Whilst this clandestine monk is often considered one of the weaker heroes of Overwatch (and most certainly the squishiest), Zenyatta has the potential to be a force of destruction, melting dangerous enemy tanks with ease while providing relief to your team. The over-arching principle of Zenyatta is to remain safe behind the protection of your team, providing support for them and wreaking havoc on the enemy team. It is also important to understand that Zenyatta functions extremely well in an organized, communicating team that will provide you with the protection you need. It may often be futile to use Zenyatta as a support when solo-queuing, although he can function incredibly well alongside a Lucio or Mercy as a more damage focused support!

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A Basic Overview - Pros and Cons:

+ High Damage Potential.
+ Extremely powerful debuff that increases the target's damage taken.
+ High AOE healing from his potentially game-changing ultimate.
+ Viable on both attack and defense.
+ Only character without footsteps, making him more difficult to hear at close ranges.
+ Ability to regenerate 2/3 of his health without the need for Health Packs.

- Incredibly low health with a large model, therefore an easy target.
- Low movement speed and no escape mechanism, impairing ability to get in and out of combat.
- Orbs of Discord and Harmony will be removed from the target after 3 seconds without line of sight.

ZENYATTA'S ABILITIES

Orbs of Destruction (Primary and Secondary Fire)

Zenyatta's primary fire (LMB or console equivalent) shoots damaging Orbs of Destruction in a single-fire mode, each orb dealing 45 damage, with an ammo capacity of 20. This is highly effective at all ranges due to a lack of damage drop-off, however the orbs do have a noticeable travel speed. This is something that one can adjust to with time, and simply requires a slight amount of 'leading' each shot at long ranges.

Holding down Zenyatta's alternate fire (RMB or console equivalent) will charge a volley of his Orbs. As it is held down, the number of orbs increases up to 5, which are released after 2.5 seconds. Each orb here does 35 damage; this means that the alternate fire is worth using only after charging up. It is best to use these orbs on stationary targets and targets you can guarantee a direct hit on. Some of these include:

• Bastion.
• Torbjorn Turrets.
• Pharah using Barrage (causing Pharah to waste her ultimate is paramount).
• McCree using Deadeye.
• Mei, just as she thaws from Cryo-Freeze.
• Reinhardt's shield (if your team is also focusing fire towards it).
• Opponents coming through openings whilst Widowmaker's Infrasight or Hanzo's Sonic Arrow are active. A flanking Reaper, McCree or Tracer could be quite easily taken out or weakened through this, preventing possible multiple deaths for your team.

Orb of Harmony

This ability, activated with LShift (or console equivalent) is Zenyatta's heal. This can be placed on teammates in your line of sight, healing them for 30 health per second until the orb is removed. This will happen if:

- The teammate dies
- The target moves out of Zenyatta's line of sight for more than 3 seconds
- Zenyatta places the Orb of Harmony on a different ally
- Zenyatta dies

The heal itself is lower than Mercy's Caduceus Staff and Lucio's 'Amped Up' Crossfade, however Zenyatta makes up for the lower rate of healing with the ability to deal high levels of damage at the same time, thus supporting your team in two ways simultaneously, more so than Lucio or Mercy could be capable of.

One of the most important aspects of playing Zenyatta is managing this ability and assessing who requires it the most; although this guide will be as comprehensive as possible, there are not many rigid 'rules' in place for how to use this ability. This is completely contextual, and with time and practice it will become clearer as to how you should be using it. Regardless, here are some basic guidelines:

• Tanks can benefit surprisingly well from the Orb of Harmony, especially if they are the focus of the enemy team.
• Teammates with a reliable heal such as Soldier 76 or Roadhog should not be your priorities, unless their cooldowns are up and they are in a sticky situation.
• If a teammate is low on health, but moving towards a health pack and is out of enemy fire, it is better to use the orb on someone being focused by enemies.
• Highly mobile teammates may certainly benefit from your healing, however it will often be difficult to keep line of sight on them, and as they are able to move quickly towards health packs, it may be beneficial to heal a teammate in combat, especially if they have no form of self-healing.
• Teammates with shields can often be considered lower priority if they are not in the thick of combat, as they will be able to passively recharge health.

And most importantly, there will be times where finding line of sight and getting close enough to heal a teammate is incredibly dangerous for you (for example entering 'Capture' points on Assault maps) and you will simply have to hope they survive on their own. Yes, you are a Support, but you should not sacrifice yourself for a lone Tracer or Reaper, especially if you losing the match.

Orb of Discord

This ability, activated with the E button (or console equivalent) is Zenyatta's bread and butter for melting tanks and nuking squishies. It works similarly to the Orb of Harmony, however is used to debuff enemies, making them take 50% more damage from all sources until the Orb is removed. The removal conditions work the same as the Orb of Harmony, and are listed in the previous section. Remember, the Orb cannot be applied through barriers such as Zarya's Particle barriers, Reinhardt's Shield, Winston's Shield, or Mei's Cryo-Freeze.

The Orb will also reveal the location of the targeted enemy to Zenyatta. This is incredibly useful in spotting flanking enemies such as Genji and Tracer (although this information must be relayed to the team) and also knowing when to charge up an Alternate Fire shot to deal devastating damage. This exemplifies the fact that Zenyatta really does require a communicating, organised team.

This ability is useful for melting tanks, but also dealing with squishier enemies with the potential to wreak havoc on your teammates, such as an enemy Pharah or Bastion. Allowing your team to kill these enemies much faster is paramount and can turn the tide of any battle. Some enemies however can easily rid themselves of the Orb, such as Tracer with her Recall, Reaper's Wraith Form, Zarya's barriers and Mei's Cryo-Freeze.

