Overwatch concept would improve teamwork around Zarya’s power spikes
Blizzard EntertainmentAn Overwatch concept would make it easier for teams to coordinate their play around Zarya’s power spikes.
Zarya has a unique mechanic in her charge levels. The damage output of her Particle Cannon depends on her charge level, but that charge can only be generated by using her personal and projected barriers to absorb incoming damage.
Zarya’s management of her charge levels is perhaps the most important element of her kit. At full charge, she’s a legitimately dangerous damage threat, but less experienced Zarya players may have trouble maintaining that level consistently.
The charge percentage isn’t just a matter for the Zarya player to consider, however. The difference between the almost negligible damage of a low-charge Zarya and the massive output of a high-charge Zarya is huge, and therefore is a significant factor in how prepared a team is to start a fight.
In an ideal world, teams should wait until Zarya has had the chance to power up before engaging. While a coordinated team can communicate on the state of Zarya’s charge, it’s often the case that this information is missed in the mixed teams of online playlists.
Managing Zarya’s charge is crucial to making an impact with her.As such, some players have requested that Zarya’s charge be made visible to the rest of their team on the HUD (head-up display, so that they can make better decisions around how powerful their Zarya is at any given time.
While u/whatisabaggins55 is by no means the first person to suggest such an addition, they have presented a clear and unobtrusive way in which Zarya’s charge could be added to the HUD for all to see.
Though detractors could argue that increased information available on the HUD reduces the skill gap that good communication creates, the same could be said for ultimate charge, for which there are multiple means of communicating between team-mates without requiring voice chat.