How to master Zarya in Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 has finally arrived, bringing new modes, maps, and heroes for the shooter title. It also changed the game to 5v5, with one tank assigned to each team, shifting the meta. While the strategies may differ, Zarya, a tank hero in Overwatch 2 who can deal a ton of damage after mitigating incoming attacks, remains a formidable foe.

Zarya is a tank hero who uses her barriers to reduce damage and boost the power of her primary weapon, the Particle Cannon in Overwatch 2. It can fire projectiles with a longer range or a short-ranged beam. Zarya possesses two barrier charges that she can distribute to teammates or herself.

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A guide to mastering Zarya in Overwatch 2

Her barriers' damage is converted into energy, which increases the Particle Cannon's damage output. Her ultimate ability is the Graviton Surge, which fires a projectile that creates a gravity well, drawing enemies in and preventing them from leaving.

Zarya's basic attack's secondary fire launches a small energy grenade that deals damage in a specific area. Using this near herself, like other explosives in the game, can cause her damage and knock her back slightly. She can, however, take advantage of this.

If players use secondary fire beneath themselves as they jump, they can gain extra air, allowing them to reach higher areas. On some maps in Overwatch 2, this can be used to climb over walls or reach higher vantage points.

Furthermore, Zarya's primary fire deals significantly more damage per second than her secondary fire, but she must be more precise when using it. Although the beam's size grows with Energy, she'll still need to track enemies accurately to deal damage with it. Her primary fire will deal far more damage with a full clip of ammo against large or stationary targets than four shots of her secondary fire.

Zarya's protective Particle Barriers are her most valuable asset, and she must always keep an eye on them. Both of her protective barriers have a cooldown, so players must carefully choose which one to use at any given time. They should usually use her personal barrier because it allows them to have more precise control over how much damage she takes and thus how much energy she absorbs.

In some cases, she may want to save a barrier charge for an ally who is using their Ultimate. Heroes such as Soldier: 76, Genji, Pharah, and Cassidy can be saved by a well-timed barrier during their Ultimate. Communicate with the team to determine when the allies will use their Ultimates and keep a Projected Barrier on hand for these occasions.

Furthermore, both barriers can be used to remove negative effects such as anti-heal or slow. Players can use Zarya's barriers to escape or assist allies from Mei's Ultimate, remove an enemy Ana's anti-heal, or protect a teammate from Tracer's Pulse Bomb.

Graviton Surge, Zarya's Ultimate, is one of the most powerful Ultimates in the game, but it must be coordinated with another player to be fully effective. Most damage heroes will benefit from the enemy team being trapped inside Graviton Surge, so coordinate with teammates when the Ultimate is ready to fire.

Furthermore, exercise extreme caution when launching the Ultimate in Overwatch 2. Graviton Surge fires a projectile, which can be absorbed by abilities such as D.Va's Defense Matrix or avoided by Genji. When fighting D.Va, use the Ultimate behind her after she's been knocked out of her mech, or when certain she's not using Defense Matrix.