Overwatch 2: 10 Best Roadhog Counters (Post-Rework)

Highlights

• Roadhog’s rework in Overwatch 2 has made him less frustrating to deal with and provided him with new tools like the Pig Pen ability for crowd control.
• Sombra, Reaper, Lifeweaver, and Zenyatta are effective counters to Roadhog, each with their own unique strengths and abilities.
• Ana is Roadhog’s best counter due to her ability to prevent his healing and immobilize him with Sleep Dart, making him vulnerable to attacks.

November 2023 saw the change of a powerful and often annoying tank in Overwatch 2 with Roadhog being reworked to make him less frustrating to deal with. Overwatch 2 provided Roadhog with some new tools to work with. His new ability, Pig Pen, gives him some crowd control, so he can do more than just deal damage, and his Take a Breather was reworked to be a resource rather than a “don’t die” button. This rework gave the character more complexity and a higher skill ceiling for players.

While the rework was a solid move, the new Roadhog shares many similarities with the old Roadhog. He can still seem unkillable without coordination and punish squishy targets with his hook. However, some characters can easily counter Roadhog in Overwatch 2, but players just need to know who the right pick is to delete that pesky tank.

10 Sombra

Hack Roadhog To Boost Damage Against Him

• Hack boosts damage but no longer disrupts Take a Breather or his ult
• Virus can deal 200 damage to a hacked Roadhog

Before Roadhog’s rework, Sombra was a great counter to Roadhog. Hack was the perfect tool to interrupt Take a Breather and deny all that healing; however, it is now a channeled ability, meaning that Roadhog can just reactivate it after the hack, significantly reducing the window of vulnerability.

Still, Sombra isn’t a bad pick. Her hack can increase the damage she deals (by 25%), and Virus deals more than a quarter of Roadhog’s health. Players should pick Sombra if they are confident in their abilities, and good at deciding when to engage, but if players aren’t a dedicated Sombra main, there are probably easier characters that will be more effective.

9 Reaper

Delete Roadhog’s Health With Shotguns, Escape With Wraith Form

• Can go toe-to-toe with a Roadhog at close range
• Roadhog’s hook makes Death Blossom a much riskier move

Reaper is in an interesting position as a counter to Roadhog. While he can deal massive damage at close range, so can Roadhog. Given that the two characters have ways to heal themselves, it’s almost like a dance between them as they try to kill each other.

However, Reaper has the advantage because he has an escape route via Wraith Form if he needs to escape (including from Pig Pen), and Roadhog is a bigger target. However, Roadhog does make it difficult to use the ult because it makes Reaper players an easy target to hook. While Reaper is a decent DPS counter, he is a little outdated and in need of a rework, and there are other characters with better tools to counter Roadhog.

8 Lifeweaver

Save Teammates From Roadhog’s Wrath

• Is great at saving teammates from a quick death
• Lifeweaver can’t do anything to help kill Roadhog

Lifeweaver doesn’t have any tools in his kits to punish a Roadhog like the other supports in this list do; instead, he focuses on protecting his allies. Roadhog relies heavily on his hook to get his enemies within killing range; however, Lifeweaver can simply grab them back.

Not only is this an effective strategy, but it’s also kind of funny to play tug of war with an ally. In addition, Lifeweaver can dash out of Pig Pen if he gets hooked. Overall, Lifeweaver does a great job at making Roadhog ineffective, but unfortunately, can’t do anything to kill him and has to rely on his teammates to do it.

7 Ashe

Long Range Shots & B.O.B. For Defence Keeps Roadhog At A Distance

• Can ignore Roadhog entirely and focus on squishier targets from a distance
• Coach Gun, Dynamite, and B.O.B. are great tools to get in close

Ashe is less of a counter to Roadhog and more of a hero who takes advantage of Roadhog’s weaknesses. Roadhog has no way to block his teammates besides literally standing in front of them. Roadhog’s focus on short-range combat means snipers are free to take shots at their supports and DPS.

On the off chance that players do get hooked, they can try to escape with the Coach Gun ability. Widowmaker has similar advantages but is beaten by Ashes’ versatility. She can deal AoE damage with her dynamite, and B.O.B. can be a nuisance if placed right, so find a good sniping spot and get comfortable; it’s not like Roadhog can do anything about it.

