The Overwatch 2 Sombra rework we started the season with has made her one of the most powerful characters. However, after many community complaints, the developers at Blizzard have made some vital changes to its capabilities. This was in hopes of bringing “Sombra more in line with the rest of the roster,” says community manager Andy B in a community post.
Sombra is a facet of classicism Overwatch menu, and it’s received a major change of gear. in Monitoring 2Hacking and stealth streaks have been slightly sped up, which means they’re still a bit of a pain in the backlines but aren’t quite as strong as they were at the start of Overwatch 2.
Sombra is a fast and deadly character who finds and takes down single enemies. Zenyatta, Anna, and to be honest, most Overwatch 2 characters He would be afraid of being hunted down by Sombra any time they found themselves alone.
We’ve got you covered if you want to get every ounce of it. We’ve put together details of the Sombra full loadout and useful tips and tricks to make the best use of it on the battlefield.
Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about playing Sombra.
Overwatch 2 Sombra
Overwatch 2 Sombra: Story and background
Sombra is one of the world’s greatest hackers, with cybernetic implants along her spine and brain. She can hack technology through touch and access well-hidden information with just a flick of her fingers. There’s little going on in the world of Overwatch that Sombra isn’t aware of.
However, her life started rough. She was displaced as a child in Mexico thanks to the Omnic Crisis War. However, she eventually honed her hacking skills for the Los Muertos gang, who were trying to pay back from the wealthy who had taken advantage of the void created by the conflict.
She eventually finds herself working for the terrorist organization Talon, who benefit from her vast knowledge of political and financial secrets. However, while it is associated with the group, it uses it as a means to an end. She’s shown to be mostly out-and-out and has no problem betraying the Talon, as she proves in the short sneak, where she thwarts a plan to kill the CEO of Volskaya Industries to make her a personal informant.
Overwatch 2 Sombra: gameplay breakdown
Sombra in Overwatch has always been a complicated hero to deal with. Previously she lacked the offensive firepower of other DPS heroes, but her ability to block enemies from using their abilities and obtain information when invisible was exceptionally powerful. However, it has always required communication and teamwork, which can be difficult to do with a group of six random players thrown together through matchmaking.
In Overwatch 2, though, it saw a rework, which took away some of its usefulness in favor of bringing it more in line with the damage list. It is now less of a disruptor and more of an opportunist. Your role in Sombra is to find the crucial moments when other heroes are weak or out of place and take advantage of the easy kills.
Overwatch 2 Sombra: First Shooter (Auto Pistol)
Describe: A rapid-fire machine gun is deployed
Sombra’s Machine Pistol is an excellent base for his loadout, something that can tear opponents apart when they find themselves hacked.
While the gun has a fairly large spread, don’t be afraid to use it on the range. It can secure kills from a safe middle distance, with decent accuracy and a fairly large magazine, which means you can mow down a lot of heroes in the game.
Tips and tricks
- The Machine Pistol has an amazing range, killing a 200 HP target with just 2/3 of a clip from 25m – when hacked you can do it in less than half a clip
- The machine gun excels at headshots – if possible, take high ground above opponents, hack through them and then shoot their skulls
- While EMP building is less important in Sombra now due to hack changes and slower Ultimates building in the game, shooting tanks from a distance is always a viable option to help get you there faster if you have nothing else pressing to do
Overwatch 2 Sombra: Ability (Hack)
Describe: Enemies who have been hacked cannot use their abilities for a short time, take more damage and can be seen through walls. Health packs can be hacked to help only friendly players and recharge faster.
Hack is the core of Sombra’s gear, and in Overwatch 2, it’s seen a massive revamp. In Overwatch 1, Hack has disabled its enemies, which means they were unable to use their abilities for a long period of time.
Hack in Overwatch 2 is multifaceted. The bad news is that it will no longer stop characters from using their abilities for too long, but it will interrupt them for a second. This is great for stopping forces being sent or being channeled. However, her timings are very tight, so she relies more on skills now.
However, there are some perks that come with Hack. Now hacked enemies will take an increased amount of damage. However, the damage multiplier has been reduced from 40 to 25%. While you can track breached enemies through walls, they will not be available for a second breach while they are still in their first breach period.
Oh, now she can hack while being invisible without getting out of stealth. It will be visible for a very short time, but it will remain invisible after hacking.
