Hey 'Overwatch' fans: Go play with Sombra
At long last, the Sombra hype train is pulling into the station.
Blizzard surprised Overwatch fans on Monday with the unexpected release of the latest Public Test Realm update. Weekly updates for Overwatch usually happen on Tuesdays, but this one is special: Sombra is now playable for PC users. Probably to say "sorry" after that ARG took so damn long to finish.
Patch 1.5 also adds a new map -- Ecopoint: Antarctica, inspired by Mei's story -- and Arcade mode, the new destination for Overwatch Brawls and other types of matches that tweak the game's rules. Playing Arcade matches can earn you both instant and weekly Loot Box rewards.
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Sombra brings a new dimension to the Offense tier of heroes in Overwatch. She's a flanker that specializes in counter-support rather than direct damage, sneaking in and cutting enemies off from their abilities and heal boxes before they realize what happened.
You can read more about Sombra's array of powers and how they promise to factor into the Overwatch meta right here.
Blizzard's PTR is a frequently reset server where game patches are deployed for live testing. None of the game's progression sticks, but dedicated fans have an opportunity there to try out pre-release content and help Blizzard's balancing in the process.
To load into the Overwatch PTR, first open the Battle.net client on your PC. You should see a pulldown menu on the Overwatch page -- just above the big "Play" button -- that typically defaults to your home region's server.
Click the pulldown menu and select PTR: Overwatch. You'll probably need to wait for the test patch to download -- it's around 358MB -- but once that's done you can hop in and check out all the new goodies.
The v1.5 patch should go live soon on all platforms. Once a PTR update happens, it's usually no more than a few weeks before it makes its way to every version of the live game.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Esports Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
