Sombra

Sombra
"Everything can be hacked... and everyone."
Real Name	░░░░░░
Status	Active
Age	30
Nationality	Mexican
Occupation	Hacker
Base	Dorado, Mexico
Affiliation	Los Muertos (formerly) Talon
Voice	Carolina Ravassa (English) Emmanuelle Rivière (French) Carol Crespo (Brazilian Portuguese) Lourdes Arruti (American Spanish)
Quotes	Quotation page
Role	Offense
Health	200
Character Video

Sombra is an Offense hero in Overwatch.

Summary

Stealth and debilitating attacks make Sombra a powerful infiltrator. Her hacking can disrupt her enemies, ensuring they're easier to take out, while her EMP provides the upper hand against multiple foes at once. Sombra’s ability to Translocate and camouflage herself makes her a hard target to pin down.

Abilities

Opportunist

Type

Passive Ability

Sombra detects critically injured enemies through walls.

• Details

Ability details:

• The silhouette has a glowing effect to it, different from other wall vision effects.

Machine Pistol

Type

Weapon (Primary Fire)

Effect Type

Rapid Fire Hitscan

Sombra’s fully-automatic machine pistol fires in a short-range spread.

Damage:

2.4–8

Falloff range:

15 to 25 meters

Headshot:

✓

Rate of fire:

20 rounds per second

Ammo:

60

Reload time:

1.5 seconds

• Details

Ability details:

• Sombra's Pistol also has a soft lockdown into her target, allows her bullets to hit more reliably.

Example Video

Hack

8 seconds

Type

Ability

Sombra hacks enemies to temporarily stop them from using their abilities, or hacks first aid kits to make them useless to her opponents.

Cast time:

0.8 second

Duration:

Abilities: 6 seconds
Health Bar/Ultimate Status reveal: 20 seconds
Health Pack: 60 seconds
Turrets: 10 seconds

Max. range:

15 meters

• Details

Ability details:

• Hacked enemies have their health bar revealed to all Sombra's allies and an icon will appear if their ultimate ability is ready.
• Hacked health packs have Sombra's ASCII icon floating above them, with a color draining animation displaying the duration remaining on the hack. This is visible to both teams: purple for allies and red for enemies.
  • Health packs cannot be hacked before the game starts, in the case of defending teams.
• Hack's effects do not stack from multiple allied Sombras (or during low cooldown brawls), but all durations will be refreshed.
• Multiple health packs can be hacked at the same time, cooldown permitting.
  • Sombras on opposing teams cannot interact with health packs already hacked by opposing Sombras.
• The button must be held down for the full casting time to complete the hack. Taking damage or releasing the button before the hack completes will cancel the hack attempt. This does not trigger the cooldown.
• Hack cannot target enemies protected by a barrier or with immunity or any hero-summoned entities (with the exception of Torbjörn's turrets).
• The rule for Sombra's Hack in its simplest form is: any ability that is displayed in the bottom-right on the hero's HUD cannot be activated while hacked (i.e. Sprint is disabled but Hover isn't). This is with the notable exception of Ice Wall's reactivation, which can be done while hacked.
  • That is to say, any ability not shown on the HUD is considered a "Passive" ability (even if it requires activation).
  • Note that secondary fire options listed on the HUD will be disabled even if they use ammunition, e.g. Soundwave.
• Comprehensive list of hero interactions:
  •  Genji: Prevents the activation of Swift Strike, Deflect and Dragonblade. Interrupts an in-progress Swift Strike and Deflect. Does not affect his Cyber-Agility nor Dragonblade once active.
  •  McCree: Prevents Combat Roll, Flashbang and Deadeye. Interrupts Combat Roll and Deadeye.
  •  Pharah: Prevents Jump Jet, Concussive Blast and Barrage. Interrupts Jump Jet and Barrage. Does not affect her Hover.
  •  Reaper: Prevents Wraith Form, Shadow Step and Death Blossom. Interrupts Shadow Step and Death Blossom.
  •  Soldier: 76: Prevents Helix Rockets, Sprint, Biotic Field and Tactical Visor. Interrupt Sprint. Does not interrupt Tactical Visor once active.
  •  Sombra: Prevents Hack, Thermoptic Camo, Translocator (placement and reactivation) and EMP.
  •  Tracer: Prevents Blink, Recall and Pulse Bomb. Interrupts Blink.
  •  Bastion: Prevents Reconfigure, Self-Repair and Tank. Interrupts Sentry and Self-Repair. Does not interrupt Tank once active.
  •  Hanzo: Prevents Dragonstrike and locking in a Sonic Arrow or Scatter Arrow, but not firing one that has already been locked in. Dragonstrike can be interrupted during the wind-up, which refunds the charge.
  •  Junkrat: Prevents Concussion Mine (placement and reactivation), Steel Trap and RIP-Tire. Interrupts the initial channel of RIP-Tire, without refunding the charge, but has no effect on Junkrat once it is being controlled. The tire and traps cannot be targeted.
  •  Mei: Prevents Cryo-Freeze, Ice Wall (placement only) and Blizzard. Interestingly, Mei can still melt an Ice Wall while Hacked.
  •  Torbjörn: Prevents Build Turret, Armor Pack and Molten Core. Turrets can also be hacked once placed. Does not interrupt Molten Core once active. Hacked Turrets can still be repair.
  •  Widowmaker: Prevents Grappling Hook, Venom Mine and Infra-Sight. Interrupts Grappling Hook. Does not interrupt Infra-Sight once active.
  •  D.Va: Prevents Defense Matrix, Boosters, Self-Destruct and Call Mech. Interrupts Defense Matrix and Boosters. Does not interrupt Self-Destruct once active.
  •  Reinhardt: Prevents Barrier Field, Charge, Fire Strike and Earthshatter. Interrupts Barrier Field and Charge. Unknown if Earthshatter can be interrupted before it hits the ground.
  •  Roadhog: Prevents Take a Breather, Chain Hook and Whole Hog. Interrupts Take a Breather and Whole Hog. Does not interrupt Chain Hook.
  •  Winston: Prevents Jump Pack, Barrier Projector and Primal Rage. Interrupts Jump Pack.
  •  Zarya: Prevents Particle Barrier, Projected Barrier and Graviton Surge. Barrier makes allies untargetable by Hack once active.
  •  Ana: Prevents Sleep Dart, Biotic Grenade and Nano Boost. Does not interrupt Nano Boost once active.
  •  Lúcio: Prevents Soundwave, Crossfade (whatever song Lúcio was previously playing will continue, but he will not be able to switch between the two), Amp It Up and Sound Barrier. Interrupts Sound Barrier before he hits the ground. Does not prevent Wall Ride.
  •  Mercy: Prevents Guardian Angel and Resurrect. Interrupts Guardian Angel. Does not affect Angelic Descent; Caduceus Staff's channeled beams nor switching types; nor an in-progress ressurection.
  •  Symmetra: Prevents Sentry Turret, Photon Barrier, Shield Generator and Teleporter from being activated. Interrupts Energy Ball. The turrets, generator and teleporter cannot be targeted when they have already been placed.
  •  Zenyatta: Prevents Orb of Harmony, Orb of Discord and Transcendence. Interrupts Orb Volley. Does not remove active Orbs nor interrupt Transcendence, during which he cannot be targeted by Hack.

