The latest Overwatch PTR patch contains Sombra, a new map, and more

At BlizzCon this last weekend, Blizzard finally unveiled their latest Overwatch hero, Sombra. It may have taken what felt like decades for the hacker to make herself known, but thankfully, it won’t take nearly as long to see her made playable in-game. In fact, she’s available right now already, compliments of the latest Public Test Realm (PTR) patch.

Sombra is a master manipulator who can hack her enemies, temporarily blocking their abilities. In addition, she can hack health packs and Torbjorn’s turret, making them useless to her opponents. She uses her fully automatic Machine Pistol to take out her enemies, getting into position using her Thermoptic Camo, which allows her to become invisible and move more quickly for short periods of time. This gives her the ability to slip past enemy defenses undetected, but she’s instantly revealed if she takes damage or attacks an enemy.

She also has a Translocator, which can be tossed like a grenade. When it’s activated, Sombra is teleported to its location (even while it’s in flight).Sombra’s ultimate ability, EMP, discharges electromagnetic energy in a wide radius, hacking anyone caught within range and destroying enemy barriers and shields.

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Sombra aside, the latest PTR patch also contains other goodies that Blizzard promised at BlizzCon. Remember that neat little arcade mode they mentioned? That’s playable now, along with a cool brand new map:

• The Arcade – Discover brand new ways to play Overwatch in the Arcade. Choose from a variety of regularly rotating game modes, maps, and rulesets that don’t quite fit into Quick Play or Competitive Play. Whether it’s 1-on-1 duels, 3-vs-3 skirmishes, our alternating selection of brawls, or special rulesets like “no hero switching,” you should have no problem finding a game that fits your mood. Experience is earned just like any other mode, but you can also earn Arcade-specific rewards, like Loot Boxes!
• Ecopoint: Antarctica – Bundle up for a journey to Ecopoint: Antarctica, the former Overwatch installation where climatologist Mei-Ling Zhou was once stationed. While researching severe weather anomalies in the region, the station was hit by an intense polar storm. Running out of options and low on supplies, the team decided to cryogenically freeze themselves until the storm passed. They believed that it would only be for a few months, but Mei awoke nearly a decade later.

When exactly will all this content make it into the final game? I’m not entirely sure. Generally though, Blizzard launch stuff of this nature officially after a week or two of testing.

I hope we don’t have to wait too long. I’ve got my PTR downloaded for some experimentation, but I’d much rather play around with this new content, Sombra in particular, in the main Overwatch client.

Last Updated: November 8, 2016