I am once again here to propose Role Based Interactions with Hog’s Hook.
In other words, Hooking a Tank produces a different effect than Hooking a DPS or Hooking a Support.
My primary issue with Hog isn’t his ability to one-shot Squishies or out duel them. My primary issue with Hog has always been that he’s the best Squishy duelist AND the best Tank duelist in the game. Pick a lane.
Hog can be a tank who can check and punish flankers and create picks when enemies don’t play cover/barriers, but he shouldn’t also be bodying and 1v1ing tanks with ease. Hog cripples the pace of a match when opposing tanks must revolve their positioning and aggression around his Hook all match. Redefining how his Hook interacts with enemy tanks promotes more fluid gameplay for opposing tanks.
Hog has the fastest TTK of any tank when it comes to fighting any squishy OR tank. And for these reasons I’d like to see one of the following changes to his Hook interaction with tanks.
Tether Hook
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When a Tank is Hooked, instead of pulling them in toward Hog, Hog can now swing the enemy tank 180° while they remained tethered to his Hook. The Hook lasts 2.2s during which time the enemy can activate CDs, but cannot break the Hook barring environmental interaction. Hog cannot move during this time. The tether is the length of the distance of Hog to his target. At 20m, the tether is 20m. At 2m the tether is 2m. Like the enemy tanks, Hog can also activate his cooldowns during this time.
Tow Hook
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When Hog Hooks an enemy tank, he is granted 2.5s where he can “drag” the enemy tank in the direction he is moving. The Hook does not shorten upon hitting his target, rather is serves as a towing mechanism. Enemy tanks can active CDs during this time, but not break the Hook.
Root Hook
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Hooking enemy tanks now roots them and Hog in place for 1.7s. The root effect disables barriers, but not Matrix or Kinetic Grasp, or other CDs.
I would personally prefer any of these as a main tank tank main over his current Hook, which displaces you as a tank, puts you into Hog’s most effective range, provides a duration of CC where you can get focus fired by his team and explode, and ultimately pacifies the positioning permitted by other tank players. All of these offer more counter play than the current mold of Hook, make Hog more team interactive, and ultimately make him a tank displacer rather than a Tank Buster.
Like I said before, I think his squishy interactions are fine, but his tank interactions are wildly unhealthy. If he’s going to independently roll a team’s squishy lineup, let’s make him work for rolling their tanks.
You want a 2.2 second stun that CC swings you around?
and 2.5 second stun to put this into perspective Cassidys flash only flashes you for 0.8 seconds you want stuns that keep you stunned 4 timey longer than cassidys flash? At that point you might as well go down stairs to make a coffee.
And the root hook is essentially a self stun.
Firstly, there are three possible options here.
Secondly, none of these Hooks disable all CDs. In fact, the first option doesn’t prevent any cooldowns. While Hog is swinging you, you are permitted to activate whatever CDs you need. Also if you’re envisioning the current speed of Hook turns or a Ball grapple, you’re doing it wrong.
Thirdly, Cassidy stuns you. None of these are a stun. There is no RNG that prevents you from playing the game (as Hook does now, as does Flashbang).
Fourthly, Hog should not have such a low risk for throwing a Hook. Current Hog has 0 risk for throwing a Hook. Name another tank who has 0 risk for wasting a CD. Yes Breather has a high risk, but Hook? Stand 18m away from enemies, click it, kite to cover. It’s unhealthy for the game. So if Hooking was to root Hog in addition to his target, it’d force more awareness and CD management from him. Nothing wrong with increasing the skill floor and ceiling of a hero.
I think its going the wrong way about it though, a lot of the changes you suggest are maybe not even possible to programme and might even be quite buggy some of these just make hog suck or be unfun for the people playing against him, more so than what it is now being spun around for 2.5 seconds sounds really unfun, I certainly wouldnt be playing reinheart that whole game if that was a thing id be locked onto orisa.
I think hog needs to be more like reaper, and his hook needs to be more displacement than kill secure,
For example you pull someone into your team your team kills them (If someone pulls you into their whole enemy team most likely you are dying if you arent Tracer with recall) that sounds more tanky than current roadhog pull them into yourself and one tap them.
Something interesting they could do could be maybe make his firerate higher but lower his damage maybe they make it a double barrel so he can shoot two shots in rapid succesion then has to reload.
The only reason why hog is powerful is really because of the hook, its hard to contest him.
To make him more balanced against tanks they could make it so theres more total pellets and decrease the damage on them so that tanks with armour will recieve heavily reduced damage but against unarmoured characters it would still do max damage
Idk im tired because its kinda late in my country but I dont think you have to reinvent the wheel and add all these strange abillities and personal effects, just some ideas though.
I disagree with this and we had a version of this at one time and Hog was bad. That was why they buffed him and made him able to pull enemies closer to him.
Im assuming your responding to me?
If so thats why you make his firerate higher so he does more DPS but doesnt 1 tap like, reaper. And it depends on how organized your team is most of the time if you pull an enemy into your whole team theyre dead since theyre seperated from their healers their tanks their other dps.
It would lead to the same issue from the worse version of Hog where his hook combo was nerfed.
The team did not pick up the slack which resulted in Hog being less viable.
Hogs viability is deeply tied to how good is his hook combo is. I don’t think a faster fire rate would be enough.
Yeah, but actually no… we are at a point where his abilities and damage are just gross and need nerfs or a role swap.
This just goes to show how important and healthy was to have Mei be good before they tampered up with her slow effect and freeze durations, she was the most reliable hero to shut him down and keep him in check making the game a success and feel less of a 1 shot zone (and also to stop ball). The problem with that was she was an off tank in damage role, but now the only counter to hog is Ana and it’s not that reliable.
I rather not nerf him back to when he was really bad. I open to maybe a rework where Hog does not need to rely on Hook.
Make it so he can’t hook you off a ledge