Example Video

Thermoptic Camo

6 seconds

Type

Ability

Sombra becomes invisible for a short period of time, during which her speed is boosted considerably. Attacking, using offensive abilities, or taking damage disables her camouflage.

Cast time:

0.7 seconds stealthing/unstealthing

Duration:

6 seconds

Move. speed:

8.8 meters per second

• Details

Ability details:

• The cooldown triggers after the ability is deactivated.
• Sonic Arrow and Infra-Sight will grant vision of Sombra and render her targetable by auto-aimed effects (e.g. McCree's Deadeye), but she will retain the bonus movement speed until stealth is broken and will become invisible once more duration-permitting.
• UNKNOWN: An enemy Sombra's Opportunist.

Example Video

Translocator

6 seconds

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Arcing Projectile

Sombra tosses out a translocator beacon. She can instantly return to the beacon’s location while it is active (including when it’s in mid-flight).

Duration:

15 seconds

• Details

Ability details:

• The translocator is visible but cannot be destroyed by attacks.
• Contrary to some old footage of the ability, Translocator does not heal Sombra.
• The translocator will bounce off walls but not off slopes.
• The Translocator cannot be destroy or moved by the enemy.

Example Video

EMP

Q

1250 points

Type

Ultimate Ability

Sombra discharges electromagnetic energy in a wide radius, destroying enemy barriers and shields and hacking all opponents caught in the blast.

Duration:

6 seconds

Area of effect:

15 meters

• Details

Ability details:

• The blast of EMP is affected by Line of Sight from Sombra the moment the blast reach the enemy
• This ultimate ability will destroy any regenerating shields, barriers, and will also hack everyone in the blast. They also destroy the Shield health on Symmetra's Teleporter and Shield Generator.
  • Barriers and shields will not protect people from being Hacked. Unlike Earthshatter, for example, a Reinhardt shield will not sacrifice itself to protect those behind it - the barrier does down and everyone is affected.
  • Zarya will generate Energy when her Barrier is destroyed by EMP as if it was damaged to 0.
  • Zenyatta's immunity while under Transcendence will protect him from both the Hack and the shield removal.
  • Reinhardt and Winston's barrier will not provide any protection, with EMP destroying the barriers as well as affecting targets under their protection. This is regardless of facing direction/positioning.

