Overview
- Blizzard unveiled Doctrine at BlizzCon on Saturday, Sept. 12, paired the reveal with an Act III cinematic, and made the new support playable in a limited hero trial running through Sept. 14.
- Doctrine is a vampiric-themed support whose kit centers on the Eternal Scepter that heals allies and damages enemies, an Infuse mechanic that empowers a single ability, Invigorating Drones that heal and boost attack speed, and a Deliverance ultimate that deploys a drone swarm.
- Sombra will switch roles from Damage to Support in a rare role change for Overwatch, and Roadhog will receive a broad toolkit rework intended to reduce his hook‑driven one-shot interactions after earlier, unsuccessful overhauls in 2023 and 2025.
- Developers flagged balance risks from Doctrine’s attack‑speed drone buffs, noted an existing 300% attack‑speed cap that is currently unreachable, and said they will monitor playdata and adjust caps or numbers if stacking becomes a problem.
- Season 5, set to begin on October 6, 2026, will add Doctrine, the Icelandic Escort map Watchpoint: Grímsvötn, returning Dokiwatch cosmetics, and represents Blizzard’s iterative approach of public trials and live tuning to reshape the game’s competitive meta and player experience.