The second Overwatch 2 beta is in full swing, as exemplified by Blizzard's partnership with Twitch for its "Support a Streamer" event, drawing viewers to the beta streams. The game developers are promising that everyone who has signed up will have access to the Overwatch 2 beta by July 14, leaving a window of four days before it ends on the 18th.
For those fortunate enough to have already begun playing the Overwatch 2 beta, they may have noticed the long queues for tanks as compared to Overwatch prime. With the new gameplay format consisting of 5v5 team fights, rather than 6v6, and everyone clamoring to play Junker Queen, it does make sense for the wait time to be a bit extended. It's finally Junker Queen's turn to take players to the Wasteland, and her similarities to Roadhog are noteworthy.
Junker Queen is the New Meta
While Junker Queen's kit is fairly self-explanatory, using her effectively in order to get picks can prove difficult. Streamers and beta players alike have noticed that the newest Overwatch 2 Tank can cause real problems to the squishes of an opposing team, which typically places her at the top of the scoreboard in terms of damage dealt.
Following Overwatch 2 reworks for Roadhog, players might notice that the rebellious Tank can still deal quite a bit of damage, but it is rare to see him being picked in the beta over the likes of Junker Queen, Sigma, or Orisa. It's likely that his lack of mobility in a faster-paced game makes him a more vulnerable target, and it's critical that the lone Tank stays alive to protect their team. Junker Queen is a more logical choice because she can simply stay alive.
Junker Queen Excels Where Roadhog Lacks
Junker Queen is the answer for Roadhog mains that can't find any footing in the beta. After all, she's a junk-themed character who wields a shotgun and can pull people toward her, even if the distance isn't quite as long as Roadhog's hook. The leader of Junkertown, while being a Tank, is not as physically imposing as some of her predecessors. However, she's lean and fast, which are both aspects that make her harder to hit.
Overwatch 2's Roadhog shouldn't be written off as an easy character to play, but the skill floor required for Junker Queen appears to be higher because of the precision she requires. If a player can hit their shots or throw their Jagged Blade accurately, she can get a lot of value. On top of this, her Commanding Shout, which currently comes with an 11-second cooldown, proves to be incredibly helpful in team fights as it increases her HP by 200 while nearby allies get 100. Of course, Roadhog can also heal himself with Take a Breather, but it doesn't benefit anyone else.
Has Roadhog Become Obsolete?
What truly makes Junker Queen a more viable selection than Roadhog at the moment is her passive healing ability and her ultimate's anti-heal. Just doing damage to other characters with the vicious Junker Queen allows her to gain HP, and hitting multiple enemies at once with Carnage will damage them over time while healing her. Even just using her melee will apply her passive, which means it has more value than just trying to get that last bit of health from a low enemy. Being more aggressive in Overwatch 2 can pay dividends.
Junker Queen's ultimate appears to be a combination of Ana's Biotic Grenade and Lucio's speed boost, both of which are game-changers on their own. The Whole Hog ultimate is certainly nothing to be scoffed at but really excels when pushing enemy players off a point; it's just not as versatile. Also, Junker Queen can get close and personal with the enemy team, so long as she plays with her healers at the right times. Roadhog, at least in the first Overwatch, is better known for flanking to get picks. This could be seen as a selfish play that can pay off but is also extremely risky and perhaps not worth the effort in 5v5. It seems that Overwatch 2 beta needs playable Tanks to fit the new play style in various environments, rather than just at certain moments.
It may be that, with the introduction of Tanks with higher damage output and fewer shields, Roadhog will be receiving another rework by the official launch of the game in October. Heroes such as Symmetra and Mercy have already received reworks that Blizzard is experimenting with in order to balance them in the new meta, with Symmetra no longer having a permanent teleporter and Mercy gaining an automatic "Super Jump". Roadhog may need attention next to compete with the Junker Queen.
Overwatch 2 will be available in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
