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During the Overwatch panel at BlizzCon 2026, the development process for new Support hero Doctrine alongside full details of the Sombra and Roadhog reworks were revealed. Lead Hero Producer Kenny Hudson hosted the Doctrine panel, while Associate Game Director Alec Dawson presented the Sombra and Roadhog reworks. All three heroes share the same direction: restructuring the game so healing isn't confined to the backline.

Players can try Doctrine from the end of the opening ceremony until September 15, while the Sombra and Roadhog reworks will go live in Season 5 following hands-on trials at BlizzCon.

Narrative Designer Eleni Gallardo cleared up the misconception right from her opening remark: Doctrine may look like a vampire, but he is not an actual vampire. The concept originated from a question posed by the Lead Narrative Designer: What would a vampire look like in the Overwatch universe? Combining that idea with Overwatch's signature futuristic technology resulted in Doctrine.

His story begins in Zimbabwe, not Grimsvötn Prison. Just before the Omnic Crisis, after losing his parents, Doctrine was left with a younger brother suffering from an incurable disease. When even the top scientists and doctors of the time were helpless, Doctrine took it upon himself to delve into cybernetics and biotechnology to find a cure. The issue was that reviving dying cells required an immense amount of energy. Gallardo did not reveal what that cost was, mentioning only that it resulted in an incident severe enough for Ana Amari and Freja to lock him deep within Grimsvötn.

This also explains why his appearance remains youthful despite being in his late 70s. It is thanks to a technology that drains the lifeforce of others to turn back time. Gallardo jokingly referred to this as a rather suspicious skincare routine.

Doomfist's choice to break him out stems from a long-standing history between the two. They conducted research related to Numbani together and share overlapping ideological beliefs—specifically, the mindset that if one's cause is right, the destruction that occurs along the way does not matter.

According to Art Director Dion Rogers, the initial concept was completely different from what it is now. He was a typical scientist wearing a lab coat and glasses. Once the vampire direction was established, the design was revamped, though traces of the original remain in the final model: the cape was deliberately designed to resemble a lab coat, and his glasses were kept intact.

Setting his origin in Zimbabwe aimed to achieve two goals: it provides representation for the African community while giving Doctrine a shared cultural background with Doomfist, creating a foundation for mutual trust. Rogers explained that when depicting a specific culture in Overwatch, they do not simply copy its present-day form. Instead, they leap forward to imagine how that culture would look in Overwatch's optimistic future, which in Zimbabwe's case emphasizes technology and flair.

The bat-like drones are cybernetic equipment designed by Doctrine himself. They are faithful to their master and allies, but show a completely different side to enemies.

Hero Designer Scott Kennedy stated that design began by questioning the fundamental role of a Support hero. The idea was that if a Support hero does not just keep the team alive but provides all kinds of advantages, that dynamic could be pushed in a slightly more sinister direction.

The core of his kit is 'Infuse', bound to right-click. It has 2 charges and either grants buff effects to other abilities or alters their inherent properties. Kennedy emphasized that deciding when to use or save Infuse charges is key to mastering the hero.

His primary weapon, 'Eternal Scepter,' is a mid-range hitscan weapon that deals damage to enemies and heals allies. The developers described it as a more lethal version of Ana's Biotic Rifle. When Infused, it transforms into a larger, more powerful piercing explosive wave.

'Invigorating Drones' sends a drone to an ally, increasing their attack speed for 6 seconds. When Infused, the same effect is applied to Doctrine as well. Kennedy illustrated the importance of target selection with a joke, noting that boosting attack speed on a Hanzo who only hits walls is useless.

His mobility skill, 'Shrouded Momentum,' allows him to escape danger alongside drones by blocking gunfire and reducing incoming damage. When Infused, his movement speed increases further, enabling full flight. However, using Infuse on other abilities first leaves him stranded when trying to escape, which is a core part of the design.

His Ultimate, 'Deliverance,' unleashes a swarm of drones onto the battlefield. The drones seek out nearby allies and enemies, producing opposite effects: allies receive healing and overhealth, while enemies have their lifeforce drained, reducing their maximum health by up to 50% for 8 seconds. Kennedy clarified that Deliverance is an Ultimate focused more on disruption than outright killing, explaining that its true purpose is to tip the scales by buffing allies and weakening enemies.

Because of the attack speed boost, Doctrine synergizes well with aggressive allies. However, Kennedy cautioned Tank players that having higher attack speed does not make a 1v5 winnable.

