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There are 35 different heroes in Overwatch 2 that players can choose from. Each one of them has their own special abilities, playstyle, weapons, and personality. In addition to each hero being unique in their own way, they each belong to one of three different roles to help them out on the battlefield. These roles include tanks that can shield their team from damage, supports that can heal their allies, and DPS that can do a lot of damage quickly. Choosing the right hero is important to ensure a team’s success in a match. Zenyatta is a support hero that can use his orbs to heal allies and damage enemies. Here is everything players need to know about using Zenyatta in Overwatch 2.
Who is Zenyatta in Overwatch 2?
Zenyatta is a monk support hero who floats around the battlefield, using his Orb of Harmony to keep his allies in the fight. Able to dish out some pain as well, Zenyatta has seen an increase in the amount of damage that his melee attacks do. However, in Overwatch 2, he has seen reduced shields down to 150 (from 175 in the original Overwatch) which can make him feel squishier than before. Though his power lies in his offensive capabilities, he is still a capable healer and with carefully aimed shots, can take out even the strongest of tanks with ease.
Note: You can read about all of the Overwatch 2 characters here.
Support heroes were reworked in Overwatch 2
One of the biggest changes in Overwatch 2 was how team composition works. In the original Overwatch, teams consisted of 6 players each. However, in Overwatch 2, teams were reduced to 5 players. This means that each team now has one less tank. To compensate for this, each role was given its own unique passive that can help to bolster them in combat. Support heroes, such as Zenyatta, received the ability to heal themselves over time after not taking damage for a few seconds. This is a huge boon to Zenyatta, who lacked this kind of ability to self-sustain before, making him an even stronger choice in Overwatch 2.
Zenyatta’s abilities in Overwatch 2
While Zenyatta is primarily an offensive-focused support, he can keep his team alive with numerous abilities. Though he plays mostly the same as he did in the original Overwatch, veteran players may notice he is a bit different. Namely, he has more survivability over time, but less total health overall. Still, he is a capable hero, capable of dealing large damage to enemies and keeping his allies topped off to help lead them to victory in Overwatch 2.
Snap Kick
Zenyatta has a new passive ability for Overwatch 2 called Snap Kick. Snap Kick gives Zenyatta an increased amount of damage to his melee attacks. This bonus is 50% stronger, causing his melee to do 45 damage instead of 30. In addition, any melee attacks that hit an enemy will cause them to be knocked back significantly. This can help him to fend off any flanking opponents that may sneak up on him due to his limited mobility.
Orb of Destruction
Orb of Destruction is Zenyatta’s weapon of choice, and it can be extremely deadly if the player has good aim. When using his primary fire, Zenyatta projects a ball of energy at his enemy, which causes 48 damage and can hit headshots for even more damage. These energy balls can be unleashed every .4 seconds. In addition to his primary fire mode, Zenyatta also has a secondary fire mode. When used, he can charge up for a few seconds, before unleashing a volley of up to 5 orbs. If the player manages to hit all the rapidly unleashed orbs, they can deal a massive 240 damage per volley. For this reason, learning to properly aim with Zenyatta can greatly increase his killing potential.
Orb of Destruction has 20 ammo and must be reloaded for 1.5 seconds after running out.
Orb of Harmony
As a support hero, Zenyatta is able to maintain the HP of his allies by using Orb of Harmony. When used, Zenyatta sends out a ball of light that will begin hovering over the targeted ally. As long as Zenyatta retains line of sight with the ally, they will be healed for 30 HP per second. While only one ally can have Orb of Harmony on them at a time, with no cooldown, Zenyatta can freely move the Orb of Harmony between targets as needed to keep his team topped up. If the target breaks the line of sight with Zenyatta, the orb will return to him after 3 seconds.
Orb of Discord
A powerful tool for increasing the damage of his team, Orb of Discord allows Zenyatta to send an orb to hover over the shoulder of his foes. As long as Zenyatta remains in line of sight of his target, the Orb of Discord will cause them to take 25% increased damage from all sources. While only one Orb of Discord can be active at a time, Zenyatta can freely move it between priority targets with no cooldown, and with coordination from his team can quickly down even the tankiest targets. If the target breaks the line of sight with Zenyatta, the orb will return to him after 3 seconds.
Transcendence
As Zenyatta’s Ultimate Ability, Transcendence allows him to become invulnerable and heal his team for 300 HP every second for a total duration of 6 seconds. The Transcendence ability affects all allies within 10 meters of Zenyatta, and also increases his movement speed so that he can keep up with his allies to heal them through even the harshest damage. A well-executed Transcendence can single-handedly win team fights in Overwatch 2.
Tips for using Zenyatta in Overwatch 2
As an offensive-focused support, Zenyatta is able to deal high single-target damage to high-priority targets while simultaneously keeping his team alive. The ability for him to send orbs to his teammates to keep them alive allows him to focus on other tasks, like dealing damage while he keeps them topped up. In addition, he can mark priority targets for his team with Orb of Discord to quickly take them out.
However, Zenyatta is very weak against heroes who have high movement speed or can dish out a lot of damage in close range, such as Reaper, or long-range heroes that can take him out with one shot, such as Widowmaker. Still, as long as Zenyatta’s aim is true, he can do a massive amount of damage and gain his Ultimate to allow his team to push through almost any situation.
Pick Zenyatta and rise to victory in Overwatch 2
Zenyatta is quite an interesting character that can both deal a lot of damage and keep his team alive. This is counterbalanced by his low mobility, but with proper teamplay and communication, he can make some powerful plays. Players can pick Zenyatta and help their team rise to victory in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2
- Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s): Action, Shooter