Roadhog has suffered greatly from the latest patch of Overwatch . His popularity is declining – but how can we “save” him?
The patch 1.12 of Overwatch has hit Roadhog pretty hard. Contrary to some assumptions that the changes are actually a buff, the criticism of Blizzard is now significant. Roadhog is no longer suited as a flanker who picks out individual characters and punishes them, but now relies on group protection. The reason for this is that his damage has been reduced by 33%, although his rate of fire and magazine size have been improved.
Especially his notorious “hook-shot-melee” combo is now only lethal against a few characters – like Tracer or D.Va without her mech.
Less cooldown for more performance with Roadhog?
At the colleagues from PvPLive, they had some good ideas on how Roadhog could be “fixed” to better meet his current role.
- The sound when successfully hooking an opponent should be louder, and the associated voice line should also be amplified. In the heat of battle, it is hard for outsiders to hear whether Roadhog has someone hooked – and then the chance has already passed.
- The cooldown of the hook should be reduced from 8 seconds to 6. In an earlier version, he had this cooldown, but it was extended due to the aforementioned combo. Now that the combo is rarely lethal, the cooldown could be reduced again.
Cortyn says: I still can’t come to terms with the Roadhog update. It’s also the first time that a character is stripped of his original “role”. Previously, he was a flanker, now he feels more like a supporter who has to stay protected by the group. While neither the old nor the new role fulfills the role of a true “tank”, the new playstyle is simply boring and unsatisfying.
What do you think about it? Do you still enjoy playing Roadhog? Do you wish for changes? Or is the current version perfect?
