Every hero in Overwatch is special, and Wrecking Ball is undoubtedly one of them. This is a hero notorious for his ability to move around the map with little to no effort. Wrecking Ball is difficult to kill and can quickly kill the entire enemy team with his ultimate. Learn to master the ball in our Wrecking Ball Guide.
Also known as Hammond, this hamster is one of the most difficult heroes to master in the game. He has different skills than most other tanks, and most of them have to be used in specific situations. Despite the high skill requirement, Wrecking Ball is one of the most common picks across all skill brackets. That’s why we will look at a couple of essential things we should know about him.
Wrecking Ball General Info
Hammond is one of the tanks in Overwatch that has 500 HP and 100 Armor, making it a lot tankier than many of its counterparts. His primary fire, Quad Cannons, allows him to deal up to 5 damage per shot. Wrecking Ball’s weapon has 80 ammo, a reload time of 2.1 seconds, and a fire rate of 25 shots per second.
The reload time is not as fast as some think, but once the hero uses his Roll ability for 2.1 seconds, the gun will be automatically reloaded. Speaking of Roll, this is definitely his more important ability.
Information about Roll
As mentioned above, this is Wrecking Ball’s most significant ability. When he uses it, he transforms into a ball that has bonus movement speed. This allows him to escape from danger or chase his opponents.
While using Roll, Wrecking Ball will have more movement speed going downhill. Interestingly, this form prevents the hero from receiving any headshots, which means he can easily tank any of the dangerous DPS like Widow.
Learning how to use Grappling Claw is really important
One of Wrecking Ball’s abilities that makes him so dangerous is his Grappling Claw. The hero can use this ability only while rolling, and it will launch a claw that will anchor to an area. Once that happens, he can swing from it and hit everything he sees.
Interestingly, Wrecking Ball will deal 50 damage while swinging and has a + 100% movement speed buff. This movement speed is essential because the only way Wrecking Ball deals damage is when he gains the so-called “fireball” effect. The latter requires him to have more movement speed.
While the hero has his Grappling Claw on and is in the air, he can use another one of his abilities called Piledriver. The latter can deal up to 100 damage, and Wrecking Ball can activate it as long as he is at least 2.25 meters in the air. Besides the damage, enemies affected by this ability will be knocked back.
Wrecking Ball’s shield is key
Despite not being as impressive as other shields in the game, Wrecking Ball also has a shield that can protect him from danger. This ability has 9 seconds duration and a 15 seconds cooldown. What’s more, the shield has 100 HP and +75 HP for every enemy within a given radius. What’s even more surprising about Wrecking Ball’s shield is that enemies do not receive any ult charges if they do damage to the shield.
Wrecking Ball’s ultimate is not as good as it seems
Some heroes in Overwatch have better ultimates than others, and sadly, Wrecking Ball is in the second category. Even though the Minefield looks really impressive on paper because each mine deals 130 damage, in reality, most players can easily dodge it.
When Wrecking Ball decides to use his ult, he will drop a couple of mines that have a 1.5 meters AoE and take 1.5 seconds to cast. Once ready, each mine has 50 HP and deals 130 damage. Sadly, enemies can run away or simply kill the mines before they explode.
This ultimate lasts for 20 seconds, which means it can be combined with other abilities in the game.
You need to use Wrecking Ball’s mobility to your advantage
There are different kinds of tanks in the game and each one excels at something. Even though heroes like Zarya are great for staying in the frontline, Wrecking Ball is a tank that is a lot more complex. Hence, the hero has to constantly move around and use his movement speed to his advantage.
Since Wrecking Ball is the most mobile tank in Overwatch, he can easily go behind his enemies and deal damage all over the map. What’s more, he should always be able to escape from danger.
Remember that you can cause havoc
It is safe to say that Wrecking Ball is one of the most annoying heroes in Overwatch. His mobility and constant knockbacks make him a pain to deal with, especially in the hands of those who can utilize him to his full potential. Sadly, this is where you might face some difficulties because not everyone knows how to use the hero properly.
One of the most important things you should do while playing with Hammond is to be as annoying as possible. Always try to move around and land your burst combo, especially if there are many squishy targets. Many people often underestimate Wrecking Ball’s burst potential, but he is capable of dealing a lot of damage.
Wrecking Ball is hard to heal
The fact that Wrecking Ball is so mobile is great for doing damage and annoying his opponents. However, it has a negative impact on his healers because some of them won’t be able to help him when needed.
Since it is almost impossible for your healers to keep track of your position, you should use the mobility to your advantage and get all the health packs on the map. This tactic might seem strange at first, but it can have a big impact on your overall success.
Wrecking Ball can play in almost any combos
Even though this hero shines when your team uses a Dive combo, he can work in almost any situation. Wrecking Ball’s ability to move around the map with little to no effort allows him to pressure everyone. Don’t forget that he deals a lot of damage.