The Overwatch Hero You All Are Missing Out On
By Jack O'Dwyer
Overwatch is among the games that have some of the widest variety of heroes available to play. While the roles are pretty standard to any multiplayer battle online arena (MOBA) style game, Overwatch heroes have intense, versatile abilities and the amount of freedom afforded to the player base breeds an ever-changing environment.
So, imagine how disappointing it is to see the same six or seven heroes every match? We currently have 31 heroes in our roster to choose from—and I understand catering to who's currently up or down is important.
With that said, though, we need to talk about this buff lady. You all are absolutely sleeping on Zarya.
Do you remember playing World of Warcraft competitive content and being so close to taking down an enemy paladin, only for him to pop a bubble and /laugh at you while he prances away? Can you feel the rage welling up deep inside your bones?
That guy could be you with Zarya! How nobody has bothered to see this with her barrier abilities is beyond me. Who doesn't want the satisfaction of being able to deny a close kill to your opponent on a battlefield?
Additionally, it's been a well known fact that Zarya's Graviton Surge is one of the more powerful ultimates in the game. Imagine your friendly Sigma lining up the other team with his Gravitic Flux for you to take him out. I mean, the two abilities sound almost exactly the same—they're practically designed to be paired!
Even if we set her game play aside, Zarya is still an incredible character from a lore perspective. She gave up her lifelong dream to serve her country and protect everyone around her. Katya Volskaya went to her, specifically, to track down Sombra. When that went south, despite having a deep distrust of omnics, despite being so close to completing her mission, Zarya actively chose to save Lynx's life over pursuing Sombra.
We love a hero who can re-examine her personal biases in the face of the greater good for the safety of civilians.
With Sigma looking poised to have an astronomical impact on the meta once he hits live servers I expect we'll be seeing quite a bit more of Zarya in the future—and she deserves it.
In conclusion: Zarya 2020.
Photo courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.