Example Video

Strategy

(Summarize this hero here; "Overall Strength and Weakness")

Weapons & Abilities

• Opportunist (Passive): Sombra's passive ability. (This article is stub and need more detail)

• Machine Pistol: Sombra's primary weapon. (This article is stub and need more detail)
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• Hack: (This article is stub and need more detail)
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• Thermoptic Camo: (This article is stub and need more detail)
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• Translocator: (This article is stub and need more detail)
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• EMP (Ultimate): Sombra's Ultimate ability. (This article is stub and need more detail)
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General strategies

• Stealth and debilitating attacks make Sombra a powerful infiltrator. Her hacking can disrupt her enemies, ensuring that they're easier to take out, while her EMP provides the upper hand against multiple foes at once. Sombra’s ability to Translocate and camouflage herself makes her a hard target to pin down.

• If your target is running for a health pack, if you don't think you can kill them prior to them reaching the pack, attempt to hack the health pack first. Not only will this stop the enemy team from picking it up, you can also fight on the health pack for continuous health as hacked health packs provide more health and regenerate quicker.
• The Translocator can be used at any distance; don't be afraid to throw it down in a safe location just before going to the objective. If you hack a health pack and throw your beacon on it, you can quickly Translocate back to it in a heated fight for instant health, behaving in a similar way of Tracer's Recall.
• Choose your hack targets wisely. At a cooldown of 8 seconds, wasting it on a health pack closer to your respawn that your team won't end up using may mean you won't be ready to hack an enemy or health pack closer to the objective or at a choke point.
• A common mistake is to rush in to the objective as you would with Winston or Genji. Remember: you do not have the mobility or the health to spare when it comes to confrontations. Instead, use Opportunist and your team's overall health to determine the right time to strike. The only time it's safe to rush onto a point is if you've placed your Translocator over a health pack in a safe and friendly location; in this case, if you feel like you're losing the fight and are about to die, you can quickly Translocate to escape the fight and heal up.
• The time it takes to teleport to the Translocator is not instant. It is delayed by a slight fraction of a second. Keep this in mind when jumping across pits and escaping from enemies.
• Because of the Translocator's slight delay, it can be confusing where you will teleport if the Translocator is not planted on the ground (when you see the beacon). If you Translocate mid-air, you will Translocate to the point where the Translocator was, slightly maintaining its momentum.
• When your allies pick up a hacked health packs, you receive a substantial amount of Ultimate charge, Try to consistently hack health packs in areas you believe your team will frequent; this will allow you to quickly fill up your charge and perform an EMP.
• Sombra is surprisingly good at dealing damage. Although her weapon deals low damage per shot, her fast fire rate is made up to help in this part. She roughly has the same base dps as McCree or Soldier: 76 when she is in her effective range. The Machine Pistol's spreading makes it hard to land full shots on small target like Tracer or Genji. But if it lands, it is really one of the powerful assault weapon in the game.

Hero Match-ups

Offense Heroes

VS. : When hacked, Genji can do very little against Sombra; at the loss of his Swift Strike and Deflect, all he has are his Shuriken, which are far less effective than your Machine Pistol at close to mid range. Hacking after a Swift Strike or during Deflect is incredibly easy, as Genji is unable to attack back during the duration of the hack. You can also use your stealth abilities to get around Genji and hack him before he can notice you. When unhacked, Genji is more difficult to deal with, but not to an extreme degree. It's wise to have a Translocator ready at a safe location if he gets you to low health so you can warp away; otherwise, if he attempts to Deflect your fire, that's a perfect time to perform a hack and seal his fate. Hacking during Dragonblade doesn't cancel his Ultimate, but it does stop him from performing Swift Strike, making the Ultimate much less potent.

VS. File:Icon-mccree.png: If you wish to hack McCree, you'll need to catch him by surprise; otherwise, he'll be able to quickly land a shot on you to cancel the hack, if not outright kill you. Should you hack him, though, just stay close range and you should be able to take him out, as without Flashbang or Fan the Hammer, he's rather impotent at close range, with only the ability to quickly unload an entire magazine with low accuracy. If the McCree hits you with Flashbang by surprise, you will most likely be finished off by Fan the Hammer; however, if you have a Translocator already planted elsewhere, you have a slight chance of one of his shots missing. In this scenario, mash the ability button as quickly as you can, and you may just manage to Translocate to safety. Hacking McCree negates Deadeye, so if you hear him activate it nearby, try to sneak up on him and hack him before he can fire.

VS. : There is very little Sombra can do against Pharah. Even if you manage to hack her to remove her Concussion Blast and Jump Jet, she can still hover with her passive ability. Whether or not she's maintaining air dominance, her rockets will almost certainly outdamage your Machine Pistol. You can attempt to heckle her with fire from a distance, but for the most part, you should leave her for the rest of your team to combat. Hacking does interrupt Barrage, though, so if you catch her mid-fire, you should attempt to hack her to cancel the ability (assuming her health isn't low enough that you can gun her down before she notices you).

