How to Rank Up With Roadhog

Roadhog is one of the most common tanks in Overwatch 2. So, let’s look at how you can rank up with him more easily.

Speaking of tanks, we have to point out that Roadhog has been one of the most dominant Overwatch 2 heroes since the game’s launch. He is the top-tier tank in the current meta and is incredibly difficult to deal with. Besides the fact that he deals a lot of damage, Roadhog seems almost unkillable. The hero has tons of HP that allow him to tank everything.

Despite his strengths, some people need to learn how to use his power while playing competitively and getting the rank they want. Although we already have a Roadhog Overwatch 2 guide that focuses on some things, this article will highlight a few important aspects that every Hog player should consider.

Landing your hook combo is really important

Every Overwatch 2 hero has certain things people must do to make the most of it. Roadhog is definitely not an exception because this tank has a specific combo that makes him really dangerous. The combo requires him to hit his Hookshot, followed by a left click with his weapon and a melee attack. If done correctly, this combo is more than enough to land a kill on any DPS/Support.

Even though it seems easy, landing this combo is not always straightforward. Enemy heroes know you rely on it to land kills, so they will do everything possible to avoid it. Besides dodging the hook, some heroes will wait until you miss your shot and play really aggressively in the next couple of seconds because you won’t be able to do anything. 

Of course, the only way to land your shots is by practicing as much as possible. Don’t be afraid of missing your shots because you will eventually learn how it works. Once you start hitting your combo consistently, you will carry your team and win your games with little to no effort.

Roadhog can be a flanker

When you hear the word “tank” in Overwatch 2, you probably think of Reinhardt and his massive barrier that protects his entire team. While it is true that Roadhog can also be a viable tank and try to protect his team from taking damage, he is probably the only Overwatch 2 tank that can be played as a flanker. 

Even though someone from your team might start flaming you, most people in the low ranks of competitive matchmaking don’t know what they’re doing, so you should ignore them. Flanking Roadhog can be a nightmare to play against because he can get free kills on every Hook.

Playing against an aggressive Hog who knows how to get kills is annoying and scary because enemies have to pay attention to his role. This is good news for Hog’s team because they can use this to their advantage and land easy kills.

The bad news with the flanking Roadhog in Overwatch 2 is that this is only sometimes possible. Since the new game offers a 5v5 format, teams usually have one tank, and if he decides to flank, enemies can push much faster than before. In other words, the flanking Hog might not work on every map.

Do not hook tanks unless it is needed

High-rated Overwatch 2 players know how to deal with Hog and prevent the hero from taking over the game. Besides keeping an eye on his cooldowns, tank players will almost always try to pressure him and do damage. Heroes like Zarya might even try to stay in front of him at all times so that he can’t land his hook combo. 

Playing against people who know how to deal with you is annoying, but it is something you have to get used to. If that’s the case, one of the things you have to do with Hog is to avoid hooking a tank unless you can push him off the map and get a kill. Hooking a tank won’t do much because you won’t be able to land a kill. Moreover, some tanks are hazardous in a 1v1 scenario, so they might even kill you.

Your goal should be to outmaneuver the enemy’s tank and try to get as many hooks as possible. This might tilt your enemies because they will start flaming their tank for allowing this to happen.

Don’t tank unnecessary damage

Despite the Overwatch 2 tank passive that was added to the game, Tanks continue to be the primary source for grinding ultimates. DPS heroes will spam them with damage even if they can’t land a kill to get their ults up as soon as possible. Sadly, Roadhog is one of the worst heroes in this situation because his model is huge and has no barrier, meaning that every shot will land.

Knowing this information, your job is to avoid this from happening. In other words, it is not advisable to stay in the open for no reason because you will charge all of your enemy’s ultimates. The best thing you can do is to stay near a pillar or something that will prevent you from taking any unnecessary damage.

Final Thoughts

Despite being one of the strongest Overwatch 2 tanks in the game, Roadhog has a lot of counters. In fact, almost every hero that can dodge the deadly Hook combo is hard to deal with. As a result, you need to know what you’re doing to be successful.

The good news about Hog is that the hero is powerful and can easily deal with almost anything. Always remember that you can do a lot of burst damage, and only a few heroes can man-fight you when they’re close.