Tips and tricks
- Use the hack as an interrupt now rather than a true disable – this can work great against things like Mercy Resurrections, Roadhog Take A Breathers, or Moira’s Coalescence
- Hack Most Health Packs – While incognito, hack any relevant stations. Not only does this give you a way to heal, but it also denies enemies the chance to rest
- Individual supports specifically and while invisible hunting for errant heroes isolated from their team – hack them and take advantage of increased damage against them
Overwatch 2 Sombra: Ability (Translated)
Describe: Throw a beacon and then activate it again to teleport to it again.
Sombra’s translator is an essential part of her payload and is integral to her survival rotation. In general, you want to place it somewhere safe or near sanitary packaging if possible.
Think of it a bit like a get out of jail card. You generally want to position it, push, find an opportunity to kill or harass an enemy, and then as soon as you start taking a lot of damage you immediately jump to safety.
You can of course forcefully use the compiler as well. If you see someone who is not healthy and trying to run away, you can throw them to close the distance and finish them off. However, only do this if you are sure you can get a kill and are in relative safety. Without her Translator mode, Sombra is exceptionally vulnerable, and if enemies learn you don’t have it, she’ll make you a priority target.
Tips and tricks
- Put this alongside hacked health packs – when you teleport back in, you’ll be back at your full HP level and ready for another mode and back into combat
- The Translocator can be used to set up a massive EMP, by throwing it at the enemy team, teleporting through the air, and then using the ultimate – only do this with the support of your team although you won’t have any outputs if it goes wrong
- Use the Translator to take high ground – High ground is always valuable, and if you can stay relatively safe, you’ll tear opponents from above
Overwatch 2 Sombra: Ability (Stealth)
Describe: Be invisible and move fast.
Sombra’s ability to become invisible is almost as recognizable as her ability to hack. This makes her an exceptionally powerful hero on the battlefield, as it is never certain where she is or what she is planning.
It’s also a great information-gathering tool that allows you to see the other team’s composition relatively safely, much sooner than anyone else.
In Overwatch 2, she can now hack while in Stealth, which is a very powerful combination.
However, remember that if you take stray damage, you will come out of stealth. If you annoy the other team enough, they’ll start shooting behind themselves to try and tag you. Always try to stay away from areas where you might get stray damage.
Tips and tricks
- Sombra will briefly become visible when performing a hack. Make sure that you are out of sight of anyone when doing one
- Sombra can be detected at 4 meters from an enemy now instead of 2 in Overwatch 1, so make sure you keep your distance further than you used to
- Sombra can actually get out of stealth faster than in the base Overwatch 1, which means you can shoot much sooner
Overwatch 2 Sombra: Passive (Pusher)
Describe: You can spot critically wounded enemies through the walls.
Sombra makes great use of her opportunistic passivity, which is aptly named because that’s the role she now embodies on the roster in Overwatch 2.
It’s a fairly simple concept – Sombra can see through walls when a character is below half health. This allows it to identify and eliminate weak characters.
Tips and tricks
- Only you can see enemies through walls with this ability, so be sure to switch over to your squad if you think you can work together to take someone down
Overwatch 2 Sombra: Ultimate (EMP)
Describe: Sombra hacks enemies and raises 40% of their current health in a huge radius
Sombra’s EMP is a different beast in Overwatch 2, and the differences are important to get you rolling. Now, the EMPs are more aggressive, opening Sombra to deal more damage and kill herself – however, she empowers her team a little less.
Because of how the hack works, enemies’ abilities will only be disabled for 1 second. This means, for example, that EMPs will no longer counteract Zenyatta’s past, as he will be able to activate them after just one second, healing everyone.
However, you will also get the benefits of a new hack, which means that not only will opponents take more damage than you, but they will also be exposed through walls for a long period of time.
Tips and tricks
- You need to handle EMP in a different way – use it less for the benefit of the team, and instead use it to secure your kills because getting two kills early in a fight is often enough
- Be careful about Translocating in like in Overwatch 1 – you’re the one who’s going to go all out, so putting yourself between enemies with no way out isn’t very advisable unless you have a team backing you up
- It can combine well with Tank ultimates like Zarya’s Graviton Surge or Orisa’s Terra Surge – but again, don’t be afraid to use it more selfishly than before