[GameSpot] - Overwatch 2 - Wrecking Ball Hero Guide

[343iBot]

Wrecking Ball, a.k.a Hammond, is arguably one of the more popular heroes in Overwatch 2. Prowess and abilities aside, many newcomers and even veterans of the series will immediately see a hamster inside of a giant circular robot with four feet and immediately choose that hero. When Wrecking Ball was first introduced in the original Overwatch, they were an immediate smash hit with fans. However, in Overwatch 2, players are still trying to figure out exactly how to play as Wrecking Ball, given the fact that Blizzard slightly changed up how the hero works.

At their core, Wrecking Ball is considered a tank in Overwatch 2. They can soak up damage for their teammates while also dealing a heavy amount of damage in close quarters. However, Wrecking Ball is slightly different from other tanks in that they're highly mobile, especially for being a tank. This shouldn't be surprising given Hammond's preferred method of travel. In Overwatch 2, though, Blizzard decided to buff Wrecking Ball to make them slightly more defensive, which is an aspect of the hero that was lacking in the first game.

In this guide, we'll go over Wrecking Ball's abilities as well as the best way to play as the hero in Overwatch 2.

Wrecking Ball Overview

The tank class was one that received a plethora of changes with the release of Overwatch 2. With new heroes, such as Junker Queen, being added and old heroes, like Orisa, getting buffed, players have more options than ever when it comes to tanking.

With Wrecking Ball, players can actually have the best of both worlds when it comes to DPS and tanking. Blizzard changed up a few different aspects of Wrecking Ball's abilities and stats in Overwatch 2, giving the hero some new life in the game. First, the developers gave Hammond an armor and health boost. The hero now has 150 armor (from 100) and 550 health (from 500). The hero's Adaptive Shield ability was also buffed, receiving a two-meter increase in its radius and players now receive 100 health (from 75) for every enemy inside its radius. Finally, Wrecking Ball's Roll ability will knockback enemies by an additional 36%.

Wrecking Ball was one of many tanks to receive some buffs in Overwatch 2.

Aside from hero-specific changes, the developers also gave every tank a new passive ability. This ability sees knockback reduced along with less ultimate received for dealing damage and less ultimate as a result of healing.

With all of this in mind, Wrecking Ball can be an extremely capable tank in the right hands. However, players will need to master the hero's abilities if they want to truly succeed in Overwatch 2.

Wrecking Ball Abilities

• Quad Cannons: Primary weapon that Wrecking Ball uses. They rapidly shoot bullets at 25 shots per second while dealing 5 damage per shot. The weapon has 80 total bullets and a reload time of 21 seconds.
• Grappling Claw: Transform into a ball and launch a grappling claw to a surface. Use the claw to swing around and drive into enemies, causing knockback and slight damage.
• Roll: Transform into a ball and boost overall movement speed, but lose the ability to fire.
• Piledriver: From a high distance, slam into the ground below and cause damage to enemies along with sending them up in the air.
• Adaptive Shield: When activated, Wrecking Ball receives additional health. The amount of extra health is increased with more enemies nearby.
• Minefield (Ultimate): Create a large field of proximity mines that cause damage to enemies if they go near them.

Perfect Wrecking Ball's Movement

The absolute number one key to having success with Wrecking Ball is to learn how to use their mobility to your advantage. With two mobility-centric abilities, players can traverse the map like few other heroes in Overwatch 2. This added mobility is perfect for Wrecking Ball to get up in the faces of enemies to deal close-range damage with Piledriver or Minefield. On the other hand, players can also get away from harm and attack enemies with the Quad Cannons at medium range.

If players choose to use the Grappling Claw or Roll ability to get closer to an enemy team, they can pair that perfectly with the Adaptive Shield ability. Or, they can use the Grappling Claw to reach a second-story area above enemies and activate Piledriver to inflict a massive amount of damage.

A team can easily work around Wrecking Ball's abilities. The hero can be an entry tank and soften enemies up for teammates to finish them off or players can use their defensive abilities and let their teammates do all the damage. At the very least, Wrecking Ball can be a distraction. The Grappling Claw ability lets players spin around on a surface for several seconds, confusing enemies and letting teammates get the jump on them. However, all of Wrecking Ball's abilities revolve around their ability to get around the map effectively and quickly. Once players master how to maneuver a map using the Grappling Claw or Roll ability, they can then figure out how to best deal damage to enemies.

Don't Expect Much Out Of Minefield

Wrecking Ball has some truly enjoyable abilities in Overwatch 2 that fans can spend hours trying to master.

While most of Wrecking Ball's abilities are incredibly enjoyable to use and master, there's one that stands out from the crowd, but not in a good way. Minefield is fairly underwhelming for an Ultimate ability. It can deal a significant amount of damage if used correctly, but most of the time enemies will simply find a way around the proximity mines or destroy them within a couple of seconds.

It's best to use Minefield near an objective, as this doesn't allow enemies to solely focus on shooting or avoiding the mines. Although, dropping the mines in high-traffic areas along the map is a great choice as well, and it might be unexpected from an enemy's perspective. It's also important to remember to be in the air when activating Minefield; this allows you to disperse the mines in a larger radius, making them more difficult for enemies to avoid.

All that said, more often than not you'll find that Minefield doesn't yield a ton of success. In the perfect situation, the ability can be devasting to an enemy team. In most other situations, they'll be destroyed within seconds or left behind as an objective presses on along the map.

Other Wrecking Ball Tips

• Use Wrecking Ball's mobility abilities to get into places that other heroes can't reach. From here, you can assess the situation and decide what ability is best to use next.
• Adaptive Shield is a great all-around ability, but it truly excels when around the majority of the enemy team. Every nearby enemy gives Wrecking Ball more health, which is a great thing from both an offensive and defensive perspective.
• When using Piledriver, remember that it takes a couple of seconds for you to actually fall to the ground. If you feel like multiple enemies are about to move from their current position, maybe shoot them with the Quad Cannons rather than using Piledriver.
• Always remember the power of the Grappling Claw. If you attach to a surface, you can swing around and around indefinitely with great speed. This is a good way to distract enemies, but an even better way to continually knock into enemies and deal 50 damage per hit.

View the full article