VS. : Hacking Reaper removes all of his mobility, forcing him to walk at a slow pace. That being said, at close range, Reaper can still easily outdamage you, hacked or not. Always be sure to keep your distance from Reaper, and you should be able to handle him okay. If caught by surprise, attempt to Translocate out of the engagement, otherwise he'll quickly kill you before you can retaliate. You can hack him to cancel Death Blossom, but he will most likely hit you with his barrage mid-hack, so it may not be worth the attempt.

VS. : Hacking Soldier: 76 strips him of his Helix Rockets, Biotic Field, and Sprint, but his Pulse Rifle shouldn't be underestimated. At close to mid-range, a hacked Soldier: 76 is a pretty even fight. If he isn't hacked, however, he can maintain his health or quickly hit you with rockets, so be cautious. Hacking him during Tactical Visor won't cancel his ability, it will only cause him to lose the abilities previously mentioned; while losing Helix Rockets will reduce his lethality slightly, his regular fire will still be more than enough to gun down you and any unprepared teammates.

VS. : If the enemy team has a Sombra, then you'll both be competing for hacked health packs. Try to claim as many as you can; not only will this stop the enemy Sombra from hacking them, this will also refuse the enemy team of a good deal of healing while providing more healing for your team. Unless you catch the other Sombra by surprise, don't attempt to hack her, because she may be attempting to hack you too, and it's not worth the gamble to see who started the hack a split second sooner. It's better to engage with gunfire, which will stop her hack if she's attempting one on you. If hit by EMP, fall back and perform covering fire if necessary.

VS. : The outcome of a battle with Tracer all comes down to who gets the drop on whom. If you manage to hack Tracer while unaware, then she's child's play; without Blink or Recall, she can be gunned down in seconds. However, if she catches you by surprise, you'll be in for a much tougher fight. Her continuous fire will grant you little opportunity to perform a hack, and with Blink she has the upper hand in disorienting you. Don't forget, you have your own Recall-like ability in the form of your Translocation; if your Translocator is planted on a health kit, you can retreat from the fight at any time and heal. Otherwise, if the fight isn't going well, you can throw the Translocator to high ground where she will have difficulty chasing you down.

Defense Heroes

VS. : If you manage to hack an unaware Bastion, he's forced into Recon Mode, making him easy prey. With your stealth abilities and Bastion's tendency to focus on what's in front of him, it shouldn't be difficult to hack him before he notices you. Don't bother fighting him in Sentry Mode, simply sneak around him and hack him to quickly take him down. Be aware, though, if he is in Tank Mode, hacking him will not disrupt his transformation, so if he activates his Ultimate it's best to flee until it cools down or fight back if he's weak enough to kill.

VS. : It's easy enough to close the gap with Hanzo with Translocator and Thermoptic Camo; the problem is fighting him once you've done so. Even if you hack him, that only removes his trick arrows, and his primary fire is still powerful enough to handle himself in a fight. Try to jump around frequently to avoid his fire, and you should be alright. Be wary of Hanzo's Sonic Arrow while camouflaged; you will receive a notice that you're being detected, so watch out for stray arrows flying your way.

VS. : Hacking Junkrat will cause him to lose his Concussion Mine and Steel Trap, but it will only take a few grenades to quickly kill you. If you keep your distance when attacking, though, you should be alright. If you manage to hack him while activating Rip-Tire, it will cancel Rip-Tire while consuming his Ultimate charge; however, the timing on this is extremely precise, so it's not likely you'll catch him in the act. Instead, if you hear him activating his Ultimate, your stealth and speed should make it easy to find his vulnerable body, allowing you to quickly shoot him down before he detonates his Rip-Tire.

VS. : By hacking Mei, you deny her of her two greatest defensive stalling assets, her Ice Walls and Cryo-Freeze. While a Mei will normally try to stall an objective while her team regroups, hacking her makes her incredibly easy to pick off by you or your team. It helps that you can keep your distance while hacking and avoid her primary fire, and you should be able to avoid her icicle shots until she's hacked. Once she's hacked, you can quickly mow her down without breaking a sweat. Just be careful not to get too cocky; even if she's hacked, she can still freeze you solid and follow up with a headshot, so keep your fight at a distance so you won't get frozen and have a Translocator planted nearby in case she starts freezing you.

VS. : You can hack Torbjorn's turrets, but they must be focused on an enemy to do so (or you must hack from around a corner so it can't hit you), which is often easier said that done in a firefight. As for Torbjorn himself, all hacking will do is negate his ability to deploy a new Turret or throw out an Armor pack. That being said, if Torbjorn is without his turret, you can generally handle him in a one-on-one bout. If you're having difficulty with his Turret, or if he's activated Molten Core, EMP will completely shut it down for a brief period of time for your team to move in.

