Overwatch 2’s Hazard Marks a Major First for the Game

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 22, 2024 10 Views 6 Min Read
Overwatch 2's Hazard Marks a Major First for the Game



Hazard is a rebel in his backstory, and in some ways, in his design in Overwatch 2. He’s part of the Phreaks, a rebellious faction that fights for those they feel have been left behind by the system. His kit doesn’t fit one traditional archetype. Instead, he can switch from being a dive or bruiser tank depending on his team’s preferred playstyle. One of his abilities seems to be breaking the mold of Overwatch 2’s frontline roster, too.

The Scottish tank Hazard was officially introduced to the game’s official lineup on December 10, 2024. He can protect his team using his Spike Guard, which also fires homing spikes at opponents. Hazard’s Jagged Wall ability is a deployable block that damages and launches nearby enemies. He can dive the opposing backline with his Violent Leap and immobilize hostiles with his Downpour ultimate. Meanwhile, his passive ability makes him distinct from other tanks.

Overwatch 2 Hazard Season 14 win rate

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Hazard is the First Tank to Get a Wall Climb

Some frontline heroes in Overwatch 2 have mobility built into their kits. Winston has his Jump Pack that gives him vertical and horizontal clearance. Doomfist’s uppercut gives him height and his charge attack lunges him forward. Meanwhile, Wrecking Ball uses his grappling hook to launch himself and gain momentum while he rolls around the map. Hazard has his Violent Leap, which works a lot like Winston’s Jump Pack. However, there’s another mobility skill that sets him apart from other tanks: Vault.

Hazard’s Vault lets him scale walls for a short time and grab onto ledges to gain some verticality. He is the very first tank since the beginning of Overwatch to get such an ability.

The Vault Passive lets him scale walls for only 0.2 seconds and it cannot be reactivated until Hazard gets onto a walkable surface. The wall must also be at least 1.25 meters tall for it to be climbable using Vault.

This skill is deceptively simple, as it opens up various offensive and defensive opportunities for Hazard, like:

  • Setting Up for Dives: The player can use Vault in their rollout to sneak onto the high ground and get the drop on enemies for dive attempts.
  • Chasing Enemies: Hazard’s Vault and Violent Leap allow him to keep up with opponents like Genji, who uses his Cyber-Agility to scale walls and his Swift Strike to dash away when escaping. He can also use this skill to cut off enemies on the ground.
  • Escaping Opponents: One can also use Vault defensively. If a Hazard finds that their back is against the wall while being chased by enemies, they can scale it to get out of their sticky situation. However, they need to ensure that the walls have ledges that Hazard can get to before Vault’s duration ends.

Hazard’s Vault Also Breaks an Overwatch Lore Tradition

Overwatch 2 is quite conservative as to who they give wall climbs to. It used to be exclusive to the Shimadas: Genji and Hanzo. Another character within their circle, the support unit Kiriko, can also scale walls. It fits their design, as these characters are ninjas who are usually depicted climbing walls and hanging on ledges to get to their targets undetected. However, it seems like this ability is no longer exclusive to them.

Hazard is the first hero outside of the Shimada Clan to have a wall climb in the game. His playstyle and physique don’t fit the ninja archetype, either. However, his Vault skill seems to work well with his overall design. Hazard is all about overwhelming enemies with his aggression and speed, so giving him the ability to essentially bypass obstacles makes perfect sense. Hopefully, he’ll be the only tank to have a wall climb for a while, as it’s one of the few qualities that makes him truly stand out in his role.

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