5 best Overwatch 2 heroes to duo with Zarya

Zarya in Overwatch 2 is a unique tank character who can provide personal shields to allies and absorb incoming damage to boost her damage output. This makes her one of the strongest frontliners, as she thrives in chaotic environments by taking in all the damage and dumping it on the enemy team. Her ability kit is quite simple and revolves around shield play. However, it can be a difficult hero to master since you need to have a lot of game sense and map awareness to maximize the shield's damage-absorbing feature.

Zarya in Overwatch 2 was one of the tanks who gained popularity quite slowly as the community figured out her true potential. This tank can simply pop her shield on herself and take the fight to the opponents whenever the cooldown is over. This makes it difficult to have fair fights, as trying to damage her will only hurt the enemies more. You can secure a lot of map control with her shields, but it is important to note that the shields are temporary and last for only a few seconds.

This article will highlight the most effective heroes to pair up with Zarya in Overwatch 2.

Editor’s note: The contents of this article are subjective and solely feature the writer's own opinion. Furthermore, the article has been updated to feature the latest information in accordance with the balance patch deployed by Blizzard Entertainment on February 18, 2025.

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5 best heroes to duo with Zarya in Overwatch 2

Zarya’s primary role is to protect her teammates with her barrier utility, which helps weaken damage from the enemy. She has two barrier charges: one she can use to protect herself and the other for her teammates. Damage taken by these barriers converts into energy that increases the power of her main weapon, the Particle Cannon.

Don't underestimate Zarya as a mere protector; she can deal a ton of damage herself with her aggressive weapons. The Particle Cannon allows her to shoot short-ranged beams and projectiles at a longer range. Her ultimate skill, the Graviton Surge, also fires a projectile that creates a well of energy where enemies get pulled, disrupting their mobility.

Pairing Zarya with heroes that can combine or work around each other’s abilities is one of the best strategies to be carried out in the game. To increase your win rate with Zarya, here are the top five heroes to pick:

1) Reinhardt

Overwatch 2 - Reinhardt (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

When Zarya decides to be the damage dealer, who will be her protector? Reinhardt’s large health pool and shield allow him to create space for Zarya to move in and deal damage with her particle cannon. Plus, if Reinhardt decides to use his Charge skill to rush forward to grab the opponent himself, Zarya can use her Projected Barrier to protect him.

Zarya and Reinhardt make a classic duo that has been effective since the early days of Overwatch. Shooting Zarya’s Graviton Surge to pull enemies and then using Reinhardt’s Earthshatter to deal damage to the opponents held in place is another strategy you can use.

2) Doomfist

Doomfist is a hero that Zarya can work closely with. He is a high-mobility hero who can dive into the enemy team and deal massive damage.

Doomfist's Rocket Punch skill makes him launch forward to punch the enemy in front of him, while Seismic Slam makes him leap forward to smash the ground. Meteor Strike allows him to jump into the sky and crash on the ground with a great deal of damage to the enemies surrounding him.

Doomfist’s skills put him at great risk as he is forced to have a face-to-face with his opponents unprotected. Zarya's bubbles can protect Doomfist as he dives in. Meanwhile, his quick kills can help charge up Zarya's ultimate quickly.

3) Genji

Overwatch 2 - Genji (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Genji is a highly mobile hero. His double jump, wall scales, and ability to bolt forward before attacking allow him to quickly flank and take out enemies from behind. At the frontline, Zarya will be able to distract the enemies. She can charge directly at opponents and bubble Genji as he dives in to help him survive while he deals damage.

Zarya's Graviton Surge can also combo with Genji's Dragonblade ultimate for devastating team wipes. As enemies are temporarily immobilized, Genji’s katana can finish them all up.

4) Tracer

Overwatch 2 - Tracer (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

With her Blink skill, which makes her teleport, and Recall skill, which allows her to go back a few seconds in time, Tracer is another highly mobile hero that is perfect for Zarya’s Projected Barrier.

Tracer can quickly move in and out of combat. Meanwhile, Zarya's bubbles can help protect the shifty hero as she rushes in and out of the enemy team.

Zarya’s Graviton Surge can be used to set up Tracer's Pulse Bomb ultimate. The duo must carefully time their attack. When Tracer’s Pulse Bomb successfully attaches itself to an enemy, Zarya can shoot her gravity well to pull the enemy with the attached bomb along with its teammates and have the bomb explode on more than one opponent.

5) Pharah

Overwatch 2 - Pharah (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

The “Queen of the Skies” in Overwatch 2 truly embodies her title as her skills help her stay on her throne. Pharah is a high-damage hero who can fly and shoot rockets from the air. As she hovers in the sky and rains down rockets on the enemy team, Zarya's bubbles can protect her.

Zarya’s Graviton Surge can also be used to pull enemies together to take the best out of Pharah's ultimate, Barrage. From the name itself, Pharah releases a barrage of rockets. With enemies immobilized due to Zarya’s ultimate, rockets will surely be the last thing they’ll see before they respawn.

Zarya in Overwatch 2 occupies a floating role during the match as she needs to absorb damage, deal damage, and then retreat to receive healing and wait for abilities to reactivate. By repeating this process, you can take up a lot of space on the map and covet the match objective with a healthy lead. However, it is important to be wary of the enemy's intent for team fights and be ready with a shield and the ultimate ability.

Zarya's ultimate can temporarily disorient enemies in a limited range by limiting their ability to move freely. You can use this to isolate fights and score a few easy eliminations with the help of your team.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh