Guide to the Heroes of Overwatch: Zarya

Article by , VideoGamesTricks.com

Real name: Aleksandra Zaryanova

Age: 28

Profession: soldier

Base of Operations: Krasnoyarsk front, Russia

Affiliation: Russian Defense Forces

Health points: 400

Skills and key points

Zarya is a rather difficult tank to master, a potentially devastating character who can easily change the fate of a confrontation. This hero has absolutely unique characteristics and can be considered as a curious mix between a tank and a support. Unlike D.Va and Winston, he doesn't focus everything on mobility, he doesn't have the excellent offensive skills of Roadhog but defensively he can certainly make the difference. His super is deadly in combination with the skills of other heroes although of course it takes coordination and teamwork to bring home four or five kills at once. Zarya is very competitive and in the future Blizzard might even think about smoothing out some of his main weaknesses, but let's go in order and start, as always, from the various skills:

- Particle Barrier: a very useful skill with big problems. By activating it, the Particle Cannon (the main weapon) can emit a personal barrier that protects Zarya, redirecting the energy of the attacks suffered to increase the offensive potential of the weapon and the width of its range. This seemingly strong capability has two major flaws: durability and cooldown. The time the barrier remains active is only two seconds, so you must carefully consider when to use it to save yourself at the last moment and to gain more firepower. The recovery time is very heavy (10 seconds), so you can't abuse the barrier and this makes it even more difficult.

The ideal is to take advantage of this ability in close combat or just before charging in, you'll only get a few seconds of protection but they could save your life...

- Defensive Projection: Activating this ability Zarya protects one of his allies with an energy barrier that absorbs the enemy's shots and simultaneously enhances his Particle Cannon. The ability is apparently identical to the one just described but don't be fooled: the cooldown is better (8 seconds) and you can absorb more damage. Our advice is to use defensive protection as much as possible, maybe waiting until the allies are already under enemy fire so as not to waste it. Unfortunately the duration is not better than the particle barrier (2 seconds) so even in this case you have to calculate the time well.

- Graviton bomb (super): Zarya's ultimate is simply deadly, a move that allows you to wipe out the entire opposing team by working together with your allies. What does it consist of? Simple: by activating it Zarya throws a gravitational bomb that attracts enemies, damaging them while they are trapped. The range of the bomb is not exactly the maximum but in certain situations you can really make disasters (do not forget that enemies are not completely blocked and still have the ability to exploit their skills). Communication in this case is crucial, if possible make sure one of your allies has the super ready and is nearby. Warning: never fire the graviton bomb at a barrier, rather aim it at the ground.

Armament and conclusions

Zarya uses a particle cannon and is the only hero able to increase the damage inflicted by the damage suffered and absorbed by the barriers. The range is not exactly the maximum, but there are two modes of fire that make this weapon very versatile: the first allows you to shoot a useful range over a short distance (at least initially), while the second launches loaded with energy capable of inflicting damage to area (the range in this case is better and does not require great accuracy). Let's make a couple of clarifications: the charges are excellent against nearby enemies but don't forget that Zarya also suffers damage from explosions so act accordingly; don't tire of aiming at the head with the particle cannon, the damage is identical so try to hit the big target directly.

Zarya is a good tank but its life points are not the best, so it would be always better to have another stronger tank or a support (like Mercy) able to treat it constantly. We're talking about a hero who can give the best in defensive situations, but also offensively can be decisive thanks to a very good super and his support skills. Beware of the usual Bastion (a nightmare for tanks) and the various snipers (you're a really easy target). You are certainly advantaged against mobile heroes like Genji or Tracer, if they get too close just activate the barrier and fill them with shots.