One of Overwatch‘s most contentious issues may be a thing of the past very soon if Blizzard’s latest round of PTR updates is anything to go by. As per a recent forum post from principal game designer Geoff Goodman, tank class hero Roadhog will be receiving drastic changes to how his hook ability functions, with the aim of making it feel less inconsistent and unfair whenever the player is reeled in by it. The fixes, which Goodman hopes will go live as soon as this week, aren’t necessarily set in stone, and are subject to change as per player feedback, but as of now, here’s the deal.
“Firstly, the hook victim will now move into the position directly in front of Roadhog, rather than just a straight line towards him, says Goodman, adding that “there is a cap on how far ‘to the side’ you can be pulled, so you can’t just hook someone, spin 180, and dump someone off a cliff. This part (along with some other bug fixes) should generally make the hook feel more consistent as to where the victims get pulled.”
What’s more, a new “line-of-sight check” will be implemented, which will observe whether the hook should connect to the player based on the victim’s position rather than the former’s. Essentially, this means that the hook will no longer connect to targets that “Roadhog himself can’t see.”
As an added layer of complexity, players who now move out of the hook’s range fast enough – intentionally or otherwise – before being reeled in will break the chain and not be pulled towards Roadhog. Goodman admits that the changes are likely to make “Roadhog a bit weaker,” but that Blizzard will keep tabs on his performance and “make adjustments as necessary.”
Think the nerfs to Roadhog are justified, or do you feel Blizzard are being a bit too heavy-handed with its tweaks to Overwatch‘s existing roster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.