Once a member of the Shambali Order of enlightened omnics, Zenyatta is a travelling monk who looks to spread peace through interpersonal connection. Believing that every being can be elevated to a higher understanding of self, he values taking to the streets and actively engaging wayward souls. Genji is probably his biggest success story and personal proof that his journey is necessary.
On the battlefield, Zenyatta is a lethal support who uses his orbs to gradually heal allies and make enemies more susceptible to damage. He doesn’t heal as well as Lucio or Mercy, but he is definitely the most deadly character in the class.
Abilities
Zenyatta’s floating prayer beads are made up of individual Orbs of Destruction, which he launches at opponents one at a time at a slower rate of fire than your average gun. That said, each projectile hurts, doing damage similar to the lower-end attacks of more dangerous characters (like McCree). They move slower that other projectiles, but an accurate Zenyatta that can land all of their shots is going to be very surprised by the kind of damage output they can produce. This doesn’t include the incredible damage his secondary charged shot can produce. Fully charged, his volley of shots can take down almost anyone caught unaware.
This is all before throwing an Orb of Discord on a target. This debuff greatly increases the damage a target takes from all sources, putting a giant target on any given hero’s back. Orb of Discord has no cooldown, so it can be thrown and re-thrown at will. The effect will end when Zenyatta dies, when the target dies, if Zenyatta loses line of sight of the target for more than three seconds, or if a Zarya barrier is put on the affected target.
The Orb of Harmony works mostly the same way, but on allies. Instead of lowering their defenses, it heals them slowly over time. The same rules apply as far as keeping the effect on targets – line of sight has to be maintained, and the effect ends if either the ally or Zenyatta die.
Zenyatta’s Ultimate ability, Transcendence, is really the only time the monk becomes truly “defensive”. A bright halo surrounds Zenyatta, making him invincible for a short time and also healing all allies in his vicinity rapidly. He cannot attack during his ult, but he can move around as normal. This is perfect for giving your group a second wind when an assault on an objective is turning south, or when they need to make that final push with the payload.
Tips
- Zenyatta is very, very easy to kill because of how little life he has. A well placed head shot from Widowmaker or Hanzo is really all it takes. That said, most of Zenyatta’s health is comprised of a rechargeable shield, so be ready to duck behind cover for a few seconds to recharge, as it’s the only real way you’ll be healing yourself.
- Both Harmony and Discord Orbs should always be deployed. With no cooldowns, decent ranges, and ease of use, there’s no need to “save” them. This is especially relevant for Discord Orbs, as there’s definitely a psychological aspect of snapping one onto an enemy. They know they’re being hunted and may play more defensively, and now the other five guys on your team have a new target.
- Zenyatta is a combat-oriented support and really shouldn’t replace the role of a general healer in your squad. He is perfect along side characters with healing or that can otherwise create survivabilty like Bastion, 76, Roadhog, Torbjorn, or Symmetra.
- Tanks make great targets for Discord Orbs, because it helps shred through their big bodies faster.
- Zenyatta has no means of movement outside of normal walking, so he will almost always be the most vulnerable member of your group. Zens should stay at the back of the group or near tanks like Reinhardt or Zarya, who can defend him if necessary.
- Zen can’t be damaged during Transcendence, but he can targeted and moved. So a Roadhog could still Chain Hook him away from his party, leaving them without his healing aura.
- Zen will have a very hard time against enemies with high burst damage like Reaper or Genji because he won’t survive much more than one blast. Characters with weapons that don’t need to establish targets like Winston or Symmetra will give Zen trouble as well, as he has no escape.
If you’re looking to experience more tranquility, or would like to spread to enlightenment to others, come to the our Overwatch Wiki! Let us know how your Overwatch experience is going on Twitter and Facebook.