Rein, D.Va, and Winston are dominating the tank role and people want Roadhog nerfed again and Rein to be buffed even more. People complain about Roadhog in FFA but where else can you use him? He’s trash in standard play and a borderline throw-pick.
He did get an indirect buff with these health changes but even still, his TaB has been neutered so badly. Orisa and Mauga can lay down constant suppressing fire without ever stopping. Armour just got buffed to be twice as strong as it was in OW1 making tanks like Orisa, Mauga, D.Va, and Rein obnoxious. His gun is crap again since armour changed to be like how it was in OW1 instead of a flat 30% reduction. He lost 50 health. Gained nothing in two patches that buffed the entire role other than an insignificant trap buff.
Characters like Mauga have armour, movement, constant suppressing fire, team protection and a self-heal that they can use while fighting. So many tanks can pop an ability to gain health but Roadhog has to not only stop fighting, but let the health slowly build up. There is Commanding Shout, Cardiac Overdrive, Berserker, Fortify, and Adaptive Shield that just provide instant health and armour.
Roadhog has to stand and get hit while being unable to fight just to get the same result. D.Va, Mauga, Rein, Ball, and Winston can all get armour and the ability to lay down suppressing fire or the ability defend their team with a shield and exceptional movement abilities while Roadhog gets no movement, no armour, no shield to protect his team, no ability to lay down suppressing fire since his gun is a peashooter past 15m. He gets a self-heal that is inferior to all the “pop-and-gain-health” abilities that most other tanks have. He doesn’t have the supreme defensive abilities of Sigma. He doesn’t get the luxury of being a dedicated counter like Zarya whose weapon pierces certain types of defense. His only good aspect is his CC in his hook. But Doomfist has better CC and disruption abilities with his punch and on a much shorter cooldown (plus it can also hit multiple people and get kills sometimes). Hook suffers when so many heroes have movement or invulnerability abilities which most do. His hurtbox is probably the easiest to hit in the whole game too.
He was supposed to have high damage and survivability to compensate his lack of utility and movement. Now most other tanks are much harder to kill than him, can protect their team, can quickly reposition with their great movement abilities, provide utility for their team, absorb damage with armour and shields, and be a threat. Roadhog can’t do any of that. He can’t really go toe-to-toe with any other tanks aside from Zarya and Sigma. Doomfist can just avoid him and dive the back line. Every other tank beats him in a 1v1 usually.
He has no niche. He feels like a damage hero in the wrong category. His rework made him better but they immediately neutered him in ridiculous back-to-back nerfs. They avoided giving him anything in the two rounds of tank class buffs.
I think it’s because they admitted it’s just player sentiment. Roadhog with a 51% win rate isn’t liked but D.Va and Rein pushing 57% seems to be what everyone wants and so now that’s what they’re balancing around.
