Roadhog

“

I'm a one-man apocalypse.

”

Roadhog

Added:

24 May, 2016 (launch)

Voice Actor:

Josh Petersdorf

Game Info

Role:

Tank

Difficulty:

Health:	Armor:	Shield:	Total:
600	0	0	600

Story Info

Real Name:

Mako Rutledge

Age:

48

Height:

2.2 m / 7'3"

Occupation:

Enforcer (formerly);
Bodyguard, Criminal

Base of Operations:

Junkertown, Australia (formerly)

Affiliation:

Australian Liberation Front (formerly);
Junkers (formerly)

Gallery Page · Quotes Page

Roadhog is one of the heroes in Overwatch. He is a bodyguard and an international criminal who is infamous for being an unforgiving cutthroat with a destructive and cruel nature.

Roadhog uses his signature Chain Hook to pull his enemies close before shredding them with blasts from his Scrap Gun. He’s hardy enough to withstand tremendous damage and can recover his health with a short breather.

Bio[]

Roadhog is a ruthless killer with a well-earned reputation for cruelty and wanton destruction.

After the Omnic Crisis, government officials gifted the Australian omnium and the surrounding area to the omnics that had nearly destroyed their country, hoping to establish a long-term peace accord. This arrangement permanently displaced Mako Rutledge and a large number of the Outback's residents, a scattered collection of survivalists, solar farmers, and people who just wanted to be left alone.

Furious over the loss of their homes, Mako and the others turned to violent rebellion. They formed the Australian Liberation Front and struck against the omnium and its robot population to take back the lands that had been stolen. Events continued to escalate until the rebels sabotaged the omnium's fusion core, resulting in an explosion that destroyed the facility, irradiated the region, and littered the Outback with twisted metal and wreckage for kilometers around.

Mako watched as his home became an apocalyptic wasteland, and he was forever changed.

Adapting to his environment, he donned a mask and took to the broken highways of the Outback on his ramshackle chopper. Little by little, his humanity was forgotten. The last vestiges of Mako faded away and the ruthless killer Roadhog was born.

Abilities[]

Besides these abilities, Roadhog is able to jump, crouch, reload (only when his ammo is not full), and perform Quick Melee.

Unlocks[]

All seasonal event items, which are marked with special event icons ( • • • • • ), are only available to be unlocked either through their respective Loot Boxes or by Credits within the event's duration. During the event, newly-introduced event items cost three times as much as non-event items of the same rarity, while returning seasonal items are unlocked at the regular price.

Skins[]

For all of Roadhog's skins and weapons, see Roadhog/Skins and Weapons.

Common

Rare

Epic

Legendary

Emotes[]

Common

Epic

Note:: ^a This emote, after activating, will remain in its animation until the player inputs other actions to interrupt it.

Victory Poses[]

Common

Rare

Voice Lines[]

Normal
▪ Candy From A Baby	( 25)
"Like taking candy from a baby."	( 25)
▪ Got Something To Say?	( 25)
"Got something to say?"	( 25)
▪ Hahaha!	( 25)
"Bwahahahahahaa!"	( 25)
▪ Hook, Line, And Sinker	( 25)
"Hook, line, and sinker!"	( 25)
▪ Life Is Pain, So Is Death	( 25)
"Life is pain, so... is death, heeheeheeeheee..."	( 25)
▪ Piece Of Cake	( 25)
"Piece of cake."	( 25)
▪ Push Off	( 25)
"Push off."	( 25)
▪ Say "Bacon"...	( 25)
"Say 'bacon' one more time..."	( 25)
▪ The Apocalypse	(default)
"Welcome to the apocalypse."	(default)
▪ Violence Is The Answer	( 25)
"Violence is usually the answer."	( 25)
▪ We're All Animals	( 25)
"We're all animals."	( 25)
Event
There's No "I" In Team	()
"There's no 'I' in 'team'!"	()
What's Mine Is Mine	()
"What's mine is mine."	()
▪ Want Some Candy?	()
"Want some candy?"	()
▪ Ho Ho Ho	()
"Ho ho ho ho ho."	()
▪ You Chicken?	()
"You chicken?"	()
▪ Killed For Less Than That	()
"I've killed someone for less than that!"	()
▪ She'll Be Right	()
"She'll be right."	()
▪ I'm Going Hog Wild!	()
"I'm going hog wild!"	()
▪ I Don't Like Talkers	()
"I don't like talkers."	()

Sprays[]

For Roadhog-specific sprays, see Roadhog/Sprays.

