Some Overwatch 2 heroes can cause significant trouble, and Zarya is definitely one of them. Currently, this Russian tank hero is more vital than ever with two charges for her bubble shields which give her more flexibility and opportunities to charge up her beam.
She’s tough, but she isn’t invincible. Here is how to counter Zarya in Overwatch 2.
All Zarya abilities in Overwatch 2
To counter Zarya, you have to understand how she works first. Luckily, Zarya’s kit is relatively easy to understand. Her main weapon is a Particle Cannon with two different fire types. With said Particle Cannon, she can also create bubble shields for herself and her teammates.
The complexity in Zarya stems from her shields and how they affect her Particle Cannon’s power. Whenever enemies damage one of Zarya’s bubbles, her Particle Cannon gains charge which, in turn, increases its damage. You’ll probably notice Zarya players doing their best to soak up damage with their shields in order to build up a charge to have more DPS during fights.
How to counter Zarya in Overwatch 2
The best way to combat a Zarya is with coordinated focus fire. The philosophy is that her charge can’t be dangerous if her health is zero. Additionally, if she bubbles an ally, focus fire will remove the bubbled target since the bubble only adds 200 more health for your team to chew through. That’s easier said than done, and that’s why coordinating with your team is of the utmost importance, no matter how you plan on stopping a Zarya.
Because of how Zarya’s bubbles interact with her damage throughput, some players in the middle and low ranks of the competitive ladder suggest not shooting at Zarya’s bubbles at all.
While that strategy is well-intentioned, many current and former professional players will tell you that avoiding shooting at Zarya bubbles is not the way to stop her. With bubbles lasting two seconds and Zarya being able to produce two every 10 seconds, anyone avoiding a Zarya with a shield on her will effectively allow her to do whatever she pleases for about half the game.
I’m not saying you should go out of your way to break Zarya’s bubbles when she’s clearly just trying to build up some charge, but actively avoiding any target just because they are bubbled can, and likely will, come back to bite you.
While focusing large amounts of fire on a bubbled Zarya or a Zarya-bubbled enemy can solve your Russian tank problem, things can get pretty messy if you don’t actually eliminate your target. A Zarya with a highly charged Particle Cannon is the last thing you want. As with all things in Overwatch 2, working with your team is vital.
DPS heroes to counter Zarya
As a DPS hero, coordinating with your squad and tackling Zarya is an option. However, simply taking out the rest of her team is another valid choice. Both options require a high damage output and mobility, so here are the DPS heroes best suited for the job.
Hanzo
While it depends on your team’s overall configuration, Hanzo can be a strong pick against Zarya. Hanzo can be a bit more situational, so don’t choose him for the sole purpose of countering Zarya if you’re not comfortable with the enemy composition. Hanzo’s double jump and wall-climbing can help him out-maneuver Zarya, but there are high-mobility DPS characters such as Genji and Tracer that can give him some trouble.
Still, Hanzo is very efficient against Zarya, thanks to his Storm Arrows ability. He can deal a ton of damage to her by using it once she’s used up both shields.
Hanzo’s ultimate, Dragonstrike, is also incredibly powerful against her if she doesn’t have a shield. Be careful though, because if she does, she’s likely to gain a max charge pretty quickly.
Widowmaker
Widowmaker can deal massive amounts of damage from range, much like Hanzo, and Zarya’s lack of a larger shield can make it challenging to keep her teammates safe from the sniper.
Widowmaker isn’t necessarily meant to stop Zarya herself. Instead, she is excellent at exploiting Zarya’s limited shielding by picking off the tank’s teammates. Widowmaker is also extremely good at keeping distance from Zarya who and can’t contest Widowmaker the way a Winston or D.Va could.
Cassidy
In general,hHitscan DPS heroes, are efficient counters to Zarya. Since she has so much uptime on her shield with the changes brought by Overwatch 2, it’s better to be able to deal damage fast instead launching slower projectiles her way.
Soldier: 76 and Sojourn are also decent heroes to counter her for this reason, but Cassidy is the strongest choice of the three. Thanks to his modified grenade, he can deal a high amount of damage in a short time.
Despite nerfs to Cassidy’s magnetic grenade, it’s still relatively strong. It’s a great tool in chipping away some of Zayra’s health as your teammates dogpile her. When Zarya has used both shields, Cassidy can stick a grenade on her, roll away, and land some shots (ideally, headshots) to eliminate the tank.
Tracer
Though Tracer isn’t necessarily a hard counter to Zarya, her speed and presence as a flanker can be difficult for a medium-skill Zarya to deal with. Tracer is among the most prolific DPS heroes in the game. In the right hands, she can pop in and out of an enemy team, picking off squishy targets.
This can help you force Zarya to panic and use her bubble on allies to potentially limit how much charge and utility she gets out of those bubbles. In a perfect situation, Tracer can potentially force Zarya to use bubbles on teammates that don’t lead to charge and then quickly focus fire on a target once Zarya’s bubbles are on cooldown.
Ashe
Ashe, as a hitscan, can damage a Zarya from a safe distance. Not only can she damage an un-bubbled Zarya, but she can also eliminate the support around her. As a tank, Zarya needs her support as much as the next hero. Ashe can take them out with just a few well-placed shots. Whittling her support can do significant damage to Zarya.
There’s one thing you ought to be aware of when playing against a Zarya as Ashe: Zarya’s bubble shields can cleanse Zarya and her allies of Ashe’s dynamite-inflicted fire. So, don’t throw your dynamite without paying attention to whether or not Zarya’s bubbles are on cooldown.
With her dynamite and a few headshots, Ashe can do wonders against an opposing Zarya. She also allows you to keep your distance, which will help when your teammates accidentally build up her passive. As mentioned above, however, your ultimate goal as Ashe should be eliminating Zarya’s support.
Tank heroes to counter Zarya
Like with DPS, coordinating with your squad and tackling Zarya as a squad is an option, but targeting the rest of her team is another option. Both require high damage outputs, but Winston is the only viable option: target her heals.
Winston
You do not want to counter Zarya one-on-one as a Winston: You have a different playstyle. It would be best if you were focusing on high and aggressive DPS. Again, cutting off Zarya’s support is critical. You want to jump in and out of her back line, getting rid of her support individually.
Play in and out of her bubble and leap out of focus, making it hard for Zarya to beam you down.
Zarya is a great D.Va counter because Zarya’s shield can block D.Va’s Ult Damage, and D.Va cannot block Zarya’s Energy Beam.
Support heroes to counter Zarya
Zenyatta
Zenyatta is the most potent support hero against most tanks, thanks to his Orb of Discord. If he focuses her primarily with his orb, he can debuff her every time she isn’t protected by her shield, which makes her take more damage from enemies.
As a Zenyatta main, I don’t like to play against Zarya because her bubbles remove the Orb of Discord debuff. Still, the slight inconvenience of re-applying the debuff doesn’t make him unplayable against her. If anything, it emphasizes the uptime you get when Zarya’s bubbles are on cooldown.
In addition, his ultimate is perfect for protecting his allies against Zarya’s Graviton Surge, topping them off in a flash against a barrage.
Moira
As Moira, keep your distance and focus damage orbs Zarya’s way. Moira is forcing Zarya to waste a bubble to absorb minimal bubble charge or engage in battle with less HP. This means you are pressuring her and making her depend heavily on her support.
Since Zarya is not the tankiest of tanks, and if she starts a fight with less health she can be in trouble. Also, wasting an extra bubble to absorb little to no charge is a poor move. Therefore, playing against Moira, Zarya’s choice is to either endure the annoyance and rely on support or switch off entirely.