VS. : Like Hanzo, you can use your stealth abilities to bypass Widowmaker with little difficulty. Unlike Hanzo, however, Widowmaker is much less dangerous at close range. Even with her automatic fire, you'll generally outdamage her. If you hack her prior to the engagement, you'll remove her ability to use her Grappling Hook to escape. If you're in danger of dying, you'll always be able to Translocate to a safe location if you set up your Translocator prior to fighting the Widowmaker. Infra-Sight will allow Widowmaker's team to notice you while you're invisible. Don't try to wade too far into enemy territory during its duration and stay under cover, and you should be safe.

Tank Heroes

VS. : A battle against D.Va all comes down to whether or not you land a hack. If you hack the D.Va, she's rendered useless, a slow brick with pitiful gunfire that can't fly or negate attacks. Even in a one-on-one fight, a hacked D.Va is easy prey. Should the D.Va catch you before you land the hack, though, you may have more difficulty fighting her. However, if you hang back behind your team, you can usually hack D.Va while she's distracted, as she'll often be using her Shield Matrix before being able to react to your hack. Just be wary that D.Va has a much higher healthpool than you, and if you fail to hack her in a one-on-one fight, a skilled D.Va can easily track you down and take you out, regardless of whether you Translocate (since she can just follow your trail of light).

VS. : Reinhardt is by far Sombra's easiest mark. While you can't hack through his shield, it's simple enough through stealth to get behind or above him to perform a hack, at which point he becomes just as useless as a hacked D.Va, allowing your previously held back team to move in and steamroll the opposition. At close range he may be dangerous, but it's incredibly simple to toss your Translocator and flee his low range. Even Fire Strike is easy enough to avoid if you see it coming. When activating EMP, Reinhardt should always be one of your top priorities to hit with it; not only does it negate his abilities as usual, but if his shield is active at the time, it will be destroyed, meaning even if he survives the following assault, his shield will have incredibly low health, making him an easy target.

VS. : If you're hooked by Roadhog, you're easy pickings. However, if you manage to hack him, like all Tanks he becomes much easier to handle. Losing his Hook and Take a Breather makes him a large target with a short range and an extremely low clip size. With your stealth abilities, it should be easy enough to hack him before he can notice you. Even when hacked, his Scrap Gun can still deal heavy damage, so be wary and try to avoid its fire. Your Machine Pistol's large spread means you'll need to fight Roadhog rather close to effectively damage him, which is where he's more comfortable. Try to converge on him with your team when he's hacked, or keep your distance so he can't deal heavy damage to you. Hacking him during Whole Hog will cancel the ability completely, so try to land a quick hack while he's facing away from you.

VS. : Due to Winston's constant mobility, it will be more difficult to go unnoticed than it would be with other Tanks. His Barrier Projector blocks hacking just like Reinhardt's shield, but unlike Reinhardt, Winston's shield covers him in a 360 degree radius, making it more difficult to sneak behind him and hack him. If you manage to begin a hack on Winston, it's very simple for him to jump away to avoid the hack, and if his jump is on cooldown, he'll usually be close enough during your hack to retaliate with his Tesla Cannon, nullifying the hack. Even if you hack him, his Tesla Cannon will track your movements, making combat with him very difficult. Hacking during Primal Rage won't negate it, but it will stop him from using his Jump Pack, rendering him much less volatile. On the plus side, EMP will immediately destroy a projected barrier. Still, overall you should keep away from Winston if you can and let your more well-equipped teammates handle him.

VS. : Hacking Zarya strips her of her shielding abilities. Not only does this nullify her defense, but by removing her ability to charge her gun, it also indirectly weakens her offense as well. Once she's been hacked, she's still more of a formidable foe than the likes of Reinhardt or D.Va, but she's still generally rather easy to handle. EMP not only destroys her active barriers, but it also also eliminates her shields, making her much easier to kill. Keep in mind that Zarya can't be targeted by Hack while she has a Barrier up, so just back off and wait until the barrier dissipates before performing the hack.

Support Heroes

VS. : Ana doesn't have sustained fire like many other heroes, which means that even if you don't catch her by surprise, it's still pretty easy to avoid her fire to land a hack on her. Without her Sleep Dart or Biotic Grenade, all Ana has is her primary fire, which while potent even at close range, is still not enough to overpower you if you land your shots right.

VS. : Hacking Lucio has little impact, since all he loses is the ability to shift between songs or Amp it Up. Regardless, in a 1 on 1 battle, unless Lucio knocks you into a pit, you should be able to handle yourself fine against him. A well-timed EMP will immediately nullify Lucio's Sound Barrier and ensure your team to win the team fight.

VS. : If you land a hack on Mercy (which should be easy since she will most likely not try firing back and by the time she alerts her team it'll be too late), she loses Guardian Angel, her prime method of escape. Without it, she'll be incredibly easy to gun down before her team has the chance to protect her. If you anticipate a Mercy is about to attempt a Resurrect, hacking her will provide you and your team enough time to finish her off. Likewise, if you plan to activate EMP and rush the enemy team alongside your own, try to make sure Mercy is caught up in the EMP and killed early so she can't activate Resurrect.

