This article is part of a directory: Overwatch 2: Complete Guide to Heroes (And Other Tips and Tricks)
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Overwatch 2 has finally arrived, bringing some fundamental changes its predecessor's classic hero shooter gameplay. 3 brand-new Heroes and only 1 Tank per team may have changed the meta, but the interplay of 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 a high skill requirement. As a dive Tank, Wrecking Ball is best when charging straight into the enemy team, but he can be quickly overwhelmed without support.

Wrecking Ball's Playstyle In Overwatch 2

Overwatch Wrecking Ball official screenshot

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-boosting Grappling Claw can allow him to quickly close the gap, as well as knock enemy Heroes out of position and into danger. While he is rolling, Wrecking Ball has no critical hit weakpoint, making it very difficult for accurate Heroes like Widowmaker or Sojourn to put out their full damage.

Using his Grappling Claw to swing into the air above the enemy team, Wrecking Ball can then use Piledriver to deal damage and toss 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 gain an instant injection of HP, which is increased based on how many enemies are nearby. Finally, his Ultimate Minefield is an incredible area denial tool, covering a wide area with 15 extremely dangerous proximity mines.

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Wrecking Ball's Abilities In Overwatch 2

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Quad Cannons

Wrecking Ball's primary weapons in Overwatch 2 are his Quad Cannons, which he can only use when not in Roll mode. Although the Quad Cannons don't deal high damage, they have a fast fire-rate and can be dangerous at close to medium range. Unfortunately, they also suffer from high bullet spread, making them most effective to finish off or harass enemies after Wrecking Ball has used Piledriver or a Grappling Claw swing.

Roll

Wrecking Ball can activate his Roll Ability at any time, transforming from a quadrupedal robot into a rolling ball that is controlled from 3rd person. While Roll is active, Wrecking Ball's speed increases and remains the same no matter which direction he moves in, he will also accelerate faster while going downhill. Additionally, Wrecking Ball no longer has a critical hitbox while within Roll, but will be kicked out of the mode if he is 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 while within Roll mode, allowing him to attach himself to a vertical surface and swing to accelerate massively or fly into the air. If his speed exceeds 15 meters a second, Wrecking Ball will be outlined in flames and deal up to 50 damage to any enemy Hero he collides with, as well as knocking them back. Grappling Claw is a highly versatile Ability, able to be used for offense, defense, and movement.

Adaptive Shield

Like his fellow diving Tanks Winston and D.va in Overwatch 2, Wrecking Ball has a dedicated defensive Ability in Adaptive Shield. Adaptive Shield will instantly give Wrecking Ball 100 temporary HP, plus an additional 100 HP for each enemy within a 10-meter radius. This can boost his maximum HP up to 1300, twice that of any other Tank in the game. This bonus health lasts for 9 seconds, after which it will take 15 seconds for Adaptive Shield to cooldown.

Piledriver

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 slam 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 movements, 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 Minefield while in the air will cause the mines to be spread 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, and force an enemy team to split or retreat. They're particularly good at area denial due to their 20-second lifespan.

Wrecking Ball Tips and Tricks In Overwatch 2

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Due to his lackluster primary weapon and high mobility, Wrecking Ball's main function as a Tank is disrupting the enemy team and creating opportunities for his allies. He can do this by rolling into them at high speed using Grappling Claw, or dropping onto them from above with Piledriver. The most important aspect of this strategy for Overwatch 2 players to master is knowing when to change out of roll mode. With their overall low damage, the Quad Cannons are best used to finish-off low health targets, ideally Supports that have been injured by Wrecking Ball's arrival or by his team. This means players should remain in roll mode until they see an opportunity to get a kill, as they're 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 his 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're aiming for, but this skill is essential to playing Wrecking Ball. If swinging from the side or above is proving too tricky, players can use a simpler tactic by grappling onto something beside or behind their target, and then charging forwards. While this won't grant quite as much acceleration as a swing, it can still be enough to get Wrecking Ball up to a damaging speed.

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Wrecking Ball Combos In Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 Tracer character pose on left, Echo, Brigitte, Mercy, and Winston in middle, Lucio character pose on right

Wrecking Ball + Ashe

Wrecking Ball is a great partner for any DPS Hero that can capitalize on 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 who are being knocked aside by Grappling Claw or into the air by Piledriver.

Wrecking Ball + Hanzo

Just like Ashe, Hanzo is a precise DPS Hero who can benefit from the opportunities that Wrecking Ball creates. As well as 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

A lot of Wrecking Ball's effectiveness comes from speed and aggression. It shouldn't be a surprise therefore that he works well with the only Support capable of giving a major speed boost. Lucio's Crossfade can help Wrecking Ball reach damaging speeds, and maintain those speeds over longer distances. In addition, Lucio is one of the few Supports who can keep up with Wrecking Ball and boost his massive HP pool.

Wrecking Ball + Tracer

Wrecking Ball's tactics are all about breaking apart the enemy team, and that creates opportunities for harassing Heroes like Tracer. With her high damage balanced by low HP, Tracer has a much harder time when the enemy team is moving together. With Wrecking Ball knocking Tanks away from their 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 at long-range. Wrecking Ball's disruption and distraction not only creates opportunities for her to make easier shots, but also protects her from medium-range Heroes that might try and close the gap.

Wrecking Ball's Advantages and Counters In Overwatch 2

Wrecking Ball Overwatch 2 Counters Guide

As an aggressive, diving Tank Hero 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 difficulty with a charging Wrecking Ball, being completely unable to land crits while he's in roll mode, and struggling to overcome his massive HP pool at close-range.

Support Heroes without movement Abilities will also have a hard time escaping from Wrecking Ball's attacks, with Heroes like Zenyatta and Ana lacking the mobility to get out from under Piledriver and Grappling Claw attacks. Finally, Wrecking Ball has the advantage over his fellow diving Tank Winston, dealing more damage at close range with his Quad Cannons and boasting greater personal defense with his Adaptive Shield.

When it comes to bad match-ups, Wrecking Ball suffers particularly against Heroes that can inhibit 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 particularly 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 deal huge damage with his explosive Abilities.

While DPS Heroes like Bastion or Reaper can't slow Wrecking Ball down, they'll have an easy time laying their massive damage into his overlarge hitbox, quickly burning through his HP. 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 point-blank damage simply outclasses the Quad Cannons.

Overwatch 2 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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