It was announced Tuesday that Zarya will be the second Overwatch hero to enter the Nexus, after Tracer. Thanks to Grubby's live stream, we get to see exactly what her kit will consist of.?
Gamescom is always a safe bet for Blizzard to announce new content, and especially the Heroes of the Storm team had plenty to share. Lucky us, right? Besides two StarCraft maps, and one StarCraft hero, a second hero was announced in the form of Zarya from Overwatch.
Zarya will be the second ranged warrior in the game, after Rexxar, and she might very well become the first viable ranged warrior. Because of her almost direct copy from Overwatch, people who play both games will have no trouble getting used to the Zarya playstyle. For a full overview, take a look at Tuesday's article, but read on if you want to get to know her talents (known thanks to Grubby's live stream from gamescom):
Level 1
- Feel the Heat (Passive)
- Zarya's Basic Attack deals 50% additional damage to enemies in melee range.
- Maximum Charge (Passive)
- Regen Globes now instantly grant 20 Energy. ! Quest: Spend 120 seconds at or above 50 Energy. ! Reward: Gain an additional 25 maximum Energy.
- Demolitions Expert (Q)
- ? ! Quest: Each 5 enemy heroes hit by Particle Grenade reduce its recharge rate by 0.25 seconds, up to 2 seconds. ! Reward: Once Particle Grenade has hit 40 enemy heroes, its radius is increased by 15%.
- Together We Are Strong (E)
- ? Every 11 damage done by allies while under Shield Ally contributes 1 Energy, up to 25 Energy per shield.
- ? Every 11 damage done by allies while under Shield Ally contributes 1 Energy, up to 25 Energy per shield.
Level 4
- Give Me Twenty (E) ! Quest: Regeneration Globes increase Shield Ally absorb amount by 15, up to 300 permanently. ! Reward: After collecting 20 Regen Globes, permanently reduce the cooldown of Shield Ally by 3 seconds.
- I Am The Strongest (W) Personal Barrier absorbs an additional 164 damage.
- Defensive Shielding (Passive) Upon expiration or breaking, Personal Barrier and Shield Ally reduce the damage of the next 2 Hero Basic Attacks within 12 seconds by 75%.
- Speed Barrier (E) Shield Ally increases the allied Hero's movement Speed by 25% for the duration.
Level 7
- To The Limit (Passive)
- While above 50 Energy your Basic Attack size is increased by 35%.
- Hit Me (Passive)
- Damage absorbed by Zarya's Shields contributes 20% more Energy.
- Pinpoint Accuracy (Q)
- Particle Grenade deals 40% more damage to enemies hit by the center of the blast.
- Explosive Barrier (W)
- Upon expiration or breaking, Personal Barrier explodes, dealing 127 damage to nearby enemies.
- Upon expiration or breaking, Personal Barrier explodes, dealing 127 damage to nearby enemies.
Level 10
- Graviton Surge (R)
- ?Cooldown: 120 Seconds Launch a gravity bomb that detonates after 1 second and draws enemy Heroes toward the center for 2.5 seconds.
- Expulsion Zone (R)
- Cooldown: 45 seconds Launch a gravity bomb that deals 184 damage and creates an expulsion zone for 3.5 seconds. Enemies who enter the affected area are knocked back and have their Movement Speed reduced by 50% for 1 second.
- Cooldown: 45 seconds Launch a gravity bomb that deals 184 damage and creates an expulsion zone for 3.5 seconds. Enemies who enter the affected area are knocked back and have their Movement Speed reduced by 50% for 1 second.
Level 13
- Endurance Training (Passive)
- While at or above 75 Energy, Zarya gains Resistant, reducing all damage taken by 25%.
- Unstoppable Competitor (W)
- Personal Barrier makes you Unstoppable for up to 1.5 seconds.
- Spell Barrier (W)
- Upon expiration or breaking, Zarya gains a Spell Shield that reduces Ability Damage taken by 75% for 3 seconds.
- Pain Is Temporary (Active)
- Cooldown: 30 seconds Activate to consume all Energy and gain a shield that absorbs 0.5% of Zarya's maximum Health per Energy consumed and lasts for 3 seconds. Zarya may only have one personal shield active on herself at a time.
- Cooldown: 30 seconds Activate to consume all Energy and gain a shield that absorbs 0.5% of Zarya's maximum Health per Energy consumed and lasts for 3 seconds. Zarya may only have one personal shield active on herself at a time.
Level 16
- Born In Battle (Passive)
- While at or above 75 Energy, Zarya's cooldowns regenerate 25% faster.
- Plasma Shock (Q)
- Particle Grenade slows Movement speed by 35% for 1 second to enemies near the center.
- Cleansing Shield (E)
- ?Shield Ally removes all disabling effects and reduces duration of further disabling effects by 50% for the duration.
- Gain Train (E)
- ?Shield Ally now grants an untalented shield to a nearby ally upon impact.
- ?Shield Ally now grants an untalented shield to a nearby ally upon impact.
Level 20
- Gravity Kills (R)
- Increases Graviton Surge duration by 1 second (and adds damage, 248 maybe?) [Could not get full text of this]
- Clear Out (R)
- Increases Expulsion Zone's radius by 15% and Zarya's maximum Energy temporarily increases by 10 per enemy Hero hit for 10 seconds.
- Grenadier (Q)
- All Particle Grenade charges are returned at once.
- Unyielding Defender (Active)
- Cooldown: 45 seconds Activate to reset the cooldown of Personal Barrier and Shield Ally.
- Cooldown: 45 seconds Activate to reset the cooldown of Personal Barrier and Shield Ally.
Now that we know both her abilities and talents, it is clear that Zarya will try to be a very aggressive warrior with gamechanging ultimates. Thanks to the longer cooldowns of both of her shield abilities, she will want to get a lot done in the first few seconds of the battle and then decide to either retreat or keep on pushing. Good players will keep her energy at high levels throughout fights, and will get significant rewards for their play.
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