VS. : While you can move past Symmetra's turrets while cloaked, you're incredibly vulnerable to them if you get caught due to your low health pool and reliance on speed and stealth. More importantly, you're an easy target for Symmetra's Photon Projector, which can rip you apart in seconds. If you encounter Symmetra head to head, your best chance is to fling your Translocator far away and escape. Even if you somehow manage to hack her, all you're removing is her capacity to build turrets or project a Photon Barrier, which won't matter that much in a direct battle. When she builds a Teleporter or Shield Generator, you're an excellent candidate to sneak behind enemy lines and hunt it down. Just be wary that unlike bulky tech assassins like Winston or D.Va, if you stumble across multiple turrets guarding the Teleporter/Shield Generator, let alone Symmetra herself, you're going to have a difficult time. If you find the device alone, however, quickly gun it down before the Symmetra returns; one full clip should suffice for eradicating her Ultimate. EMP will shut down all shields provided to Symmetra's team, as well as any turrets in the vicinity, giving your team a quick opportunity to make an offensive push.

VS. : Hacking Zenyatta will remove his ability to send out his Harmony or Discord orbs, though if they're already on a target they will remain so until they are returned automatically. This will reduce Zenyatta's viability, but it won't make him harmless. Even without his Discord Orb, a Zenyatta with good aim is still an even match for you. He has more advantage at a range, so try to keep the fight in close quarters, running around him and disorienting him. Zenyatta should be one of your top priority target to eliminate after activating EMP because he only left with a measly 50 Health if caught inside your Ultimate.

Story

One of the world's most notorious hackers, Sombra uses information to manipulate those in power.

Sombra's skills include computer hacking and cryptography; these are activities she greatly enjoys, to the point where the desire to get past locks and solving mysteries is ingrained in her personality. She is a known associate of Reaper, specializing in espionage and intelligence assessment. She is equipped with devices that allow hacking of technology just through touch. This includes a cybernetic graft implanted along her spine. which basically makes her a living computer. She is a loner emotionally, finding it difficult to make friends (outside coercion).

Background

Long before she took up the alias "Sombra," ░░░░░░ was among the thousands of children who were left orphaned in the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis. With much of Mexico's infrastructure destroyed, she survived by utilizing her natural gifts with hacking and computers. She likewise proved adept at manipulating individuals to suit her own ends.

░░░░░░ gets noticed

After ░░░░░░ was taken in by Mexico's Los Muertos gang, she aided it in its self-styled revolution against the government, performing hacks against said government on their behalf. Los Muertos believed that the rebuilding of Mexico had primarily benefited the rich and the influential, leaving behind those who were most in need of assistance. Commissioner Rivera was one such example, when she brought him a basket of bread straight to his desk, which gave her the opportunity to access his computer. She came to realize that knowledge was power, and so, she kept hacking—politicians, corporations, governments, famous people; all were in her domain of inquiry. The retrieval of information became an addiction, and her hacks became more audacious over time. Following her many conquests, ░░░░░░ was supremely confident in her skills, but she was caught unprepared when she stumbled into the web of a global conspiracy—one that had also noticed her. With her security irreparably compromised, ░░░░░░ was forced to delete all traces of her identity and went into hiding.

Sombra examining the conspiracy

░░░░░░ received a cybernetic graft and re-emerged as "Sombra." In her words, "the girl was gone." Determined to find out the truth behind the conspiracy she had uncovered to "find out who really runs the world," Sombra launched an even more audacious string of hacks, initiating a world-wide hacking spree, striking against corporations such as LumériCo and Volskaya Industries. Her exploits earned her no shortage of admirers, including Talon. She joined the organization's ranks and is believed to have contributed to its massive cyber-attacks against corporations with strong ties to their governments.

Dethroning the King Viper

Now with Talon, Sombra worked with Los Muertos again, and was able to hack the website of LumériCo, posting claims that its CEO, Guillermo Portero, was plundering the riches of Mexico to fill his own purse, that he had corrupted the government, and wouldn't stop until the entire country was under his control. Sombra was able to infiltrate Portero's personal email, and use it without Portero knowing about the intrusion. She sent out an email via Portero's own webmail, promising to unveil his "dirty laundry" to the public. Sombra successfully released a number of internal documents to the public, catching the attention of both Mexican law enforcement and Atlas News. The documents indicated that Portero used the company's funds as his own piggy bank, that he was personally involved in bribing public officials and creating a system of kickbacks and payoffs beneficial to LumériCo, and finally, that he proposed a plan to seize privately held land via government expropriation to expand LumériCo's facilities throughout Mexico. The emails also showed that LumériCo was in conversations with the Vishkar Corporation, in regards to exporting its energy systems; a cause of concern given the company's actions in Rio de Janeiro.

