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Roadhog


Roadhog-Portrait

"Apocalypse ain't over."

Real Name
Mako Rutledge
Age
50 (Overwatch 2)
48 (Overwatch)
Nationality
Australia Australian
Occupation
Enforcer (formerly)
Bodyguard
Base
Junkertown, Australia (formerly)
Affiliation
Australian Liberation Front (formerly)
Junkers (formerly)
Wreckers (formerly)
Josh Petersdorf (English)

Frédéric Souterelle (French)
Milton Welsh (German)
Renzo Ferrini (Italian)
Meng Xianglong (Mandarin (China))
Li Ying-li(Mandarin (Taiwan))
Naomi Kusumi (Japanese)
Kim Dae-jung (Korean)
Aleksey Rozin (Russian)
Miguel Ángel Ghigliazza (American Spanish)
Pedro Tena (European Spanish)
Márcio Dondi (Brazilian Portuguese)

Cosmetics
Cosmetic page
Quotes
Quotation page
Role
Tank
Health
650 (Open queue)
800 (Role queue)
Character Video

Roadhog is a Tank hero in Overwatch. He is one of the 21 heroes included in the game's release on 24 May 2016.

Overview

Roadhog uses his signature Chain Hook to pull his enemies close before shredding them with blasts from his Scrap Gun. He’s hardy enough to withstand tremendous damage, and can recover his health with a short breather.

Abilities

Role: Tank
Hero-ability-circle
TankIcon
Type
Passive Ability
Reduces knockbacks received. Less ultimate generated by healing and damage received. Increases base health in Role Queue game modes.

Ability details:
  • Knockbacks and ultimate generation both reduced by 30%.
  • All tanks have 150 more health in Role Queue. The amount of armor and/or shields remains the same.


Scrap Gun
Key mouse 1
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-Roadhog1
Type
Weapon (Primary Fire)
Effect Type
Shotgun Shotgun (projectile)
Blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
Blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
Affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Short-range spread weapon with a medium-range shrapnel volley.
Damage:
6.25 – 1.88 (per pellet)
15 – 4.5 (per shrapnel)
160 – 48 (per shot)
Falloff range:
30 – 50 meters
Headshot:
✓ (1.5x)
Rate of fire:
1.25 shots/s
Bullets per shot:
16 (pellets)
4 (shrapnel)
Ammo per shot:
1
Ammo:
6
Reload time:
1.75 seconds animation
Spread angle:
Constant: 20.1 degrees
Projectile speed:
80 m/s
Projectile radius:
0.05 meters (pellet)
0.15 meters (shrapnel)
Roadhog's Scrap Gun fires short-range blasts of shrapnel with a wide spread.

Ability details:
  • Damage per second: 200 while firing (~146.7 overall w/reload)
  • Fires 4 shrapnel projectiles in a small spread in the middle and 16 smaller pellets in a larger spread.
  • Fire recovery stops while using melee.

Example Video


Take a Breather
Key mouse 2
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-Roadhog2
1.5 seconds
Type
Ability
Heal yourself and reduce damage taken.
Healing:
180 per second
Dmg. reduction:
50%
Cast time:
0.21 + 0.54 seconds
Duration:
0.55 seconds (min)
2.5 seconds (max)
Roadhog restores a chunk of his health over a brief period of time.

Ability details:
  • Hold secondary fire to use.
  • Restores 450 health at full duration.
  • Take a Breather has a resource meter which will deplete while Take a Breather is active and recharge when not in use.
    • Takes 10 seconds to completely recharge when fully depleted.
    • Starts recharging when the cooldown ends.
    • Recharge time is unaffected by Kitsune Rush Icon Kitsune Rush or being affected by crowd control.
  • Take a Breather is a channeled ability; Roadhog cannot fire or use other abilities while it is active, and it ends immediately if Roadhog becomes stunned, knocked down or hacked, including their subsidiary effects.
  • Damage reduction starts together with the heal after a short cast time.

Example Video


Chain Hook
LSHIFT
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-Roadhog3
6 seconds
Type
Ability
Effect Type
Projectile Projectile
Blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
Blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
Affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Drag a targeted enemy to you.
Damage:
5
Headshot:
Cast time:
0.1 + 0.2 seconds
Duration:
0.5 seconds (min)
Max. range:
20 meters
Move. speed:
-50% movement speed penalty
40 m/s (pulled enemy)
Projectile speed:
62 m/s
Projectile radius:
0.5 meter radius (vs enemy)
None (vs wall or barrier)
Roadhog hurls his chain at a target; if it catches, he yanks them into close range.

Ability details:
  • Cooldown starts when Chain Hook ends.
  • Hooked targets are released if they leave Roadhog’s line of sight before being pulled.
  • Chain Hook is a channeled ability; Roadhog cannot shoot or use other abilities while it is active, and it ends immediately if Roadhog becomes stunned, knocked down or hacked, including their subsidiary effects.
  • If an enemy hero is hit, there is a ~0.3 seconds delay before the pull activates. During this time, there must be an unobstructed line of sight from the head of Roadhog to the head of the enemy.
    • Once this timer ends and the hook starts pulling an enemy towards him, the LoS check is disabled and the target's end location is determined:
      • The target is pulled at a 3 meter distance from Roadhog, unless it was already closer when hit.
      • The the end location is shifted horizontally in the direction Roadhog is facing at the end of the timer, to a maximum of 70 degree deviation from the location where Hook connected.
  • Roadhog can start shooting as soon as his chain is gone.
    • Once he is able to shoot, the target will lose their stun after 0.192 seconds.
    • The minimum stun time if the ability was not interrupted is ~0.73 seconds.
    • The maximum stun time if Roadhog and his target are stationary is ~1.18 seconds.
  • Damage is inflicted the instant the hook lands. If this damage is enough to kill the target, the hook will return instantly to Roadhog without holding him in place as it usually does on a hit.
  • Chain Hook is not reflected when blocked by Ability-genji2 Deflect.
  • Targets can be pulled out of Chain Hook by Life Grip Icon Life Grip.
  • Chain Hook immediately ends if Roadhog is pulled by Life Grip Icon Life Grip any time while casting it.

Example Video


Pig Pen
E
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-Roadhog5
12 seconds
Type
Ability
Effect Type
Arcing projectile Arcing projectile
Area of effect Area of effect
!
Partially blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
Blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
Affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Launch a trap that slows and damages nearby enemies.
Damage:
60 (initial)
30/s (periodic)
Health:
100
Cast time:
0.11 + 0.58 seconds
Duration:
1 second (arming delay)
3 seconds (slow)
Area of effect:
2.5 meter radius (trigger)
4 meter radius (slow area)
Move. speed:
-40% (slow, enemies)
Projectile radius:
None

Ability details:
  • Cooldown starts when the trap is deployed.
  • The trap is an object.
    • The trap deploys upon landing on object or terrain with a walkable surface, and bounces off when colliding with other surfaces or a hero.
    • Only one trap can be active at a time. An upward arrow above the ability icon indicates that a trap is active.
    • The trap can be destroyed while dormant but not while it is in air or once it has been triggered.
    • The trap is visible to all players.
    • Turrets and Ability-ashe4 B.O.B. do not target the trap.
  • The trap stays on ground until destroyed, a new trap is deployed or until an enemy hero (incl. Ability-ashe4 B.O.B.) enters its radius triggering it.
    • There is a 1 second delay after deploying before the trap can trigger.
    • The player receives a cue when an enemy triggers or destroys the trap.
    • Enemies that are phased out, such as Reaper during Ability-reaper2 Wraith Form, cannot trigger the trap.
    • Enemies that are invulnerable, such as Zenyatta during Ability-zenyatta4 Transcendence, can trigger the trap.
    • Invisible enemies can trigger the trap.
  • Upon triggering all enemies within the radius take damage and receive a small knock up. The trap then slows all enemies within a larger area and deals periodic damage to enemies while they stay within the radius.
  • The trap can be lifted by Ability-mei3 Ice Wall and Petal Platform Icon Petal Platform if the trap is placed on them afterwards, but they cannot lift a trap that is already on ground.
    • The AoE is also lifted with the trap if it was placed on the platform/wall.
  • Barriers block the projectile and prevent a trap on the ground from triggering through them, but the damage pierces barriers.
  • If the cast time for throwing the trap is interrupted, the trap will not be thrown and the ability will go on cooldown.
  • The trap cannot be targeted by Ability Sombra Hack Hack, and Ability Sombra EMP EMP only damages the trap.
  • The trap is destroyed if payload, push robot or push barricade travels over it.
  • The trap is destroyed if Tree of Life Icon Tree of Life is deployed or falls on top of it.


