Overwatch 2 January patch nerfs Roadhog's one-shot kill Chain Hook

26 January 2023 , 10:48

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The latest Overwatch 2 patch has nerfed several powerful heroes including Roadhog. (Image: Activision Blizzard)

A new patch for Overwatch 2 has been released that has rebalanced several heroes. Roadhog has received the biggest nerf as the power of his signature Chain Hook attack has been dampened.

This will be good news for many Overwatch 2 players as the rotund ruffian's one-two punch of grabbing an opponent with the Chain Hook and then blasting them with his Scrap Gun could kill most players instantly. And being one-shotted is never fun (isn't that right? Elden Ring).

In a bid to remedy the situation, Blizzard has slashed the Chain Hook's damage from 30 points down to five. Roadhog's Scrap Gun has also had its damage reduced from 6.6 points down to six, but this is balanced out by a slightly faster reload time, and an extra shot in the chamber (from five to six).

Other changes in the update include the health bonus from Orisa’s Fortify dropping from 125 points down to 75, Sojourns Railgun now receiving a flat five energy per hit, and the recovery time of Kiriko's Healing Ofuda has been increased to one second. The full Overwatch 2 patch notes for this week are listed over on Blizzard's website, highlighting all of the changes and fixes to the game and its heroes.

We've listed them below for you to sift through, and will add any additional info if Blizzard releases a more comprehensive breakdown of the changes implemented in the game.

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Overwatch 2 patch notes – January 24

Hero changes

Roadhog – Tank

Chain Hook

Impact damage reduced from 30 to 5
The enemy final position distance from Roadhog after being pulled increased from 3 to 4 meters

Scrap Gun

Damage per pellet reduced from 6.6 to 6
Recovery time reduced from 0.85 to 0.8 seconds
Reload time reduced from 2 to 1.75 seconds
Maximum ammo increased from 5 to 6

Developer comments: These changes aim to reduce the frustration of dying in one shot immediately after being hooked and pulled by Roadhog. Chain Hook is still a powerful utility to forcibly reposition enemy players, so it will still often lead to eliminations. Its effectiveness will now be more dependent on specific hero matchups and how the hooked target is able to respond.

Orisa – Tank

Fortify

Health bonus reduced from 125 to 75

Sojourn – Damage

Railgun

Energy gain is no longer based on damage done by primary fire. Each primary fire hit against an enemy player now grants 5 energy
Primary fire damage per projectile reduced from 10 to 9

Developer comments: The energy gain adjustment will help smooth out Sojourn’s average Railgun charge time because it won’t benefit as much from critical damage or damage boost abilities. Hitting armored targets or other sources of damage reduction will result in quicker energy gains than before.

Previously, damage boosts and critical damage had an amplified effect for Sojourn since it reduced the time to build energy and lowered the threshold at which her Railgun secondary fire became lethal. The reduction to primary fire damage will further slow that down as well.

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Kiriko – Support

Healing Ofuda

Recovery time increased from 0.85 to 1 second

Developer comments: Despite Kiriko’s healing projectiles being slow-moving and single target, her average healing output per match is higher than we’d like. We’ve seen players tend to get overly focused on maximizing her healing potential and only use primary fire for extended periods of time. Rather than reduce the amount of healing per projectile, which may lead to feeling locked into focusing on primary fire even more, we’re increasing the recovery time before she can start firing the Healing Ofuda. Increasing recovery times opens the opportunity to weave in secondary fire Kunai more freely.