Highlight Intros[]

Common

Epic

Weapons[]

One purchase of an alternate weapon skin will apply to the Scrap Gun and Chain Hook of all unlocked skins when equipping it.

Default

Alternate

Achievements[]

Giving You The Hook

Interrupt an enemy Ultimate ability with Roadhog's Chain Hook in quick or competitive play.
Reward: Pixel Spray

Hog Wild

Knock 2 enemies to their deaths with one use of Roadhog's Whole Hog in quick or competitive play.
Reward: Cute Spray

Story[]

Mako Rutledge was one of the residents of the Outback when its omnium and the surrounding area was gifted to the omnics. He and other Outback residents were displaced and formed the Australian Liberation Front to take back the land. The rebels fought the omnics until they sparked an explosion that irradiated the outback.

Mako adapted to the new environment by donning a mask and riding the broken highways on his chopper. He became an enforcer and was eventually hired by Junkrat as a personal bodyguard in exchange for half of Junkrat's profits. Together, the two went on a crime spree around the world. Junkrat and Roadhog have stolen royal artifacts from King's Row, destroyed shops and trucks in Paris, robbed the arcade in Hanamura, and stolen most of the Bank of Dorado's gold in their crime spree.

Later, Junkrat and Roadhog made a deal with the CEO of Hyde Global in Sydney to rescue its workers from omnic terrorists. They found out that the 'terrorists' were actually Hyde Global drones, and that the CEO had set them up, so they hung him from the top story of his skyscraper before blowing it up.^[1]

Around Christmas time, Roadhog was seen escaping from another escapade with Junkrat in Luna Park, Australia.^[2]

Appearance[]

Roadhog is a tall Australian man with a heavy build. He has white hair tied into a small ponytail, and a dark mask in the shape of a pig to hide his identity. He also has a very big belly with a pig tattoo on it and rings on each of his fingers.

Personality[]

Roadhog remains silent at most if not all the time, possibly due to his mask muffling his voice and the fact that he prefers not to speak and instead get things done. As his biography states, he is callous and sociopathic, showing no remorse for his victims and often laughing while on the battlefield.

In spite of his ruthless demeanor, Roadhog possesses traits that contradict his behavior. He is quite observant and possesses a logical mind. He also seems to care about his partner Junkrat, and often tries to either protect him from trouble or prevent him from causing too much trouble. This may mostly be due to splitting the spoils of their crime spree, as most of Roadhog's dialogue towards Junkrat is some variation of telling him to shut up. However, he usually agrees and follows Junkrat with his plan and antics, without many complaints.

Roadhog also seems to like stuffed animals and ice cream, as conveyed in the A Moment in Crime Special Report where he steals pachimaris from an arcade and sabotages an ice cream truck.

Merchandise[]

Tips[]

For more detailed tips as well as hero matchups, see Roadhog/Strategy.

Roadhog is actually a decent counter for other tanks. He can use his hook to separate them from their team, and get full bodyshots due to their large hitboxes. Additionally, most tanks have low damage, and can't outpace Roadhog's Breather. However, it's important to remember that because his weapon fires a spray of projectiles, tanks with high armor (Reinhardt, D. Va, Orisa) will be more difficult to damage.
Roadhog is a very sturdy tank that can take heavy damage and heal himself; however, his ability to reduce damage with Take a Breather is often underused. Roadhog is a powerful character but is less team-focused than the other tanks.
While Roadhog taking damage and healing may protect his team, the enemy can use it to feed ultimate charge. Hits on Roadhog build Ultimate charge, but hits on shields do not. As such, Roadhog may be better played aggressively than as a protecting tank.

Scrap Gun

The Scrap Gun's secondary fire will only do 50 damage at close range, but it is recommended to use it anywhere outside of close range, as that's where it will detonate and deal as much damage as the primary fire. With enough practice, the player will know the distance that is considered to be the shrapnel ball's "sweet spot"
Holding down primary fire after hooking somebody will fire Roadhog's Scrap Gun the next moment possible to benefit the most from the stun. In particular, Tracer's Recall and McCree's Flashbang - plus any close range character such as Reaper - can ruin Roadhog's day if fired too late.
- Headshots deal dramatically higher damage, which is an excellent pair with his shotgun spread. Keep this in mind when firing.
- The best time to fire is right when the enemy is closest, for about a split second. His Hook/Scrap Gun combo deals devastating damage if timed right. Also, the aim is important. Aim partially at the head, but also make sure you shoot the body. This way, enough pellets will hit the head causing fatal damage but the body, which is bigger than the head, will catch the remaining scrap bits. 90% of the time, this deals close to or over 300 damage if used on tanks correctly, and automatically eliminates any heroes with 200 or less HP.
Quick Melee will significantly delay the next shot from the Scrap Gun if used after firing it.
To maximize damage, Roadhog can use primary fire and then instantly hook a target, and then follow up with primary fire. This allows extra damage to be dealt, which can be useful against enemy tanks, as double damage can be dealt (in comparison to simply hooking and shooting).
Roadhog's Scrap Gun has a slow fire-rate, so in close combat, it is best to track the target before firing rather than shooting blindly and hoping for the best.

