Doctrine joins the Overwatch roster in Season 5 as a Support hero built around ranged healing and self-sustain. He carries a vampiric theme, fights with a scepter, and sends bat-like drones to keep allies alive. What sets him apart from most other Supports is a second resource, Infuse, that changes how his core abilities behave on demand.
Quick answer: Heal and poke with the Eternal Scepter, dash with Shrouded Momentum to trigger self-regen, and spend Infuse on your primary fire to pierce targets and heal yourself. Run Sanguine Siphon and Transfusion as your perks.
Doctrine abilities and ultimate
Doctrine’s kit is small and readable. The Eternal Scepter is a hitscan weapon that heals friendly targets and damages enemies, while his movement and drone abilities round out the healing setup. Here is the full list.
| Ability | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Eternal Scepter | Weapon | Mid-range hitscan that heals allies and damages enemies. Infused: larger piercing blast. |
| Infuse | Ability | Empowers the next ability you use with a potent effect. |
| Shrouded Momentum | Ability | Horizontal rush with damage reduction. Infused: grants free-flight. |
| Invigorating Drones | Ability | Drones give an ally attack speed and healing. Infused: also deploys to you. |
| Deliverance | Ultimate | Drone swarm reduces enemy max health and grants allies overhealth. |
| Survivor | Passive | Using a movement ability triggers passive health recovery. |
Deliverance launches a slow-moving swarm of drones at a chosen spot. It cuts enemy maximum health and hands allies overhealth, so it lands best in mid-to-close-range fights. Treat it much like Ana’s Biotic Grenade and drop it where teams clash.
How Infuse changes Doctrine’s abilities
Infuse is a resource with two charges that refills slowly over time. Press the Infuse button, then follow it with the Eternal Scepter, Shrouded Momentum, or Invigorating Drones to swap that ability into its stronger version. Each one behaves differently.
- Infused Eternal Scepter: primary fire pierces through targets and delivers a burst of healing.
- Infused Shrouded Momentum: lets you soar upward with free flight instead of a flat dash.
- Infused Invigorating Drones: restores health to you and your ally, while briefly boosting both of your attack speeds.
Spending Infuse at the right moment is what keeps Doctrine unpredictable. Reading the fight and matching the Infused effect to the situation is the core skill with this hero.
Doctrine playstyle and gameplay tips
Doctrine works as a poke-and-heal Support. Peek around corners to chip at enemies and keep teammates topped up at range. Because the Infused primary fire pierces targets, you can heal an ally and damage the enemy standing in front of them in a single shot.
Never burn an Infused Eternal Scepter shot purely on an enemy. It adds no extra damage over a normal hit, so you only waste the resource.
Shrouded Momentum is your main escape and repositioning tool, in both its basic and Infused forms. It also triggers the Survivor passive, which starts health regeneration and helps you recover after taking a hit.
Invigorating Drones strengthen your healing, but each ally can only receive them once before the ability enters a 6-second cooldown. Hold it for moments when a teammate really needs the boost rather than spamming it. Favor the Infused version, since it heals you as well and raises attack speed, which in turn lifts your healing output on an ally.
Best perks for Doctrine
| Perk | Tier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Saving Grace | Minor | Invigorating Drones heal for 40 health on application. |
| Sanguine Siphon | Minor | Infused Eternal Scepter restores health equal to 50% of the damage you deal. |
| Transfusion | Major | Damage dealt and healing done shorten Infuse’s cooldown. |
| Cost of Life | Major | Lose 25 max health; Eternal Scepter healing up 20%. |
Sanguine Siphon is close to mandatory. Doctrine has no dedicated self-heal, and this perk lets your Infused Eternal Scepter healing feed back into your own health while you support allies, keeping you alive longer in drawn-out fights.
Transfusion is the Major pick to pair with it. Infused shots depend on your Infuse charges, and this perk refills the resource faster as you deal damage and healing, so you can lean on the piercing primary fire more often.
Saving Grace and Cost of Life are serviceable, but they fall short of the utility these two offer. Infuse is what defines Doctrine, so perks that keep it flowing give the most value. Lock in the piercing-heal loop, manage your charges, and save Deliverance for a crowded fight to get the most out of this Support.
