Through the Eyes of the Healer: Zenyatta

Zenyatta is one of the more difficult healing supports to master in Overwatch. Players must understand positioning and timing to better help the team in fights. By seeing through the eyes of the healer, this Zenyatta guide will help players learn how to properly play the omnic.

Zenyatta Guide

Years after the Omnic Crisis, a group of outcast omnics abandoned their previous lives in light of a spiritual awakening. Tekhartha Zenyatta was one such omnic. Choosing to leave his brethren who wished to teach the world, Zenyatta chose a nomadic lifestyle to learn more about the world around him.

Best used on the offense, Zenyatta helps deal extra damage during team fights. He also can quickly provide heals for slow regeneration to heroes with smaller health pools who want to dive the enemies.

Discordance

Discord orb is likely the most critical component of Zenyatta’s kit. The orb adds 30 percent damage dealt to the attached enemy. When and who to attach the orb to is the first step in understanding how to use Discord.

Discord is best used on heroes with 200 health or less since the extra damage will definitely kill them once the team turns on them. The next priority is the character giving the team the most trouble i.e. Roadhogs displacing healers or a Phar-Mercy raining down too much justice. The third priority is the closest target to Zenyatta, preferably with the most health. Zenyatta is not too strong in a 1v1 situation because of his projectile ammunition.

Communication is key to using Discord as well. Zenyatta players should call out who they drop the orb on and who it should be on during a team fight.

Positioning as Zenyatta

Unlike other healers, Zenyatta is not very mobile. He holds average movement speed but because he cannot dodge around, flanking enemies easily take him out. Players must be vigilant in knowing where safety is whether it’s a teammate, health pack or hiding spot.

As a backline ranged hero, Zenyatta gains the biggest advantage when in locations with many viewpoints. His primary and secondary fire has no damage drop off with distance. That means mastering his weapon makes for easy kills on snipers and other DPS heroes. Tanks and backline heroes will become his best friend, giving the healer a sense of safety while also taking advantage of pressuring flanking enemies.

Team Synergy

Zenyatta synergizes well with dive compositions. For example, Genji is an excellent candidate to throw a healing (Harmony) orb onto and a Discord Orb onto the first target seen. This creates a numbers advantage in the coming team fight.

Ana is another great hero to play with on offense. When Nanoboost is in play, the nano’d player can instantly kill whoever has Discord Orb. A nano’d Sigma ult with Discord on Mercy or another squishy hero guarantees a kill upon slamming into the earth.

Transcendence

Players need game awareness when thinking about Zenyatta’s ultimate. If the team fight is nearly lost, Transcendence will not help win it back. Using it for any ultimate counter can be deadly when facing another ultimate. It’s best used against a nano’d Genji Dragonblade but can also be held for Sigma or Zarya ultimates to protect the team.

Transcendence is great for entering team fights. Although this should be more of a last-ditch effort for when the team needs to get into the objective. Ideally, defensive plays use Transcendence the best. Players must also be wary of when an enemy Ana has used Biotic Grenade because it can instantly negate any and all of Zenyatta’s ultimate.

Timing is key, making the difference between winning and losing a team fight with Zenyatta. Players need to watch their positioning, use Discord and Harmony Orbs and know when Transcendence is best used. Once mastered, Zenyatta can be one of the best supports and a high damage hero to guide teams to victory.

Interested in more Overwatch tips? Play through the eyes of the tank, healer, and DPS as heroes like Junkrat, Moira, Widowmaker, Mercy, Roadhog, and Reinhardt.