Zarya
Growing up surrounded by the post-war destruction of the Omnic Crisis, Zarya became a champion weightlifter and used her strength and fame to help her nation rebuild. Now, she has sacrificed personal glory to protect her people on the front lines of a war against a deadly new mechanical threat.
- Tier
- C
- Win rate
- 47.1%
- Pick rate
- 4.6%
- Ban rate
- 41.6%
How to play Zarya: abilities with their keys, perks, Stadium powers and how Zarya does in competitive, from Blizzard's official stats.
BalancedUtilityAbilities
LMBParticle CannonShort-range linear beam weapon. Energy grenade launcher.
ShiftParticle Barrier12sCreate a damage barrier around you.
EProjected Barrier9sCreate a damage barrier around an ally.
QGraviton SurgeUltimateLaunch a gravity well that pulls enemies to it.
EnergyPassiveDamage blocked by barriers increases Particle Cannon damage.
Zarya's perks and Stadium powers
Perks →During a match you unlock a minor perk and, later, a major perk: you pick one of the two each time.
Minor perk
Jump-UpsSecondary Fire's self-knockback is increased by 75%.
SpotterProjected BarrierProjected Barrier activates ally health regeneration and increases their movement speed by 20%.Major perk
Extra OomphParticle CannonWhile a Barrier is active, dealing damage with Particle Cannon's beam generates energy.
Energy LanceParticle CannonParticle Cannon's beam pierces enemies.Stadium powers
12 powers to choose from; in Stadium you pick up to four over the match.
Particle Cannon
Charged LinkParticle Cannon's Secondary Fire hits grant 2 Energy and increase Particle Cannon's Primary Fire range by 20% for 3s.
Particle AcceleratorGain 20% Attack Speed for Particle Cannon's secondary fire. After using an ability, quintuple this bonus for 5s.
Volskaya VortexAfter a Barrier is cast, Particle Cannon's next secondary fire spawns a slowing vortex that deals 60 damage over 2s.
Energy
Pre-WorkoutGain Weapon Lifesteal and Ability Lifesteal equal to 15% of Energy.
No LimitsMaximum Energy increased to 150. Energy always decays above 100 Energy at a 150% faster rate.
Major FlexBarrier knocks back and deals 25 damage, increased by Energy, to enemies within 5m every 1s.
Particle Barrier
Lifelift+50% Particle Barrier Size. Increase Barrier Health by 50% of Bonus Max Life from Items.
Projected Barrier
Here To Spot You+20% Projected Barrier Range. Projected Barrier pulls you to the targeted ally and heals you for 30% of Max Life over 3s.
Fission FieldProjected Barrier also applies to 1 additional ally within 10m, but has 25% reduced maximum Energy gain and 20% reduced duration.
Graviton Surge
Graviton Anomaly+25% Ultimate Cost Reduction Graviton Surge base damage is increased to 30 and increased by Energy, but has 25% reduced duration.
General
Barrier BenefitsWhen Barriers expire, grant Overhealth equal to 100% of remaining Barrier Health to the target for 2s.
Containment ShieldBarrier heals the target for 5% of your Max Life every 1s and grants 20% Move Speed while active.
Zarya builds
View all builds →From the guide «Zarya guide»
One minor and one major perk, chosen by what each one's text adds to a tank hero. Blizzard doesn't publish how often each perk is picked, so this is a reading of the perks, not a pick rate.
Four of the 12 Stadium powers of Zarya, chosen by what their text adds to a tank hero and spread over different abilities so no single one carries the build.
The other option of each perk level. Perks are chosen during the match, so switch to these when the enemy composition or the map asks for what they do.
Story
- Location
- Krasnoyarsk Front (formerly), Novoanskoye Forward Base, Siberia, Russia (formerly), Watchpoint: Gibraltar
- Birthday
- Dec 4
- Age
- 30
Early life
Aleksandra was born in a remote Siberian village that was on the front lines of the Omnic Crisis. Although Russian forces defeated the robots and shut down their omnium, the region was devastated by the conflict. Only a child at the time, Aleksandra lost her father in the war and grew up surrounded by the devastation. As she grew older, she swore that she would gain the strength to help her people recover. Focusing on weightlifting and bodybuilding, Aleksandra was identified by the national athletics program as a potential star. She trained extensively, moving up the ranks while representing her country, and was expected to shatter longstanding records in the upcoming world championships.
Russian defense forces
But on the eve of the tournament, an attack came from the long-dormant Siberian omnium, and her village was thrust into war once again. Aleksandra immediately withdrew from the competition and rushed home to enlist in the military, sacrificing the life of fame and fortune she might have had. In one stroke, she became a sergeant in the Russian Defense Forces and a symbol to her people, a stalwart soldier who used her great strength to protect her homeland. She was given an experimental weapon by Katya Volskaya, CEO of Volskaya Industries. Her particle cannon was deemed too heavy for standard soldiers, but it also required the kind of quick maneuvering and accuracy that Russia’s mechanized force couldn’t achieve. Zarya fought on the front lines, and saved many lives with the weapon. However, in the wake of an unsuccessful assassination plot against Katya Volskaya by Talon operatives, Zarya was given a new mission: bring the Talon-affiliated hacker, Sombra, to justice. In her global search, Zarya was forced to partner with an omnic named Lynx Seventeen. The unlikely duo located Sombra in Dorado, though she slipped through their fingers after revealing that Katya was obtaining her anti-omnic technology from an omnic source. Grappling with the weight of this knowledge—and with a newfound appreciation of omnics thanks to Lynx—Zarya returned to the front lines in Siberia.
Siberian front
When the search for new Overwatch operatives brought Cassidy to the frozen front in Novoanskoye, Zarya's unflinching defense of her homeland proved that he had found his newest recruit. Together they drove back the omnic forces swarming from the Siberian omnium, and Zarya was persuaded to offer her strength as part of the reformed Overwatch, defending her home on a global scale.
Hero