It's no secret that Overwatch 2 is defined by the strength of its heroes. One of the most powerful characters is Zenyatta, who can throw off the balance of the game so much so that opponents will have to change their heroes if he shows up on the battlefield.
But the truth remains that Zenyatta remains one of the easiest heroes to kill in Overwatch 2 as well. That is unless the gamer using him understands what they are doing. A powerful Zenyatta seems to always be on the winning team in the tournaments, and there is a reason for it.
Updated on October 7th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: This article was published soon after the game was released. After some tinkering, it felt important to add a few new sections. Zenyatta is handy for healing and DPS, but he's not immortal without help. Therefore, his best combo heroes have been added to this guide. Friends and teammates will want to pick accordingly. Next, times to pick and not pick Zenyatta have also been added. Much as everybody would love to play as him on every map, there are situations where he's called for and times when it's best to choose another hero. These new sections should give players a better idea of when he shines the brightest.
Playstyle
Zenyatta's thrown balls aren't quite as fast as bullets, but they are close and have no drop-off. As a result, his best bet is on the backlines. This is further reasserted by the painful fact that he has no movement or escape abilities.
As one of the game's best support heroes, Zenyatta still needs to focus on healing his allies with either his Orb of Harmony or Transcendence. He can't heal if he's dead, so Zenyatta needs to stay on the backlines. He can heal from a long way away so long as the teammate is in sight, so stay a corner away from the heat of the action at all times.
Orb of Destruction and Orb of Discord make Zenyatta an asset to the DPS allies on the team. Suddenly tanks become as squishy as DPS/support heroes and DPS/support heroes become one-hit kills for most other classes. Or, if the player is a particularly talented sniper, a headshot from Zenyatta will take care of business.
Abilities
Orb of Destruction
- Primary Fire: Energy Projectile Weapon
- Alt Fire: Charge to release more projectiles.
Zenyatta isn't technically a DPS hero, but players who list out the best DPS heroes around might think of Zenyatta naturally due to his abilities. These orbs have no drop-off and are capable of strong headshots.
The alternate fire allows Zenyatta to fire multiple orbs at once, potentially killing a hero outright at full health. It does take time to charge up and can't be kept charged forever, so there is a bit of a timing element to it. But Zenyatta thrives on peeking through small windows already, so it's not much of an issue. Orb of Destruction also takes down shields, allowing DPS units to focus on the poor foes hiding behind them.
Orb of Discord
- Launch this orb at an enemy to increase the damage they take.
Orb of Discord is as close to game-breaking as moves get. The game is based on heroes being able to survive small amounts of damage here and there, but that ceases to be the case when Orb of Discord is up on someone.
Orb of Harmony
- Launch this orb at an ally to heal them.
Zenyatta's most important move, the Orb of Harmony will slowly heal allies that receive it. The effect lasts until the target gets out of sight for more than a few seconds or if Zenyatta chooses a new recipient of his healing by casting a new Orb of Harmony.
Transcendence
- Become invulnerable, move faster, and heal nearby allies.
When it comes to ultimates, this is as strong as they get. Many gamers will argue about who has the strongest ultimate, but nobody disagrees that Zenyatta is in the top three. Granting total immunity to himself and all allies in the radius, the skill also rapidly heals heroes to full health so long as they remain in the aura.
Tips & Tricks
There have been many changes since the initial Overwatch, but Zenyatta has remained largely the same going into Overwatch 2. His biggest weakness is his lack of mobility, something gamers must compensate for on any map. Stay close to allies or out of sight and reach of enemies.
Zenyatta's shield is 75% of his total health. This is hugely advantageous for patient players. When taking damage, retreat and stay safe until the shields regenerate back to full.
Orb of Harmony should be hopping around constantly. Apply it on the tank to start with, but cast it again if it falls off or if another teammate needs help. Some try to set it and forget it, but doing so means overhealing on a character that can't receive more health and missing out on allies who require assistance.
Orb of Discord should likewise be up at all times. Zenyatta is a great damage dealer, but that's not his primary role. Watch to see who the DPS are attacking and stick that orb on the target. After unlocking all of the heroes and playing them, gamers will be sure to see how overpowered this move truly is.
The trick with Transcendence is to use it before things go badly. If allies have started dying, then keeping the remainder of the team alive only delays the inevitable. On defense, use Transcendence as the other team starts to flood the target area. On offense, communicate with the team and pop it to start the fight.
Combos
- Zarya
Probably the biggest one-two punch in the competitive scene, Zarya laying down an ultimate while Zenyatta protects the whole team as they go on the offensive made opponents want to destroy the first Overwatch. Bad news for them, this combo is as powerful as ever.
- Junkrat
Teammates that stay close to Zenyatta who can help protect him from infiltrators are worth their weight in gold. Junkrat can lay down traps that make for safety zones if such attacks occur. Additionally, Junkrat can bounce these attackers back.
- Doomfist
Doomfist is already a DPS hero barely disguised as a tank. Give him some extra healing and he becomes close to a true tank. Even better, the Orb of Discord allows Doomfist to combo kill just about anything except a tank. Doomfists' ultimate can be used to teleport to Zenyatta and protect him when the fighting gets too heavy.
- Pharah
With a nice, clean line to the skies, Pharah is often in healing view of Zenyatta. This works nicely for her but also gives benefits to Zenyatta. She'll have a line of sight to him as well and can bump back attackers that should happen to break behind the frontlines.
- Orisa
Given that most tanks stay on the front of the fight, Zenyatta is often exposed in the back. Orisa is a handy exception and she'll often be in the vicinity of Zenyatta. Her javelin can make trying to pick off Zenyatta a fatal mistake.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Zenyatta prefers wide open spaces to see both enemies and allies. While not the most helpful for escort missions or capturing points, if the roads or points are exposed enough, he makes up for being an off-point healer with his buffs and debuffs.
It would be negligent to not mention Zenyatta's ultimate as an advantage. He and Zarya have long been considered as having the best ultimates in the game. The game has changed a lot since the original Overwatch, but Zenyatta will always be the go-to hero when players need a clutch ultimate to rush a point. As a result, no map is truly bad for Zenyatta.
That being said, Zenyatta isn't a deity and can struggle. One of the reasons Zenyatta combos well with heroes that can keep him safe is that he can't keep himself safe. A Genji, Winston, Tracer, or D.Va that can hop on the back lines to take care of Zenyatta is an all too familiar experience for Zenyatta mains.
Without any escape, getting caught in Mei's frost or Solder 76's ultimate is a death sentence. Zenyatta's only hope in these situations is teammates that communicate well. If not, it's probably best to use a different support hero.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.