Law enforcement categorized the break-ins as a criminal action, and Atlas News reported on the "Sombra collective," mistaking ░░░░░░'s identity as a group, not an individual. Sombra claimed that she was "only acting the public interest." Her efforts incited a popular revolution in Mexico against LumériCo, and pro-Sombra grafitti was reported across the world. Less than a week after the leak, Portero stepped down as CEO. By this point, Sombra was already hacking the network of her next target—Volskaya Industries.

Attack on Volskaya

Sombra in Volskaya Industries

Sombra, with Widowmaker and Reaper, infiltrated Volskaya Industries to assassinate it's CEO, Katya Volskaya. Sombra deactivated the security alerts and turrets within the facility to allow Reaper and Widowmaker access. The mission appeared to go without a hitch, Widowmaker was unable to get a clear line of sight before the operation was interrupted by an alarm—one that Sombra had set off herself. Widowmaker held the perimeter while Reaper cleared the ground floor, he was unable to get to Satya in the elevator and was forced to confront a mech as she fled to safety. Sombra gave chase, killing and incapacitating Volskaya guards, until she made it into Katya's lock-downed office. While ostensibly there to kill the CEO, Sombra played a different game, revealing her intentions to be Katya's "friend." A friend with benefits, for if Katya helped her out from time to time, she wouldn't leak evidence that Katya had been receiving technology from omnics in order to help her country in the Second Omnic Crisis. Sombra also noted how exposure would affect "the future of Russia" while handing Katya the photo of her daughter from her desk, hinting at how the fallout of a scandal would impact her. As her security was nearly through with getting the door open, Katya agreed to the terms, and Sombra teleported out of the office, reporting to her comrades that the operation had failed. The Talon operatives returned to the ship, with only Sombra in good cheer.

Reflections

Sombra and McCree at Calaveras

Sombra spent Christmas drinking at the bar in Calaveras.

In-Universe References

"¿Quién es 'Sombra'?"

Sombra's existence has been hinted at since early pre-beta builds of the game.

• The name Sombra first appeared during Ellohime's pre-beta stream of Overwatch. While exploring Dorado, Ellohime discovered a table in the LumériCo power plant's control room with three classified manila file folders labeled "SOMBRA [CLASIFICADO]," "SOLDADO: 76 [CLASIFICADO]," and "JACK MORRISON [CLASIFICADO]," along with photographs of Morrison before and after becoming Soldier: 76. These folders can still be seen in-game.

• Some newspapers on the ground in Dorado have an article featuring a silhouette in a hooded cloak, with the headline "¿Quién es 'Sombra'?" ("Who is 'Sombra'?"). This is actually an early version of Sombra's design.

• Many terminals can been seen in the LumériCo power plant on Dorado. Some of the terminals that display "Niveles de Sincronización del Núcleo" ("Core Synchronization Levels") have blinking error messages which read, "ACCESSO NO AUTORIZADO: Protocolo Sombra" ("UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS: Sombra Protocol").

• Reaper sometimes says, "Where's Sombra when you need her?" when he spawns on Dorado.

• In the comic Ana: Old Soldiers, while attempting to infiltrate Hakim's compound in Egypt, Soldier: 76 overhears radio chatter between Reaper and Hakim coming from the earpiece of a fallen guard. The two briefly discuss intel regarding an incident involving Helix Security International. Reaper threatens that Sombra better be able to make use of it.

• On August 30th, 2016, some newspapers in the Overwatch PTR were changed, replacing a headline about Roadhog with one about a "Global Hacking Spree." The newspapers were added to the live game on September 1st.

• After the September 1st patch, the Numbani news ticker was updated with the headline "LumériCo reports massive breach at Dorado power plant, latest attack in global hacking spree."

• With the September 22nd PTR patch, several in-game references were changed or added.
  • The terminals in the power plant were changed to display "ACCESSO NO AUTORIZADO: Protocolo Sombra V2.3". In addition, the terminal screen was added to a room in Volskaya Industries.
  • Two of the Dorado newspapers, including the one with the Sombra article, had the headline "Ola Mundial de Hackeos" ("Global Hacking Spree") added.
  • The newspaper from King's Row was added to other maps, including Temple of Anubis, Hollywood, and in the MV-261 Orca on the Control maps.

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  Classified documents found in LumériCo.

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  Newspaper article about Sombra strewn across Dorado.

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  A warning found on security terminals in LumériCo.

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  Newspaper article about global hacking spree in King's Row.

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  Numbani news ticker displaying hacking spree headline.

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  Updated terminal warnings in LumériCo.

Achievements

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
Hack The Planet		Hack 15 enemies without dying as Sombra in Quick or Competitive play.	Pixel
Power Outage		Hack 6 enemies at once as Sombra in Quick or Competitive play.	Cute

Cosmetics

See Sombra/Cosmetics

Alternate Reality Game

Main article: Sombra/ARG

Following the announcement of Ana as the 22nd Overwatch hero, a series of cryptographic puzzles about Sombra were slowly released, dubbed the Sombra ARG by the community.

