While the lore presented in the header video suggests that the two would be working together constantly, both Junkrat and Roadhog are actually unique characters with their own set of abilities.
Roadhog Analysis
Roadhog is a heavyset hero that has a 600 base health. Armed with the sawed off shotgun-like “scrap gun,” Roadhog is able to deal a lot of area-of-effect damage in 4 bursts with the left-mouse button, or an increased range version using the right-mouse button.
His secondary ability is a familiar one to players of the MOBA scene: the chain hook. With it, Roadhog is able to drag any player directly to his position and deal a fair amount of damage while doing so. This ability has a 6-second cooldown.
His third ability “Take a Breather” allows Roadhog to heal a third of his health after each 8 second cooldown, while his ultimate skill “Whole Hog” unleashes a gattling blast of shotgun rounds that knock back enemies while dishing out insane amounts of damage.
Roadhog’s role is first and foremost a crowd-controlling one, at least based upon the images seen thus far. How this character will play out once beta is released is another question entirely.
Junkrat Analysis
It comes to no surprise that Junkrat and Roadhog work together in the Overwatch universe’s lore: Junkrat is one frail character.
Unlike Roadhog, Junkrat has only 200 base health, but he makes up for this disadvantage with a long range frag launcher. He is also armed with concussion mines that can be used to launch Junkrat into the air, or to throw enemies off ledges to their doom.
Junkrat also has a bear-trap-like ability that clamps onto enemies, rendering them unable to move for several seconds. Since this provides a great advantage in a shooter-MOBA game, this ability has a 10 second cooldown.
What’s most interesting, however, is Junkrat’s ultimate ability Rip-Tire that allows him to control an explosive-rigged tire and drive it into the enemy. While Junkrat is left vulnerable during this period, it is currently unclear whether players will have to keep Junkrat alive during his ultimate to land it or not.
Both of these villains look like interesting characters, and it’s really getting us excited for the game’s release. As Blizzard churns out more and more playable characters, our expectations grow since we are really hoping this game will fill the void that Super MNC left in my heart after the game died. With the Pudge-like Roadhog added to the mix, I might just get that wish…
What do you guys think of the Overwatch roster so far? Are you excited to see this game’s release? Do you think it will fare well in a market already saturated with MOBAs and shooters? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
