Home Gaming Boop! The latest Overwatch patch contains Sombra and other goodies

Boop! The latest Overwatch patch contains Sombra and other goodies

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Sombra Overwatch header

At BlizzCon earlier this month, Blizzard finally unveiled Sombra, but the wait for the hacker was not over just yet unfortunately. Though we learnt what exactly she was capable of (and a little more about her lore), she remained unplayable, at least to those on console, or those PC users not willing to dabble with the PTR.

I did not expect Sombra to make her way to the main game client until December or so, truth be told, but hey, good news, I was completely wrong! She’s now playable in Overwatch thanks to the latest patch – out now on PC, PlayStation4, and Xbox One:

One of the world’s most notorious hackers is stepping out of the shadows: Sombra, a mysterious infiltrator who uses information to control those in power.

Sombra is a master manipulator who can hack her enemies, temporarily blocking their abilities. In addition, she can hack health packs and Torbjörn’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.

Along with the Sombra comes the brand new Arcade mode. I’ve not had the chance to try it out myself, but according to Alessandro, it’s “the bee’s knees, yo”. I’m going to take that as a good sign.

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!

The new patch contains a new map – one that ties to the bae that everybody loves to hate, Mei. Again, I’ve not yet had the chance to play it myself, but according to Alessandro, “it’s cool bro, literally. Get it?”

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.

Ecopoint: Antarctica is a compact new Arena map that features multiple new game modes, including a 3-vs-3 battle and 1-on-1 duel. Check it out in the Arcade.

On top of all this comes a host of hero tweaks. It’s a little too chunky to share here unfortunately, so if you’re interested to what exactly has been changed, I’d suggest you take a closer look at the patch notes.

As a side note, Season 2 of competitive play ends next week, on November the 23rd. Season 3 will then pick up seven days later, on November the 30th. If you’re trying to crack a rank (I’m out to nab platinum myself), I’d suggest you sink in as much time as you can now before competitive play leaves for holiday. Thankfully, it won’t be gone for too long. At least we have arcade to mess around with in the interim.

Last Updated: November 16, 2016

32 Comments

  1. Ottokie

    November 16, 2016 at 11:35

    Ok so no playing Overwatch for the next two weeks, while we wait out for people to choose balanced teams again 🙂

    Reply

    • VampyreSquirrel

      November 16, 2016 at 11:48

      Sombra, Sombra, Sombra, Sombra, Anna and Reinhardt

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        November 16, 2016 at 11:52

        We went up against a cheese group filled with Mei in point hold. First round was not fun but second round we took Bastion and Mercy to counter.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Argonian

          November 16, 2016 at 11:58

          I wonder if they are going to bring in the one hero per team limit

          Reply

          • Ottokie

            November 16, 2016 at 12:00

            In rank there is a limit, but free play will probably always allow you to cheese. I hate a cheese group but sometimes it’s pretty fun to try and find a way around it.

            And or form a cheese group our self’s 😛

          • Admiral Chief Argonian

            November 16, 2016 at 12:25

            When last did you play?

          • Ottokie

            November 16, 2016 at 12:28

            Last week sometime

          • Lord Chaos

            November 16, 2016 at 12:01

            Only in competitive. Trolls will always find a way

          • Grid10ck

            November 16, 2016 at 14:12

            Quick play has the same one hero limit as competitive after last nights update.

          • Admiral Chief Argonian

            November 17, 2016 at 08:51

            Really? Nice, I like that

      • Matthew Holliday

        November 16, 2016 at 12:05

        well, Anas ult no longer buffs movement speed, so maybe less of that.

        Reply

  2. Andre Fourie

    November 16, 2016 at 11:40

    Man, I installed this game last night. Data on disc was 8gig. Flippin patch was 11.5gig. Now you are talking about another patch. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

    Reply

    • Ottokie

      November 16, 2016 at 11:41

      Should not be to big of an update just for a new character.

      Reply

      • Andre Fourie

        November 16, 2016 at 11:42

        Lets hope.

        Reply

        • Lord Chaos

          November 16, 2016 at 11:45

          It’s really not that big. Patch came in late yesterday for me and was still able to get a game in.

          Reply

          • Andre Fourie

            November 16, 2016 at 11:47

          • Admiral Chief Argonian

            November 16, 2016 at 12:25

            Reminds me of Stephen Hyde in That 70’s Show

          • Andre Fourie

            November 16, 2016 at 11:50

            DId you see any mistakes in this article?

          • Lord Chaos

            November 16, 2016 at 11:56

            None that I saw, he must have triple checked it,

          • Andre Fourie

            November 16, 2016 at 12:03

            XD. I’m sure the pressure was on.

      • Andre Fourie

        November 16, 2016 at 11:43

        I haven’t even had a chance to play yet, so I guess this weekend is booked. Now, where do I ship the wife off to?

        Reply

        • Deceased

          November 16, 2016 at 13:32

          You’re in for a great weekend then it seems 🙂

          Reply

    • Admiral Chief Argonian

      November 16, 2016 at 11:57

      PC?

      Reply

      • Andre Fourie

        November 16, 2016 at 12:03

        Perish the vile thought. Xbone.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Argonian

          November 16, 2016 at 12:25

          Enjoy your updates then 😉

          Reply

          • Andre Fourie

            November 16, 2016 at 12:26

            XD

  3. Andre Fourie

    November 16, 2016 at 11:41

  4. Admiral Chief Argonian

    November 16, 2016 at 11:57

    Watched some vids, man, she seems fun to play with

    Reply

    • R1ker

      November 16, 2016 at 13:19

      I tried her out when the patch was still in PTR. PTR sucks with the higher latencies i get but she is quite a fun hero to play.

      Reply

    • Deceased

      November 16, 2016 at 13:33

      Did you see Stylosa play her?

      Good god man, in capable hands, Sombra seems insane 😀

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Argonian

        November 16, 2016 at 13:39

        IKR? Really impressed

        Reply

  5. 40 Insane Frogs

    November 16, 2016 at 15:25

    But what does this mean? WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN??

    Reply

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