A gameplay clip shared by an Overwatch 2 player shows how Zarya is close to invincible in the competitive shooter's Total Mayhem mode. Balance is understandably going to be a precarious thing, with Overwatch 2 having just launched. Not only has the game shifted from 6v6 to 5v5 teams, but many heroes have seen substantial changes. Add to the mix Overwatch 2's Total Mayhem mode, which adds another layer of wacky balancing, and it's easy to imagine things unraveling.
Total Mayhem is a special Arcade game mode carried over from Overwatch to Overwatch 2, available now as part of the sequel's multiplayer launch. In Total Mayhem, all characters have a 75% cooldown buff (with some exceptions to certain abilities). Heroes also have their health doubled to ensure that players aren't simply one-shot over and over again. It's easy to imagine how these changes could make a number of Overwatch characters very strong, but Zarya post-Overwatch 2 balance changes is particularly powerful.
The gameplay clip shows Zarya standing still on a capture point in the middle of a Total Mayhem match. She's able to keep her bubble shield, her Particle Barrier, refreshed on herself constantly. That's not for lack of trying, either, as the enemy Roadhog, Zarya, and Mei are all shooting at her from close range at one point. Zarya's shield doesn't even get close to dropping and is quickly refreshed.
Issue one is that Zarya is, at a base level, very strong in Total Mayhem. A 75% cooldown reduction allows Zarya to refresh her shield every 2.5 seconds. Issue two is that, as part of Zarya's Overwatch 2 buffs, her shield now lasts 2.5 seconds instead of 2 seconds, so she can keep her shield up permanently unless it breaks. Issue three is that another Overwatch 2 change gives Zarya two charges of Particle Barrier, so she always has a bonus shield if her first bubble is popped. That's not even mentioning that Zarya got her health buffed for Overwatch 2.
To be fair, Zarya was already incredibly strong in Total Mayhem in base Overwatch. She wasn't invincible, but she was very tough to kill and would do high damage if targeted due to the way her energy works. Blizzard never particularly cared because Total Mayhem is just for fun and isn't supposed to be balanced around. There's a line between very strong and completely broken, though.
Odds are, Blizzard will make a change to Zarya for Total Mayhem in the future. It's done similar for abilities, including Ana's Sleep Dart and Baptiste's Immortality Field, after all. In the meantime, if any Overwatch 2 players need to hold a point in Total Mayhem, Zarya seems like a strong pick.
Overwatch 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.