Winston is one of the most iconic characters in Overwatch. A giant gorilla in a space suit with a tesla gun isn’t exactly something you see often — even in the anything-goes world of video games.
He’s also a lot of fun.
If you like the idea of playing an oversized primate that is both smarter than everyone else in the game and punches people in the face, Winston’s your guy.
Basic Info
Winston is awesome as a tank — pure and simple. He has lots of hit points, can protect allies with his barrier, and when he leaps across the map to smash a sniper, it usually causes this kind of reaction:
His weapon is pretty cool — the Tesla Cannon can only damage enemies at short range, BUT you don’t really have to aim with it. It just zaps anyone in front of you.
Kinda nice for those pesky fast characters like Tracer.
Abilities
Winston has one or two main combos, but his abilities can be used a variety of different ways. He’s not a one-trick pony like some other characters.
- Jump Pack — Winston leaps across the field, damaging and knocking back enemies where he lands. The guy has some legs on him too- maybe he’s part kangaroo.
- Barrier Projector — A dome-shaped force field surrounds Winston, protecting him and allies inside from enemy fire. Allies inside the dome can shoot out, similar to shooting through Reinhardt’s Barrier Field.
- Primal Rage (Ultimate) — Winston gains a ton of hit points and a stronger melee attack, as well as a shorter cooldown on Jump Pack. The downside? He can only punch people in the face and use Jump Pack.
Not exactly a good time to show Winston your fancy China cabinet.
Basic Combat Info
In general, Winston uses his Jump Pack to get into the fray quickly, and his Barrier Projector is usually used as soon as he lands or before he jumps to protect his allies on the back lines.
But here are a few more specifics to help you master the big guy.
- Primal Rage is the ultimate (pun intended) distraction — When Winston goes wild and starts slinging fists around in the middle of the enemy team, they have to scatter. This gives your team a perfect opportunity to flank them while they back away from the crazed gorilla.
- Keep in mind that your Tesla Cannon is fairly weak — Even though it looks cool, your weapon isn’t as powerful as a rocket-powered hammer or shotgun. It may be tempting to go one-on-one with that enemy Reinhardt or Roadhog, but it’s probably a bad idea without your ult unless they’re at low health.
- Use Primal Rage to heal yourself — Rather than use it at the beginning of a fight, wait until you’ve already taken a few bullets for the team. Primal Rage completely heals you, so popping it at full health is a waste.
- Set up Barrier Projector at critical choke points — Defending the payload? Have your team sit on top of it with a barrier protecting them. Trying to attack and capture an area? Leap in and pop a barrier. That way the enemy has to choose between attacking you to stop you from taking the objective or going after your teammates down range.
- Memorize large health pack locations, or make your Support your best friend — Winston is beefy, but falls quickly under focus fire. Don’t be afraid to retreat to pick up a health pack or get healed by your support. It’s better to retreat for 10 seconds and re-enter the fight then get killed and be out of commission for twice that time.
Good luck with these Winston tips when Overwatch comes out in a few weeks! He’s a ton of fun, just don’t go bananas and think he’s invincible.
