Overwatch 2 players have discovered a hidden change in the latest patch that makes Zarya even more powerful following her new buffs.
The September 7 Overwatch 2 patch featured quite a few updates that nerfed Orisa and the entire support roster, while also providing Zarya with some pretty significant buffs.
As part of the patch, Zarya’s friendly Projected Barrier had its cooldown reduced, its size increased and its health taken up from 200 to 225.
Interestingly, because of the increased HP of the Barrier, Zarya benefits in another way. When her Barriers take damage, she gains charge. However, with her Barrier now able to withstand more punishment, her DPS rises.
Zarya gets “significant” DPS buff hidden in new Overwatch 2 patch
As demonstrated by users on Reddit, Zarya can now gain a maximum of 45 charge with a single use of her Projected Barrier.
This means that Zarya will be able to gain a lot more energy and deal a ton more damage, building her ultimate faster in the process.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
It should be noted that Hero Designer Alec Dawson had to clarify on Twitter that this only applies to the Barrier Zarya uses on allies and not her own personal one. Still, when applied at the right time, she can get a lot of charge.
Just for clarification's sake, this change is only to Zarya's Projected Barrier (the one she uses on allies). Her Particle Barrier (the one she uses on herself) still is at 200 Health, cooldown of 10s, and original size. pic.twitter.com/PbSqzp2D3u
— Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) September 7, 2023
“Surprised this wasn’t in the patch notes. It was the first thing that my chat was asking me about and I just assumed the answer was no. This is a significant buff,” commented Coach Spilo.
“Hopefully this is a bug because the cooldown buff is crazy enough,” remarked another user.
These changes could end up resulting in a Zarya meta, especially with the Russian hero countering the previous strongest tank, Orisa, who just received nerfs to her Fortify ability.
Only time will tell if these changes are healthy for the game or if the devs revert them in Season 7 along with the long-awaited Roadhog and Sombra reworks.