After months of waiting the Overwatch hero known as Sombra has finally stepped out from behind the curtain. This offensive hero seems to be in the same class as both Genji and Tracer since her abilities focus on flanking behind enemy lines. Sombra is labeled as a three-star character, meaning she will be a very difficult character to truly master in-game. Her current abilities are the following:
Primary Weapon – Machine Pistol
This weapon is a close range, fully automatic weapon that looks like it can do some serious damage up close. She will need to get near opponents to effectively use this machine pistol as her spread is very short. Given that Reaper is the pure up close expert, expect this weapon’s range to fall between Reaper and Tracer.
Ability 1 – Hack (Alternate Fire)
If Sombra is able to get close enough to enemies she can use her cable to hack opponent’s abilities and shut down their effectiveness. The range does not look especially long, so you will need to be quite close in order to stop enemies from using their ultimates or core powers. However, once you hack an opponent there is no need to stay near them, which means you can either teleport out or shoot them. You cannot hack their actual primary weapon, only their base abilities so using it against characters like Reaper is not as useful
This ability can also hack into Health Packs disabling their use for the enemy team, which can be a serious detriment if you eliminate their healers. You can also hack Torbjorn turrets, which can easily turn the tide of a fight. There is little doubt about how powerful Hack is going to be if used correctly and combined with her flanking abilities.
Ability 2 – Thermoptic Camo
Speaking of flanking abilities, Sombra has the power to go completely invisible for a few seconds. By doing this she gains a speed boost allowing her to escape unfavorable situations. While her cloak has a timer, it will also disable if Sombra either attacks or is dealt any sort of damage.
There is no shimmer or sign of Sombra when she goes invisible, which will make it difficult for her to track when activated. This is a very nasty ability but can be counter by heroes such as Winston or Junkrat who can still deal with flankers.
Ability 3 -Translocator
Sombra’s third ability is a transporter that will instantly warp her to the beacon’s location regardless of what’s happening. This ability can be activated in mid-flight and when she is currently engaged in combat scenarios. Acting a pseudo-recall (minus the health return) she can either use it to infiltrate or retreat if she’s caught. It lasts for 15 seconds before it’s completely destroyed and you have to wait for the rather short cooldown.
Passive Ability – Opportunist
This is a passive skill that will show Sombra enemies who are at half health, letting her visibly see them through walls. This allows her to track targets that are trying to escape her.
Ultimate – EMP
Her ultimate is the EMP which allows Sombra to release a massive pulse that will shut down shields, abilities, ultimates, and even enemy turrets. This ultimate is stupidly powerful and range for it is rather substantial, which means it’s a fantastic turn the tides of a team engagement. It’s also important to note that the EMP is an amazing way to surprise opponents before making a massive push onto an objective. It does no damage to enemies, so you will need to rely on your teammates to help kill the enemies.
Sombra is going to be a force to be reckoned with in Overwatch, but it’s very important to note that her abilities could change during next week’s PTR. If she is following the same route as the last new character Ana, we should expect her live across both PC and console in around two to three weeks. One thing is for certain, Winston just got a whole lot more valuable in competitive.
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