Overwatch 2 Sojourn: abilities, story, and gameplay guide

Overwatch 2 Sojourn using her power slide ability
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Overwatch 2 Sojourn is undoubtedly one of the most controversial and exciting heroes to be added to the new iteration. 

Sojourn and Junker Queen were the first two new characters added to the Overwatch roster in over two years, with the latest hero before them, Echo, released all the way back in April 2020. Sojourn was also the first new character released for Overwatch 2, marking her arrival as a remarkable milestone in the franchise's history.

While her performance in the beta was something to be marvelled at, with her fast and versatile fighting style, she has since had some big patches that have significantly affected her viability. Regardless of patches, as a former member of Overwatch, Sojourn is ready to rejoin the fight alongside her fellow Overwatch 2 characters.

We have you covered if you want some intel on this hench hero before picking up the controller. We’ve compiled a breakdown of her entire loadout and key tips and tricks you need to know to make her shine on the battlefield. 

Here's everything you need to know about Overwatch 2’s mighty warrior, Sojourn.

Overwatch 2 Sojourn

Overwatch 2 Sojourn: Story and Background

Despite her absence from Overwatch's original roster, Sojourn is an important part of the group’s history. She and her Candian special forces worked with Overwatch during the Omnic Crisis, which lead to Soldier 76 offering her a position with the supergroup once that conflict was resolved. 

As a part of Overwatch, Sojourn found herself in commanding positions, leading missions both on the ground and back at base. Overwatch players will know her from the Storm Rising PvE event, where she led a team of Tracer, Genji, Winston, and Mercy against Talon agent, Maximilien. 

However, when Overwatch was legally forced to stop operating, she realized her time with the group was over and moved on to as of yet revealed pastures.

Overwatch 2 Sojourn: abilities

Primary weapon: Railgun

Overwatch 2's sojourn using her primary fire on a Wrecking ball

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Description: Rapid-firing projectiles that generate energy on impact. 

Sojourn’s primary weapon is a Railgun. However, if you're expecting to pick her up and feel like you are playing Quake – where the Railgun was a slow-firing, high-damage weapon – there's a catch. Her primary fire isn’t actually a Railgun. Instead, it functions as a rapid-fire projectile rifle. This rifle just got a generous buff in the December 15, 2022, patch notes increasing the primary fire spread by 28%. 

When you land hits on enemies, Sojourn builds up a meter that allows her to charge up her weapon. Depending on your charge level, you can do more damage with her secondary fire. 

Some tips and tricks to note about this weapon:

  • This is a projectile weapon. Either lead your shots to your enemy's movement or try to use it up close
  • While subject to change, in the Alpha, Sojourn could charge her secondary fire by shooting shields with her primary fire
  • Use your primary fire against tanks to quickly charge your secondary fire

Seccondary Fire: Railgun

Overwatch 2's sojourn using her secondary fire on an echo

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Description: High impact shot that consumes stored energy.

Once you've charged the shot, things will finally begin feeling like that Quake fantasy Sojourn promises. 

The powered shot works almost like a sniper, as it's a super bolt that packs an enormous punch when fully charged. It’s instant and doesn’t require you to be at massive distances, nor do you have to aim down sights. It’s can take down all non-tank enemies in one headshot, so if you can get good with it, you can shred. 

Here are some tips and tricks for this weapon:

  • This is a great finisher – if you find yourself in a 1v1, towards the end of an engagement, use the secondary fire as a burst to end the fight
  • This has headshot damage – if you are at 100% charge, you can deal enough damage to kill any non-tank character in the game in a single shot
  • Your charge doesn’t drop, so hold onto your railgun shot until you are ready, then try to get an early pick on a key target as the next fight starts

Ability: Power Slide

Overwatch 2's sojourn using her power slide while firing

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Description: Ground slide that can cancel into a high jump

The Power Slide is one of Sojourn’s strongest assets. Movement abilities are always strong in Overwatch, and this is one of the abilities with the most maneuverability. 

