Updated at: 28-04-2022 - By: Leo Hall

When Overwatch launched, Winston was one of the first heroes introduced, and he’s a perennial fan favorite for his agile play style.

Overwatch Winston is a bright scientific gorilla, therefore we’ll go through the greatest tips, tricks, and strategies here.

To learn more about Overwatch’s fundamentals, such as hero roles, team composition, and winning strategies, see our Beginner’s Guide to Overwatch.

Winston Abilities and Role Explained

Winston’s tremendous mobility enables him to travel across the map in a single leap, allowing him to pursue foes and fight for the goal.

This hero isn’t particularly strong in terms of raw damage but he possesses one of the best delaying abilities and can swiftly alter the tide of battles if used correctly.

These talents, as well as some basic tips on how to make use of them, will be discussed more in the section below.

How To Use Tesla Cannon

With the Tesla Cannon, Winston’s primary weapon, any enemy within its 8-meter range is instantly targeted with a continual cone of electrical damage.

It’s not the most potent weapon in the game, but it has the advantage of being able to hit harder-to-hit foes without having to focus on their movements.

The Tesla Cannon’s great mobility makes it perfect for taking down squishy DPS and Support heroes, such as Tracer.

The Tesla Cannon, on the other hand, isn’t suggested for use in one-on-one combat with other tanks because their higher heathpools make them immune to its effects.

How To Use Jump Pack

With Winston’s Jump Pack, he can launch himself forward in any direction, doing damage and knocking back any enemies he lands on in the process.

While it has a 6-second cooldown to prevent spamming, the distance it launches Winston is big enough to pose a serious threat to foes that would otherwise be beyond his reach.

This may be highly helpful in dealing with snipers like Hanzo and Widowmaker, or any hero you catch apart from their team.

It is possible to curve Winston’s movement around corners for a surprise splashdown assault while in the air.

How To Use Barrier Projector

As a result of the combination of his Jump Pack and Barrier Projector, Winston can create a bubble-shaped shield with 700 health and a 5-meter radius around it.

As long as an enemy is able to attack from within the bubble, he or she will be able to harm Winston and his allies.

While fighting, Winston can use this to his advantage and walk back and forth along the bubble’s boundary to avoid receiving any damage.

For short-term damage prevention or controlling a specific area, the Barrier Projector is an excellent choice, but it falls short when it comes to shielding the entire team.

How To Use Primal Rage (Ultimate)

With a higher maximum health, a decreased cooldown on his Jump Pack, and a primary weapon that deals damage quickly and knocks enemies away, Winston’s Ultimate transforms him into a rage-filled warrior.

For the entire duration of Primal Rage, Winston is unable to activate his Barrier Projector, exposing him to the whole world around him.

It is possible to think of Primal Rage as a type of emergency button whenever Winston is close to death because Winston’s health is automatically replenished.

Primal Rage’s knockback effects can effectively push foes off the objective and disrupt their strategy, even if his damage output is greatly reduced without the Tesla Cannon.

Winston Strengths

For the same reasons his gear is geared for mobility, Winston stands to benefit from his continual shifting of position.

Squishy Supports and DPS heroes can be picked off by Winston players who are always looking for holes in the enemy’s defense that allow them to keep the opposing team from dominating the objective.

Below, we’ll list some of the best heroes that complement Winston’s play style.

Which Heroes Combo Best With Winston?

  • Another Tank with an emphasis on mobility, D.Va and Winston can work together to impede the progress of the other team and prevent them from reaching the goal.
  • Zarya – Winston’s survivability and damage output can be compensated for by Zarya’s Projected Barrier, which she can bestow to him.
  • Tracer – Takes advantage of Winston’s commotion to easily take down enemies.
  • It allows Genji to play more aggressively and rack up more kills when Winston is doing his thing.
  • Benefits from Winston’s protection, but can still heal him from afar using the Orb of Harmony.
  • Allows Winston to prey on foes with his Jump Pack by activating Widowmaker’s Infra-Sight.

Winston Weaknesses

After playing Winston for a while, you’ll see that he has a few flaws.

This character’s playstyle isn’t really interesting aside from his limited health pool, lackluster primary weapon damage, and weak defenses in general.

This makes it easier for his opponents to predict and adapt to his methods; we’ll highlight the primary heroes to watch out for as Winston below.

Which Heroes Does Winston Struggle Against?

  • Turret Bastions, which may quickly deplete Winston’s health and deflate his bubble, are a particular problem for him because he performs poorly when he is standing still.
  • An enemy like D.Va can cause a lot of problems for Winston and hinder him from doing his job, as she is a disruptor in and of herself
  • Using his Wraith form, Reaper has the speed and damage to keep up with Winston at close range.
  • With his hook, Roadhog can destabilize Winston’s position and self-heal to recoup any minor damage he received with the Tesla Cannon.
  • Bastion – Winston is forced to either deal with Torbjorn’s turret directly or use his bubble to lessen its effects.
  • McCree — McCree can see Winston coming from a mile away thanks to his stun-lock skill and ability to engage from a distance.
  • Mei – Winston’s best counter, Mei can freeze or block the monkey’s route using Ice Wall to stop him in his tracks.
  • Zarya – She can use Winston’s Particle Barrier to lure him into helping her build up her primary weapon, which, when fully charged, is capable of ripping through Winston’s bubble and his health.