Developer Comments

• Eurogamer questioned Jeff Kaplan about whether it was strange that fans had theorized that Sombra would be featured in Hero. Jeff replied, "No, it was not strange. We have put a lot of hints, all over the game and out of the game, so I would say it's about time that people are concerned with who Sombra is. I hope they keep researching more and find more hints that are out there."

• When asked about Sombra in an interview with Kotaku, Jeff Kaplan said, "I think people have learned that she’s a fun character for them to search and to learn more about and that, like the X-Files, the truth is out there. We’ll see what players discover over time. [...] I think that’s up to Sombra, to give you a cheeky answer. Sombra will let people know when she wants more to be known about her. She’s very good at that sort of thing."

• As of June 6th, 2016, there were still undiscovered hints about Sombra, according to Jeff Kaplan.

• On August 3rd, 2016, Fairlight_Excalibur asked the developers he was interviewing about the compass from the Summer Games video, and was told by Jeff Kaplan, "That sounds like deep CIA stuff. Way above our heads." Later, he asked if all of the clues regarding Sombra that had been "scattered around" had been located, if not solved. Jeff replied, "I gotta be honest with this one, this stuff is so far over my head, that I just don't understand. It's very top secret covert ops, even on the team, so most people don't even know." After Fairlight said he felt lied to and that Jeff did know, Kaplan replied, "It's a mystery."

Trivia

October 8, 2016 leak.

Close up of Halloween Terror candies.

• "Sombra" is the Spanish word meaning "shadow", or "shade."
• Prior to the reveal of Ana as the 22nd playable hero in Overwatch, a photograph of Ana wearing her Shrike mask found on Temple of Anubis was incorrectly identified as Sombra, leading to a widespread assumption that the two characters were one and the same, and that Sombra was the rumored in-development support sniper character.
• Voice lines extracted from the Public Test Region after Ana's release featured the first suggestions that Sombra would have a stealth ability.
• On October 8, 2016, a photo of a posting on Blizzard's enterprise social network was leaked online, containing the details for an internal test build featuring the Junkenstein's Revenge event and Sombra, including a screenshot and her bio.
• The Halloween Terror loot boxes have candies with the Sombra skull icon on the wrapper.
• On November 1, 2016, the image urls for unreleased Blizzcon 2016 fine art prints of Sombra and a Diablo III necromancer, hosted on Blizzard's gear store, were leaked, seemingly corroborating the earlier October 8 leak.
• She was officially announced at BlizzCon 2016 as the 23rd hero.
• Sombra's machine pistol features an electronic hexidecimal ammo counter, and her translocator was based on designs stolen from Winston.
• Her origin video shows that she knows Reaper is Gabriel Reyes, Soldier: 76 is Jack Morrison and that Ana is alive.
• In Infiltration, it appears that she has at least some training in parkour.
• Michael Chu has indicated that Sombra considers Reaper and Widowmaker to be genuine friends of hers, but that the friendship is "complicated."
• Sombra is so far the first and only Hero whose real name is not revealed to the audience. As she had to delete her birth identity for her own safety, only she knows what it is and it is highly unlikely that she will ever reveal it.
• Sombra is also the only Hero that can have another Hero's Highlight Intro appear in her own (her "Hacking" Highlight Intro has another Hero's highlight intro as a prelude before it).
• The skull used in Sombra's icons refers to the art used for skulls in Mexico's Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival.

Development

Early concept art of the Omniblade (left) and Sombra (right).

Sombra originated during the game's early development as a proposed character called the Omniblade, an agile female ninja who would wield shuriken and kunai, predating Hanzo and Genji. As ideation progressed a Mexican theme was incorporated into her design and she was given the name Sombra, however the concept was shelved when they began incorporating elements of her suggested kit, including a double jump and throwing knives that could reveal enemies through walls, into the two new ninja heroes.

Early concept art of Sombra as a stealth hacker

At a later point they conceived of a stealth hacker hero and decided to use the earlier Sombra concept as its foundation. Having previously attempted to build Genji as a slow-moving stealth assassin character and finding it to be unfun, they decided to instead make Sombra an agile infiltration hero focused on gathering intel and disrupting the enemy team, devising her thermoptic camo suit, hacking tendrils, and machine pistol, lending the character a cyberpunk aesthetic. At this point in development Sombra had a hood and a longer coat, however her silhouette began to overlap with the also in-development Ana, so they decided to steer her in a different direction, eventually arriving at her final design.

Initially, Sombra was invisible 100% of the time. This concept generated two problems however. It reduced the sense of Sombra helping her own team (per friendly players not seeing her), and inflicted stress on the enemy team, not knowing if they were safe. Additionally, what she could and couldn't hack went through numerous revisions. She started off as a Support hero, and initially, there was no cooldown for her hacking abilities.

External links

• Official Site - Sombra