Whole Hog
Q
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-Roadhog4
3050 points
Type
Ultimate Ability
Effect Type
Shotgun Shotgun (hitscan)
Blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
Blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
Affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Damage and knock back enemies in front of you.
Damage:
7 – 2.1
Falloff range:
30 – 40 meters
Headshot:
Rate of fire:
8 shots/s
Bullets per shot:
16 per shot
Cast time:
0.5 + 1 seconds
Duration:
7.5 seconds
Spread angle:
~40 degrees (horizontal)
~3 degrees (vertical)
Move. speed:
13.9 m/s (knockback)
Projectile radius:
0.05 meters
After cramming a top-loader onto his Scrap Gun, Roadhog pours in ammo. For a short time, he can crank out a stream of shrapnel that knocks back enemies.

Ability details:
  • Damage per second: 56 per pellet, 896 total.
    • Fires a total of 704 pellets, dealing up to 6720 damage overall.
  • Whole Hog transforms Roadhog weapon:
  • Whole Hog cannot be manually canceled.
  • Restores Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun ammo when the ultimate ends.
  • While the ultimate is in use, Roadhog's bullets will have red tracer lines on enemy vision.

Example Video


Hero-specific options

Setting name Options Description
Hide Whole Hog Timer Off (default) Timer UI element is displayed around the crosshair.
On Timer UI element is hidden.

Strategy

Roadhog has a unique Tank playstyle that's focused on singling out vulnerable enemies and yanking them in for the slaughter with his Chain Hook. His Scrap Gun gives him powerful short to medium-range damage, while Take A Breather allows him to remain a persistent threat, even without a friendly Support. However, his lack of any kind of barrier makes him a lackluster pick when your focus is on protecting your teammates. He can function as a flanker, where his chain can catch enemies unawares and kill them before they can react. With his large heal on a medium cooldown, he can operate for long periods of time away from his team. However, if you can alert your team when you hook an opponent they will be likely to shoot at the target, all but guaranteeing their demise.

Weapons & Abilities

  • Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun: Roadhog's primary weapon. The primary fire is a shotgun, suitable for dealing damage at close range. The majority of the blast is a sixteen-pellet shrapnel blast, best suited for close range combat, while the middle projectile, previously a secondary fire, shoots out a projectile which shoots a tight spread of four shrapnel.
    • For enemies at medium range, try to align your crosshair on their center to maximize the chance that you hit them with the middle part of the blast.
  • Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook: When activated, Roadhog fires a hook at his crosshairs that travels out to a long range before returning back to him. If the hook strikes an enemy, it will pull that enemy back to Roadhog, as well as stunning them for a brief period of time. Solid surfaces and barriers stop the hook entirely.
    • Make sure to mind your ammo if you intend to use Chain Hook as part of a combo. If you're out of ammo, you've done nothing but bring the enemy closer.
    • Chain Hook allows Roadhog to drag enemies up close to where his Scrap Gun is most effective. Combining Chain Hook with your Scrap Gun's primary fire and a melee attack is a devastating combo, allowing Roadhog to kill softer targets instantly.
    • While Chain Hook is generous when it comes to the gaps that you can pull an enemy through, enemies can still be stopped from being pulled to you if a sufficiently high wall is in the way.
    • Targets are pulled to a location 3.5 meters away, which some heroes can survive from your Scrap Gun due to their small hitbox. Try to move closer once you get a hook, and doing a combo to finish the target.
    • Certain opponents such as Reaper and Mei can use their invincibility abilities after being pulled to avoid your Scrap Gun/melee combo if you're too slow. Either force your opponents to use these abilities by damaging them with your Scrap Gun before pulling them in with Chain Hook as a finisher, or aim for the head.
    • Use the environment to your advantage - a good example would be scoring an easy kill by reeling someone into the hole on the Well section of Ilios.
    • Remember that Chain Hook can yank in Junkrat's RIP-Tire and D.Va's Self-Destruct. Use your hook if you're confident that it will not backfire. For RIP-Tire, you can use the usual hook combo (Hook+Primary Fire) to destroy it, however the tire can explode before you fire - be careful, as it kills you at point blank range even if you are full-health. For Self-Destruct, if you see D.Va casting one, you can try hooking it into cover, away from teammates and activate Take A Breather to ensure that you won't die.
    • Remember that Chain Hook pulls the target in front of Roadhog, meaning you can turn while reeling in the victim. This is effective for creating environmental kills, moving enemies out of position, or overall making it easier to disrupt the enemy.
  • Ability-Roadhog2 Take A Breather: When activated, Roadhog will inhale from a hogdrogen canister, rapidly restoring health and reducing the damage he takes. This is a channeled ability; Roadhog can freely move when it's being used but unable to take other actions. Roadhog takes 40% reduced damage during duration and stuns can interrupt both the healing and damage reduction effects.
    • Use Take A Breather whenever Roadhog has been damaged and you are out of sight of enemies, as he can't attack back while using it.
    • Consider use it to body-block some damage for your teammate as he can receive a high amount of damage thanks to the damage reduction.
    • Take A Breather can be safely used in combat when you're against one or two opponents, especially certain low-damage targets like Winston, Symmetra or Lúcio, as they don't have the burst damage needed to kill you while you're using it.
    • If you feel at risk of being focused down in a team setting, Take a Breather can keep you alive whilst teammates deal with the problem, or your hook cooldown comes off.
    • Take care when using Take A Breather at low health; the healing starts 0.5 seconds after using the ability, during which he can be finished off easily.
    • If you're trapped in Mei's ultimate, quickly activate Take a Breather to restore health before the freeze kicks in (Takes practice). It's not advised to do so if Mei is already freezing you, since her ultimate and her freeze spray will freeze you before healing takes place.
  • Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog (Ultimate): Roadhog's Ultimate ability. When activated, Roadhog begins to fire a broad cone of pellets in front of himself for a few seconds, dealing damage to enemies and knocking them back. Roadhog can still move and use his abilities while using Whole Hog. This Ultimate is a Transformation Ultimate, and Roadhog cannot be stunned out of it.
    • While Whole Hog doesn't deal a lot of damage outside of close range, it is very effective at disabling and disrupting an enemy team.
    • Being knocked back significantly can disrupt the ability of an opposing team to fight back, and makes it almost impossible to push further engagement on Roadhog. This can be exploited further by Roadhog by avoiding the temptation to focus fire, and instead treating the knockback inflicted as soft crowd control, tagging as many targets as possible with it to cripple their ability to fight back. It can also be used to sweep enemies away from objectives.
    • To maximize damage, try to position yourself so that enemies are knocked back into walls or corners, as keeping your opponents is range of as many of your bullets as possile will greatly increase the overall damage that you're able to do.
    • Roadhog can cancel his Chain Hook animation with this ability while still pulling the target. However, due to the hook restricting only horizontal movement, the enemy is going to be pushed extremely high, instead of extremely far. This technique is not that common, but it's all about experimentation.
    • Using this ultimate against fortified Orisa or against an ulting Winston is a great idea. For Orisa, since her Fortify stops any crowd control effect, it will stop the knockback and you will be able to output the full potential strength of Whole Hog at her. With Winston, however, you either can just push him away once he leaps, or, if you manage to do so, you can pin him against the wall and take him out easily, since your ultimate deals 5000 total damage.

