Overwatch 2 has finally arrived, and has brought some fundamental changes to its predecessor’s classic hero shooter. 3 brand new heroes and only 1 tank per team may have changed the meta, but the interplay between DPS, Support and Tank Heroes remains in Overwatch 2.
One of the most unusual tank heroes in Overwatch 2, and one struggling to find a place in the new meta is Wrecking Ball. Wrecking Ball, also known as Hammond, is a tank that combines massive HP with a unique movement ability and high skill requirements. As a dive tank, Wrecking Ball is best when he charges straight into the enemy team, but he can quickly get overwhelmed without support.
Wrecking Ball’s playstyle in Overwatch 2
As an aggressive Tank Hero like Winston or D.va, Wrecking Ball is all about putting pressure on the enemy team. His roll movement ability and speed-seeking grappling claw can allow him to quickly close the gap, as well as knock enemy heroes out of position and into danger. While rolling, Wrecking Ball has no critical hit flash point, making it very difficult for accurate heroes like Widowmaker or Sojourn to deal their full damage.
Using Grappling Claw to swing into the air above the enemy team, Wrecking Ball can then use Piledriver to deal damage and throw enemies into the air, setting up easy shots for his own teammates. When it comes to defensive abilities, Wrecking Ball can use Adaptive Shield to get an instant injection of HP, which increases based on how many enemies are nearby. Finally, his Ultimate Minefield is an incredible area denial tool, covering a large area with 15 extremely dangerous proximity mines.
Wrecking Ball’s abilities in Overwatch 2
Four cannons
Wrecking Ball’s primary weapon in Overwatch 2 are his Quad Cannons, which he can only use when not in roll mode. While Quad Cannons don’t do much damage, they have a high rate of fire and can be dangerous at close to medium range. Unfortunately, they also suffer from high bullet spread, making them most effective at finishing off or harassing enemies after Wrecking Ball uses Piledriver or a Grappling Claw swing.
Roll
Wrecking Ball can activate his roll ability at any time, transforming from a four-legged robot into a rolling ball controlled from 3rd person. While Roll is active, Wrecking Ball’s speed increases and remains the same no matter which direction he moves, he will also accelerate faster while going downhill. Additionally, Wrecking Ball no longer has a critical hit box while in Roll, but will be kicked out of the mode if hacked, slept, pinned, hooked, or knocked down, or if he tries to fire his Quad Cannons.
Grappling Claw
Grappling Claw is Wrecking Ball’s most useful ability in roll mode, allowing him to attach to a vertical surface and swing to massively accelerate or fly into the air. If his speed exceeds 15 meters per second, the Wrecking Ball will be outlined in flames, dealing up to 50 damage to any enemy hero he collides with, in addition to knocking them back. Grappling Claw is a very versatile ability that can be used for attack, defense and movement.
Adaptive shield
Like his other Tanks Winston and D.va dive in Overwatch 2, Wrecking Ball has a dedicated defensive ability in Adaptive Shield. Adaptive Shield will instantly grant Wrecking Ball 100 temporary HP, plus an additional 100 HP for each enemy within a 10 meter radius. This can increase his maximum HP up to 1300, double that of any other tank in the game. This bonus health lasts for 9 seconds, after which the Adaptive Shield will take 15 seconds to cool down.
Pile driver
When Wrecking ball is at least 2.25 meters off the ground, marked by an orange arrow in the center of the screen, he can activate Piledriver. This ability will knock the Wrecking Ball into the ground at high speed, damaging any enemy hero within 10 meters and throwing them high into the air. Enemies knocked into the air by Piledriver have limited control over their movement, making them an easy target for accurate heroes like Widowmaker or Ashe.
Minefield
Wrecking Ball’s ultimate ability is Minefield, which throws out 15 explosive proximity mines in two concentric circles around his current position. Activating minefields while in the air will cause the mines to be scattered over a larger area. After taking 1.5 seconds to arm, each mine will explode when an enemy hero comes within its 1.5 meter radius, dealing up to 130 damage. These mines can be devastating when dropped in chokepoints or crowded areas, forcing an enemy team to split or retreat. They are particularly good at area denial due to their 20-second lifetime.