Chain Hook

Chain Hook interrupts the attacks of enemies and holds them in one place for a brief moment.
Bastion will be forced into recon mode if hooked, making Roadhog a powerful counter. It will not, however, force Bastion into recon if in Tank mode.
After hooking someone, Roadhog can shoot the snared enemy with Scrap Gun's primary fire, then use Quick Melee on targets which survive the initial shot to ensure their death. This is best used against non-tanks.
If Roadhog hooks someone while standing right in front of a bottomless pit (i.e., the Well in Ilios), they will fall to their death, provided they don't have a movement ability to prevent that. In addition, Roadhog will gain ultimate charge from the kill unless somebody else steals a final blow before they die.
Roadhog can hook Junkrat's RIP-Tire and D.Va's mech while it is self-destructing, with obvious and unpleasant consequences, although it may occasionally be useful for Roadhog to sacrifice himself to protect a more vulnerable team member.
If Roadhog hooks an enemy while falling off the map, the enemy is pulled with him, resulting in certain death - although Pharah, Tracer, and D.Va can escape. It is unlikely useful to deliberately jump off the map to do this, but it can serve as a useful revenge tactic, especially against Lucio.
Roadhog's Chain Hook can be useful for stopping Ultimates, including that of Pharah and other Roadhogs. It can also interrupt the process of completing an Ultimate, such as interrupting Lucio's Sound Barrier by hooking him before he slams his Sonic Amplifier into the ground or a Reinhardt before he slams the ground with Earthshatter.
- Other ultimates the hook can interrupt include Death Blossom, and Dragon Strike if you can catch the Hanzo before he gets it off,
To hit an enemy with Chain Hook, it is best to aim slightly ahead of where they are heading, as the hook has a travel speed. Additionally, if the enemy is falling to the ground, aim a bit below them, or if upwards, slightly higher. This all depends on how far the enemy is away, so precise estimation is important for this.

Take A Breather

Roadhog restores health for one second unless interrupted by a Flashbang or Sleep Dart, meaning taking damage will not stop the healing. However, this leaves you vulnerable to enemy fire, which the opponent can use to charge ultimates. If possible, it is best to use this ability when safe from fire.
The rate at which Roadhog gains ultimate charge from this is identical to the rate at which he restores health. While taking damage can feed the enemy's ultimate charge, sometimes it is better to self-heal than to call for a healer.
Roadhog takes 50% less damage during Take a Breather. If used at full health, Roadhog can tank massive amounts of damage, including many high-damage ultimates such as D.Va's Self Destruct.

Whole Hog

Roadhog's ultimate can deal extreme damage at point-blank range but is also very hard to aim due to the spread. It is also greatly affected by range and recoil, dealing significantly less damage if shot from far away. It is best to use at mid-range on a group of enemies to knock them back.
- On top of that, Roadhog's movement speed is significantly reduced, making an easy target for snipers.
To get the best effect with Whole Hog, try pairing it with Chain Hook, pulling an enemy in, then blasting them back, all the while dealing huge damage to the target. Additionally, to work with Zarya, wait for her to use Graviton Surge, then use Whole Hog to demolish the clump of enemies.
Sometimes, if in the right place, Roadhog is able to knock back many enemies off a cliff, automatically killing them.
Whole Hog is most effective on a group of enemies, in a confined space, like one of the many rooms in Hollywood. It can also still headshot, increasing damage.
Whole Hog can be used to shut down another ultimate, like a Winston in Primal Rage or a Reinhardt about to use Earthshatter.

Counters

Due to her high altitude, Pharah can easily stay out of reach from both the Scrap Gun and Chain Hook.
Most Lucio's can escape a drop off of the edge by using wall run so it is easier to just shoot instead of going for the environment kill.
Reaper can obliterate Roadhog with his shotguns due to his massive hitbox and his passive heals him based on the damage he deals, making him plenty durable.
Due to its large area, Zarya's Particle Barrier can gain a lot of charge if Roadhog tries to hit her with his scrap gun.
- Particle Barrier also defends Zarya from Roadhog's Chain Hook.