General Strategies

  • Roadhog is an unusual Tank. While he has a lot of personal survivability thanks to Take A Breather and his massive base Health pool, he has nothing like Reinhardt or Winston's barrier, making him poorer at protecting his team from damage. In fact, playing Roadhog as a "tank" per se will help the opposing team achieve victory faster, as unlike the other tanks, he does not possess a way to prevent damage from occurring in the first place; every time he takes damage and heals it back up, he's feeding the enemy more ultimate charge. His real value comes from his ability to single out and kill valuable targets like Mercy or Bastion with his Chain Hook, as well as being able to protect his team from flankers like Genji more effectively than other tanks. Consider playing Roadhog in combination with another Tank so that you cover each other's weaknesses, and treat him like an up-close Defense assassin.
  • Chain Hook is a core part of Roadhog's gameplay. The standard combo is to pull an enemy with Chain Hook, then use your Scrap Gun's primary fire to the chest of your opponent so all the pellets hit , followed up immediately with a melee attack. If done quickly enough, Roadhog can instantly kill most enemies who are at or below 200 Health. This is an effective strategy for taking out valuable targets like Mercy or Zenyatta, as well as countering normally agile characters like Tracer or Pharah. Landing Chain Hook on Bastion in Sentry-mode will force it back to Recon and leave it vulnerable even if you're immediately slain. Note that Chain Hook's stun starts as soon as it impacts an enemy, so you'll have less time to execute your combo successfully against certain targets if you pull them from medium or long range.
  • An advanced Chain Hook combo is to first use the Scrap Gun's secondary fire, then use Chain Hook immediately after you've fired (as Chain Hook can be activated even when your gun is firing). Follow this up with the standard primary fire and melee attack. This is useful on soft targets who have extra Health from Brigitte, Torbjörn, or Symmetra or targets who have a slim hitbox (Moira, Symmetra etc.). Once you've mastered it, you should always use it since it will secure the kill.
  • Don't get too cocky when using Chain Hook. Try to pull targets into a relatively safe position that's protected from enemy fire, as Roadhog is immobile while pulling an enemy and an easy target for their allies.
  • The Scrap Gun's secondary fire can deal devastating damage when used correctly. The pellets fired by the projectile come out in a much smaller cone than the Scrap Gun's primary fire. Firing this projectile at an opponent's head can instantly kill softer targets if all of the pellets are headshots, and even bodyshots can be deadly if all of the pellets hit. Remember that the secondary fire needs to travel a minimum distance before it explodes.
  • It can be difficult to tell when it's the right time to use Whole Hog. Its main purpose is to push back or separate an enemy team; look for opportunities where you can split an enemy team in half with its knockback effect. In an enclosed space, it can also be used to push enemies into a corner, leaving them helpless as you juggle them in the air. It can even be used to knock enemies into open pits, instantly killing them. Keep in mind that enemies like Cassidy and other Roadhogs can interrupt the channeled effect, so be wary of using Whole Hog while they're around.
  • Whole Hog is countered effectively by Bastion, who ignores the knockback when deployed as a turret, and by shields, which can often endure its low damage and protect allies enough to focus down Roadhog, who gains no durability when using the ultimate, and becomes even slower, making him an easy target for focused fire.
  • An unusual, but effective strategy for Roadhog on Defense is the "Hook and Cook". On maps such as King's Row, Roadhog can use Chain Hook to pull enemies into a corridor, filled with Symmetra turrets. This is a useful strategy for eliminating Supports.

Match-Ups and Team Synergy

Tank

Hero Match-Up Team Synergy
Icon-dva
D.Va
D.Va deals her most damage at point blank range, exactly where Roadhog wants his opponents. With Scrap Gun's damage and D.Va's critical weakness being front and center, you can tear through her Mech with ease even with its armor. Chain Hook cannot be countered by her Defense Matrix, and she is such a large target that landing it is no problem. D.Va is exceedingly mobile, though, so even if you hook her she may be able to flee before you can get her out of her Mech. Once D.Va is deprived of her Mech, you can easily finish her off, unless she manages to escape. Although she is much more vulnerable out of her Mech if you can land a shot or a Hook, she is a credible threat if she has range and a clear shot with her Light Pistol, which has little to no damage dropoff and incredible fire rate and accuracy. Also, due to Roadhog's size and lack of mobility/shields, he is usually her primary target since even if he survives, she can built enough Ultimate to activate Call Mech. Worth noting is that you can Chain Hook D.Va's Mech during Self-Destruct, allowing you to pull it off a ledge with you or into a building to minimize the damage to your team. Just keep in mind that her Defense Matrix is able to block all bullets from your Scrap Gun within far range. Your Hook combo might be disrupted when she activates Defense Matrix to protect the victim from the following bullets. (To be added)
Icon-doomfist
Doomfist
Doomfist shouldn't be an issue for you. While Rocket Punch can stun you and cancel your self-heal, he doesn't exactly have the combo potential to kill you. Plus, you can hook him and a headshot will finish him off. Even a direct hit from Meteor Strike only strips you of half of your health, which can he recovered with your self-heal. Doomfist might have some luck if can knock you into an environmental hazard. (To be added)
link=http://overwatch.gamepedia
Junker Queen
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-orisa
Orisa
Orisa can be slightly annoying to deal with, she has you beaten at mid to long range with her primary fire. Javelin Spin will block your chain hook, as well as providing some protection from your Scrap Gun. Fortify will make your hook's main purpose useless. Plus, Fortify nullifies critical hits, capping your damage output. Finally, Energy Javelin can interrupt Take a Breather, which could important if your dangerously low on health. It can also push you into an environmental hazard, which you have no means to save yourself due to your lack of mobility. However, should you manage to hook her, you can potentially kill her or force her to use Fortify, try to get your team to also focus on her before she has a chance to regroup with her team, since she lacks mobility. If you're using Whole Hog and Orisa uses Fortify, this can be an advantage or vice-versa. If she's at mid/long range the knockback effect is completely nullified, allowing her to freely shoot at you without much trouble. At close range, however, the devastating damage of your ultimate will quickly melt away her health. Take caution with Terra Surge as she can melt a large portion of your health with high enough charge. (To be added)
Icon-Ramattra
Ramattra
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-reinhardt
Reinhardt
Reinhardt's Barrier Field is capable of blocking Roadhog's Hook, makes him a good hero to prevent his team from being Hooked. Unfortunately, that is the greatest thing Reinhardt has to counter Roadhog. Your Scrap Gun can be used to pressure Reinhardt's Barrier Field, and when his barrier is down it can kill him in just a few shots, and from greater range than for most characters due to Reinhardt's huge hitbox. You can even survive Reinhardt's charge due to your massive health and self-healing. Roadhog can also sometimes disrupt Reinhardt's charges by hooking him mid-charge, and his very large health total makes him difficult for Reinhardt to dispatch in general. (To be added)
Icon-roadhog
Roadhog
Roadhog mirror matches are decided by two factors: who can land their shots better, and how they decide to utilize their Chain Hook and Take A Breather. Hooks should be used when the other Roadhog is weak enough that one blast from Scrap Gun is enough to finish him or. Hooks can also be used to interrupt another Roadhog's Take A Breather. If you're certain the enemy Roadhog has no Chain Hook, you can Take a Breather to gain the upper hand in health. In a one-on-one, the Roadhog who hooks the other Roadhog first will generally die - both Roadhogs will fire their scrap guns after the hook, dealing massive damage in the process, then the pulled Roadhog can use their Hook immediately after firing, pulling the first one in close and killing him outright without giving them a chance to fire back due to the stun. However, if you are with your allies who will concentrate their fire on the enemy Roadhog, sometimes it is advantageous to hook the enemy Roadhog. Note also that at 10 meters range, the right click -> hook -> left click -> melee combo can kill an enemy Roadhog if executed properly. (To be added)
Icon-sigma
Sigma
Sigma can block your damage with his Experimental Barrier. Even if you break it, he can use Kinetic Grasp to eat up your shots, and gain overhealth from them. In that event, you can use your Chain Hook to cancel it. At the same time, Accretion is a stunning projectile, and he can use it to interrupt your Take a Breather, and then hit you with his Hyperspheres. Gravitic Flux shouldn't be taken lightly as it can remove most of your health. If you do get caught, try to land Chain Hook on him to cancel the ultimate. Otherwise, use your Take a Breather, to reduce the damage. (To be added)
link=http://overwatch.gamepedia
Wrecking Ball
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-winston
Winston
Winston's Tesla Cannon does little damage to Roadhog's massive health. If forced to fight, Winston will fall quickly to your Scrap Gun, but he is also very capable of fleeing when things inevitably tip in your favor. (To be added)
Icon-zarya
Zarya
Zarya is the best tank against Roadhog, as her barriers can prove very frustrating to fight around. She is able to not only protect herself from Scrap Gun and Chain Hook, but also a teammate in that last vital moment before you can shoot your Chain Hooked victim, getting a large amount of charge out of it. While not terribly dangerous at low energy, once she reaches higher levels, her damage output combined with the lasting power that Zarya's shields give her will make your life difficult if you're careful and will outright end it if you're not. However, if Zarya's energy barrier is baited or is otherwise on cooldown, a hook combo will shave off most of her health and can quickly lead to her death. (To be added)

