Overwatch 2 Zarya Guide – How To Play & Best Combos

Several tanks saw big changes in Overwatch 2. Zarya wasn't one of them, and she's seeing the benefits of that already.

Some people may disagree, but we believe that Zarya is one of the best tanks in Overwatch 2 right now. She can deal insane damage; she is super hard to kill and can work in all kinds of setups. Zarya’s ultimate allows the hero to shine in numerous situations and can be game-winning.

Even though Zarya is not that hard to play, the hero has a few specifics. In fact, some players may think that she is one of the most demanding tanks in the game, so let’s learn a couple of things about her.

Overview

Like many other Overwatch 2 tank changes, the new game had an effect on Zarya. Fortunately, the hero did not have a barrier in Overwatch, which is why the hero didn’t have to overcome such a loss. Instead, Zarya’s bubbles got even better because they last 2.5s instead of 2s and both bubbles shared a ten-second cooldown.

In addition to the buffs to Projected Barrier, Zarya herself has more HP and base shields than before. She has an increase of 75 more HP and shields to survive even longer.

Aside from these two changes, Zarya’s energy degeneration increased from 1.8 to 2.2 energy per second. Of course, the tank also benefits from the new Overwatch 2 tank passive that grants her knockback resistance.

Tip & tricks – Know When To Use Your Bubbles

Unsurprisingly, the most important thing you should know if you want to learn how to play with Zarya is when to use her bubbles. This ability has a crucial role because it allows her to tank damage and increases the damage she deals with. In other words, failing to use your barriers as you should will hurt your overall performance.

Some people think that they should use their shields on cooldown because this would allow them to absorb more damage. This might be true up to a point; your goal as Zarya is to collect as much energy as possible. In other words, you should try to use the barrier on yourself when you are about to take damage. This will quickly charge your energy, allowing you to rip through your enemies.

One of the best things you can do is wait and take some damage before using your bubble. Doing this will most likely give you a lot more damage to work with because your enemies won’t stop attacking you. Of course, this depends on a variety of factors, such as the map and your opponents.

Tip & tricks – Use your damage to apply pressure

Even though you may not be able to land a lot of kills, your damage can be enough to do tons of pressure. Zarya is one of the few Overwatch 2 tanks with two fire modes. Her left click is usually used in close-range combat and can be a nightmare to play against, especially if you are a tank. As for her right click, the hero can use it to do AoE damage or try to finish a target that is running away.

One of the things you should remember is that Zarya is one of the best all-around damage dealers in Overwatch 2. A fully-charged Zarya can be an unstoppable force, so always keep that in mind when you start pushing.

Aside from using your damage to kill enemies, you can take advantage of your right-click and damage yourself. Besides boosting your energy, you can use it to jump to high ground.

Tip & tricks – Zarya’s ultimate 

Aside from the bubbles and the fact that this is one of the Overwatch 2 heroes with the highest damage output, Zarya is one of the tanks with the best ultimates. Graviton Surge is the best CC ability in Overwatch 2 and an ult that can work with many other heroes. No wonder Zarya is one of the best tanks to have if you play with DPS like Hanzo, Reaper, Genji, etc.

One thing you must remember once you start playing with this hero is that you should not wait to get the perfect ultimate. Everyone wants to catch 5 heroes and kill them, but this is usually impossible. People who know how to play against Zarya won’t stack together, which means that you won’t be able to land big ults.

The thing is that there is no need to do that to be successful. Graviton Surge is powerful against elusive heroes, so using it to kill things like Genji, Sojourn, Tracer, and so on can be worth it. Always think carefully because there are many situations where this ult can do wonders.

Another thing to remember is that this ultimate can prevent other heroes from using theirs. For example, it can stop Genji and his Dragonblade.

Best Zarya Combos

As mentioned earlier, Zarya is one of the tanks in Overwatch 2 that can work with a wide range of heroes. To be fair, her ult allows her to be among the best picks, with everyone with a big AoE ultimate that deals a lot of damage.

Zarya and Hanzo are probably one of the game's most popular and efficient combos. As long as the two can communicate and time their ults, they can kill every hero trapped inside Graviton Surge.

Zarya and Lucio is also a popular combo and it is solid in Overwatch 2. Due to this support’s ability to provide Zarya with movement speed, she can run down all enemies in seconds and kill everyone that stands in her way.