a victim of bullying for years before he learned to fight back. He eventually enlisted in the military and left behind his old life, convinced that he could find success if he played along with the system.

Caught in the Crossfire

Tragedy struck when Findlay was caught at the center of a conflict between Overwatch and Talon in Glasgow. A dropship crashed into the flat he grew up in , killing his father and leaving Findlay trapped in the wreckage for almost two days. Miraculously, Findlay survived, but the accident left him a triple amputee, with chronic pain that would last for the rest of his life and brought an end to his military career. The government offered him basic prostheses, pain medication, and another monthly check to forget about what happened, but Findlay burned at the injustice of it all. His family, his home, his career... Findlay had lost everything, and had no one left to share in his grief. How was he supposed to move on?

Finding the Phreaks

That was when Findlay learned of the Phreaks, a counter cultural movement of self-augmenting anarchists that protected omnics in the wake of the Crisis. He was taken in by one of their most prominent members: an expert body-modder named Touch-Up who outfitted him with custom augmentations that helped him regain mobility and manage his pain. Over time, Findlay found a family with the Phreaks and enthusiastically embraced their cause. As a member of their crew , Findlay was committed to tearing down systems upheld by organizations like Overwatch and Talon. Together with the Phreaks, Hazard traveled the world and transformed himself through augmentation. No matter the danger, he was always the first to jump into the fray to protect his friends. Over the course of his escapades , Findlay earned himself a new name: Hazard.

Unstoppable Upgrades

Hazard continued to push himself with new augmentations that enhanced his physical stature, speed, and strength. But the true turning point came when the Phreaks resolved to steal a rare vanadium isotope from the Oasis Ministry of Genetics. The isotope was unstable, but Touch-Up saw its potential. She designed Hazard a powerful new mod: one that could integrate the vanadium into his body and allow him to shape it into a deadly arsenal. Though Hazard knew harboring the vanadium would make him one of the most wanted criminals in the world, it was worth the risk . Thanks to this latest upgrade, Hazard has become a serious threat to the global order and a charismatic young face among the Phreaks. To the oppressed and downtrodden, Hazard is a hero; to the rich and powerful, he is a terrifying menace... and that’s just the way he likes it.

Achievements

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
A Wee Mindin'		Kill 3 enemies with a single use of Downpour in Quick or Competitive Play.	File:Spray Hazard Cute.png Cute
When it Rains, it Pours		Deal 800 total damage with a single use of Spike Guard in Quick or Competitive Play.	File:Spray Hazard Pixel.png Pixel

Trivia

Tank hero placeholder icon

• Prior to his official reveal, there were numerous hints at Haz's existence:
  • At BlizzCon 2023, a placeholder icon of an unreleased Tank hero could be seen in preview footage. This is presumably Haz, though the imagery differs significantly.
  • In July 2024, datamined lines pointed to the existence of a hero named "Harriet Oris" and/or "Haz."
  • In the trailer for Season 13, there was a hint at a hero associated with the Phreaks.

Development

Early concept art

Hazard's aesthetic and concept art came from a blend of gameplay and narrative goals. Initially, the team envisioned him as a massive, beastly figure, really leaning into the power and presence his gameplay demanded. Hazard was snuck into a broader dev team playtest one day, and the reaction was so positive that it solidified Hazard as the Season 14 hero. From a narrative standpoint, Hazard's backstory mirrors that of the Overwatch setting itself, of growing up through hardship and obtaining "found family" (in Hazard's case, the Phreaks).

Reiterative concept

Initially starting with a cyberpunk, punk rock aesthetic, Hazard began as a monstrous and intimidating villain. Over time, his story and appearance was refined into a character who was still tough but has a rebellious charm; a mix of edginess paired with a protector’s heart. As Hazard’s art development refined his visuals, his backstory shifted too. The evolution from massive tank to charming rebel shaped his narrative, and he turned from a villainous figure to a hero. This shift also helped develop the Phreaks as a faction with strong ties to omnics. They have a focus on bodily autonomy and distinguished them from other groups in Overwatch lore.

Balance Change Logs

For more information, see Patch Notes.

• Overwatch 2 PvP

Overwatch 2 PvP

Patch

Description

10 Dec 2024

Developer Comment: The community feedback from Hazard’s trial has been largely positive, despite underperforming slightly. We’re adjusting his kit to increase the damage of his primary fire, making Bonespur more consistent and a reliable tool for finishing off enemies. Spike Guard protection sometimes felt inconsistent due to being used from a third-person perspective. To address this, we’ve widened the forward blocking angle, providing Hazard with more reliable protection. Additionally, the damage of Spike Guard has been slightly reduced to balance the increased Bonespur damage and protection radius. We’re also strengthening the Jagged Wall to make it more impactful, while increasing the time required to retrigger the knockback effect to minimize frustration from frequent knockbacks.

Bonespur

• Damage per spike increased from 6.75 to 7.5.
• Each volley’s center projectile no longer has a random launch spread and now always launches straight.

Spike Guard

• The angle of protection provided by Spike Guard increased from 104 degrees to 180 degrees.
• Damage per second reduced from 75 to 70.

Violent Leap

• Post-slash recovery time for Primary Fire and Quick Melee increased from .3 seconds to .5 seconds.

Jagged Wall

• Health increased from 350 to 400.
• Knockback damage increased from 40 to 50.
• Damage interval increased from 1.5 seconds per target to 1.75 seconds per target.

Downpour

• Airborne momentum lost by casting Downpour reduced from 90% to 50%.

Vault

• Minimum obstacle height to trigger Vault reduced from 1.75 meters to 1.25 meters, which should allow Hazard to scale short obstacles more consistently.

22 Nov 2024

Early Trial

• Tank Role
• Not available in Competitive Play during the Hero Trial

Bonespur

• Primary Fire
• Fire a burst of spikes.

Spike Guard

• Secondary Fire
• Protect yourself, firing homing spikes at nearby enemies. While active, reduce damage taken and regenerate ammo.

Violent Leap

• Ability 1
• Lunge forward. Activate again to slash at enemies, knocking them back.

Jagged Wall

• Ability 2
• Launch a spiked wall that damages and knocks back nearby enemies.

Downpour

• Ultimate Ability
• Rain down a torrent of spikes, immobilizing enemies.

Vault

• Passive ability
• Scale short walls and grab ledges.