Overwatch Developer drops ‘hints’ on new Sombra changes, but how will it affect playstyle?

Overwatch Developer Geoff Goodman shed some light earlier this week on the new Sombra ‘rework’ that is soon to take effect. Since the recent announcement of a ‘rework’ in rotation heading into the new season, many fans were worried about the degree to which changes will be received for a hero that already provides a unique role as a damage dealer.

While Sombra isn’t completely getting revamped, the new changes to her kit will transform the way she travels on the map and contests objectives coming in and out of stealth in a more engaging manner than ever before.

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Moving incognito

When looking at the changes made to Sombra on this Overwatch PTR patch update, it’s hard not to note the specific direction the OW developers were looking to take with Sombra’s unique mobility. Sombra was always a good ‘scout’ DPS that enabled her to get in hard to reach places on the map with her translocator and invisibility movement.

These recent changes are looking to max out that mobility as much as possible. Making both her stealth ability and translocator on an infinite cooldown give Sombra more penetration into any enemy’s defense as she can snake in and out of choke points with relative ease.

While the buffs are substantial in terms of mobility, Sombra’s damage remains unchanged in this PTR update. The speed boost she gains while in stealth was also lowered considerably from a 75% boost down to 50%.

The change to her infinite stealth also affects the way she contests objectives as she can no longer trigger a point defense or capture unless she is out of stealth. These changes are considerably fair when taking into account the amount of times Sombra can hop out of skirmishes, but there will be some getting used to for former Sombra mains that will be looking to pick her back up again after these tweaks.

How will it affect the meta?

With the introduction of these changes soon to hit the PTR server, there’s no telling the volatility of these changes on a high ranked level, but there are more than a few anxious Sombra mains looking to try their hand at the newly modified stealth assassin.

The core components of what make Sombra so unique have only been pushed to the forefront. Even though the OverWatchLeague will not have these new changes on hand, the possibilities for map movements on the back of creative Sombra translocator positioning will surely be practiced on from the players that can use her most efficiently.

Will these new changes be too much of a boost for Sombra players? Time will tell. The ability to get up and down the map with enhanced movement is tantalizing for any pro player looking to get the upper hand in clutch moments, but the impact in lower elos will surely not be as impactful.

This change seems to make it all the more rewarding to position well with Sombra and engage at the right time, rather than when your invisibility runs out. Keeping a threat like Sombra in the shadows for an unlimited duration will make the best Sombra’s a force to be reckoned with in any level of play.