Sound Designer Donovan Robinson revealed that he was given three keywords for Doctrine: poetic, refined, and somber. Unlike Kiriko, where flutes and woodwinds were used, orchestral strings were employed for Doctrine to convey both elegance and chaos.

Details about the footstep sound creation process were also disclosed. Overwatch operates on the principle that heroes should be identifiable by sound alone even without seeing them, such as Reinhardt's clanking armor or Genji's quiet footsteps. Doctrine's footsteps were recorded using ordinary clothing and shoes bought at a store, while his cape sound was created using a large tarp. An interesting detail is that every footstep sound in the game is recorded on a single concrete slab—both Widowmaker and Tracer stepped on the exact same slab.

Kyle Disanjh from animation and tech stated that depicting the drones was the biggest hurdle, as they needed to feel like a swarm of small assistants without appearing distracting or noisy. They attempted S-curves wrapping around his arms, floating clusters, and large circular formations orbiting his back, but most of these had the issue of drawing more focus to the drones than to Doctrine himself. Ultimately, they settled on placing scaled-down drones around his arms. The drones consist of only a single joint, featuring no wings or flapping motions.

Dawson outlined two goals for the Roadhog rework: shift power away from being concentrated entirely in the Chain Hook combo, and provide new means to directly contribute to the team. He also mentioned the intention to turn Roadhog into a Tank hero that feels less frustrating to play against.

The biggest change is his primary fire, which converts into a 2-round burst shotgun, splitting damage into two bursts. While still threatening in close quarters, landing both shots is required to quickly eliminate an opponent. Dawson explained that the classic one-shot combo—which almost everyone present has likely fallen victim to at least once—becomes difficult to execute with this change, because the brief delay between the two shots gives opponents a window to use defensive or survival abilities.

Enemies pulled in by the hook will also land further away than before, making guaranteed eliminations on full-health heroes more difficult. However, Chain Hook remains a powerful crowd-control ability, retaining its core function of punishing out-of-position enemies.

In the newly opened slot comes the new ability 'Trash Compactor.' It absorbs enemy projectiles for 2 seconds before compressing them into an explosive scrap mass and returning it. It acts as a tool to protect himself and allies while creating space, as well as a way to deal significant damage when timed correctly. Roadhog's core identity, including 'Take a Breather,' remains intact.

Dawson described Sombra as a hero who has been at the center of debate ever since her release. When approaching her rework, the team concluded that they needed to break the triangle formed by stealth, lethality, and Hack's silence effect. Achieving that required a major pivot, and the answer was a role shift.

The reasoning was that shifting her to Support allows the team to preserve the fun aspects of her existing kit while placing her in a role where utility fits better. Some elements remain: while 'Translocator' has a shorter range, the feeling of tactically disappearing is preserved, and her 'Machine Pistol' and Ultimate 'EMP' are effectively retained.

The biggest change is the removal of 'Hack' and 'Virus.' In their place come two new abilities that establish her identity as a Support hero.

'Hotfix' grants healing over time to allies. It holds 2 charges, applying a burst of instant healing upon activation, though most of its value lies in the healing over time. The total healing reaches up to 200 and lasts up to 12 seconds. It can be cast proactively on allies just before they make aggressive dives. Since Sombra does not need to tether herself to healing as much as other Support heroes, she retains room to flank solo to disable health packs or invade enemy lines.

'Cyberspace' replaces Virus. Moving away from single-target damage, it creates a zone that heals allies and damages enemies. Enemies within the zone enter a weakened state, reducing both their healing received and damage dealt by 50%. It can be used to finish low-health targets, dampen the impact of enemy Ultimates, or construct favorable engagement zones for allies.

Dawson summarized that they maintained Sombra's identity while adding fresh gameplay elements. He explained that while adapting to her new role and abilities will take time, she will be exceptionally fun to play once players get the hang of her. He added a request for players to try her out at BlizzCon or after the Season 5 release and share their feedback.

Doctrine generating healing through attacks, Sombra transitioning from Damage to Support, and Roadhog remaining a Tank while gaining tools to aid allies—all three heroes align with a philosophy that prevents healing and utility from being tied exclusively to fixed backline positions.

The Doctrine trial runs through Tuesday, September 15, while the Sombra and Roadhog reworks will go live in Season 5 starting October 7 KST following hands-on trials at BlizzCon. Korean names for the new abilities of Sombra and Roadhog have not yet been officially revealed.