Wrecking Ball’s Perks Make Him a Tank Worth Playing

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In the revamped Hero Abilities system of Overwatch 2, some less commonly used characters, like the once specialized dive tank, Hammond (Wrecking Ball), have gained fresh relevance and effectiveness.

In Overwatch 2, Wrecking Ball stands out as an exceptional and distinct character, often perceived as a powerful dive tank by gamers, yet equally infamous for being challenging to work with on a team due to his self-reliant nature. For a while, Wrecking Ball was considered a specialized hero, with a small group of experts known as “Wrecking Ball masters” who can perform astonishing feats using his equipment.

In Season 15, certain heroes received an edge due to Hero Perks, helping them become more effective. One such hero is Wrecking Ball, whose perks enhance both his durability and lethality.

Wrecking Ball is rolling over matches with Perks

In many matches, Wrecking Ball consistently caused chaos among the opposing team’s defense, often compelling their team composition to be altered in response to his effectiveness. This was done in order to directly neutralize Wrecking Ball’s impact on the game.

One significant disadvantage of Wrecking Ball is the presence of characters who can effectively counter him, rendering him less effective. This includes Roadhog, Sombra, Cassidy, Brigitte, and Ana. With skillful use of crowd control abilities, they can hinder Wrecking Ball’s performance.

His ability to deliver fatal blows wasn’t consistently strong. While he could significantly increase his damage through consecutive hits, precise tracking, and assistance from other diving champions, it was understandable that his individual kill potential in the game was lower than some other dive tank heroes.

Currently, Perks have been introduced, and they serve to mitigate some of Wrecking Ball’s inherent issues. As you engage in gameplay, you will accumulate experience with each hero, eventually unlocking new talents or abilities that can significantly alter the character’s playstyle. In the case of Wrecking Ball, his Perks do not eliminate all his weaknesses entirely, but they make them more controllable, which is an effective way for Perks to operate in a game setting.

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His Minor Perks offer two compelling choices

Initially, the standout minor advantage for Wrecking Ball, named Pack Rat, amplifies the healing he obtains from health kits. At first, it may seem unimpressive, but this trait enables Wrecking Ball to gain an astounding 175 HP from a small health kit and a whopping 350 HP from a large one.

Knowing the right spots for health packs significantly boosts his chances of survival, enabling him to push further into the enemy’s backline without frequently needing to retreat to healers. In essence, this makes it more challenging for the opposing team to effectively counter a well-played Wrecking Ball character.

As a fan, I’d usually rely on Pack Rat when playing Wrecking Ball, given that opponents frequently attempt to neutralize him. However, if survivability isn’t a concern in certain matches for me, Steamroller, his alternate Minor Perk, proves to be quite effective.

The Steamroller perk amplifies Wrecking Ball’s ability to inflict 100% additional damage on Tanks, ensuring his force is more uniformly damaging. Despite primarily focusing on the backline, this trait enables Wrecking Ball to dish out significant damage to tanks too.

One Major Perk is greatly underrated

Following his attachment to Wrecking Ball, another viable choice for him is his Major Perk, named Hang Time. At first, a significant portion of the gaming community showed mixed feelings towards this Perk due to its effects: it extended the preparation period for his Piledriver move while boosting its damage output. Many Wrecking Ball players were apprehensive that the longer preparation time could make it simpler for opponents to counteract the Piledriver ability, since they would have more time to respond.

Thankfully, the increased potency of Hang Time’s damage compensation effectively balances out its longer windup period, often eliminating Tracer in one hit and boosting Wrecking Ball’s killing capacity. Piledriver significantly amplifies his burst damage, and when used strategically with a well-coordinated dive team composition and subsequent support from your allies, Wrecking Ball can easily dominate his opponents.

The concept of Transfer Efficiency isn’t often beneficial, but it does encourage Wrecking Ball to share his Adaptive Shields a tad more. However, it’s generally advised to opt for Hang Time instead and boost his total damage output. This enables Wrecking Ball to operate more autonomously.

One advantageous feature about Wrecking Ball is that it remains challenging to deal with, even at Level 3. An adept Ana using Groggy, along with other counter strategies such as Cassidy or Sombra, can effectively neutralize a Wrecking Ball. It’s comforting to note that while Wrecking Ball’s Perks help mitigate many of his vulnerabilities, they don’t entirely erase them altogether.

Now, with an expanded array of options and significantly enhanced hero power, he’s become a character well worth trying out, unlike before when he seemed to be a highly specialized choice that was rather challenging to master.

Among the winners in the latest Hero Perks update is Wrecking Ball, but several other heroes are also making a strong impact, both with their enhanced Perks and those that could use some improvement. For insights on the optimal Perks to choose for each character, check out this article.

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2025-03-04 02:21