6 Orisa

Disrupt Roadhog’s Hook, Tank His Shots

• Has multiple tools for protecting herself and her teammates
• Can disrupt Roadhog to give her team time to react

Orisa has several tools that can directly answer Roadhog’s kit, making her a nice counter if players that use her can keep a cool head and react right. Orisa defines the tanks in Overwatch 2 for her abilities. Her Fortify makes her unstoppable and immovable, meaning she can’t be hooked or slowed by Pig Pen.

In addition, she can’t be moved by his ult, so she can keep firing while taking reduced damage. Her Energy Javelin can also be used to disrupt most of Roadhog’s moves, such as his hooks, ult, and Take a Breather. Orisa is excellent at disrupting the enemy Roadhog’s game plan, but requires a player who can read the flow of battle and respond accordingly.

5 Zenyatta

Weaken Roadhog With The Discord Orb

• Discord Orb makes Roadhog much easier to kill
• Zenyatta is done for if he gets hooked

Zenyatta’s Discord Orb is a handy tool against Roadhog as it increases all damage done to its target by 25%. This effectively means that Zen’s team only has to deal 560 damage to kill Roadhog (as opposed to the usual 700). However, Zenyatta is a risky counter because if he hooks Zen, doom is assured, as he can easily deal with a pesky Zenyatta in about two shots.

Zenyatta does have an escape route via his snap kick to give him a little space, but without any movement abilities, it likely won’t be enough. While Zenyatta is a decent choice, some supports can more easily deal with Roadhog with less of a risk.

4 Bastion

The Configuration: Assault Ability Melts Through Roadhog’s HP

• Configuration: Assault tears through Roadhog’s HP
• Configuration: Artillery can attack Roadhog’s vulnerable backline

While other heroes in this list usually have very specific methods for overcoming Roadhog, Bastion’s strategy is fairly straightforward. Roadhog is tough to kill because of his ability to heal; the simplest solution is to deal damage faster than he can heal. Bastion’s Configuration: Assault deals can deal over 2000 damage in a single use.

This is more than enough to take care of Roadhog or get him extremely close. Not only that, Bastion has a great ult that can finish off a fleeing Roadhog or take out his supports (pairing it with Mauga’s ult makes it a devastating combo). Just make sure Bastion doesn’t get hooked! If a Bastion keeps his distance, there’s little a Roadhog can do besides switching heroes.

3 Zarya

Create A Bubble On Allies That Roadhog Is Targeting To Gain Weapon Power

• Zarya can bubble anyone that gets hooked
• Choose battles and build up enough charge to kill him

Zarya is an amazing pick, so long as they play smart. Imagine being a Roadhog, and hooking a support enemy. Just as Roadhog is about to kill them, they suddenly get a shield absorbing all that damage. Zarya thrives when she can put her shields directly in harm’s way, and Roadhog isn’t exactly subtle about what he’s about to do.

Zarya can get into trouble if they run out of shields, but strategic use can easily create a situation where Roadhog hooking allies (or Zarya herself) actually becomes beneficial to the team. Once Zarya has built up enough of a charge, she can punish the Roadhog and finish him off.

2 Echo

An Airborne Target Is Hard To Hit

• Focusing beam can finish off a Roadhog faster than they can react
• She’s a difficult target to hook

While Echo may be difficult to play at times, she can take Roadhog out with the right timing. Given that Roadhog doesn’t have any means of shielding against incoming damage, his health is in constant flux as the game progresses; Echo’s Focusing Beam deals 3.5 times more damage to targets below 50%, meaning that in one use of the ability, she can deal a whopping 350 damage to a single target.

In addition, Echo can use her Sticky Bombs to get him below that 50% threshold and use her Flight ability to make her a difficult target to hit. Echo is a good pick because if she uses her abilities correctly, she can take him out alone!

1 Ana

Sleep Dart & Biotic Grenade Roadhog To Make Him Sleep And Stop Him Healing

• Biotic Grenade turns Roadhog into a sitting duck
• Sleep Dart neutralizes Roadhog whenever he tries to help his team

Ana is easily Roadhog’s best counter because of how much he relies on his ability to heal, something Ana is very good at preventing to an annoying degree. Ana’s Biotic Grenade inflicts anti-healing on enemies for three and a half seconds. During this time, Roadhog loses his primary survival tools, and his support will be powerless to help him. However, the rework does remedy this weakness a bit.

If Take a Breather is used, Roadhog still gets the damage reduction, but that’s it. Ana’s Sleep Dart is also perfect for interrupting Roadhog’s Ult or saving a teammate if they’ve been hooked. Picking Ana will always give a Roadhog trouble and provide plenty of opportunities for their team to deal with the tank.