Overwatch: Sigma the Astrophysicist

A fantastic skill set and awesome damage, we break down everything you need to know to play Sigma.

Another tank in Overwatch that we’re going to look at today is Sigma. This is the latest tank in the game, but he quickly became one of the fan favorites. Due to his incredible skill set, Sigma can easily fit in many combos and is one of the best heroes to boost your rating with.

Despite not having any mobility, Sigma makes up for it by offering loads of damage. In fact, it is safe to say that this is one of the highest damage-dealing tanks in the game. He can kill most enemies out of position, and his shield allows him to play more aggressively than usual.

Abilities

Starting with his Hypersheres, Sigma has two gravitic charges that he can fire at enemies. Each one deals 55 direct damage, which means he can quickly kill weak supports and DPS heroes. What’s even more impressive about his regular attack is that it has no ammo. In other words, he can spam it as much as he wants to. Besides the direct damage, the Hypersheres also deal splash damage.

Sigma’s second ability is his shield which is called Experimental Barrier. This barrier has 700 HP and has 5 seconds if it is destroyed. Unlike other tanks in the game, Sigma has the option to recall his barrier when he wants to. If the barrier gets down for 2 seconds, it will regenerate 80 HP per second.

Up next, we have Kinetic Grasp, an ability that allows him to freeze incoming damage. When used, the hero “absorbs” 60% of the incoming damage and converts it into shields with a maximum of 400 damage. This ability has 12 seconds cooldown and lasts for 2 seconds. Similar to D.Va’s ability, this one can negate incoming projectiles from the front and sides, as well as some ultimates.

Accretion is Sigma’s burst ability that can deal up to 70 damage. The downside of using this thing is that the hero has a 75% movement speed penalty. On the other hand, the ability has 10 seconds cooldown, a 0.65s casting time, and a 2.5 meters AoE. Furthermore, it will knock down the enemies affected by it.

The Ultimate

Sigma’s ultimate is called Gravitic Flux, and it is capable of doing tons of damage, depending on the targets he hits. When used, the hero flies in the air, lifts his enemies and deals 50 damage + 50% of their maximum HP after slamming them to the ground. This ability’s duration is up to 5 seconds, it has a maximum range of 35 minutes, and it costs 1960 points to cast.

While the enemy units are in the air, they can’t use any movement abilities, except for Reaper’s Wraith Form and Moira’s Fade. If someone interrupts the ultimate before Sigma slams his targets, the heroes in the air won’t take any damage.

Units affected by the slam will have a slower movement speed for the next 0.6 seconds. 

Playstyle

Sigma is one of the heroes that can work in a couple of situations. However, he is not as versatile as other tanks in the game, which means your teammates need to know what they’re doing.

Since Sigma deals a lot of damage, he is solid when playing aggressively. The fact he can move his shield makes him a good option for pushing. Furthermore, it allows his allies to get better positions and deal more damage.

Speaking of the devil, Sigma’s ultimate is one of the best in the game for clearing certain areas of the map. It can do wonders in many cases, especially versus enemies like Rein and Bastion, who can often stay in one place and prevent opponents from pushing. 

Tips and Tricks

The hero’s impressive abilities allow players to make various interesting moves while playing. One of the most common “plays” that can make a real difference is using Sigma’s shields between the target you want to kill and his healer. Even though landing this combo is not that easy, once you master it, you will allow your team to kill a given hero in seconds.

Another thing that people often forget is that the Hyperspheres can bounce off different objects and deal AoE damage. Learning how to control those bounces and take advantage of them will definitely take time. However, it is worth it because you can force your opponents to change their positions and use it to your advantage.

Sigma’s shield is unique in Overwatch because it can be used in various situations. However, if you want to make the most of it, you need to learn how to block specific abilities. We can’t stress how important it is to go through to do that because it can make a massive difference during team fights.

The Matchups

Depending on when you’re reading this, there is a good chance that you’ll face a lot of Orisa-based combos. The latter is famous for being strong from a distance and for the fact that they can hold their ground. With that being said, Sigma’s draft can easily outmaneuver them and make Orisa feel powerless.

One of the setups where Sigma could have problems is when he has to go up against aggressive lineups. Although he has a shield, it is not powerful enough to withstand the pressure from heroes like Reinhardt, who can quickly destroy it.

Sigma is also not good against the tanks with high mobility because they can catch him off guard. The two best examples here are Winston and Wrecking Ball. The latter is probably his biggest counter because this hero can go anywhere on the map and mess up Sigma’s plans.

Speaking of counters, another hero that can make his life miserable is Symmetra. This DPC can easily farm Sigma’s shield, which means he has to be really careful when using it. 

If we have to summarize everything, Sigma is a fantastic tank that can make a real difference for his team. He has one of the highest damage output out of any tanks, which is why some people often call him “Junkrat with a shield”.

Unfortunately, Sigma is one of the most complicated heroes in Overwatch to master. This means you need to play a lot before you learn how to utilize the hero’s potential.