Doctrine joined Overwatch on 6 October with Season 5, A Grim Doctrine. The new support hero plays differently from a traditional healer: the same weapon heals allies and hurts enemies, and every ability can be boosted by a mechanic all of his own, Infuse. Blizzard also tweaked several of his numbers on launch day, so some of the figures from the early reveals are already out of date. Each ability is broken down below, along with what the kit asks of whoever picks him.
At a glance
Doctrine heals allies and damages enemies with the same weapon, the Eternal Scepter.
Infuse powers up his next ability: free flight for his movement, drones on himself too, a piercing blast for his weapon.
The 6 October patch notes trim the attack speed from his drones and the protection on his movement ability.
Who is Doctrine, Overwatch’s new support hero
In the game’s story, Doctrine has broken out of a volcanic prison, freed by Doomfist himself, according to the Overwatch Season 5 announcement on Steam. That prison, Watchpoint: Grímsvötn, is also the season’s new map. Blizzard says it’s the first new Escort map since Overwatch 2 launched.
Blizzard pitches him as a sinister foe who manipulates life using his scepter and mechanical drones. Season 5 also opens the final chapter of Reign of Talon, this year’s story arc, and moves Sombra into the support role.
Doctrine’s abilities, one by one
Everything starts with the Eternal Scepter, his main weapon. According to the kit breakdown in EsportNow’s guide to Doctrine’s abilities, this mid-range scepter heals allies and damages enemies. With Infuse, it fires a larger blast that pierces through targets.
Infuse, on right click, adds a powerful effect to your next ability, and it’s the heart of the hero. Shrouded Momentum, his movement ability, sends him rushing horizontally while taking reduced damage; infused, it grants a few moments of free flight. Invigorating Drones sends drones to an ally, who gains attack speed and receives healing; infused, the drones latch on to him as well.
His passive comes from the Survivor subrole: his movement abilities kick off passive health regeneration. Finally, his ultimate, Deliverance, unleashes a swarm of drones that cuts enemies’ maximum health and grants allies overhealth. Deliverance weakens the other team and shields yours at the same time.
Doctrine’s perks and launch-day balance changes
Like every hero, he has perks you pick during a match. Among the minor perks, Saving Grace makes his drones heal for 40 health when applied, and Sanguine Siphon heals him for 50% of the damage dealt with his infused scepter. Of the major perks, Transfusion reduces Infuse’s cooldown through damage and healing, while Cost of Life sacrifices 25 maximum health in exchange for 20% more healing from the scepter.
Blizzard adjusted the hero in the official 6 October patch notes. His drones now grant 30% attack speed instead of 35%. Shrouded Momentum’s cooldown rises from 7 to 8 seconds, its damage reduction drops from 50% to 40%, and it no longer protects against critical hits. Transfusion converts damage and healing into cooldown reduction at half the previous rate.
His ultimate has been reworked as well. Deliverance costs 8% more charge, its drones fire faster, going from 4 to 5, and both the overhealth and the enemy debuff now last 6 seconds instead of 8. The overhealth decay shortens from 5 to 4 seconds.
How to play Doctrine well
With this hero, every Infuse is a decision. The kit nudges you to save it for whichever ability matters right then: infused drones when you need healing yourself, free flight to escape a dive, the piercing blast when several enemies line up. Firing Infuse off without thinking wastes the very mechanic that defines the hero.
His standard drones grant attack speed, so they’re best spent on an ally dealing sustained damage. And since the Survivor passive triggers regeneration whenever he moves, Shrouded Momentum heals you as much as it repositions you, even with its longer cooldown.
As for his ultimate, Deliverance makes most sense at the moment your team commits to a fight, since it lowers enemy maximum health while your allies gain overhealth. With 8% more charge to build since 6 October, it’s worth not wasting.
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