In the world of Overwatch 2, the much-anticipated overhaul of the character Roadhog has been closely monitored by players, with many eager to test out his new abilities. Although his updated abilities have made him a more popular pick, there were feelings from the community that he wasn't quite where he needed to be upon his arrival. In response, the Overwatch team, guided by Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson, made the decision to enhance Roadhog's Take a Breather ability, aiming to fine-tune his self-sustaining capabilities.
The changes to Roadhog have been incorporated in the November 16 update, focusing on refining Take a Breather. The modifications cover several aspects of the ability, with the intent to bolster its healing potential, increase the speed of its utilization, and shorten the cooldown period. These adjustments are specifically designed so that players can heal Roadhog more rapidly and frequently, facilitating a more robust staying power in the heat of battle.
The Overwatch 2 team shared their rationale behind the changes. They explained that their initial approach to Take a Breather might have been overly cautious, and the subsequent changes were made to address that. By improving the amount of healing and damage resilience while shortening the duration, the team aims to mitigate any concerns players had about the ability to dominate too much of their gameplay experience with Roadhog.
The November 16 retail patch notes for Overwatch 2 provide further details on these enhancements to Roadhog's kit. Specifically, Take a Breather's total healing has increased from 450 to 500, the damage reduction is up from 30% to 40%, the maximum duration has been lowered from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds, and the recharge time has been cut down from 12 seconds to 10 seconds. This series of changes promises to make Roadhog a more dynamic and viable choice for tank players in Overwatch 2, ready to withstand more damage and stay in the fight longer.