While the existence of hard counters has been mostly removed, Overwatch 2 is still a game centered around countering your opponents in an elaborate game of chess. Since the dawn of the game’s launch, hitscan characters (Cassidy, Soldier, Widowmaker) have countered Pharah, Genji has countered Bastion, and Wrecking Ball…we don’t talk about Wrecking Ball. One tank that has been tearing the meta up since Overwatch 2’s launch is none other than our favorite Russian bodybuilder. Here’s how to counter Zarya in Overwatch 2.
How to Best Deal With Zarya in Overwatch 2
Before we give exact counters, we first need to understand Zarya’s inherent weaknesses. Her bubbles are her main form of sustain, providing herself and her teammates with a little protection on the fly. She only gets two bubbles though, so once those are burned, she’s mostly out of ways to protect herself. Her other weakness exists in her Graviton Surge, which is a powerful ultimate but can be circumvented in several ways.
With those several weaknesses covered, there are a few counters for each role which we’ll go over below:
Tank
- Sigma
- The melody man is incredibly good at dealing with pesky Zarya players. His shield can do well to block her generally poor sustain damage, his Kinetic Grasp can eat a Graviton Surge on command, and his primary fire can be held back somewhat easily against feeding her bubbles. His Gravitic Flux struggles against bubbles, though the rest of his kit more than makes up for it.
- Ramattra
- The newest tank to the roster has the ability to pierce Zarya bubbles with his Nemesis form, which can be a great way to handle good bubbles protecting her team. Bubbles do counter some of his abilities, but he isn’t the worst choice.
Damage
- Sombra
- The ability to deny bubbles with Hack can be a valuable tool, as it severely dampens Zarya’s survivability. Quick escapes also make for an easy way to both get in and get out with said hacks. She’s a massive benefit to her team against Zarya.
- Reaper
- His ability to melt a bubble quickly, followed up by a quick kill on the bubbled target, severely negates Zarya’s key selling point. A patient Reaper can also use Wraith Form while they wait for the bubble to deplete, should they wish.
Support
- Baptiste
- Immortality Field is a direct counter to Graviton Surge, so provided you’re patient, your burst healing combined with the Field can end any sort of ult plans the enemy team had in mind.
- Lucio
- Similar to Baptiste, Sound Barrier and speed boost are more than enough to stop any plans for a big Graviton Surge play.
- Zenyatta
- While suffering from the weakness of an Ana Biotic Grenade, a well-timed Transcendence can give more than enough healing against any ult combo’d with Graviton Surge.
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While Zarya is still an oppressive tank, you have more than enough options to handle whatever she throws at you. With some well-timed abilities and plays, a Zarya can be felled. That, and her teammates should fall soon after.
