Winston is one of the first characters to be revealed from the Overwatch world. He is an intelligent gorilla raised at the Horizon Lunar Colony, a testing site on the moon. When the colony broke down, Winston escaped to Earth and was able to start a new life with the organization Overwatch.
In terms of gameplay, Winston is an easy tank to pick up but hard to master. He can take out priority, squishy targets with great mobility. Despite being a tank, he can be dispatched rather easily and has weak defensive capabilities. Here are some pros and cons of playing the gifted scientist.
10 PRO: He Counters A Lot Of Squishy Heroes
Winston’s primary function is to take out 200 HP priority targets, take out low HP enemies or whittle down their HP. His Tesla Cannon cannot be blocked and can easily bypass barriers. Winston’s top targets include Widowmaker, Mercy, Ashe, Zenyatta, Ana, Lucio, and Genji.
If squishies (200 HP targets) tried attacking, lay down the Barrier Projector (bubble) to block incoming damage and improve Winston’s survivability. The Jump Pack-melee combo adds some damage before chipping away their health to zero. Even if Winston does not kill them, they could be vulnerable to a sniper shot or another flanker.
9 CON: He’s Vulnerable To Heavy Damage
Despite being a tank, Winston is surprisingly not so durable. When he is one-on-one with characters like Soldier and Genji, it can be a bit daunting. But put him up against a Reaper or a Roadhog, and there’s going to be some trouble. Reaper has been a long-time counter to Winston, and it was even implied in the first Overwatch cinematic.
Roadhog can hook a Winston into his team and bury his bullets into the scientist’s face. Some other notable characters to look out for are McCree and Hanzo; these two marksmen used to be weak to Winston. Now they can burst his bubble and put him down.
8 PRO: Tesla Cannon
Winston’s Tesla Cannon has one of the lowest damage outputs amongst the Tanks. Despite this, it can be surprisingly effective and has its strengths. For instance, it’s a beam weapon. This means that it can bypass barriers and Genji’s Deflect.
Tesla Cannon also operates in a cone; if targets are in that cone, they are going to get shocked. Winston can affect multiple targets at once. If two supports are healing each other, Winston can take out one before taking care of the other. Be mindful of the reload time. It can mean the difference between a target getting away and giving your team an advantage in the team fight.
7 CON: He’s Not Great Defensively
Winston is a tank, yes, but he is not a traditional tank. Because he has a barrier, he is technically considered a main tank. But you cannot play Winston like Reinhardt or Orisa. Winston players need to be aggressive yet mindful.
They do not spend most of the game being on the frontlines; his barrier is too feeble and doesn’t last long. The bubble shape is also not optimal for offensive Tanks and DPS to peek and shoot.
6 PRO: Barrier Projector
Barrier Projector is a rather versatile ability. Also called “Winston Bubble” by the community, Winston deploys a spherical barrier with a short duration and low shield health. It can be deployed mid-air while he’s jumping.
If enemies try to engage Winston directly, Winston can “dance” in and out of the bubble while dealing damage with Tesla Cannon. Common applications of Winston’s bubble include blocking Barrage in the air or covering up a D.VA bomb. A player will use Barrier Projector most of the time to cover Winston while he is attacking targets.
5 CON: He’s Vulnerable to Crowd Control
Remember when we said that Winston is vulnerable to heavy damage? Considering he has a large hitbox, it’s easy to land crowd control abilities like Roadhog’s Chain Hook, Ana’s Sleep Dart, and Doomfist’s Rocket Punch.
Once he’s affected, he might as well be dead. Winston can’t avoid them all but at least he can block some of that CC with his barrier; examples include McCree’s Flashbang and Reinhardt’s Earthshatter.
4 PRO: Primal Rage
Primal Rage is one of the hardest Tank ultimates to utilize well. Most Winstons will bop around enemy teammates without making much impact. The best application of Winston’s ultimate is to take advantage of potential environmental kills, knocking enemies out of position or isolating targets.
There have been plenty of times where an unfortunate enemy player got caught up in a Deadeye or D.VA bomb because a raging Winston knocked them out of cover. A great sign of a skilled Winston is being able to control the jumps without jumping off the map!
3 CON: He’s Short Range Only
Despite Tesla Cannon providing great effectiveness, it is a big part of Winston’s weakness: being a short-range hero. Winston must be close to a target to provide maximum damage, including melee attacks and his Jump Pack knockback. Even with Primal Rage, Winston has to get up-close-and-personal with the enemy team to knock them back.
If Winston is close, he can be an easy ult battery. If he is far away, he becomes vulnerable to long-range damage; it’s especially difficult if his bubble is on cooldown. A Winston player should take advantage of cover and know when to engage or disengage.
2 PRO: Jump Pack
This is one of Winston’s strongest abilities in his kit. Winston can propel himself high into the air, accessing high ground; this is especially important when attacking snipers. It is also one of the best mobility abilities in the game, covering long distances.
Jump Pack can also provide some damage to a target on top of a slight knockback. Experienced Winston players can use this in a combo: Jump Pack damage, melee, shock. It can even deal a killing blow if the target is low enough.
1 CON: Dependent On Supports
Winston is less durable than other tanks. Therefore, he needs much assistance from his supports as he’s diving and when he returns to the team. When it comes to diving, the support doesn’t have to be with Winston. That puts the support in danger of being attacked by the enemy team. Ana, Baptiste, and Zenyatta can provide long-ranged heals and utility to a Winston while he is attacking someone. Think Biotic Grenade, Immortality Field or Orb of Discord.
Nano Boost, Transcendence, Sound Barrier and Valkyrie can also help prolong Winston’s lifespan during a team fight. A quick note about Nano Boost: don’t use Primal Rage with this ultimate; you get more damage output with a Nano’d Tesla Cannon.
NEXT: Overwatch: 5 Pros (& 5 Cons) Of Playing Moira
