Sombra Is Moving to Support in Overwatch Season 5
Hack and Virus are out, two healing tools are in
According to Blizzard, Sombra and Roadhog get major reworks in Season 5, and Sombra moves from the Damage role into Support. Season 5 launches on October 6, Pacific time.
Korean outlet Inven reported from the BlizzCon Overwatch panel that Hack and Virus are being removed. In their place come Hotfix, which gives an ally healing over time, and Cyberspace, which creates a zone where it lands that heals allies and damages enemies. Hotfix has two charges and heals up to 200 in total over as long as 12 seconds. Enemies inside Cyberspace receive 50% less healing and deal 50% less damage.
Machine Pistol and her ultimate, EMP, stay essentially the same, while Translocator gets a shorter range. The developers said they had to break the triangle of stealth, lethality, and Hack's silence effect, and moving her to a new role was the answer.
Hero 54 brings a swarm of bat-like drones
Doctrine is Overwatch's 54th hero. Blizzard introduces him as a vampire-inspired Support hero and an ally of Doomfist who manipulates lifeforce with his scepter, infusions, and bat-like drones. He looks the part, but at the panel the developers were clear that he is not an actual vampire.
His ultimate releases a swarm of drones onto the battlefield. The drones seek out nearby allies and enemies: allies get healing and extra health, while enemies have their health drained and their maximum health cut by up to 50% for 8 seconds.
Doctrine is playable now in a limited-time Hero Trial through September 14, and he officially joins the roster in Season 5. Season 5 also adds a new Escort map, Watchpoint: Grímsvötn, set in a volcano prison in Iceland. The Reign of Talon wraps up in Season 5 too, closing out the first story in Overwatch history to run for a whole year.
YOASOBI started their new song from Kiriko's point of view
BlizzCon 2026 was held as a celebration of 10 years of Overwatch, and the music lineup was tied to the game as well. Blizzard announced performances by Overwatch fans LE SSERAFIM at the closing ceremony and YOASOBI on Day 2 of the Overwatch World Cup.
YOASOBI released 'Orion,' a collaboration song with Overwatch. According to ZDNet Korea, the song is based on the Overwatch short 'The Fall of a Sparrow' and starts from the point of view of the hero Kiriko. YOASOBI said they worked the melody of the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument, into the track.
LE SSERAFIM released their first Overwatch collaboration song, 'Perfect Night,' three years ago and followed it with a new one this year. In an interview with Yonhap News, YOASOBI said they first learned about BlizzCon through LE SSERAFIM's performance there in 2023. Blizzard also noted that a new LE SSERAFIM collaboration is already available in the game.
Switch positions and the way you play changes too
Just as Sombra gives up Hack and Virus on her way to Support, taking a different spot on a team changes what you do. DoYouBox's What's Your Football Type? is a personality test you can take without knowing much about football, and a few choices turn your play personality into a position type like The Striker.
If you want to warm up your hands first, there is DoYou Aim. It is a 30-second game where you tap cartons before they fade, and missed taps count too, so you see your accuracy as well.