It is safe to say that Zenyatta is one of the most popular support heroes in Overwatch among professional players. Zenyatta brings a lot to the table, making it useful in many situations. Find out how in our Zenyatta Guide.

Unfortunately, Zenyatta is not the easiest hero to master. In fact, many players claim it is one of the hardest supports in the game. Zenyatta has just 50 health but also has 150 shields, which means the hero has a total health pool of 200.

There are many other exciting things about Zenyatta, so let’s learn some of them. We will start by sharing more information about Zenyatta’s abilities.

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Orb of Destruction

The first thing that you will notice once you pick Zenyatta is his primary fire. Also known as Orb of Destruction, using your mouse’s left click will allow him to shoot one orb, which deals 48 damage. This mode gives Zenyatta a fire rate of 2.5 shots per second and a 90 meters per second projectile speed.

Although some people prefer to use this fire mode, others are more interested in the second option. Once you press and hold your mouse’s right-click button, Zenyatta will “collect” a couple of orbs and fire them at a given location. Landing a direct hit will deal 240 damage per volley.

If you decide to use the secondary fire mode, you will charge 1 orb per 0.52 seconds. In both cases, this option has a 1.5-second reload time.

Orb of Harmony

Besides dealing damage, Zenyatta has several other abilities that make him stand out. The first one is called Orb of Harmony and it heals her allies for 30 HP per second. When used, Zenyatta casts an orb that stays over the shoulder of an ally. For that hero to receive the healing, Zenyatta needs to maintain the line of sight.

The Orb of Harmony lasts for 3 seconds (if Zenyatta loses the LoS), but it can only be used on one ally at a time. In other words, Zenyatta can’t heal multiple teammates using this ability.

Orb of Discord

Unlike the Orb of Harmony, the Orb of Discord allows Zenyatta and the other heroes from the team to deal bonus damage against a given target. The Orb of Discord provides +25% additional damage as long as the Zenyatta can see the opponent. 

Like the Orb of Harmony, this one also lasts for 3 seconds if the target loses the LoS.

Transcendence

This is one of the best ultimates in the game and one reason why Zenyatta is often among the go-to options for professional players. Zenyatta becomes immune to damage and can’t use any abilities when used. However, Zenyatta will heal everyone in a 10 meters radios for 300 HP per second. 

This ultimate lasts 6 seconds, which is usually enough to push and kill at least a couple of opponents. While using Transcendence, Zenyatta is also immune to different abilities, such as Earthshatter and Hack.

There are many situations where you can use Zenyatta’s ultimate and turn fights around. Some people prefer to wait when their opponents use deadly combos so that they can protect their teammates. Even though this might work in some cases, it is better to use the ult whenever you can. For example, you can use your ult to save your tank from dying, even if the enemies haven’t used any big spells yet.

Zenyatta is one hell of a class cannon (ball)

Even though Zenyatta skills don’t seem that impressive on paper, we can assure you that Zenyatta is one of the strongest heroes in the game. Its secondary fire mode can kill almost anyone, including targets with more HP. This means Zenyatta is one of the deadliest heroes in a 1v1 combat and is often really difficult to kill.

With that being said, Zenyatta is also one of the squishiest supports in the game. Zenyatta can die against almost everything that deals more damage. We will list some of the counters later in this article, but let’s just say that everything can kill Zenyatta. As long as it gets close enough or lands a headshot.

Zenyatta’s  Orb of Discord is really powerful, regardless of your heroes’ combo. Some people use it as a free wallhack because they can follow a given opponent through walls, as long as the orb is active. As mentioned above, this effect lasts for 3 seconds if Zenyatta doesn’t have LoS on the target.

While we are on the topic of this orb, we have to mention that it is solid against tanks. Since everyone on Zenyatta’s team can deal 25% more damage, bringing down tanks like Rein or Hog takes just a couple of seconds.

Since Zenyatta is squishy, positioning yourself properly is extremely important. You need to know where to stay and always keep an eye on your surroundings. As mentioned, there are many heroes that can kill you in seconds, so make sure that they can’t get to you. Your positioning should depend on the map, but most people who pick Zenyatta try to stay behind their main tank.

 Counters and interesting matchups

Since Zenyatta is a fantastic support and a deadly hero, almost anyone on the enemy team will want to kill it. Of course, certain heroes are better than others for this task, which is why we will point them out.

Starting with Tracer, this is probably the biggest counter to Zenyatta because of her mobility. Once she gets close (which happens almost instantly), she can kill you in no time. With that being said, you can also land an easy kill, especially if you use your Orb of Discord. Don’t forget that Tracer only has 150 HP.

Genji

Another hero that is good versus Zenyatta is Genji. The cyber ninja is great against any support, and this one is not an exception. Genji doesn’t need his ult to kill Zen in seconds. What’s more, he is one of the most mobile heroes in the game, so escaping from him is easier said than done.