Many original heroes have changed in Overwatch, but Zenyatta is undoubtedly one of those who received the least adjustments. Players are now debating whether he should receive some attention from the developer.
An Overwatch 2 player voiced their disagreement with recent posts where players claimed Zenyatta had become overpowered and should be nerfed, in a Reddit thread from April 25.
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“Main problem seems to be the discord orb,” the author wrote. “Tanks are much more powerful now and killing them is important, and there are less teammates that need heals at the same time, both of his orbs have much more value.”
The player explained they understood why fans were asking for a nerf now despite him not receiving changes since the release of Overwatch 2 on Oct. 4, but argued fans greatly overreacted.
Zenyatta didn’t receive many changes with the license’s new title, and that hasn’t changed since its release. He gained support’s passive, which regenerates his health over time, while his shield was reduced. He still uses the same Harmony and Discord Orbs as main abilities, similar to his release.
While the Harmony Orb progressively heals the ally it’s attached to, the Discord Orb increases damage received from the opponents attached by 25 percent. Zenyatta doesn’t need to aim with precision to attach the orbs, which makes them easy to use.
Still, players’ opinions differed in the thread’s comments. Many pointed out Zenyatta wasn’t that easy to play because he has no mobility and was very squishy, which makes him vulnerable to flanking and still balanced overall.
” ‘Just camp in the back’. I never play Zen, because I hate having to deal with Sombra, monkey, Tracer, etc,” wrote the highest-voted comment. “He’s a great hero but very vulnerable. I find him balanced, occasionally extremely annoying to play against but that’s true of any hero well played.”
On the other side, others argued the meta was making the hero more powerful and the developer should hit him with the nerf hammer soon. “I wouldn’t mind if there was a little less strength on Discord on tanks,” wrote another user.
In professional play, Zenyatta has yet to return to the forefront of Overwatch 2‘s meta. In the Overwatch League’s 2023 first series, he was only picked by specific players who usually play him often or in specific strategic areas like Havana and some parts in other Escort maps. He was also picked several times by Toronto Defiant’s Sirmajed but was mostly overshadowed by other supports otherwise.