Damage

Hero Match-Up Team Synergy
Icon-ashe
Ashe
Ashe will most likely being positioned far from your Chain Hook and your gun's effective range. She can harass you with Dynamite, but you can heal it off with your Take a Breather. If you try to get close, Ashe can put distance between both of you with Coach Gun. B.O.B. can also be used to lay down suppression fire to keep you distracted or force you away. However, this is only for a limited time as you can also shred through his health with Whole Hog. (To be added)
Icon-bastion
Bastion
The damage and range of Bastion's primary fire while in Configuration: Sentry can outrange you while still tearing you to shreds. If you can catch Bastion unaware, or if you're protected by a teammate's barrier while you approach Bastion, Chain Hook will force Bastion out of Sentry Configuration and make him an easy target. Overall, Bastion should be engaged with a Chain Hook ambush or not at all. You can use your chain hook to pull enemies into bastion's line of sight while he's on sentry configuration, besides that there wont be much interaction between you two
Icon-Cassidy
Cassidy
Cassidy will have an easy time landing shots on you at most ranges given your size. Cassidy's effective distance leaves him open to your Chain Hook and makes him an easy kill, but successive headshots will make quick work of you. Up close Cassidy's Fan the Hammer combo will chew through a considerable amount of your health and his Flashbang lets him interrupt your attempts to heal. You should engage Cassidy with caution, as there is little room for error when facing him. (To be added)
Icon-genji
Genji
Genji and Roadhog can have a difficult time killing one another. Genji can outrange Roadhog with his primary fire and use Deflect to block his Chain Hook. On the flip-side, Roadhog's massive health and self-healing makes trying to kill him impractical for Genji. If Genji survives being Chain Hooked and shot by you, it's likely that he'll either use Deflect to back away, dash away with Swift Strike, or both. Should he dash away, you may be able to use your alt-fire to finish Genji as he flees. This matchup is for the most part a stalemate depending on what cooldowns are available to Genji. (To be added)
Icon-echo
Echo
As an airborne character, you will have little means of harming her, especially on outdoor maps where there's no ceiling to stop her. Echo can stay out of your effective and still lay down damage on you. Her primary fire has no falloff and she has Sticky Bombs that can chip through a quarter of your heath. The pièce de résistance is her Focusing Beam that can chew through your health quick if you're low. Remember to use Take a Breather to avoid being half-health as Focusing Beam's damage increases to 175 HP/sec. In this matchup, your best option is let another character who can fight her handle it. When Echo Duplicates you, have your Chain Hook ready as she will most like have Whole Hog ready quickly and you can cancel it out. A hook target can be damage furthermore by a volley of Sticky Bombs. Targets weakened by Roadhog's damage are ideal to be finished off with her Focusing Beam.
Icon-hanzo
Hanzo
Hanzo often hangs back way beyond Roadhog's effective range. Short of a headshot, Roadhog can take Hanzo's arrows like a pincushion (sometimes literally with Storm Arrows). Once close, however, Hanzo has little defense against Roadhog short of well-placed headshots with his standard or Storm Arrows. How easy the fight will be entirely depends on how well the Hanzo can make headshots and how well you can avoid them. (To be added)
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Junkrat
Roadhog's large frame gives Junkrat an easy time landing his grenades on you, and the damage dealt will stack up fast. If you aren't careful landing your shots and Take a Breather isn't ready, you may be trapped in a lengthy reload while Junkrat continues to lob bombs. Like most other heroes ,Junkrat falls to the Chain Hook combo easily enough. If caught in Junkrat's Steel Trap, Take a Breather's damage reduction is all that can protect you from Junkrat's onslaught of grenades. Beware of Total Mayhem when Junkrat dies, as you have little means of blocking or outrunning it. When you hear a RIP-Tire approaching, the power of your Scrap Gun may be enough to destroy it before it can explode. Barring this, activating Take a Breather in preparation could potentially save your life, between the initial damage reduction as well as the health recovery following the explosion. (To be added)
Icon-mei
Mei
Should you ambush Mei, you can make quick work of her with a hook combo. Otherwise, clashes between Mei and Roadhog will often end with neither of them dying. If Mei successfully freezes Roadhog she will likely be unable to kill him outright, even with headshots; however, Roadhog can kill Mei with a well-placed hook combo, but Mei can block Roadhog's hook both with her Ice Wall and with her Cryo-Freeze, which can make hooking her a challenge. If Mei takes damage, she can heal herself, as can you with Take a Breather. You can disrupt Mei's freeze combo by hooking her, making you an effective deterrent who can stop her from killing your allies; however, your lack of mobility means that if Mei walls you off, you have no way to get around the wall until it wears off. Mei's Ice Wall can almost completely shut down Whole Hog. While Roadhog is perhaps the character best equipped to endure Mei's Blizzard, being very tedious for her to kill, he has a hard time escaping it if he's caught inside and can serve as a gigantic Ultimate battery. However, if he does survive (as sometimes happens if he is being healed during the Blizzard), he can potentially punish enemies who overextended with his Chain Hook. (To be added)
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Pharah
As Pharah is high up in the air most of the time, you will have little means of harming her, especially on outdoor maps where there's no ceiling to stop her. On the other end, Pharah's rockets can seriously dent your health and if you try to heal out in the open it leaves you wide open to direct hits. Up close Pharah can put distance between you and herself with a combination of Concussive Blast, Jump Jet, and Hover. You're better off leaving Pharah to heroes more suited to fighting her, only harassing her with your alt-fire when you have no other targets. If Pharah gets within hooking distance, however, you shouldn't hesitate to punish her for it - she will die to the hook combo just like any other 200 health hero. (To be added)
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Reaper
Roadhog and Reaper share a massive damage output and are both very dangerous to one another. With higher health than other Damage heroes, Reaper can survive a shot from Scrap Gun better than anyone else in his class and with a higher rate of fire and larger ammo capacity than Roadhog, Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns will shred through even Roadhog's health. Roadhog's Chain Hook combo will usually kill Reaper, and even in the rare case where it doesn't, the Reaper will be at such low health that they are forced to flee using Wraith Form. However, should Reaper evade Chain Hook with Wraith Form, Roadhog will find himself in immense danger without team support. Alternating between well-timed Chain Hooks and Take a Breather can help you win the encounter, but you should still engage Reaper with extreme caution and never let Reaper get the drop on you. (To be added)
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Sojourn
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-Soldier 76
Soldier: 76
Soldier: 76 can constantly harass you from considerable range with his Pulse Rifle, his Helix Rockets will take a large chunk out of his health, and Biotic Field will let him soak up damage from the alt-fire of Scrap Gun. Up close Soldier: 76 will fall to Roadhog's Chain Hook combo like most other offensive heroes, but if left alone he can soften Roadhog up for the rest of his team. If stuck in a 1 on 1 situation, Soldier: 76 has higher mobility and can make a clean getaway, but you're sturdier, with your self-heal being more substantial than his. While not a large threat on his own, the threat Soldier: 76 poses only increases the more of his teammates are nearby, and his high damage output means that hooking some other hero first can give Soldier: 76 the chance to kill you. (To be added)
Icon-sombra
Sombra
Sombra's Hack renders Chain Hook, and by extension your combo, useless. It can also stop your Ultimate mid-use. Her Machine Pistol and your large size allows her to deal high amounts of damage, and if hacked you will not have access to Take A Breather. While Sombra has no more health than a typical Damage hero, she excels at fleeing disadvantageous situations with Translocator. This matchup will most often tip one way or another depending on if you can Chain Hook Sombra before she hacks you; note, however, that any amount of damage will interrupt Sombra's hack, so simply firing Roadhog's scrap gun at her as she's hacking you can ruin her day. Roadhog is excellent at protecting healers from Sombra; due to Sombra's vulnerability to the chain combo and close-quarters combat style, it is very difficult for Sombra to kill a healer that you are protecting, as Roadhog can absorb a lot of damage, and if she fails to Hack you, you can easily dispatch her. (To be added)
Icon-symmetra
Symmetra
Symmetra is easy for Roadhog to deal if you catch her in a 1 on 1 situation, but she is a threat if he does not prioritize her. Roadhog is a good choice to counter her front line defenses, as the wide spread of Scrap Gun lets him destroy turrets easily. Her Photon Barrier can block his fire and hooks, and if timed well can cut off Whole Hog. (To be added)
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Torbjörn
Torbjörn's turret is capable of denting your health at a distance and cannot be hooked (and can actually block the hook), but the damage is unlikely to kill you before you get to cover or use Take a Breather. Torbjörn himself should not be underestimated as his smaller frame makes it harder to land a full Scrap Gun blast, and being frequently armored he will be able to take it better than most. Torbjörn's alt-fire can kill even Roadhog in 2-3 shots if he lands headshots; he's even more of a threat when Overload is active, which can also protect him from a Chain Hook combo kill. When facing Torbjorn, Roadhog should stick close to his allies so that they can support his Chain Hook combos with extra damage. (To be added)
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Tracer
Tracer is very capable of being an aggressive and incessant thorn in your side. Roadhog's large hitbox makes it easy for Tracer to hit you with her Pulse Pistols, and her Blink is on a low enough cooldown that with smart use she can have one available to dodge every Chain Hook you throw at her. She can use Recall to reverse glancing blows from your Scrap Gun or to confuse you even further. Pulse Bomb is easy to stick to Roadhog due to his size and will put you in a critical state, and healing around Tracer is an invitation to keep being shot, even if you'll take reduced damage. However, if you hook her, she will die to his combo, and if Tracer gets too close, a single Scrap Gun shot can potentially dispatch her. This matchup largely comes down to if you can land his Chain Hook on Tracer or not; Roadhog's best bet for dealing with her is having other allies around to lend fire assistance or distract her. If you can get around behind her during a firefight, your hook is much more likely to land. (To be added)
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Widowmaker
Widowmaker is capable of quickly taking you out before you can get anywhere near close enough to try to Chain Hook her. Even once you close in, Widowmaker can use her Grappling Hook to quickly get away. However, on Control and Assualt maps with largely closed-in control points, it can be extremely difficult for Widowmaker to dislodge you from the point. Keep out of Widowmaker's line of sight while making sure to hook her allies as they approach you. (To be added)

