Calling all roadhog mains

I think I may start playing roadhog when there needs to be a tank on the field so anything I need to know by chance?

Break the shields.
You are a brawler so you have to have an eye on the enemy tanks, your main tank and breaking any shields.
Your third task is helping the healers. You will be surprised the amount of hooks you will be able to land on flankers that have their focus on your healers.

Rehearse 180Âș turn arounds + hook and use your healing to pressure/push/bait.

7 Likes

Prepare to shoot more than you think you’d need to, hit registration is garbo. Don’t rely on your Hook, chances are it will either phase through your target or let go for no reason.

1 Like

Hog isn’t good. Please don’t. Hog is a bottom 5 hero lmao.

2 Likes

I’d start practicing your hook combos, because that is the big difference between a good hog and one who just ends up feeding ults.

As you play more, you’ll get comfortable with which targets you can combo and which ones you struggle with. Also don’t be afraid to pepper in some damage before going for the hook if it makes it easier to get the kill. But ideally, you can just hook them and kill them right away to get the surprise on them and their team. If you are given several targets to hook, try to go for supports first. If you think a hero will ult (Reaper, Pharah, and Roadhog for example), try to save the hook for their ults, as you can waste it and kill them.

Try to hook BOBs and other tankier heroes into pits or weird places when possible. If there is a pit, feel free to pull them into that instead. I’d be careful about D.Va Bombs though, because unless if its going straight into a pit you may end up killing an ally on accident.

Even if you are purple, don’t be afraid to use “take a breather” as that -50% incoming damage resistance can be very helpful to retreat with. Also with enemy ults, it can be the difference between life and death.

I’d watch out for team compositions that are very barrier focus (esp. Orisa) as it takes a long time to get rid of the barrier. Rein’s are too bad, especially if they get really aggressive or charge. Probably stay away with Reaper and Brig at first, as they can really mess you up (whether it being your life or your combos).

Hope some of this stuff helps you out friend. It’s not an easy thing to do, but once you start getting good your enemies will have to hero swap around you
or really respect you.

1 Like

Break shields.
Vape often so your healers can focus on their utilities or healing someone else.
Play around cover, as much as possible.
Duck your head away so you get crit less, especially while vaping.
In the Hog duel, hook last, use it to cancel his vape.
Practice the hook combo.
Don’t ult at low hp, its a dangerous and situational ult but you need to use it as often as possible for whatever effect you can. Solo kill? Fine.

3 Likes

Use your team’s shield.
Don’t play in front of it.

Your primary fire is actually your secondary fire.

Left Click should only be used after hooks or when you’re otherwise literally as close as you can be to a target.

Maintaining optimal distance for Right Click to detonate directly in front of enemies should be your standard method of attack.

If you’re solo tank go Hammond not Hog, all you’re going to do is feed enemy ults.

1 Like

To preface, I am not a Hog main but I am a tank flex and have played him enough to get him in my top five or so. So there are probably people here that have more time on him than me and know him better than I do.

The main thing is knowing when to pick him and knowing what to do as him.

For when to pick him, he works in deathball and bunker. If your main tank is a Reinhardt, then people will prefer Zarya, but Hog still works with him. And if the main tank is Orisa, then Orisa/Hog is a great tank combo. And since the meta is shifting to bunker, that tank combo will be your bread and butter. The tank combos there will either be Orisa/Hog for pure bunker or Orisa/D.Va if you want an off-tank that can contest point so the bunker doesn’t need to leave high ground so early.

So Hog is a staple pick for bunker comps, and works on deathball comps.

But if you are the only one tanking, then Hog isn’t the best pick. He’s best as the second tank. Whether the other tank is Reinhardt, Orisa, or even D.Va. Those are all tank combos that Hog has been in.

As for playing him, it’s really a mix of being right behind your main tank to break shields and help win the battle of attrition between the main tanks there, or moving to your supports to peel for them when they’re needed. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of two things:

  1. Work on your tank gamesense. Reading the enemy team’s frontline; reacting to what the enemy is giving you; following your main tank and trusting your gut, etc.

