Overwatch 2 Teases More Changes to Sombra

Summary

Overwatch 2 is preparing necessary changes for Sombra due to her high ban rate in Competitive Play.
Hero Bans in Competitive Play allow players to vote out characters they don’t want to battle against.
Sombra has already undergone multiple reworks in Overwatch 2, with more nerfs coming soon.

In response to her high ban rate in Competitive Play, Overwatch 2 is working on another round of “necessary changes” for Sombra. Though she has already received several hefty reworks in Overwatch 2, it sounds like the hacker damage hero is in for another round of nerfs in the near future.

Season 16 introduced some major additions to the game, including the long-awaited introduction of Hero Bans to Competitive Play in Overwatch 2. This game-changing feature allows players to vote for characters they don’t wish to play against, with up to four heroes being banned in any given Competitive match.

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Now, Overwatch 2 has revealed some changes it is making to the game because of Hero Bans. Recently, Overwatch 2 confirmed that Sombra was the most banned hero in the game, with an 85% ban rate on PC, and a 93% on consoles. In a new Director’s Take blog, Overwatch 2 Associate Director Alec Dawson spoke more on cultivating the live-service game with longevity in mind, and how systems like Hero Bans and Map Voting, coming in Season 17, help with that. “Features like Hero Bans and Map Voting double as tools that enable us to get an even better read on the urgency for that maintenance,” he explained. “For example, Sombra’s high ban rate sheds light on necessary changes we’ll be making in the future.”

‘Necessary Changes’ Coming to Sombra in Overwatch 2

Sombra was significantly altered during the transition into Overwatch 2 in October 2022, with a massive rework taking place during Season 7 a year later, including the Virus ability and changes to Stealth and Translocator. She was also one of the many heroes who had their Perks swapped out in Overwatch 2 Season 16. Though characters like Bastion may have experienced even more drastic reworks than she has, Sombra is close – and few heroes have been nerfed quite as frequently, even before considering these impending adjustments.

Features like Hero Bans and Map Voting double as tools that enable us to get an even better read on the urgency for that maintenance. For example, Sombra’s high ban rate sheds light on necessary changes we’ll be making in the future.

It remains to be seen when these changes will be implemented, and what they will be, but they could arrive as early as Season 17 on June 24. Considering Zarya, Doomfist, and Symmetra have high ban rates across various platforms as well, fans shouldn’t be surprised if they catch some nerfs in the same way Overwatch 2‘s newest hero, Freja, has multiple times since her release.

Dawson also briefly spoke about Aatlis, the new Overwatch 2 Flashpoint map coming in Season 17. He also confirmed the fundamental Flashpoint reworks to Suravasa and New Junk City will be a part of the Overwatch 2 mid-Season 17 update, rather than a part of the season’s launch. The major update is only a couple of weeks out at press time, so players can expect to start seeing teasers for Season 17 very soon.