This latest patch brought substantial changes, toning down Orisa's abilities and adjusting the support roles across the board. Meanwhile, Zarya received noteworthy enhancements.
As part of the update, Zarya's friendly Projected Barrier saw its cooldown time shortened, its size increased, and its health raised from 200 to 225.
What's even more intriguing is that due to the increased Barrier durability, Zarya gains an added benefit. When her Barriers absorb damage, she gains charge. With the Barrier now enduring more punishment, her damage output increases.
Zarya Receives a "Significant" DPS Boost in Stealthy Overwatch 2 Update
Reddit users have demonstrated that Zarya can now amass a maximum of 45 charge with a single use of her Projected Barrier. This equates to Zarya being able to accumulate more energy and unleash considerably more damage, consequently accelerating her ultimate charge.
Alec Dawson, the Hero Designer, clarified on Twitter that this applies exclusively to the Barrier Zarya employs on allies, not her personal one. Nevertheless, when deployed judiciously, she can amass a substantial amount of charge.
Coach Spilo remarked, "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."
Another user added, "Hopefully this is a bug because the cooldown buff is crazy enough."
These alterations might potentially usher in a Zarya-centric meta, particularly since the Russian hero counters the once-dominant tank, Orisa, who recently experienced a reduction in her Fortify ability's potency.
Only time will tell if these adjustments prove beneficial for the game, or if the developers reconsider them in Season 7, alongside the much-anticipated Roadhog and Sombra reworks.
