Overwatch Season 5 Adds Vampire Support Doctrine, Makes Sombra a Healer and Reworks Roadhog

Overwatch Season 5, titled A Grim Doctrine, went live on October 6 with a new vampire-themed Support hero called Doctrine, a switch of Sombra from Damage to Support, a rework of Roadhog and the return of old Battle Passes. It also brings an anime crossover and a Halloween event that runs into November (Windows Central, Insider Gaming).

Doctrine, the new Support hero

Doctrine is a vampire-themed hero from Doomfist's past, according to Blizzard's season announcement. Doomfist freed him from the Grímsvötn prison in Iceland, and his breakout begins the final chapter of the Reign of Talon storyline. Windows Central describes it as the character's first playable appearance.

His kit leans on a weapon and a swarm. The Eternal Scepter heals allies and damages enemies at mid-to-long range. Bat-like mechanical drones heal allies and boost their attack speed, and an ability called Infuse empowers his other abilities. His ultimate gives allies Overhealth while reducing the maximum health of enemies.

Blizzard tuned him before launch. Doctrine had a win rate of around 58 percent during a trial weekend in September, and one reported change cut the attack speed boost from his drones from 35 percent to 30 percent (Dot Esports).

Sombra becomes a Support

The bigger change for the existing roster is Sombra, who moves from Damage to Support and becomes what Blizzard calls a Support Tactician. Her Hotfix ability now heals a targeted ally after a brief cast, and Blizzard says she can use it while invisible without breaking stealth. Cyberspace heals allies in an area and applies a new Weaken status to enemies, which reduces their damage and healing effectiveness.

Moving a hero between roles changes how teams are built around her. Whether healing from invisibility is balanced is a question player data will answer over the first weeks of the season.

Roadhog is reworked

Roadhog's changes are in his two defining abilities. His Scrap Gun now fires two bursts per volley, each with a stronger centre projectile. The new Trash Compactor absorbs incoming enemy projectiles and fires an explosive shot back, with damage that scales with how much was absorbed. Patch notes also raise the ammo reloaded by his Scrap Hook minor perk from 2 to 4 (esports.gg).

Events and dates

Event	Dates
Overwatch x Shadow Monarch (Solo Leveling) collaboration	October 6 to 19
Mystery Madness: Graveyard Games	October 6 to November 2
Tech Witches collection	October 9 to 26
Team Drives	October 29 to November 1

Windows Central says the Solo Leveling collaboration brings skins for Genji, Reaper, Anran, Reinhardt and Lifeweaver, inspired by characters such as Sung Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In, plus a Mythic dragon skin for Wuyang. Lucio gets his first Mythic weapon, the Treblemaker. In Mystery Madness, players enter as a random hero and return from each death with stacking random powers. Team Drives now come to Quick Play.

The season also adds Watchpoint: Grímsvötn, a new Escort map set in the prison and the first new Escort map in years (Pokde).

Old Battle Passes return

Blizzard is unvaulting passes from Seasons 1 to 15, and players can run the current Season 5 pass and an unvaulted pass at the same time. Windows Central reports that unvaulted passes exclude Overwatch Coins, XP Boosts, Mythic Prisms, Prestige Titles, and Mythic hero and weapon skins. The sources give no price for the unvaulted passes.

The move gives players a way to collect cosmetics from earlier seasons. It also raises the question of how Blizzard will balance rewards between those who bought passes at the time and those who buy them now, which the sources do not address.

What it means for players

For competitive players, the changes that matter are in the Support role. Doctrine and Sombra both add healing options, and Roadhog's new ability affects how teams deal with ranged damage. Further balance changes are possible if either hero performs far above or below expectations. Players who care mostly about cosmetics have a busy month, with several event windows and the old passes.

What to watch next

Watch for the first in-season balance patch, pick and win rates for Doctrine and Sombra at higher ranks, pricing for the unvaulted passes, and Team Drives in Quick Play from October 29.

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