How to Play Wrecking Ball in Overwatch

Overwatch’s 28th Hero, the Wrecking Ball, is often referred to as Hammond. He’s a sentient oversized hamster that pilots a ball with four feet armed with cannons. As a mobile tank, he’s not as easy to pick up as other characters in his class.

Nevertheless, with some practice, anyone can understand his kit and use him in battle effectively. You can find all of his abilities and how to use them. Hammond might be cute, but he packs a mean punch too.

Hammond’s Abilities

Hammond has two forms, rolling and not rolling. While in the latter status, he can fire his Quad Cannons, short-range submachine guns that don’t deal much damage. Even so, they have a headshot multiplier, making it advantageous to do so.

Other than his Quad Cannons, Hammond has a versatile kit.

Grappling Claw

Every five seconds, Hammond can fire a grappling claw to gain height and speed. When he gains maximum speed, as designated by sparks, he damages the enemies he collides with. Thus, in a perfect spot, he can repeatedly swing around and disrupt the enemy team.

With Grappling Claw, Hammond can also use his Piledriver ability, which can deal tremendous damage. In all, Grappling Claw is a practical movement tool you can use to run away or deal incredible damage.

Roll

Hammond enters his rolling state and lets him travel quickly. He can’t fire his primary weapon, but he also prevents enemies from scoring headshots in exchange. It’s better to use Roll as an evasive option, though it also has offensive uses such as swift flanking.

You can exit or enter Roll in the air, allowing you to deploy the Quad Cannons and shoot enemies.

Piledriver

When Hammond is at least 10 meters above ground, he can use Piledriver and immediately slam to the ground. Any enemies caught in the area of effect will suffer damage, especially those in the center who get 100 damage. To get to such heights, use Grappling Hook to fly up before pressing the button to activate Piledriver.

When Piledriver hits enemies, Hammond can finish them off with his Quad Cannons, creating more chaos and scoring easy kills.

One downside is that Hammond stays in the air for a second before plummeting down, and enemies can pick him off easily during that time.

Adaptive Shield

No tank is complete without a purely defensive ability, and Hammond’s is the Adaptive Shield. The more enemies around him, the more health the Shield gets. The range for the bonus is seven meters.

Adaptive Shield doesn’t give enemies any Ultimate charge, and it lasts for seven seconds. After 15 seconds, you can use it again. Even though it’s a simple ability, you can rely on it to get out of tough spots quickly.

Minefield

Minefield is Hammond’s Ultimate, involving throwing out 15 mines around him. Each mine deals 130 damage and can withstand 100 damage. Moreover, it takes one second for them to arm and hurt enemies.

After 20 seconds, the mines disappear. Nevertheless, Minefield is excellent for defensive plays and zoning out opponents since no one wants to get blown up by mines; and most enemies will hesitate before moving closer. You can also use the mines to separate teams for easy killing.

Slam Dunk

As an effective mobile tank with zoning abilities, Hammond is a confusing opponent to defeat. While he’s not purely defensive, he can still tank some damage thanks to Roll and Adaptive Shield. It’s also beneficial to pair him up with another main tank as he does his speedy work.

Overall, Hammond works well in harassing enemies and dividing teams. He doesn’t boast a lot of primary fire damage and thus has to rely on gaining height and slamming down with Piledriver. In any case, don’t underestimate a nimble hamster with a wrecking ball.