  2. Hitting your hook.

As an extension of that, knowing your optimal ranges. The hook itself is essentially a 20m “Property of Roadhog” zone. The better you can get at landing your hook, the more of a threat you’ll be. As it stands, people don’t think he’s good due to his lack of utility or shielding. His damage and the quick picks his hook can secure helps try to compensate for that. So you just need to put some practice in and get a feel for his hook until you get the hang of it. I try to maintain a 50%+ hook accuracy on him. So if you can land more than half your hooks, that’s good. Once you can do that consistently, then feel free to raise that goal to 60% and keep pushing what you can do with your hook.

Outside of your hook, his gun has two optimal ranges. One for his left click and one for his right click. I don’t know the exact ranges for them and I don’t want to put the wrong numbers here, but the range on his right click is further than his left click. I believe where his left click falloff starts is his right click’s optimal range, but again, I don’t know exactly what his ranges are so other than the “right click’s range picks up where left click ended” part, take this bit here with a grain of salt.

1 Like

Pick another hero. Most tanks and/or dps does what what does but better nowadays, without feeding to the enemy team

1 Like

The Grass on Illios Well is exactly 20m long, which is the same distance as your Hook.

Also personal preference I have Hook on my left mouse, thumbkey as Shotgun, and C as melee. Usually gets me great accuracy.


Also, Orisa with her Fortify is a free kill with your WholeHog.

1 Like

IMO, don’t play hog if you need a tank, play hog if you want to fill a dps slot when you need survivability but even then it’s a situational pick based on comp and map.

Hit shields from a distance, like Orisa, with your secondary fire. Secondary works well at a distance. Even with Pharah. Make sure when you hook, you fire with left click, right in your enemies face. Many times it just kills. But always use left click then melee, while keeping your finger on “W”. I like Roadhog, he’s a beast.

One of the most picked in GM atm, but sure

This again lmao. I’ve been going around saying that hog is trash and I get met with this. This doesn’t mean anything. Just because he is the most picked because bunker is being used as a crutch comps doesn’t make him good. He’s still a free ult battery at all times with one useful ability that is easy to dodge. Yeah he is not in a great spot. People use GMs as the example of greatness and say “oh u said that’s bad? Buts it’s most picked in GM.” GMs aren’t good at all. T500? That’s good. Below that is a group of garbage players that still don’t know how to play the game. Hog is still a garbage hero that feeds ult harder than McDonalds feeds America’s obesity epidemic. That’s his biggest down side. If they gave a passive that reduced ult given by him then he would be a pretty solid pick, but rn if I see a instalock hog that isn’t t500 i insta avoid.

GM are objectively, the top 1% of the game. By no sane metric are they bad at the game. Elitism isn’t a good look.

1 Like

Mentally prepare yourself to know that every single thing is going to hit you, period, no exceptions, enemy has an ana? youre getting slept, enemy has a mei? youre getting frozen, enemy has a cree? youre getting stunned, enemy has a roadhog aswell? youre getting hooked.

Also prepare for every flanker to use you as their personal ult battery

No. They are good compared to the rest of the player base, but I play with them everyday. They are not very good. They are like a diamond on a slight sugar buzz. They’re better, but still not very good. Too many mistakes still, that keep losing games. So they are bad, but they are above average. Just shows to show how bad the players below GM are. Elitism? Why? I’m just being honest, they aren’t very good.

Use your heal as a last minute means to heal yourself in a team fight and let your healers can charge off of you if you aren’t super low.

Step forward when you hook and melee after you shoot for one of the one shot combos. Don’t be afraid of missing hooks, take chances and you may just get rewarded.

If you have a support be their cover especially Mercy when she tries to rez you gotta put that big health bar to use.

Protect your teammates, even the DPS if you see a flanker in your backline or see someone gunning for one of your supports regardless of who it is hook them and force them to fight you so your teammate can get away.