Support

Hero Match-Up Team Synergy

Icon-ana
Ana
Ana's Sleep Dart can save her from a flank or save an ally from your hook combo; likewise, it can shut down your Ultimate quite easily. Her Biotic Grenade shuts down your self-healing, too. However, Roadhog has far more health than she does, and deals a lot of damage; Ana will mostly want to Sleep Dart you and then flee, unless she has an ally nearby who can help finish you off. If you have to approach her in the open, she can deal quite a bit of damage to you from outside of your hook range. However, Ana will die to the hook combo, and she lacks any sort of mobility ability to escape or to make her harder to hit; if you manage to flank her, or simply get in close without being Sleep Darted, Ana will die. Biotic Grenade can increase the effects of healing by 50%. Therefore, you Take a Breather can recover up to 525 HP. Slept targets are easy pickings for you and your Scrap Gun. Nano Boost increases your damage output and allows you to take less damage.
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Baptiste
Roadhog is the deadliest enemy Baptiste can face. Your hook combo can turn his Immortality Field against his team - not only will your hook pull enemies outside of its protection, his injured teammates will likely gather around it, giving you several easy picks if you can hook one before Baptiste's Regenerative Burst or Biotic Launcher can repair the damage. Using Whole Hog on a team huddled around his Immortality Field is a good way to finish them off (or at least knock them out of its protection for your teammates to finish off.) In a 1-on-1 fight, Baptiste has few escape options, making a fight with him end quickly if you can hook him (or get him in range). However, Baptiste can be a difficult target to reach if he manages to get the height advantage before the battle, so look for alternate routes that make it easier to reach him when attacking. Immortality Field can keep you alive if you're low and lack Take a Breather. Amplification Matrix doubles your main weapons damage and - more importantly - doubles Whole Hog's damage, letting your shred through nearly everything.
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Brigitte
Brigitte's self heal isn't enough to reliably protect her against your devastating close range damage, however, if you're missing your shots or she's making herself a hard target to shoot reliably, try to regroup with your team to help you pin her down, try not to use Take a breather around her since her shield bash can interrupt the ability. (To be added)
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Kiriko
Roadhog is an easy target for Kiriko to farm ult charge for Kitsune Rush. Kiriko can throw kunai at you from long range, out of Chain Hook's range and where your damage becomes negligible. Even if you get close, she can use Swift Step to escape. Protection Suzu can prevent Roadhog from one-shotting hooked allies. Protecting Suzu may not save anyone from Whole Hog because of the temporary duration. Protection Suzu can remove any negative effects, allowing you to get up if you've been slept or knocked down and - most importantly - cleanses you of anti-heal effects. Protection Suzu ensures that you can use his Take a Breather without interruption, greatly increasing your survivability. Kitsune Rush pairs nicely with your abilities, especially Whole Hog as the higher rate of fire means you deals more damage.
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Lúcio
Lúcio's damage is of little threat to you, but he can be very hard to pin down as he's often jumping around and riding walls. The healing song from Crossfade will patch up glancing blows from Scrap Gun, and his speed boost can give him an edge in getting away from you. Comparing Ultimates, Sound Barrier is a good answer to soak up damage from Whole Hog. A well-placed combo will put an end to him, though, and Lúcio's healing is too marginal to save most 200 health allies from the hook combo. (To be added)
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Mercy
In a straight up fight, Mercy is, no pun intended, at Roadhog's mercy. Her Caduceus Blaster has little hope of even getting close to chewing through your health, and you can make as quick work of her as he can any other 200 health hero. The greatest danger while combating Mercy is dealing with whoever Mercy is healing, as they will not only have sustained health to fight you with, but also give Mercy a target to fly back and forth from. You should generally try to pick her off first, if possible. (To be added)
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Moira
Moira doesn't pose a huge threat to you but she can avoid your attacks with Fade. Moira can also use her secondary fire to heal herself and replenish her resource meter. Since you're so huge, it won't be hard to lock a beam onto you. You can hook Moira out of Coalescence, cancelling the ult. Even at close range, she can still evade you with Fade (if timed correctly). (To be added)
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Zenyatta
Despite having no mobility options, Zenyatta is not to be underestimated. Orb of Discord will allow him and anyone else near him to rip you to shreds with concentrated fire, and Zenyatta's range is good enough to allow him to harass you from a distance. Extended battles with Zenyatta are not encouraged unless you are confident that you can land a combo before Zenyatta can kill you. However, if you manage to close in on Zenyatta, he has no escape mechanisms and will likely be hooked and killed. (To be added)

Story

Icon-Roadhog
"I'M A ONE-MAN APOCALYPSE."

