We go through the best tips and tricks to playing Overwatch’s wandering guru, Zenyatta!
Find Tranquility
Zenyatta is a former Shambali monk who left their dogmatic teachings to pursue his own idea of enlightenment. In his belief that true harmony would be found in the understanding of each other’s troubles, he traveled the world on a pilgrimage, helping everyone he crossed paths with. Among these was a young Genji who struggled with his humanity and a troubled Symmetra.
Zenyatta also appears as one of the main characters in Ramattra’s backstory. Ramattra was once Zenyatta’s brother, but due to worldwide omnic oppression, Ramattra chose a more revolutionary path for their kind’s salvation. Vastly differing in principles, fans expect a lot of friction between the two in their voiceline interactions once the Null Sector general arrives on December 6.
Don’t let this support hero’s gentle nature fool you because he is far from being a pacifist. Aiding his allies from the back line, Zenyatta’s abilities allow him to provide constant buffs and debuffs, while also summoning the transcendental power of the Iris. Learn what makes this levitating robot monk great as we pour through his mysterious abilities as well as his winning playstyles for Overwatch 2.
Gaze into the Iris
Despite his modest look, Zenyatta holds mystical powers that he uses to weaken adversaries and sustain allies. Ponder the literal and metaphorical powers of the orb as we go through this Omnic’s hero abilities.
Ever since Overwatch 2’s release, members of the Support roster received the Regeneration passive that lets you heal 22.5 health/second after taking a couple of seconds away from combat. Taking damage interrupts Regeneration.
- Snap Kick – Zenyatta’s melee deals 50% more damage and knocks enemies back.
- Orb of Destruction – his primary fire launches his projectile orbs individually, which holding secondary fire prepares up to 5 orbs for a rapid volley. Albeit having slow firerate, Zenyatta can devastate enemy tanks from afar with well-aimed shots
- Orb of Discord – targets an enemy with a debuff that lets them take 25% more damage as long as they stay within sight
- Orb of Harmony – targets an ally with a healing orb that slowly replenishes their HP as long as they stay within sight (30HP/s)
- Trascendence – Zenyatta’s ultimate ability lets him enter a higher state, unleashing the full power of the Iris. In exchange for his attacks and abilities, he moves faster, automatically reloads and heals 300HP/s to all allies within 10 meters. Besides this, he also becomes immune to all damage, Reinhardt’s Earthshatter and Sombra’s Hack
Open your mind
Zenyatta’s abilities are enough to keep an entire team alive if used well. His ultimate let-down is the fact that he has the worst mobility within Overwatch’s support category. This makes you extremely vulnerable against enemy flank compositions. With all this in mind, constant communication with your allies is almost required if you want longer uptime with the Omnic adventurer.
Never approach the front line, and use your melee’s knockback to send enemy dive heroes flying towards your teammates.
Orb of Destruction’s right-click charge has massive DPS potential. Experienced Zenyatta mains have been known to out-DPS other damage heroes because of consistent headshots. It will take practice due to the small margin of error, so lead your shots towards where your opponent is moving to land more orbs. Your main weapon is also effective at taking out enemy structures at very long range, such as Torbjorn’s Turret.
Orb of Discord’s obvious value can make an enemy Reinhardt think twice before leading the charge towards your objective point. Enemies under Discord will take increased damage from all sources. Orb of Discord does not have a cooldown, so feel free to spam this ability on a crowd of enemies. Other than that, its reticle stays on an enemy behind walls, giving you a general indication of where they’re going before Orb of Discord returns. This skill gets more use when you apply it on targets like Bastion (Sentry Mode), Winston, Pharah, and Wrecking Ball. Orb of Discord is an invaluable tool when you want an enemy removed from play. Lastly, remember that Discord doesn’t work around enemy barriers.
Orb of Harmony’s recovery isn’t as speedy as some of his counterparts, but also lacks a cooldown, meaning that he can redistribute his orb to other allies that need it at a moment’s notice. Prioritize allies who are critically low on HP, and make sure to keep everyone topped up. Teammates with vertical mobility are a good choice for Harmony, since it’s considerably easier to maintain line of sight. With that said, it’s highly suggested that you peek in and out of hard cover to refresh it’s uptime period on your chosen target. A safe support is a good support.
Despite your ultimate ability’s strengths, entering Transcendence still makes you a target. That said, you’re still affected by knockback abilities, so situational awareness goes a long way. Being Zenyatta’s only way of a safe escape, feel free to use his ultimate if it guarantees your/your ally’s safety. His healing is massive, but will not save a teammate if they receive instantaneous damage that goes above their max HP.
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