Well, that was fast. Just a single day has passed and yet we already have a complete look at the latest addition to Overwatch’s ever-growing hero pool. So let’s take a look at the new Overwatch Sigma abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and how his release might impact both casual as well as professional play.

First of all, we have to say one thing: Sigma’s ability kit is downright spectacular. It is heavily entwined with his origin story and the things he can do in the heat of battle are game-changing and extremely fun. Everything regarding Sigma is top-notch — the voice acting, the teaser trailer, his origin story, ability kit, his character design, you name it. Blizzard have really outdone themselves on this one.

Before delving deeper into our breakdown, do note that Sigma is currently playable on the PTR (Public Test Region) and that certain aspects of his kit will get changed or adjusted at some point in time. This especially holds true for all of his damaging/shielding numbers and cooldowns. These things frequently get fine-tuned so make sure to take everything with reserve.

Overwatch Sigma Abilities Breakdown

Primary Fire (Left Click) — “Gravitic Flux”:

Sigma throws out two hyperspheres that bounce upon contact with the environment. This isn’t exactly a mind-blowing weapon and it’s definitely the least enticing aspect of his kit. But bare with us, things get much more exciting. Each orb does 60 damage if they land as a direct hit.

Secondary Fire (Right Click) — “Experimental Barrier”:

Sigma throws out a pretty wide shield that can absorb incoming damage/projectiles. It can absorb up to 1500 damage and you can leave it out for as long as you like, but it won’t regenerate itself until it’s pulled back. So think of it as a Reinhardt shield, albeit a bit more flexible when it comes to positioning. You can use the shield in order to protect yourself (and your team) from a variety of angles, which will definitely come in handy. There’s no cooldown and you can send it out as far as you want to.

E Ability — “Accretion”:

Sigma gathers debris around him and throw the newly-created mass at an enemy target. Once landed, the opponent will get knocked back slightly, and if you manage to land it from afar then the target will actually get knocked down for a very short duration. An interesting ability for sure. It is a form of crowd control, but perhaps most importantly, it will create a fair bit of chaos once you weave it in with the rest of your abilities.

Left Shift Ability — “Kinetic Grasp”:

Sigma absorbs projectiles in front of him and transforms the incoming damage into a shield. The ability, once channeled, cannot be canceled. During its duration, Sigma can absorb up to 400 damage. We can then use simple math and surmise that you can have up to 800 health if you utilize Kinetic Grasp correctly.

Talk about tanky.

It doesn’t negate ultimates like D.Va’s Defense Matrix, but it does absorb ultimate damage, so it’s relatively balanced in that regard.

Ultimate — “Gravitic Flux”:

Sigma ascends and then sends out a black hole (that has a pretty sizeable AoE) which lifts any enemies caught into the air. A short moment later he slams them back down into the ground. This ultimate always deals a fixed amount of damage: 50% of target’s maximum health.

So if he catches an opposing Sigma, he’ll deal 200 HP by default.

When you add everything up, Sigma is quite a fascinating character and his abilities synergize surprisingly well. He’s a full tank that can also dish out noticeable amounts of damage but also (more importantly) disrupt his opponents and displace them on the fields of battle. He can also protect both himself as well as his allies and his Experimental Barrier will surely be a highly impactful ability when players figure out the best and most optimal way to use it.

Sigma Breakdown | Casual & Professional Play

Even though it’s still too early to predict anything with confidence, we can safely assume one thing: Sigma is going to leave a mark. He brings a metric ton of utility to the table and his layered abilities will surely find a good use regardless of the map. He’s a tank through and through but he also brings a lot of mid and long range crowd control. Taking him out of a fight will be nigh impossible unless his opponents get on the same page and focus him down.

Finally, his ultimate could seriously turn the game on its head. To completely immobilize a couple of targets for a short duration and then deal a fixed amount of damage will always provide a noticeable advantage regardless of the state of the game.

Whether or not he’ll become a meta mainstay still remains to be seen, but the potential is there.

That’s it for our Overwatch Sigma abilities breakdown! If you’re itching to try him out, you can always hop onto the Public Test Region (PTR) and start harnessing gravity. Based off of Blizzard’s usual release schedule, Sigma should be hitting live servers in a matter of weeks.