Wrecking Ball tips and tricks in Overwatch 2
Due to his lackluster primary weapon and high mobility, Wrecking Ball’s main function as a tank is to disrupt the enemy team and create opportunities for his allies. He can do this by rolling into them at high speed using the Grappling Claw, or drop onto them from above with the Piledriver. The most important aspect of this strategy for Overwatch 2 players to master is knowing when to shift out of roll mode. With their overall low damage, Quad Cannons are best used to finish off low health targets, ideally supports that have been damaged by Wrecking Ball’s arrival or by his team. This means players should stay in rolling mode until they see an opportunity to kill, as they are much safer inside the ball and when moving quickly.
Wrecking Ball is a great hit-and-run tank, perhaps even more so than Winston with the Jump Pack. Players may find it difficult at first to master the grappling claw and discover how to swing at just the right angle to hit the enemies they are targeting, but this skill is essential to playing Wrecking Ball. If swinging from the side or above proves too difficult, players can use a simpler tactic by grabbing onto something to the side or behind the target and then charging forward. While this won’t provide as much acceleration as a swing, it can still be enough to get the Wrecking Ball up to a damaging speed.
Wrecking Ball Combos in Overwatch 2
Wrecking Ball + Ashe
Wrecking Ball is a great partner for any DPS hero that can take advantage of his disruption and mobility. Ashe’s accurate shots and high damage make her a good choice for this, as she can deal serious damage to enemies knocked aside by Grappling Claw or into the air by Piledriver.
Wrecking Ball + Hanzo
Just like Ashe, Hanzo is a precise DPS hero that can take advantage of the opportunities Wrecking Ball creates. In addition to being able to pick off support heroes separated from their tank by Wrecking Ball’s disruption, Hanzo’s Dragonstrike can be combined with either the crowd control of Piledriver or the area denial of Minefield to give enemy heroes no way to escape.
Wrecking Ball + Lucio
Much of Wrecking Ball’s effectiveness comes from speed and aggression. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he works well with the only support capable of providing a large speed boost. Lucio’s Crossfade can help Wrecking Ball reach damaging speeds, and sustain those speeds over longer distances. Additionally, Lucio is one of the few supports that can keep up with Wrecking Ball and increase his massive HP pool.
Wrecking Ball + Tracer
Wrecking Ball’s tactic is all about breaking down the enemy team, creating opportunities to harass heroes like Tracer. With her high damage balanced by low HP, Tracer has a much harder time when the enemy team moves together. With Wrecking Ball knocking tanks away from supports and DPS heroes out of position, Tracer can find vulnerable targets before they can regroup.
Wrecking Ball + Widowmaker
The premier sniper Hero in Overwatch 2, Widowmaker is all about picking off vulnerable targets from afar. Wrecking Ball’s disruption and distraction not only creates opportunities for her to make easier shots, but also protects her from mid-range heroes who might try to close the gap.
Wrecking Ball’s perks and counters in Overwatch 2
As an aggressive, Tank Hero dive in Overwatch 2, Wrecking Ball is strong against heroes that lack escape options or are best at long range. Sniper heroes like Widowmaker or Ashe have particular problems with a charged Wrecking Ball, they are completely unable to land crits while he is in roll mode, and struggle to overcome his huge HP pool at close range.
Support heroes without movement Evner will also have a hard time escaping Wrecking Ball’s attacks, with heroes like Zenyatta and Ana lacking the mobility to get out from under Piledriver and Grappling Claw attacks. Finally, the Wrecking Ball has the advantage over its fellow diving tank Winston, doing more damage at close range with its Quad Cannons and boasting greater personal defense with its Adaptive Shield.
When it comes to bad matchups, Wrecking Ball especially suffers against Heroes that can hamper his movement or take advantage of his massive hitbox and lack of a barrier. In the first category, DPS heroes like Sombra or Junkrat can be especially tough to deal with. Sombra’s Hack will force Wrecking Ball out of roll mode, exposing his critical hitbox, while Junkrat can trap him and do heavy damage with his explosive abilities.
Even if DPS heroes like Bastion or Reaper can’t slow Wrecking Ball down, they’ll have an easy time putting massive damage into his big hitbox, burning through his HP quickly. Finally, when it comes to his worst Tank vs Tank match-up, Wrecking Ball has a particularly tough time against Roadhog. Roadhog’s Hook can pull Wrecking Ball out of roll mode, and his direct damage simply outclasses Quad Cannons.
Overwatch 2 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
