Overwatch Sigma Guide - The Ultimate Sigma Tips and Tricks

The Hero-31 in Overwatch is a barrier-tank called Sigma. Jeff Kaplan, the lead game designer described him as a 3-star hero, meaning he’s not a beginner hero and everyone attempting to play Sigma should be prepared to a high learning curve.

Today, I’m going to show you exactly how to play Sigma like a Top 300 Overwatch booster.

Our clients have seen increases in their Overwatch Skill Rating shortly after reading and practicing a little with their newly learned tips. I promise, it won’t be hard to digest the content. Let’s dive in.

Sigma Introduction

Currently, the game features 3 shield tanks and 1 shield DPS, of course, this might change in the future. But at the moment of writing this guide, those are Reinhardt, Orisa, oddly enough Symmetra, and the latest, Sigma.

Sigma is not your usual Tank hero, he’s at once a damage soaker and damage dealer, however, in order to utilize both like our Overwatch boosting team, you will need a lot of practice, I’m sure this guide will help you a lot. If not, our Overwatch coaching team is eager to help you become a Grandmaster Sigma. Let’s move to abilities.

Sigma’s Abilities

Hyperspheres - Primary Weapon

Sigma’s Hyperspheres are two pulsating orbs in his hands, they are projectile volleys that will do 60 damage upon impact per sphere, totaling at 120 damage. This is subject to change if it turns out Sigma is overpowered, or underpowered.

Hyperspheres Tips

• These orbs will not do double damage when you headshot, but using Baptiste’s amplification matrix will kill most squishy heroes in the game.


• The range isn’t long, and they will detonate if they travel 20 meters without hitting anything. Be careful, since you can take damage from the detonations as well.


• Your goal here is to predict enemy heroes’ movements or similar to Junkrat’s grenades, you can bounce them off the walls and surfaces, physics classes much? Later on, you will realize how everything Sigmaish is related to math or physics. Amazing.


• When enemies post their barriers and shields, use the walls to bounce orbs and hit people from the sides or behind

Experimental Barrier

The Experimental barrier is Sigma’s key ability in my opinion. By activating it, you spawn a 1500 HP barrier that keeps moving forward until it hits a wall or you release the button. You can also cancel the ability, recall it and use it again, momentarily.

When your Experimental Barrier is active, you cannot fire Hyperspheres, but you can recall the barrier, fire, and spawn the barrier again. Similar to Reinhardt’s barrier, it won’t regenerate it’s HP while it’s active, in order to regenerate your barrier, you need to cancel it. This ability has no cooldown either.

Experimental Barrier Tips

• Using the barrier, recalling it, and using it again non-stop is the key to use this ability. You need to be unpredictable, and have it up whenever needed, canceling and spawning it again is extremely fast with minimum delay (0.25 seconds).


• Similar to Reinhardt’s shield, your barrier will lose HP and you cannot just waste it, combine the barrier with Kinetic Grasp (more on it below) in order to keep your team protected, and yourself. While your team is protected by the barrier, you can go outside of it and absorb some damage yourself in order for the barrier to survive as long as possible while your team pushes.


• Protecting Symmetra’s turrets with your barrier is also a good strategy.


• Using the barrier by placing it behind an enemy that’s trying to get healed is an amazing strategy as well. It will absorb a considerable amount of healing.


• His shield is very good at completely shutting down their hitscan players since the barrier can be moved around without any consequences. A good example is a Widow that is oddly positioned for a flank pick who you can easily shut down by replacing your shield as long as it's needed.

Accretion

Accretion will make you gather some rocks and debris, and then tossing it in front of you doing 80 DMG when you hit someone, and knocking him down for a short period of time. The rock is quite big and you shouldn’t have problems landing it even on targets with a small hitbox.

The ability channels for about 1 second and has 10-second cooldown. Therefore, you cannot spam it like you would spam the Experimental Barrier. The rock (no pun intended) will also do some splash damage to enemies nearby your target but won’t knock them.

Accretion Tips

• The longer the range from which you’ve hit enemies with Accretion, the longer they stay knocked down. The minimum knockdown time is 0.5 seconds and it can go up to 3 seconds.


• The rock won’t be stopped by D.Va’s Defence Matrix. Yay.
  