7'3" (221 cm) tall, and 550 lbs (250 kg),[1] Roadhog is a ruthless killer with a well-earned reputation for cruelty and wanton destruction.[2] He remains silent most of the time.[3] He wears a mask with "hogdrogen" inhalers, which contain a pressurized chemical mixture that helps counteract the effects of radiation exposure.[4] Despite his outwardly brutal appearance, Roadhog is a sound tactician.[5]

Background

We fought a war to protect our home. We got the apocalypse. And everyone's left fighting over the ashes.
~ Mako Rutledge
Roadhog mugshot

Roadhog's mugshot

After the Omnic Crisis, government officials gifted the Australian omnium and the surrounding area to the omnics that had nearly destroyed their country, hoping to establish a long-term peace accord. This arrangement permanently displaced Mako Rutledge and a large number of the Outback's residents, a scattered collection of survivalists, solar farmers, and people who just wanted to be left alone.[2]

Furious over the loss of their homes, Mako and others turned to violent rebellion. They formed the Australian Liberation Front and struck against the omnium and its robot population to take back the lands that had been stolen. Events continued to escalate until the rebels sabotaged the omnium's fusion core, resulting in an explosion that destroyed the facility, irradiated the region, and littered the Outback with twisted metal and wreckage for kilometers around.[2]

Mako watched as his home became an apocalyptic wasteland, and he was forever changed.[2]

Adapting to his environment, he donned a mask and took to the broken highways of the Outback on his ramshackle chopper. Little by little, his humanity was forgotten. The last vestiges of Mako faded away and the ruthless killer Roadhog was born.[2] He continued to dwell in his farm, which was located on the outskirts of Junkertown.[6]

The Wastelander

Roadhog-cheer

Roadhog in the audience

Roadhog attended the Reckoning that saw Odessa Stone defeat King Mason Howl. He remained silent the entire time, though one loudmouth caught his attention as he yelled out "Junker Queen," inadvertantly giving Stone the nickname she'd bear for years to come.[7]

Wasted Land

World deserves them. They could scrap every panel here, and it wouldn't get them a mile toward a real city. But it'll get me something.
~ Roadhog
Roadhog-Wasted Land

Waking up the Hog

Roadhog remained a thorn in the side of the Junker Queen. He didn’t care—he was there for his gas and everyone else could rot.[8] While an enemy of the queen, he was still allowed inside the settlement as long as he took no weapons in.[9]

One night, Roadhog found some Junkers attempting to loot his farm. He hooked one of them, but the Junker told him he was sorry and Roadhog could take all of their scrap and weapons in exchange for their lives. Roadhog accepted, stating (inwardly) that the world deserved them, and that they could scrap every panel around and it still wouldn't get them a mile to a real city.[9]

He headed to Junkertown and (after some thinking on how he hated it there and how the Queen and the Junkers deserve what they get) went to a Junker named Bruce. He gave Bruce the scrap and weapons from the looters in exchange for some hogdrogen canisters. Bruce also told Roadhog "The world wants to forget blokes like us, Mako. Wants us to stay quiet. Don't give 'em the satisfaction."[9]

Afterwards he headed to the bar and silently bought a beer with the leftover coins from the looters. While there, he overheard some Junkers confronting Junkrat about what treasure he'd found and also overheard him say he'd offer a friend he could trust a ten percent share. Junkrat pointed at Roadhog as he said the words. Roadhog ignored this at first while some Junkers told him to stay out of it. Junkrat offered higher percentage shares while an unnamed Junker told Roadhog to sit where he was. Roadhog then incapacitated the Junkers threatening Junkrat.[9]

Roadhog demanded fifty percent of Junkrat's treasure, and after some haggling, Junkrat relented. He thought about Junkrat as the two walked away: "This idiot. He's a liar. Lies to himself most of all. But he's not the quiet type. The world deserves him. Deserves both of us. And we'll make sure they don't forget it."[9]

On the Road

Well that's a fine 'how do ya do?'. What was it you think that got us the boot? The stealing the queen's cash? Blowing up her summer shack? The beatdown at the bar? Whatever it was, you really ticked off the big boss this time.
~ Junkrat to Roadhog
Junkrat & Roadhog

Junkrat & Roadhog

Roadhog grudgingly agreed to be Junkrat's bodyguard in exchange for a 50/50 share of the spoils.[10] In his mind, better that the spoils go to him than the Queen.[8]

For some reason, Junkrat and Roadhog were kicked out of Junkertown, following a string of incidents that included stealing the Queen of Junkertown's money, blowing up her summer shack, and a bar brawl (possibly the one where they first met). Whatever the reason, Junkrat blamed Roadhog for it. Still, as Junkrat was well aware, there were two things that solved every problem—money, and explosives. That gave him an idea...[11]

For a time, the pair wandered the irradiated Australian Outback; Junkrat was his only associate, to the puzzlement of many.[12] Eventually, the pair left the Outback, and embarked upon an international crime spree leaving nothing but havoc and bedlam in their wake.[10] They were responsible for a string of robberies, arson,[13] murder,[1] and other crimes stretching from Sydney to King's Row.[13] They had a creed of "no job too big, no score too small."[1] It is known that they performed a heist of the Banco de Dorado[14] by digging a tunnel. While in the United Kingdom, they stole the crown jewels.[15] Their spree of mayhem and chaos caused untold millions in property damage around the world.[1]

British, French, and Latin American authorities offered rewards for information on the fugitives, and theorized that they were intent on crossing the Atlantic to North America.[13] Their activities were reported on by A Moment in Crime, by which point the bounty on their heads had reached $25 million.[1]

Going Legit
JunkratRoadhog-Going Legit

The Junkers face off against the cop bots

At some point during their escapades, Roadhog and Junkrat were offered a job by a "Suit" from Hyde Global. The Suit claimed that a factory of his in downtown Sydney had been attacked by omnic terrorists, with his workers taken hostage. The Suit told the pair that he wanted to keep the police out of it, and that there "was no-one better" at keeping things quiet than the duo. The pair accepted the job, and made their way to the factory. Their 'quiet' approach consisted of detonating explosives on the roof and entering the factory in force. They blasted their way through the factory's robots, exited, and brought the whole structure down. As Roadhog reminded Junkrat, there were meant to be hostages, except there were none. And the robots they'd destroyed weren't omnics, but cop bots. At this point the actual police arrived, but the two made their escape. Upon realizing they'd been set up, the pair headed back to see their corporate friend. They strung him up on a crane and headed off, leaving the suit to die in an explosion that consumed the entire Hyde Global building.[3]

Return to Junkertown

Idiot.
~ Roadhog, after Junkrat messes up
JunkratRoadhogPlan2

Roadhog, after Junkrat's screw-up

Their worldwide heist complete, Junkrat and Roadhog returned to Junkertown, with a hover-trolley loaded with gold and explosives. At the town gates, Junkrat laid out his plan—light the fuse, put on 'inconspicuous disguises', sneak into town, get the trolley to the queen's throne, reveal their deception, and kaboom! Roadhog had Junkrat refine the plan so that it included them escaping the detonation, and escaping with the gold at that. The plan was set in motion, only to be screwed up as Junkrat revealed their identities to the gate warden. The gates were barred shut, leaving the pair with a trolley of gold, useless disguises, and a ticking fuse. Breaking his long silence, Roadhog uttered a single word...

"Idiot."[11]

Achievements

Name Icon Description Reward
Giving You The Hook
Ability-Roadhog3 Interrupt an enemy Ultimate Ability with Roadhog's Hook in Quick or Competitive play. Spray Roadhog Pixel
Pixel
Hog Wild
Ability-Roadhog4 Knock 2 enemies to their deaths with one use of Roadhog's Whole Hog in Quick or Competitive play. Spray Roadhog Cute
Cute

Trivia

  • Roadhog is the only hero whose face is never shown in any of his skins.
  • When landing after a jump, there is a rare chance that Roadhog will fart. This appears to be an easter egg.
  • His favorite animal is Pachimari.[16]

Cultural References

  • Both Roadhog and Junkrat's designs, as well as the state of Australia in Overwatch's setting, are references to the post-apocalyptic Mad Max universe.
  • The fashion in which Roadhog drags his hook on the ground behind him during his Crushing Blow highlight intro is a possible reference to Silent Hill, more specifically, the monster Pyramid Head, as it is common for him to drag his Great Knife around in an identical fashion.
  • When grabbing enemies with the Chain Hook, Roadhog might yell: "Get over here!" or "Come here!"; a possible reference to Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, who also has an ability that allows him to grab enemies and often yells the same lines.
  • Roadhog's hook was made in the Man At Arms series who are part of the Azeroth Armory series.[17]
  • A Roadhog skin exists for Stitches in Heroes of the Storm.
  • Roadhog wears a pin depicting Greentooth, the Polycount mascot.
  • Roadhog's "I'M A ONE-MAN APOCALYPSE." line is likely a reference to "I'm-a be a one-man cheeseburger apocalypse." which is a line said by Coach in Left 4 Dead 2.

