Once the product of humanity’s renewed attempt at space travel and genetic progress, Winston now is one of humanity’s last great scientific leaders. As a member of a vast experimental initiative to grant high intellect to animals, the great gorilla was the only one to emerge out of the experiment’s eventual disaster. He then went on to become one of the most accomplished scientists of his time, joining Overwatch and inventing the chronal accelerator that allows Tracer to leap through time. After Overwatch’s fall, he went into hiding, only revealing himself when he was ready to put the troubled organization back together.
In game, Winston is a rowdy bully of a tank, leaping into the enemy ranks and disrupting formations with his incredible strength and his area-affecting weapon. On top of being a rapid, aggressive oppressor, Winston can soak up plenty of damage and can shield certain zones from enemy attacks. When the enemy is clumping up around an objective and wont move, Winston is the perfect choice to break them apart.
Abilities
Winston’s speed is his greatest asset. He can get in and out of combat with a mobility that is rivaled only by the games swiftest flankers. He is perfect for disrupting slow enemies and pressuring groups because of this. Even with all of his health, he is a short ranged fighter and therefore more susceptible to sustained damage.
His bread and butter damage doer is his Tesla Cannon. Holding down the primary fire button deploys a cone of electricity that fans out in front of him, doing continuous damage to everything in the area. It’s very short-ranged, so you have to put yourself at risk to really take advantage. It also doesn’t do a lot of damage, so low health enemies should be the target. That being said, the cannon automatically targets anything in its range, and it can’t be evaded when in the zone. Quick targets like Tracer will always be damaged by Winston’s attacks. It also can’t be blocked by shields from people like Reinhardt or deflected by Genji.
To get into close quarters quickly, Winston leaps into the fray using his Jump Pack. If there are particular back line threats like Widowmaker ruining your day, this is how you close the distance. When in the air, players have limited control over Winston’s movement, though it is possible to curve around corners and walls mid-jump. Although its a great option for closing gaps and leaping over voids, Winston’s jump will be ended if he makes contact with a solid object mid-jump. A low hanging ceiling, a misplaced wall, or even a stray shot can drop Winston out of jump, so be very cautious about your jump trajectory.
Like every tank, Winston can protect his teammates from damage. With his Barrier Projector, he domes off a wide area, protecting everyone in the dome from enemy fire. The dome is hollow, so it can be entered and exited by both friendlies and enemies. So long as a wall of the bubble is between you and the enemy, you are safe from conventional gunfire. You don’t need to be in the dome, specifically, you just need the walls to be in between you the enemy. Deploying the dome doesn’t impede Winston’s movement, so he can literally drop it at anytime and in any situation. The shield of the dome doesn’t protect you from attacks that normally ignore barriers and shields, like Hanzo’s Dragonstrike or even an enemy Winston’s own Tesla Cannon.
His ultimate, Primal Rage, morphs the normally calm and collected Winston into a wild raging ape. Besides turning him red, Winston’s health gets a big boost and his Jump Pack cooldown is shortened. He can’t use his Barrier Projector when in this state, but his normal attacks become melee attacks that knock targets away. These attacks are a very important part of his disruptive package. It only lasts a short time, though, so do not stay in the danger zone for too long.
Tips
- His vast health pool, barrier survivability, and auto-targeting attacks make Winston a great choice for beginners.
- Winston is THE choice to counter speed heavy teams because Tesla Cannon doesn’t require accuracy to hit what’s in front of him. Leveraging this is the the key to capitalizing on his brute strength.
- Winston has plenty of health, but he’s not the most durable tank in the game. Winston’s strength is his speed; use his Jump Pack liberally and crush the glass cannons in the back line.
- Primal Rage is great for knocking people from important places. It can also be a lifesaver. Upon activation, Primal Rage fills your health bar to the new, bigger maximum limit, making it a great option when death is imminent. It also resets your Jump Pack cooldown, allowing you to leap into the fray immediately.
If you’re looking to maximize your muscle when monkeying around, come to the Overwatch Wiki.