Overwatch’s New Hero Sigma Demonstrates His Gravity And Barrier-Based Tank Abilities

Overwatch recently unveiled its 31st hero with the mad scientist Sigma as a new barrier-focused tank. Here’s closer look at some gameplay footage, details on his abilities and story.

First, here’s a look at some new gameplay footage from the PTR, courtesy IGN:

Check out an overview of Sigma and his abilities below:

Sigma

Role: Tank

Difficulty: ★★★

Sigma is an eccentric astrophysicist and volatile tank who gained the power to control gravity in an orbital experiment gone wrong. Manipulated by Talon and deployed as a living weapon, Sigma’s presence on the battlefield cannot be ignored.

Abilities

• Hyperspheres – Sigma launches two gravitic charges, which bounce off walls and implode after a short duration, damaging enemies within a sizable radius.
• Experimental Barrier – Sigma propels a floating barrier to a location of his choosing. He can dismiss the barrier at any time.
• Kinetic Grasp – Sigma freezes incoming projectiles in midair, converting them into shields.
• Accretion – Sigma gathers a mass of debris and flings it at an enemy to knock them down.
• Gravitic Flux (Ult) – Unleashing his full powers, Sigma takes flight, lifts enemies in a targeted area, and launches them into the sky before slamming them back down.

Biography

• Siebren de Kuiper, Age: 62
• Occupation: Astrophysicist
• Base of Operations: The Hague, Netherlands (formerly)
• Affiliation: Talon

“There is no obligation for the universe to make sense to you.”

Story

Brilliant astrophysicist Dr. Siebren de Kuiper’s life changed forever when an experiment gone wrong gave him the ability to control gravity; now, Talon manipulates him to their own ends.

De Kuiper was considered a pioneer in his field. His life’s work involved devising a way to harness the power of gravity. Equally known for his groundbreaking research and eccentric personality, he conducted most of his studies from his lab in The Hague. Believing that he was close to achieving his goal, he performed his most important experiment on an international space station.

But something went wrong, triggering the brief formation of a black hole. De Kuiper was only exposed to its power for a moment, but he suffered serious psychological damage. The area around him began to experience strange fluctuations in gravity, peaking and dropping in time with his reactions. He had to be evacuated immediately.

Upon returning to Earth, De Kuiper was quarantined in a secret government facility. Between his ravings about the patterns of the universe, the psychic damage he sustained, and the gravitic anomalies happening around him, he was deemed unsafe and detained for years under the name “Subject Sigma.” Isolated and unable to control his powers, De Kuiper retreated into his own mind. He thought he would never see the outside world again.

When Talon discovered De Kuiper’s existence, they infiltrated the facility and broke him out, planning to use his brilliance and research to further their plans. In their custody, De Kuiper slowly gained control of his powers. Now, gravity moved according to his will, and he was closer than ever to achieving his life’s goal. But the same experiment that had opened his mind had also fractured it, and he struggled to keep the pieces together.

De Kuiper continues to develop his powers in hopes of unlocking the secrets of the universe, unaware that Talon is using both him and his research.

Check out the latest Developer Update video featuring Jeff Kaplan to learn more about Sigma:

Overwatch is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can watch Sigma’s origin story video in our previous report.