• Since the rock will knock down people, it means it also interrupts abilities such as McCree’s ultimate, Reinhardt’s charge or Moira’s Coalescence.
  
• An amazing combo you can do is knock someone down, and then burst him with Hyperspheres for a total of 200 damage, oof.


• Another great use of this ability is to interrupt Roadhog’s ultimate

Kinetic Grasp

Unlike your Experimental Barrier, this ability is for your own shield only. You will absorb damage coming from the front and 40% of that damage is converted into a shield. Your front is protected only. The cooldown on this ability is currently 13 seconds.

While you’re channeling Kinetic Grasp, you cannot respawn Experimental Barrier or use your Hyperspheres, however, you can recall the Experimental Barrier, cancel the Kinetic Grasp and then respawn the Barrier, or use the Accretion + Hyperspheres combo. This will require a lot of mechanical work and getting some Overwatch coaching focusing on Sigma would be ideal.

Kinetic Grasp Tips

• When trying to close gaps or push into deeper territory, alternate your Experimental Barrier and Kinetic Grasp. Spawn the Experimental Barrier to protect your team, get out of it and soak some damage from the front, then get back behind the barrier, and respawn it in a different direction if needed.


• If you’re fast enough, you can absorb Roadhog’s hook with it, but considering the long cooldown, it may not be worth unless you can “catch a bullet” for a squishy member of your team.


• Unlike Zarya’s bubble, Kinetic Grasp absorbs only projectiles, not melee hits like Reinhardt’s hammer or Doomfist’s fist.


• Absorbing Pharah’s ultimate would be an amazing scenario if you can get close enough to her, you will gain a big sweet shield and protect your team. Same works for McCree’s ultimate or Zarya’s ultimate.


• You can also clear up Hammond’s minefield with Kinetic Grasp, power it up and run through the mines.

Gravitic Flux - Ultimate

Sigma can fly during his ultimate, mark a circle on the ground and then use his powers to lift enemy heroes up for a few seconds, finally, slamming them into the ground.

You need to be smart about it, communicate it with your team when you plan to use it as many combos can come out of this. All enemies caught are dealt 50 damage, and when they’re slammed into the ground another 50% of their max HP is taken away. An amazing slam dunk.

Of course, just because you can fly, doesn’t mean you always should.

Gravitic Flux Tips

• After you slam dunk enemies into the ground, you cannot fly anymore, make sure you positioned yourself well and not above some kind of hole where you can die by falling into it.


• When the enemies are in the air before you slam dunk them, you can shoot your Hyperspheres at squishy targets to aim for the kill even before the slam dunk


• Don’t be greedy and never use your ult because you think you can catch every single member in your ultimate. Try to catch some squishies and that will be enough most of the time.


• You can get stunned when using the ultimate as well. Do not use it recklessly by trying to catch everyone.


• There are situations where you need to use it defensively, even on one person such as Genji ramming through your backline. Don’t call it a waste if not using it is gonna cost you a team wipe.

Sigma Pairings and Counters

• Comboing with Orisa and being able to protect 2 sides with barriers is an amazing strategy, coordinate well with your Orisa. The same combo works with Reinhardt.


• Comboing with Zarya works too, swapping shields when one is down looks like a nice mobile bunker.


• Sigma is ideal in mid-range scenarios due to his 20 meters range for Hyperspheres and being vulnerable to melee attacks. Close or long-range combat does not suit him.


• Lucio would be a good compliment to Sigma to increase his movement speed a little due to lack of mobility.


• Doomfirst hard counters Sigma because you can't eat his punches.


• Sigma is great vs sneaky flankers like Tracer, Sombra and Genji.

Final Words

While Sigma is considered a main tank due to having a shield. I believe he’s more of a flex tank. He’s a mid-range hero with quite low mobility which prevents him from claiming high grounds.

When complimented by Orisa or another barrier hero to cover more sides, he is quite good, works in mobile bunker compositions and can easily shutdown flankers.

His ultimate ability is just amazing and with enough mechanical skills from the player playing him, I’m sure he will remain an overall amazing hero.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

How do you like Sigma? Are you having good results with him?

Do you think I left out some important tips?

Drop a comment in the comment section below, I would love to hear your opinions on Sigma as well!