The Discord Orb is incredibly useful against a Roadhog, D.va, Reinhardt (although his shield must be down to apply it), and any other hero that your team can easily aim and fire at. Tracer, although incredibly weak with the Orb applied, can easily dodge enemy fire and remove the Orb with Recall, and is therefore not a prime target for this ability. This also applies to Zarya with her Particle Barriers, making her someone you should always stay away from. In fact, Zenyatta will be most successful when staying away from enemies altogether. Remember this, and Zenyatta will be an invaluable asset to the team.

It is better to place the Discord orb on the biggest threat to yourself and your team. If your teammates are fighting to capture a point, however a dangerous enemy has begun to flank or run towards you, place the Orb of Discord on them and try to kill them as quickly as possible, as your safety is the most important. This ability is also incredibly useful in 1v1 situations, especially against enemies who cannot close a gap between you easily, such as a McCree or Symmetra.

Transcendence

Transcendence, Zenyatta's 'ultimate' ability, renders him invulnerable to damage for 6 seconds, in which he heals all enemies within 10 meters for 100 health per second. It is important to note that teammates must be in your line of sight in order for the healing to apply. This ability can be absolutely game-changing, opening up many more options and possibilities for your team.

Remember: When Transcendence is ready to be used and you're not in a 6-person party, hit that 'Ultimate is Ready' button! This is invaluable knowledge for your team, and can make it easier to co-ordinate pushes without direct vocal communication.

Transcendence's main two uses are to 1) Defend against a strong enemy push or 2) Initiate a push for your own team. If a Reinhardt or Winston charges in with a Pharah or Reaper about to use their Barrage or Death Blossom, Transcendence will likely save your team and hopefully allow you to counter their attack, or survive at the least. It can be easily used to hold a control point for those last few seconds, or prevent the payload being pushed those last few meters. Conversely, Zenyatta can use this ability to initiate a push, allowing a nearby Reaper or Genji to use their ult and pulverize the enemy team with little risk of death. This makes Transcendence one of the most game-changing abilities in the game.

There are other times where Transcendence may be used. Sometimes just to save yourself and a teammate from a Bastion causing you trouble, or potentially a dangerous Soldier 76 or Junkrat. Remember, there are still some ways enemies can disrupt you during its effects. Highly damaging abilities such as Pulse Bomb, Rip-Tire, and Self-Destruct will 'out-damage' the healing from this ability and will therefore kill teammates even if you stay alive. On top of this, Reinhardt and Roadhog can both charge/pull Zenyatta with their Charge and Chain Hook, removing you from the teammates you need to heal. Abilities such as Whole Hog and Primal Rage can also knock you back, doing the same.

There are some more complex uses for this ability, such as 'blocking' line of sight between certain enemies and your teammates. Enemies standing directly behind you cannot be affected by abilities such as Self-Destruct, Deadeye, Rip-Tire, or Whole Hog. Although you can easily get in front of these abilities, keeping your teammates safe in this way will require quick and efficient communication, something not often possible when solo or even duo-queuing.

When Should You Play Zenyatta?

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As previously discussed, Zenyatta's overarching use is as a damaging support in a communicating team, so the first two situations in which he is a good pick are as a second healer, and in a team with 3 or more players communicating together with microphones.

- Zenyatta excels in conjunction with Lucio or Mercy, as he can focus on a heavy damage output while providing healing to those Lucio or Mercy cannot. He synergises well with a Symmetra and Torbjorn on any defense mode, as he can reach 250 HP with their armour and shields. This gives Zenyatta a much higher chance of surviving, and thus a more consistent ability to support your team.

- Some other characters that function well with him are Reinhardt, Reaper, and Genji. Zenyatta can still apply orbs through an allied Reinhardt's shield, and is able to stay safe whilst keeping line of sight to enemies and pelting them with Orbs. Reaper and Genji often take huge risks in order to destroy the enemy team with their ults, and can benefit hugely from Zenyatta's Orb of Harmony or Transcendence when diving into the enemy team.

- If you find your team lacking healing and damage in the middle of the match, switching to Zenyatta can be a good choice. He is also exceptional at countering a tank heavy team with his Orb of Discord, for example a Reinhardt-Winston or Winston-Winston combo. He will also often be too far away for a Roadhog to damage or pull him with the Chain Hook.

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- Reinhardt and any other heroes with no long-range capabilities are also countered well by Zenyatta, making him a good pick against any of these. Unfortunately, if Reinhardt gets close to Zenyatta, or if Roadhog manages to pull him in, you will most likely be dead unless you use Transcendence, so remember, keep your distance!!!

- There are some times when Zenyatta is not necessarily a good pick. He is often very lackluster without protection and communication from his team, and is incredibly threatened by a skilled Widowmaker or Hanzo. At times, switching to a different support (or another class altogether) is simply a better decision. If your team has no tank or the enemy has an exceptionally good Tracer, swapping to a tank you are comfortable playing is definitely the right choice.

- Zarya and Soldier 76 also counter Zenyatta. Zarya's shield negates his Orb of Discord easily, and Soldier 76 can quite easily use Biotic Field to recuperate unless your whole team focuses him. Combining this with Soldier's exceptional medium-range capabilities, he is a huge threat to Zenyatta and, consequently, your team.

Final Notes

Zenyatta is definitely not a hero who can be picked up and played with ease, and nor is he always the best pick for a support, but has huge potential to be a force of good and destruction. This simply requires practice in aiming, positioning, and most importantly, efficient and friendly communication with your team.

Good luck to anyone willing to embark on the Zenyatta journey, and thank you all for reading! If anyone has extra questions, please feel free to ask in the comments or message me at my twitter: @Deathstalk3rr

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