General Tips for Playing Winston

The timing of Winston’s actions can take a lot of effort and experimenting, even if he doesn’t have the most sophisticated abilities or play style.

Even though Winston is a Tank, he can’t actually hold his place for long after all of his skills are on cooldown, so utilize them all carefully.

Before we go any farther, here are a few general pointers to bear in mind the next time you choose Winston.

  • Tesla Cannon’s auto-targeting properties may be used to inflict a continuous stream of damage against high-mobility threats like Tracer and Genji.
  • Using Winston’s Jump Pack will allow you to leap over an enemy and force them to engage with you, allowing the rest of your squad to escape.
  • The backline of your opponent’s team can be penetrated by Winston, who can also be used to create confusion for your opponents.
  • You may swiftly charge up Primal Rage and stun the opposing spawning by focusing on any Supports that are separated from the rest of their team.
  • Wait until Winston’s health is at an all-time low to unleash Primal Rage in order to get the most out of it.

Winston’s weapon

Overwatch’s Tesla Cannon is one of the more unconventional weaponry. If you can get your hands on one, you’ll be surprised at how much harm it can wreak over time.

Cannon with a Tesla Motor

  • beam with several targets
  • Each clip contains one hundred rounds of ammunition.
  • Reload time of 1.7 seconds
  • 60 seconds of harm
  • Shots fired at a rate of 20 per second
  • Max. range of 8 meters

If a player holds down the trigger while using Winston’s Tesla Cannon, no headshots will be dealt.

Overwatch Winston abilities

Primarily, Winston’s Primal Rage may be used to displace foes and begin team battles.

    • The jump does 1 damage, and the landing does 1-5 damage.
    • A maximum range of 18-22 m
    • The effect has a five-meter range.
    • With Primal Rage activated, the cooldown is reduced to six seconds.

When he lands, Winston inflicts damage and knocks down his foes. During his final, he can use this more frequently.

    • Hundreds of thousands of dollars in health care
    • The effect has a five-meter range.
    • a time span of nine seconds
    • After a 13-second delay (begins immediately after use)
    • During Primal Rage, it is ineffective.

A giant bubble-like barrier forms around Winston, absorbing damage until it is breached. Shooting from inside the barrier is possible.

    • The health bar reaches 850.
    • Gains a total of 150 armor.
    • Swings inflict 40 points of damage.
    • Increased movement speed by 30%
    • a ten-second interval

When Winston is enraged, only his fists may harm others. While he gains immense health, he also loses the ability to activate his barrier and can only jump considerably more frequently during his ultimate attack.

How to play Winston: Overwatch tips

Winston is a character that works best when he is constantly on the move.

DPS-friendly matchups like Genji or Widowmaker may be found by a strong Winston player looking for weak backline Support heroes to take advantage of. Winston will be able to handle other tank heroes on his alone, therefore avoid solo battles with other tanks if possible.

It’s important to have all of your skills at the ready before embarking on a dive. In order to obtain a kill or force the activation of an ability, it’s best to utilize Jump Pack first before switching to Barrier Projector and dealing landing damage to a Support or DPS hero.

Tanks won’t be able to peel you off, and you’ll be able to get healing from your allies again. Keep your distance from Winston because he’s a massive target and can be easily blown apart.

Overwatch Winston skins

Winston’s Abilities

In spite of Winston’s limited skill set, he can accomplish a great deal with the equipment he possesses.

Jump Pack

Winston’s jump allows you to jump up to 22 meters with a reasonably short cooldown time. Using a simple jump method, you can jump closer to your foes in order to get a better shot at them. You can jump half the distance by holding down the S key or the back of your controller. You inflict a little amount of damage when you land.

Spherical Shield

Winston creates a dome-like shield that shields him for around 9 seconds and can withstand 700 damage. This, of course, can change over time, but it doesn’t fundamentally alter how it operates.

Damage absorption isn’t the only application for it; it can also be utilized to obstruct opposing heroes like Lucio’s Sound Barrier or Zenyatta’s Transcendence.

Primary Fire

The Tesla Cannon deals cleave damage to all opponents within an 8-meter radius and 6-meter width with a damage rate of one hit per second. No matter if you’re fighting a single foe or several in a group, it’s quite simple to utilize.

Primal Rage: Ultimate

An even more angry monkey is unleashed against you when you utilize this item. Both the jump pack and your melee cooldown, which allows you to punch someone in the face to the right and left, have been lowered to two seconds each. This ability will be discussed in more detail later on in the guide.

