'Overwatch' hero spotlight: How to suck less with Zenyatta
Want help with a different hero? Click here to check out our master Overwatch guide, where you'll find links to tips and strategies for each hero in the game.
Each Overwatch hero is a special snowflake.
Different guns, different abilities, different movement speeds, different quirks. Learning to excel with one hero doesn't mean you've mastered Overwatch.
You May Also Like
Playing a hero the "right" way only gets you so far, of course. Positioning, team formation (on both sides) and overall skill level are still important; you can play a hero perfectly and still lose. But you probably won't win until you learn to play whoever you're using right.
We've got you covered. Read on for tips, strategies and ideal maps/modes to help you suck less at using Overwatch's peaceful support character Zenyatta.
Ability breakdown
Weapon: Orb of Destruction. Rapid-fires fast-moving projectiles that travel in a straight line and deal high damage. 20 rounds per clip.
Secondary fire: Orb Volley. Charge attack that fires as many as five Orbs of Destruction in one shot. It takes several seconds to fully charge an Orb Volley, with a full charge consuming five ammo.
Orb of Discord: A long-range homing projectile that does no damage but applies a 50% damage bonus to all attacks against the marked enemy. The Orb of Discord remains in effect for as long as Zenyatta has line of sight on the target, and for up to three seconds after line of sight is broken. Only one Orb of Discord can be assigned at a time.
Orb of Harmony: A long-range homing projectile that slowly heals the targeted ally. The Orb of Harmony remains active until the target is fully healed or line of sight is broken, at which point it disappears after three seconds. Only one Orb of Harmony can be assigned at a time.
Ultimate ability: Transcendence. For six seconds, Zenyatta is invulnerable to all damage but loses the ability to attack. In addition, all nearby allies -- the ones inside his golden aura -- receive rapid, continuous healing.
How to Zenyatta
Of the three group healers in Overwatch, Zenyatta has the most role flexibility. Lúcio and Mercy both provide healing in different ways, but they're fundamentally all about healing. Zenyatta brings more balanced support, and is often best grouped in a team that has another healer.
It's all about the Orb of Discord. The significant damage boost it applies can make quick work of even the hardiest enemy tanks, provided your team communicates. Everyone can see the purple Discord orb hovering over a target's head, but Zenyatta should be calling out who is marked.
Zenyatta is also a powerful direct attacker, capable of wiping out more than 100 health per second without the Discord boost. His high rate of fire and fast-moving projectiles make him an ideal counter-sniper, even against Pharah's rocket-snipes.
High damage dealing also makes Zenyatta a perfect tank counter, especially since he can attack from outside the range of most bigger foes. You'll want to keep him closer to the rear ranks since even stray shots can be deadly, but that's not as issue when you're doing damage so quickly and efficiently.
Health is the big obstacle Zenyatta faces. He has a health pool of 50 and a 100-capacity shield, both of which disappear very quickly under sustained fire. The shield recharges on its own after three seconds of taking no damage, so popping in and out of cover is a workable strategy.
Zenyatta can also heal allies, but he's best off when that's a secondary concern. The Orbs of Discord and Harmony are functionally the same with the exception of who they can target.
Watch for injured allies and help when you can, but focus first on applying Discord and letting your team know who to target. If you're Zenyatta and there's no other healer, switch to Lúcio or Mercy.
Transcendence is an ideal ultimate for blitzing an enemy position. Have your team group up, pop Transcendence and rush in with everyone, taking care to fall back to safety as soon as your invulnerability disappears.
If you're quick, Transcendence can also save you -- and hopefully, an ally or two -- from deadly ultimates like Hanzo's dragons or D.Va's self-destruct.
Best maps/modes: Zenyatta offers excellent damage support in most modes, with his healing best viewed as more of an added bonus. Don't use him if there's not another healer on the field -- Lúcio and Mercy are flat out better for that -- or if you're playing on a Control map (Ilios, Lijiang Tower, Nepal). Zenyatta is especially handy when there's an escort objective.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Esports Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
