Wondering from the Sombra mains out there…
Do you hack first then virus or do you mostly just virus from stealth? Also do you stay with your team, or flank.
Which is more effective?
It’s character dependent, for a kiriko I would virus-hack for a zen I wouldn’t bother hacking I would just virus-shoot, I would probably hack virus a soldier.
In general your best bet is to slam Virus and try to kill them immediately. It makes it harder to dodge and generally kills them faster. Keep in mind hack doesn’t provide a damage boost anymore.
Heroes with survivability abilities might be the exception. For example Suzu, Fade, or Wraith Form.
If i actually want to be ultra sneaky i virus then hack, it still triggers the faster dot but doesn’t give the bonus 10 impact. Idk why but for me this usually catches enemies off guard more than hack and then virus
But to answer your question I usually just virus and spray unless im going against someone who can sustain in a duel
Stay with your team but take opportunities to use off angles they might not be utilizing. Flank when u know an enemy is a constant weak link
How do you come out of stealth then virus? When I press the virus button it just unstealths me and then I have to press the virus button again.
You’re gonna have to click twice regardless of your button choice but usually i just tap primary fire and then virus
Not a Sombra main, but logically its safer to virus and whittle them down than it is to hack and land a virus on an AD strafing enemy who’s shooting at you.
Some heroes have cleanse abilities, so in those scenarios it’ll be up to your own judgement to decide. You can bait them into burning there cleanse and then virus them in those scenarios, though it is unlikely that a high level player would fall for that (maybe out of instinct/habit).
#1 thing to take note of is the number of enemy players in the area, since 2v1’s make it harder to successfully finish off kills.
You can hold it down in theory but in practice, I’m more likely to miss with a held virus. I’m even less accurate with delayed projectiles like Mei’s icicles than normal ones. Maybe you’ll have more luck but I tap to get out of stealth then tap once I’m out.
I’m a noob, especially at Sombra, so I’m not giving advice but looking for it when I answer these questions. Just so we’re clear.
Personally I find that coming out of stealth and going “
DOO DEE DOO DEE DOO I’VE COMPLETED A HACK ON YOU” for half a second ruins the element of surprise to such an extent that I’m not sure it’s worth it. Even down here in metal ranks, supports’ ears will pick up at the sound and immediately look to bail out their teammate. I find that a raw virus with some bullets to the dome does a better job.
I generally flank if I think I can get a pick but I’ll play Sombra:76 if I’m against a team where that’s not going to happen. I will still flank a pocketed Widow because even if I can’t kill either Widow or the support, it’s that important to tie up Widow/pocketer as often as I can, for as long as I can.