Winston in Overwatch
Winston may be one of those characters that is easy to learn, but extremely hard to master. While he is a tank, Winston is surprisingly more mobile than the rest of the tank class characters, offering some unique approach options for players. Given he has a jump option, you want to use this to either get to vantage points or close the gap between you and the enemy team. Since Winston doesn’t have a heal option you want to make sure that you’re not just standing out in the open unless you have your shield ability up. With no way to recover health, a skilled McCree or Reaper can absolutely ruin any scientist’s day.
This tank can be used effectively for offense and defense, as a skilled player can flank the enemy team, shock everyone, then jump out before being killed. Though this may not always work, his primary weapon acts more like a flamethrower as it can strike more than one person at a time. This, however, is a double-edged sword since you have to be extremely close in order to use it effectively.
Make sure to strafe side to side when you are using Winston’s Tesla Cannon, as you need to keep your opponents on their toes when attacking. If the fight isn’t going in your favor, try jumping over them while firing to disorientate and open up a window for you to kill them. Also, his jump ability deals 50 damage upon impact and can stagger enemies, so make sure to use if often. For this tank, mobility is your greatest advantage.
His other main ability is a shield that can be deployed every 13 seconds and soaks up 600 points of damage before breaking. While the enemy cannot shoot through the shield, your teammates can, so make sure to drop it at various chokepoints. Remember, your shield doesn’t have nearly the health of Reinhart’s, so you need to be careful with where you place it.
Putting it on the payload or using it to cut off a side doorway are great uses, as it will last far longer than say in a hugely contested chokepoint. Winston’s shield is also effective for covering a retreat, as it allows you a little bit of a cushion if you decide to charge in and attack every person in sight.
Primal Rage is Winston’s ultimate ability and can certainly wreak some havoc if used correctly. When activated he will receive a 500 hp bump to his health, increased melee damage, and his jump ability will switch to a 2-second cooldown. Since you cannot use any of your abilities while in Primal Rage mode, try using this ultimate when either in confined spaces or if you have gotten the drop on some other players.
Make sure to keep using his jump if you’re outnumbered, as you always want to keep your targets confused and lost on your positioning. Just make sure to keep an eye for how long your ultimate has been going, because the last thing you want is to run out and be left there surrounded by pissed off enemies. Try to escape with a jump after every ultimate use.
Just remember to keep moving with Winston and utilizing his mobility. There isn’t another tank that can reach rooftops and balcony’s with extreme ease, so use these locations to surprise your enemies. Winston is not the most durable tank, so your knowledge of the level’s layout and health locations will be absolutely critical to your success.
Winston’s Abilities
Tesla Cannon
This short-ranged weapon can hit multiple opponents with the various electric arcs that it spews out. It will automatically target anyone in its range and cannot be blocked by Genji’s deflect ability.
Jump Pack
Winston’s jump pack not only gives him the chance to close the gap or reach higher areas, but it can stagger and deal 50 damage on impact. It also can be used during Winston’s ultimate ability and gets a reduced cool time during it.
Barrier Projector
Winston’s defensive ability allows him to drop a shield that can soak 600 points of damage before breaking. Not only does it protect you and your team from fire, but you can actually shoot through the barrier at opponents.
Primal Rage
This ultimate not only gives you a 500 hp health increase but reduces the cooldown timer for your jump pack. The catch is you can only deal melee damage, so make sure to get as close as you can and trap people in corners until they’re pummeled to death.
Backstory
Here’s Winston’s official backstory in Overwatch, straight from Blizzard.
- Real Name: Winston, Age: 29
- Occupation: Scientist, Adventurer
- Base of Operations: Horizon Lunar Colony (formerly)
- Affiliation: Overwatch (formerly)
A super-intelligent, genetically engineered gorilla, Winston is a brilliant scientist and a champion for humanity’s potential.
The Horizon Lunar Colony was established as a first step for humanity’s renewed exploration of space. Among its residents was a group of genetically enhanced gorillas that were intended to test the effects of prolonged habitation in space.
One gorilla displayed such rapid brain development from the gene therapy that he was taken under the wing of Dr. Harold Winston, who taught him science and inspired him with tales of human ingenuity. The young gorilla passed his days assisting with the scientists’ experiments, watching the distant blue world outside his habitat window, dreaming of the endless possibilities that awaited him there.
But his life was thrown into chaos when the other gorillas led an uprising, killed the mission scientists, and claimed the colony for their own. Taking on the name of his beloved human caretaker, Winston built a makeshift rocket and escaped to Earth. There he found a new home with Overwatch, an organization that represented everything he had come to admire about humanity. Winston was finally able to live up to the heroic ideal that had been instilled in him.
Now with the fall of Overwatch, Winston has gone into seclusion, once again cut off from the world he believes in, but longing for the days of heroism to return.
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