Overwatch 2 Roadhog Rework: New Pig Pen Ability and Changes Explained

The Overwatch community has voiced concerns about Roadhog, frustrated that the character was underpowered and underutilized. Blizzard Entertainment is addressing this concern and is reworking the character; here are all the changes for Roadhog, including the new Pig Pen ability.

Roadhog Rework New Pig Pen Ability

The most significant change for Roadhog in Overwatch 2 is adding a new ability called the Pig Pen. Pig Pen will grant Roadhog the ability to throw down a trap that slows enemy movement and deals high damage when an opponent comes in contact with it. This new ability will replace the “Take a Breather” skill, although it will still be available as a secondary skill.

All Changes Coming to the Roadhog Rework

According to the official Blizzard Entertainment blog post, the developers state that the primary goal of the rework for Roadhog is to “increase his presence as a tank character.” And from what we have seen in the patch notes, it looks like that statement will hold true. Check out all the changes coming to the Roadhog rework update below.

Scrap Gun

• The previous secondary fire functionality has been removed.
• Total damage per shot increased from 150 to 160.
• The 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.
• The critical damage multiplier reduced from 2x to 1.5x.

Take a Breather

• Now activated by holding Secondary Fire.
• The 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 recharge when not in use.
• Take a Breather requires 12 seconds to reach full charge from empty.
• Take a Breather can heal up to 450 health over 3 seconds at a full charge.
• 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.

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.

Related: Blizzard Literally Buffs Brigitte in Overwatch 2

As you can see, the planned rework for Roadhog will make the character more deadly and powerful than previously. Considering Roadhog is my favorite character in Overwatch 2, I’m especially excited for the increased damage on the Scrap Gun, the reduced cooldown for the Take a Breather ability, and the new ability Pig Pen. All of this and everything else shown in the patch notes is perfect for players who felt that Roadhog didn’t feel powerful enough to be considered a part of the Tank class.

Roadhog Rework Release Date

Roadhogs rework update will go live on November 14, 2023. This rework will be the first update added to the game during the LE SSERAFIM collaboration. At the time of writing, it is undetermined what exact time the Roadhog Rework will go live, but it will likely launch toward the middle of the day.

In the meantime, check out the official gameplay reveal of the Roadhog rework in the trailer below. The official Overwatch X account posted it.

Hopefully, the rework is enough for players to love Roadhog as much as I do, as he has one of the most fantastic designs and movesets in the entire game.