Engaging as Winston

The first piece of advice would be to never engage in a team fight or encounter with several opponents without first preparing your shield. As long as you have ultimate ready and you’re guaranteed a kill, there is no reason you shouldn’t take a risk and take a shot.

Most of the time, you’ll want to leap into the fray, erect a shield around yourself, and keep the opponents at bay.

You need an exit strategy if you want to do well engages. In the same way as I said, the evil Winstons think they’re gods and jump in recklessly and die over and over. Once they’ve found an isolated victim with low HP, a good Winston will kill them and then jump back to safety because their jump is presumably going back on cooldown.

In order to jump into a group of foes while still dealing damage with your primary fire, practice and gain a feel for your jump pack. This will allow you to jump closer to the exit while still dealing damage at your maximum range.

Fighting as Winston

When engaging a single target, such as the one described above, the first thing you should do is look for natural cover. Don’t try to burst down an isolated Widow by jumping to a side of a rock where the enemy team can shoot at you from all angles; instead, try to jump to a side of the rock where the Widow is protected by natural cover, such as a tree stump.

Pop a shield on top of the adversary and then execute the “shield dance,” which means you’ll start shooting your primary fire while moving in and out of the bubble quickly and twitchy to try and reduce part of the enemy’s damage while still frying them down, as I’ve demonstrated in detail.

However, your primary fire is sticky and you can’t miss, while they can. If they are good, they will try to replicate you and do the dance. You have a massive advantage in your favor.

GET OUT if things don’t go as planned. Keep your tough-guy persona at bay. Overwatch boosting team’s major purpose is to increase your SR, not appear tough and aggressive. Exactly the same thing should be done.

Use as few resources as possible!

Due to the shield’s high cooldown, you don’t have a lot of options. The jump pack should likewise not be wasted. Using them carelessly isn’t the way to go.

The shield isolation or damage absorption is unnecessary if you can get out of a fight or kill someone without utilizing the jump back, so do it if you can. Use what you have. If you’re unprepared and your talents are about to expire, you’re going to die.

As an illustration, imagine that you’re on a ridge and the adversary you’re trying to take down is hiding behind. A superhero landing on their heads and dealing damage with the pack may sound exciting, but you could be walking into a trap with no way out.

Resource management is an important part of being a successful Winston, and as you practice, you’ll improve your tank’s Skill Rating as a result.

Playstyle and Strategy

Now, I’ll go over Winston’s primary team composition, the dive comp, and how to play him in it.

Winston in Dive Comp

In this competition, you are the spearhead. For the sake of drawing attention and soaking up damage, you want to get in front of everyone else and engage head-on first. However, you must inform your team of your engagement plans and the steps you will take.

In order to keep your foes from getting to places you don’t want them, prioritize crucial areas on the map. An example of a strategic high ground is a payload or an objective point. Additionally, your purpose after engaging is to be the shot caller, so that you and your team know who to focus.

It doesn’t matter if your team doesn’t want to work with you, they’re horrible, don’t listen, or whatever else they are. Sole tank-carrying focuses on eliminating squishies like Widow, Genji or Hanzo, as well as adversaries that aren’t in the best positions to be taken out by the main tank’s main engager. Naturally, you’ll return to your team after the kill.

Your team still relies on you to be the tank, but if you spot opportunities while your team isn’t following up on most of your attacks, you’ll try to take advantage of them in order to swing the fight in your favor.

Primal Rage Tips

Primal rage is mostly employed to relocate adversaries by slamming them into the ground. Most Winstons aren’t making good use of this difficult ability. We recommend hiring a Winston expert from our Overwatch coaching service to help you improve your game.

If you’d want to punch and reposition your foes in the direction you want, you’ll need a lot of skill and understanding because they’ll be trying to kite you and run away, so a correct chaining of melee hits is needed.

Squishies can be wiped out in three seconds or less with a melee punch. If you can’t do that, try killing humans with it.

FAQS:

How do you play Winston effectively?

When it comes to dealing with the sniper, Winston is the best. Winston may be used to pounce on an enemy Widowmaker who is creating havoc from afar and bring her down with DPS. At the very least, he’ll keep her from getting used to aiming across the map and cause her discomfort.

Is Winston a good character in Overwatch?

Winston is a tank hero in Overwatch who is easy to pick up, but difficult to master…. Winston is a simple tank to learn to play, but it takes time and practice to become an expert. He has a great deal of mobility and can take away squishy targets with ease.

How does Winston work Overwatch?

At his disposal is an energy pack, which aids Winston in soaring through the air and delivering devastating blows to his foes. Take a leap of faith. Damage is done to an enemy when a plane lands on them. Until it’s destroyed, Winston’s barrier projector creates a bubble-shaped barrier that absorbs harm.