Trivia[]

Roadhog was announced on September 22, 2015, alongside Junkrat. Before that, he was teased in two tweets from @PlayOverwatch on Twitter.^[3], as well as an in-universe video: A Moment in Crime Special Report: "The Junkers"
Roadhog was seen on newspapers around multiple maps before he was revealed. He was also seen in concept art.
Roadhog's original concept was as an irradiated mutant. Early concept art gave him an actual stitched-on pig's face rather than a mask.^[4]
If Junkrat and Roadhog's dance emotes are positioned and timed correctly, they will high-five each other during their dances and an audio cue will be heard when they do. To do so, they must face the same direction, and Roadhog must be on the right side of Junkrat. Both people must activate the dance at the exact same time.
Roadhog does not talk much. He has only said a total of 4 words across all of his major lore appearances. 1 word in Junkertown: The Plan and 3 in Wasted Land.
When jumping as Roadhog, the player may occasionally hear a farting noise.
Roadhog is the only tank hero, who hasn't got any shield-like ability. On the other hand, he is the only tank with the heal ability.

Cultural references[]

Given the shared history with fellow Australian Junkrat, Roadhog is likely a reference to the film franchise Mad Max.
It is likely that Roadhog is of New Zealand Maori heritage due to his real name (Mako) and alternate skin titled "Toa", which is the Maori word for "Warrior".
Various patterns such as Roadhog's blanket in Junkertown and 2017 Christmas 'Toast' teacup he holds hosts the Maori patterns called 'Koru' and 'Kowhaiwhai'.
The quote "She'll Be Right" is a common saying in New Zealand slang and culture to mean "All is well" or "It will be okay".
Another common saying in New Zealand is the term 'Wop-wops' where Roadhog references in a datamined quote here
"Mako" is also the Maori word for "the shark" or "a shark tooth" which could explain Roadhog's shark-headed alternate skins.
- Mako is also a specific species of shark that has a very dark blue coloring, much like the "Mako" skin, and has a head much like the "helmet" on the "Mako" and "Sharkbait" skins.
Roadhog's "Eyes" spray resembles the pigs from the Angry Birds franchise.
When Roadhog pulls in an enemy with Chain Hook, he will sometimes yell out, "Come here!" which is a reference to the Mortal Kombat character, Scorpion. Scorpion is a character who possesses a chain blade, and he uses it to pull an enemy from across the stage while yelling "Get over here!"
His quote "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" is a quote from the famous boxer Mike Tyson.
He had a quote that was "Thanks for noticing me", this is a reference to Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.
He had a line where he rapped "So much trouble going on, in the LBC. It's kinda hard being road H-O single G". This is a reference to Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice". This was presumably removed because of copyright.
Both Roadhog and Junkrat make a cameo appearance in the Rick and Morty comic series. In issue 18 they can be seen eating together in the background of a restaurant.
Roadhog's mask and pig logo made a appearance in "A Cold Day In Hell" an issue of the Tf2 comics.

Patch changes[]

For changes made to Roadhog's abilities, see Scrap Gun, Chain Hook, Take A Breather, and Whole Hog.

June 20, 2017 Patch: Head hitbox size reduced by 20%
October 19, 2016 Patch: Increased the volume of Roadhog's "Want some candy" voice line.
July 19, 2016 Patch: Ultimate cost increased by 45%. Self-healing abilities now charge ultimate abilities.
April 5, 2016 (beta) Patch: Added “Islander” and “Sharkbait” Roadhog Legendary skins.

References[]

Roadhog Navigation
General	Main • Quotes • Gallery • Skins and Weapons • Sprays
Abilities	Scrap Gun • Chain Hook • Take A Breather • Whole Hog
Lore	Organizations	Australian Liberation Front • Hyde Global
	Character relationships	Junkrat • Bruce
	Locations	Outback • Junkertown
	Others	Omnic Crisis • Omnium • Junkers
Media	Comic Shorts	Going Legit • Wasted Land
Media	Video Shorts	A Moment in Crime Special Report: "The Junkers" • Junkertown: The Plan

Heroes in Overwatch
Tank	D.Va Orisa Reinhardt Roadhog Sigma Winston Wrecking Ball Zarya
Damage	Ashe Bastion Doomfist Echo Genji Hanzo Junkrat McCree Mei Pharah Reaper Soldier: 76 Sombra Symmetra Torbjörn Tracer Widowmaker
Support	Ana Baptiste Brigitte Lúcio Mercy Moira Zenyatta

[1] Going Legit

[2] Reflections

[3] Tweet #1, Tweet #2

[4] From the Blizzard offices

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]