Power Slide sees Sojourn scoot across the floor at a rapid pace. She can cover a lot of ground just with the slide. However, this ability goes one further. You can jump out of the slide at any point, sending you high into the air. 

This is great for engaging and disengaging in fights and makes you constantly unpredictable. If you’ve ever played Apex Legends, you might find some familiarity with the slide.

But be warned, in the recent December 15 patch notes, the cooldown for Power Slide was increased from 6 to 7 seconds. So now you'll have to wait a little longer to escape any aggressive enemies. 

Here are some tips and tricks for using this move:

  • Use this aggressively – run into the enemy team to fight, and then if things get too spicy, use this to disengage
  • Likewise, if you have the upper hand and your opponent starts to try to leave, there isn’t much in the game that would rival Sojourn’s speed with this ability, so go and secure the kill before they can get to safety
  • Use this to take high ground – as ever, high ground is exceptionally powerful and this lets you access it whenever possible

Ability: Disruptor Shot

Ability: Disruptor Shot

Overwatch 2's sojourn using her disruptor shot on several enemies

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Description: Launch an energy shot that slows and deals damage to enemies within it. 

The Disruptor Shot is a versatile little ability that can be used in various ways, all of which are bad news for your enemies. 

When fired, it creates a big green field of energy that both deals damage and slows the opponent. The damage isn’t massive, but if an opponent stays in the field, they'll certainly feel it. While this used to have a perk that slowed down enemies when they were caught in the shot, this is no longer the case. 

Here are some tips and tricks for this ability:

  • Combo this with your secondary fire – it should be easier to get headshots on slowed enemies inside the field
  • Use it as a defensive tool – if you feel like someone is going to approach you, place it where they're coming from and then Power Slide out of there
  • Can be used in combos like Zarya’s Graviton Surge ultimate

Ultimate: Overclock

Ultimate: Overclock

Overwatch 2's sojourn using her overclock ultimare on three enemies

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Description: Railgun energy auto-charges for a short duration and charged shots pierce enemies. 

Sojourn's ultimate does what it says on the tin. It overclocks her Railgun, meaning that it'll charge automatically at a rapid pace. You'll be able to fire around six shots during the duration.

While Overclock is active, the secondary fires will also pierce through opponents, meaning you can lay the smackdown on any opponents that are lined up. The shots do enough damage to one hit kill non-tanks with a headshot. 

Here are some tips and tricks for this ultimate:

  • This is a great tank buster – while generally, Sojourn can’ kill a tank with a single railgun shot, the rapid charge here means you can get two or so shots off quickly to burn a tank
  • If you use your ultimate, you can ‘save’ the last shot – if your ultimate ends without you firing the last shot, it will still be available to you afterward. That said it won’t have the Overclock properties, so it loses the piercing shot.
  • Avoid shields – these shots will not pierce shields, and they are a hard counter to it. Try to get to a position where you won’t be shooting at a Reinhardt shield, for example.

Overwatch 2 Sojourn: Gameplay breakdown

Sojourn is a DPS (damage-per-second) hero, which… yes, does mean that the already enormous roster of damage-focused characters has grown. That said, Sojourn does offer some unique play possibilities, making her a strong contender in Overwatch 2. 

Sojourn's a high mobility damage dealer, who has one-hit potential if you can hit your headshots. Her railgun is the first on the Overwatch roster, and her entire loadout is centered around it. If you get on with her weapon, you'll love her, because all of her abilities make it better, or put you in a place to make using it even easier. 

Patrick Dane
Gaming Guides Editor

Patrick Dane is TechRadar Gaming's Guides Editor. With nearly a decade in the games press, he's been a consistent voice in the industry. He's written for a plethora of major publications and travelled the world doing it. He also has a deep passion for games as a service and their potential to tell evolving stories. To wit, he has over 2000 hours in Destiny 2, over 1000 in Overwatch and is now deeply into Valorant.