Merchandise

  • A Roadhog-themed hoodie is available from JINX.[18]
  • A Junkenstein's Monster Roadhog figure is on sale.[19]

Misc. Character Information

  • Roadhog was once a member of the Wreckers.[5]
  • Roadhog met Mauga at some point, apparently before leaving Junkertown. The two have an antagonistic relationship.[5]

Nationality

Roadhog's official nationality is Australian[20], but there are many hints that may point to him as being a Kiwi and/or of New Zealand Maori descent.

  • Roadhog's name, Mako, means "Shark" in the New Zealand Maori dialect. The meaning and use of Mako in his legendary skin supports this as well.
  • The legendary skins Islander and Toa are strongly linked with New Zealand, as Toa is used as an adjective to describe "Brave/Bold/Victorious" in Maori.
    • New Zealand has the biggest population of Polynesian ethnicities which is reflected through the Islander skin that also uses a Tamoko/Tatau/Tattoo to reflect his heritage.
  • On Dorado, Roadhog can be heard saying "If I wanted to go to the wop-wops, I could have stayed at home." "Wop-wops" is a New Zealand variation on the Australian informal noun "Woop Woop", meaning somewhere out of the way or in the middle of nowhere.
  • In a forum thread discussing what pet each hero would have, Michael Chu stated that he thinks Roadhog would have a kunekune.[21] Kunekune is a small breed of domestic pig named for a Maori meaning "fat and round."
  • The blanket on Roadhog's bed in the Junkertown map and the teacup in his Toast victory pose both feature a Kowhaiwhai pattern, derived from Maori tradition.

Development

Roadhog-Tattoo

Roadhog's original tattoo

  • The Junkers originated as a group that would have appeared in the cancelled Project Titan, with Roadhog being a concept for one of its members. During early development of Overwatch a flamethrower was briefly considered for his weapon, a holdover from the Juggernaut class in the original pitch for the game that became Overwatch, which also served as a basis for the design of Reinhardt.[22]
  • Concept artwork of Roadhog portrayed him with a tattoo of an eagle and a pig in the Overwatch cinematic trailer. In his final design the eagle was replaced with a motorcycle engine and a banner with the words "Wild Hog Power."
  • Early artwork of Roadhog depicts him possessing an actual pig visage (or mask).[23]

Videos

Official

Balance Change Logs

For more information, see Patch Notes.

Overwatch 2 PvP
Patch
Description
Developer Comments: We’re improving the consistency of the Hook combo. Enemies are pulled closer to Roadhog and aren’t launched as high when Pig Pen activates, making the Scrap Gun follow-up shot more consistent.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook

  • The enemy final position distance from Roadhog after being pulled decreased from 4 to 3 meters.

Ability-Roadhog5 Pig Pen

  • Vertical knockback on activation decreased by 43%

Ability-Roadhog2 Take a Breather

  • Damage reduction increased from 40 to 50%.
General updates

Most damage-dealing projectile sizes have been increased by a new global modifier added to their base size.

  • +0.05 meters for hitscan projectiles with a high rate of fire or spread (e.g., Tracer's Pulse Pistols or Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns).
  • +0.08 meters for hitscan projectiles that are more precise (e.g., Cassidy's Peacekeeper or Soldier:76's Heavy Pulse Rifle).
  • +0.05 meters for travel time projectiles that are shotguns or have a very high rate of fire (e.g., Roadhog's Scrap Gun or Ramattra's Void Accelerator).
  • +0.10 meters for travel time projectile with a speed greater than 50 meters per second (e.g., Zenyatta's Destruction Orb).
  • +0.15 meters for travel time projectile with a speed less than or equal to 50 meters per second (e.g., Pharah's Rocket Launcher).
  • Very large projectiles with a base size greater than 0.5 meters have been excluded from these increases (e.g., Orisa's Energy Javelin or Reinhardt's Fire Strike).

Hero combined HP (base health/armor/shields) increased by 15-25%.

  • 150-175 HP heroes increased by 25 HP.
  • 200-300 HP heroes increased by 50 HP.
  • 300+ HP (Tanks) increased by 75-100 HP.
  • Each hero's precise health increases are listed in their patch notes below.

Ultimate Charge

  • All Ultimate ability costs increased by 10%.

Regenerative Passive for All Heroes

  • All heroes now regenerate 20 health per second after 5 seconds of not taking damage.

Quick Melee

  • Damage increased from 30 to 40.
Hero updates
  • Health increased from 550 to 650.

Ability-Roadhog2 Take a Breather

  • Total amount healed reduced from 500 to 450.
  • Cooldown between usages increased from 1 to 1.5 seconds.
Developer Comments: We're adjusting a few things with the new Take a Breather, as our initial landing spot was slightly conservative. These tweaks should offer Roadhog more healing throughput and damage resistance from moment to moment. While we are shortening the maximum duration, this gives Roadhog faster healing and should alleviate some of the feelings players had around being locked into using Take a Breather for a large chunk of their gameplay.

Ability-Roadhog2 Take a Breather

  • Total healing increased from 450 to 500
  • Damage reduction increased from 30 to 40%
  • Maximum duration reduced from 3 to 2.5 seconds
  • Recharge time reduced from 12 to 10 seconds
Developer Comments: The broad goal of the Roadhog rework was to improve his frontline presence on the battlefield as a tank hero and reduce the frustration enemy players had with how consistently deadly his hook combo has been in the past.

Roadhog's previous Scrap Gun primary and secondary fire have been reworked into one primary fire shot that is still most effective at close range but also deals more reliable damage from further away now.

His Take a Breather has been changed to a resource-based ability and has been moved to Secondary Fire for a more convenient control scheme. It can be used more frequently but will need to recharge its resources over time, increasing its flexibility as a tanking tool and making it not as easy to counter.

He now has a new ability called Pig Pen, which is a deployable trap that activates when enemies are nearby, dealing damage and slowing them. This enables Roadhog to have control over a wider area and, with a little bit of pre-planning, can be used to either help protect his allies or further enhance the effectiveness of his hook combo.

Ability-Roadhog1 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.

Ability-Roadhog2 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.

Ability-Roadhog5 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.
Developer Comment: We would like Roadhog to be even sturdier as he’s an immobile tank with minor damage-blocking ability. His self-sustainability is already quite powerful when alone, so this is more of a team-oriented change. Take a Breather briefly increasing healing received will enable the support heroes on Roadhog's team to help him recover more quickly.

Ability-Roadhog2 Take a Breather

  • Now amplifies healing received by 50% for 2.5 seconds after finishing Take a Breather.
Developer Comment: The Chain Hook cooldown beginning when the ability started, instead of at the end, caused some confusion when discussing the cooldown since once you can see the timer, it appeared a second shorter (7 seconds) than the actual maximum cooldown. After fixing that, we're reducing the cooldown overall by an additional second to increase the frequency of Roadhog's team utility now that being pulled in by Chain Hook is less deadly.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook

  • Chain Hook cooldown now starts when the ability ends instead of at the start
  • Chain Hook cooldown reduced from 8 to 6 seconds
Developer Comment: Allowing Roadhog to use abilities during his ultimate made it much more reliable in a solo tank environment, though doing so was often much like just canceling the ultimate as it ran out of time. We're adding a couple seconds to the maximum duration to increase the flexibility of player choices during the Whole Hog ultimate, but we'll keep an eye on if it's simply too much damage or knockback overall.
  • Base health in Role Queue modes remains the same at 700
  • Base health in non-Role Queue modes reduced from 700 to 550

Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog

  • Maximum duration increased from 6 to 8 seconds
  • Ultimate cost increased 8%
Developer comments: These changes aim to reduce the frustration of dying in one shot immediately after being hooked and pulled by Roadhog. Chain Hook is still a powerful utility to forcibly reposition enemy players, so it will still often lead to eliminations. Its effectiveness will now be more dependent on specific hero matchups and how the hooked target is able to respond.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook

  • Impact damage reduced from 30 to 5
  • The enemy final position distance from Roadhog after being pulled increased from 3 to 4 meters

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun

  • Damage per pellet reduced from 6.6 to 6
  • Recovery time reduced from 0.85 to 0.8 seconds
  • Reload time reduced from 2 to 1.75 seconds
  • Maximum ammo increased from 5 to 6

Developer comment: We saw Roadhog underperforming, so we are making his ultimate more interesting, effective, and fun. Roadhog was dying frequently while using Whole Hog, so we are trying to give him more options and flexibility in his ult.

Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog

  • This ability has changed from a ‘Channeled’ ultimate (e.g. Pharah, Reaper, Cassidy), into a ‘Transform’ ultimate (e.g. Soldier: 76, Genji, Winston). This is what that means:
    • The weapon no longer automatically fires, and you must press Primary Fire to use the ultimate
    • You can use normal abilities during Whole Hog without canceling the ultimate
    • Stuns will no longer cancel the ultimate
  • Base health increased from 600 to 700

Ability-Roadhog2 Take a Breather

  • Total healing increased from 300 to 350 health

Overwatch 1
Patch
Description
General
  • Enemies now generate 25% less Ultimate Charge from damage dealt to Roadhog

Developer Comment: Roadhog tanks for his allies by being a large and threatening target with high durability which draws a lot of fire from the enemy team. We're reducing the amount of ultimate charge he provides to better enable him in this role without as much of a downside for his own team.

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun
  • Damage per projectile increased from 6 to 6.6

Developer Comment: Roadhog is a hero who has been underperforming lately with not much changing about him since late last year when he had a more dominant presence, though the balance of other heroes has indeed shifted around. We're partially reverting the reduction to his damage to help bring him back up to a more effective level.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook
  • Now pulls targets 0.5 meters closer (3.5 meters down to 3.0 meters)

Developer Comment: After the last round of shotgun improvements, Roadhog's Chain Hook combo still wasn't effective against some of the smaller enemy heroes. This change pulls targets closer to melee range for swifter, more reliable combo execution.

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun
  • General
    • Projectile damage reduced from 7 to 6 (150 total per shot)

Developer Comment: When combined with the changes to shotgun patterns, we’re looking to keep Roadhog’s Chain Hook combo reliable, but not overly powerful against heroes with higher health pools.

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun
  • General
    • Ammo reduced from 6 to 5
    • Damage per projectile increased from 6 to 7
    • Recovery increased from 0.7 to 0.85 seconds

Developer Comment: These weapon changes are intended to make Roadhog's Chain Hook combo more consistent and bring back some of the heavyweight feeling it had in the past.

Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog
  • Knockback increased 20%
Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun
  • Ammunition increased from 5 to 6.

Developer Comment: Roadhog is one of the best heroes at breaking down barriers quickly, but often he would be out of ammo and unable to capitalize on a barrier being destroyed. This change gives him more opportunities to poke at these high health targets and still having extra shots to threaten the enemy.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook
  • Decreased the delay before pulling a hooked target from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds
  • Now greatly reduces the target’s momentum upon being hooked
  • Cooldown now begins immediately, instead of after the target has been pulled

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun

  • Spread pattern adjusted for both primary and secondary fire
  • Spread randomization reduced by 50%

Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog

  • Knockback maximum velocity increased by 25% (from 8 to 10 meters per second)
  • Horizontal recoil decreased slightly

Developer Comment: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook’s cooldown now begins immediately upon use, it no longer varies based on Roadhog’s distance to the hook target. We’ve also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we’ve increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun
  • Primary fire falloff range changed from 10-20 meters to 15-30 meters
  • Alternate fire now has damage falloff, which is the same as the new primary fire falloff (15-30 meters)

Developer Comment: Previously, Roadhog’s Scrap Gun alternate fire didn’t have damage falloff which sometimes made it too powerful against far away targets. To balance out a slight power decrease, especially against barriers, we decided to push his overall weapon’s effective range out bit further before damage falloff begins to take effect. Note: The alternate fire falloff begins from where the scrap projectiles are formed, not from Roadhog’s firing position.

Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog
  • Now restores ammunition after completion

Developer Comment: These changes remove the need to immediately reload after certain long duration ultimates.

Ability-Roadhog2 Take a Breather
  • Can now be used while moving
  • Damage taken while healing has been reduced by 50%

Developer Comment: These changes help Roadhog be much more aggressive when looking for hook targets or blocking for his team. The combination of these effects significantly increases Roadhog’s sustainability and survivability.

General
  • Head hitbox size reduced by 20%

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun

  • Bullet damage decreased by 33%
  • Fire rate increased by 30%
  • Clip size increased from 4 to 5

Developer Comment: Roadhog’s head was abnormally large compared to similarly-sized characters, so we’re reducing its size to increase his survivability. The Scrap Gun changes reduce the power of his hook combo and alternate fire burst damage potential while still keeping his DPS roughly the same.

Ability-Roadhog1 Scrap Gun
  • Spread decreased by 20%

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook

  • Targets are now pulled to a location 3.5 meters away, up from 2 meters
  • Cooldown increased from 6 to 8

Developer Comment: The Roadhog changes overall reduce the power of his hook a bit, but his gun is now more effective when not using the hook.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook
  • Targets are now pulled directly in front of Roadhog (rather than straight to him), except in cases where Roadhog drastically rotates
  • Hooked targets are now released if they leave Roadhog’s line of sight before being pulled
  • Line of sight checks (which determines if targets are hit by the hook) are now done from Roadhog’s position, rather than the hook’s position

Developer Comment: The hook should now feel more consistent for Roadhog players, but it should also feel more reasonable to his enemies, as they cannot be hooked or pulled around corners anymore.

General
  • Ultimate costs have been increased by 25% for all heroes.

Developer Comment: Game-changing ultimate abilities were coming up a bit too frequently. This change helps keep them in check while still allowing them to be powerful.

Ability-Roadhog3 Chain Hook
  • If the hooked target isn't in Roadhog's line of sight when retracting the hook, they will be moved back to the position where they were originally hooked

Developer Comment: This change means that hooked targets will be less likely to slide along walls, potentially ending up in an odd place after they've been reeled in.

General
  • Self-healing abilities now charge ultimate abilities. As a result, some heroes’ ultimate costs have been adjusted (see below).

Ability-Roadhog4 Whole Hog

  • Ultimate cost increased by 45%

Images

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 2015-09-21, A Moment in Crime Special Report: "The Junkers" | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2015-09-27
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Roadhog (Overwatch), Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-23-09
  3. 3.0 3.1 Overwatch: Junkrat & Roadhog: Going Legit
  4. Overwatch Visual Source Book
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RoadhogOW2Quotes
  6. 2017-09-12, New Map Preview: Junkertown | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2017-09-15
  7. The Wastelander
  8. 8.0 8.1 Roadhog (OW2), PlayOverwatch. Accessed on 2023-01-01
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Junkertown: Wasted Land
  10. 10.0 10.1 Junkrat, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-23-09
  11. 11.0 11.1 2017-08-21, "Junkertown: The Plan" | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2017-08-25
  12. [https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/heroes/roadhog/ Roadhog (Overwatch 2), Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2022-10-05
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 2015-09-15, Teasing : Two new heroes on their way?. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-09-19
  14. 2015-09-17, Overwatch Map Teaser: Banco de Dorado Robbery. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-09-21
  15. Overwatch, Junkrat Quotes
  16. Overwatch 2, Roadhog Quotes
  17. 2017-07-11, Roadhog's Chain Hook - Overwatch - MAN AT ARMS: REFORGED. YouTube, accessed on 2023-03-21
  18. 2017-11-22, Overwatch Hoodies. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2017-11-23
  19. 2018-10-09, OVERWATCH HALLOWEEN TERROR GEAR AVAILABLE NOW. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2018-10-10
  20. 2016-06-21, @PlayOverwatch: "Roadhog's nationality is Australian." Twitter. Accessed on 2017-12-23.
  21. 2017-05-17, Michael Chu: "I think he'd have a kunekune." Battle.net Forums. Accessed on 2017-12-17
  22. Blizzcon 2017, Overwatch: Archives
  23. 2017-02-22, DICE Summit 2017: Jeff Kaplan Overwatch Opening Keynote. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2017-03-05

External Links

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