The world’s most feared hacker Sombra is receiving a huge overhaul in Overwatch 2, moving much of her power from her utility to her assassin abilities. This rework is available to check out in the beta, and it gives her a completely new identity, so previous Sombra players might not know how to tackle these changes at first. Her new game plan still maintains some of her old identity, however, as you’re still going around the map hacking targets and trying to disrupt them. But, fortunately, you might even get a kill this time. You may want to know how to maximize your gameplay as Sombra in the Overwatch 2 beta, so here’s our handy guide to help.
If you’re new to Overwatch and are just looking for an overview of what Sombra does, know that she’s a Damage character who excels in disrupting the backline and getting some kills along the way. Her “Hack” ability can interrupt enemy abilities, saving your team from a crucial enemy ultimate or ability. She’s also an incredibly safe character, as her “Teleport” ability allows her to disengage from fights with ease.
Note: This Sombra guide is updated for the first Overwatch 2 open beta test. Future beta tests will likely see adjustments to all playable characters, and any notable changes will be reflected once those updates drop.
Abilities and skills
Sombra received a major rework, changing up much of her abilities while keeping some of her old ones. It’s important to know her full kit before diving into a game, especially when compared to her old Overwatch kit.
Her passive, Opportunist, remains mostly the same from the original Overwatch. This ability takes advantage of her assassination abilities, allowing her to locate critically injured enemies behind cover (below 50% health). Her passive has a new effect, however. When you hack an enemy, they will also take 50% increased damage from Sombra. Be sure to hack an enemy before gunning them down for that damage buff.
Her primary fire, Machine Pistol, is a submachine gun that holds 60 bullets, with each pellet dealing seven damage each. It has a small spread, making it a fairly accurate weapon as well. Her secondary fire, Hack, is not an attack at all — it’s an ability that has numerous effects.
Hack has a cooldown of four seconds and lasts for eight seconds. This ability inflicts the “Hack” ailment on enemies, which locks them out from using abilities for one second. It also reveals hacked enemies through walls for eight seconds. Sombra can also hack health packs, which prevents enemies from taking them and increases its spawn rate. This lasts for 30 seconds.
Her E ability, Translocator, is a teleport ability that allows you to place a teleport spawn. Cast this ability again to teleport to the location you put down. This ability is exactly the same as it functioned in the original Overwatch. You can press “F” to cancel the translocator in case it’s in a bad location.
Sombra’s Shift ability, Stealth, places her in a state of invisibility. She will be detected when she approaches an enemy or while she’s hacking a target. For old Overwatch players, yes, she can hack while invisible now. Note: this invisibility lasts indefinitely and will not be canceled unless you make an action.
Her Ultimate ability, EMP, hacks all enemies in a large AoE radius. It also deals 40% of all enemies’ current HP, meaning it now has tons of value as a mini-nuke while initiating.
Game plan and gameplay tips
Sombra plays less of a utility DPS role now and is more of an assassin-type character or diver. Her identity is similar to heroes like Tracer or Genji, who excel at getting into the backline, dealing some damage and creating chaos, and then disengaging out to safety. A very typical game plan is actually quite similar to what she’d do in the original Overwatch: hack a health pack, or find a safe location where you can put your Translocator; stealth into the enemy backline, and then perform a hack on a key target; spray them down with your primary fire and, if you are in danger of dying, retreat with your Translocator.
While Sombra is fighting in a team fight, you might want to consider saving your Hack to interrupt an important enemy Ultimate. You should know that, unlike the first game, Sombra’s hack now only locks enemies out of their abilities for a mere second. As a result, Hack is now more useful for her damage buff, and for acting as an interrupt. Look for key targets to hack in the middle of a fight. For example, an ulting Roadhog can be stopped in his tracks if you can hack him. A Reinhardt using his charge can also be hacked, canceling that ability completely. Be careful where you hack, as taking damage will interrupt your hack and place it on a cooldown.
Consider opportunities where you can use your translocator as an initiation tool as well. You can throw that ability up into the air, and then cast your EMP for example. If your team is diligent, they’ll take advantage of the utility that Hack brings, as well as the massive damage you instantly dealt. There isn’t much counterplay here; it’s intensely hard to react to and enemies may not be able to save themselves in time.
Team synergy and counters
Sombra can potentially synergize well with dive teams, and with aggressive tanks like D.Va and Winston. She is self-sufficient as well, as hacked health packs allow her to mitigate some of the healing required from your teammates. However, Sombra works well with most heroes in the game. For instance, you can pick her with a Zarya, as you can easily combo your EMP with Zarya’s ultimate, Graviton Surge.
Sombra is difficult to counter due to her ability to sneak out of a fight, but having a Zarya on your team might help to peel for teammates when they are dove on. For supports, playing Ana may help, as her wacky hitbox makes her a little harder to hit. Her sleep dart can help as well, as a successfully landed dart can lead to a quick death for the Sombra who made a mistake.
That wraps up our Sombra guide for the Overwatch 2 beta. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks for your favorite heroes.
