Sigma abilities revealed as new tank hero joins Overwatch roster

Sigma is joining the Overwatch roster as a new tank hero with a series of gravity-manipulating abilities.

The psychotic astrophysicist’s kit was revealed during Brandon “A_Seagull” Larned’s birthday stream. He was joined by Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan as the two showed off what this new barrier tank is capable of. 

Sigma’s auto attack is Hyperspheres, two gravity-defying objects that the tank can hurl at enemies without need for reloading. These projectiles will bounce off of any surface and will explode after a short duration, dealing proximity damage to nearby opponents. But be careful; these explosision can also harm Sigma if he is too close.

Kinetic Grasp is Sigma’s first ability, which allows him to block any incoming enemy projectiles in front of him similar to Genji’s Deflect. Instead of returning the attack like Genji does, Sigma absorbs the damage dealt and converts it into a temporary shield.

Sigma’s next ability is Accretion. The talon tank gathers a mass of debris before hurling it at an enemy hero. The target is knocked back and stunned if the attack makes contact.

The bread and butter of Sigma’s kit is Experimental Barrier. The player maintains the ability activation to propel a floating shield out in any direction they are facing. The shield halts and stays fixed once the activation is released. The player must press activate the ability once more to return the barrier to Sigma. The shield has 1500 hit points and recharges at a similar speed to Reinhardt’s standard Barrier Field.

Lastly is Sigma’s ultimate ability, Gravity Flux. Once activated, the mad scientist defies the laws of physics and floats up into the sky. Sigma then reverses gravity in a selected area causing all foes trapped within it to be suspended in the air for a short period of time. He then drops the heroes back to the ground, dealing damage.

Kaplan describes Sigma as a high-skill cap character that greatly rewards those who can master his style of gameplay.

Sigma is available now to play on the PTR servers.