Winston Overwatch 2 – Everything you need to know

Overwatch 2 is a team-based first-person shooter that features a roster of 35 different heroes for players to choose from. Each one of these heroes has their own special weapons, abilities, playstyle, and personality. In addition, heroes each fit into one of three different roles in Overwatch 2. These roles are tanks that can defend their team, supports that can heal their allies, and DPS that can deal massive damage to the enemy. Picking the right hero for the job is integral to a team’s success. Winston is a tank hero that makes use of technology combined with his raw strength to overpower the enemy heroes and shield his team. Here is everything players need to know about using Winston in Overwatch 2.

Who is Winston in Overwatch 2?

Winston is a gorilla who specializes as a tank in Overwatch 2. He utilizes his many different technological marvels to boost his movement speed, deal damage to his foes, and protect his team. In addition, he can use his extreme strength to quickly demolish any squishy heroes. He has changed slightly from the original Overwatch, but returning players will still feel familiar with his new improvements. Winston can help his team out in many ways and can use his strength and mobility to lead them to victory in Overwatch 2.

Note: You can read about all of the Overwatch 2 characters here.

Rework to tank heroes in Overwatch 2

There were a few different changes made with the latest update in the Overwatch series, however, perhaps the biggest one is the change in team composition. In the previous Overwatch game, player teams consisted of 6 players each. In Overwatch 2, teams have been reduced to having 5 players. This means that there is one less tank per team. To compensate for this, each role in the game received its own special passive ability to help them in combat. For tank heroes, such as Winston, this ability is a 30% reduction in knockback effects, as well as a 50% reduction in how much Ultimate is gained from enemy heroes hitting them. This should make tanks like Winston much more difficult to push around.

Winston’s abilities in Overwatch 2

Overall, Winston has been made to be a bit stronger for Overwatch 2. His armor was updated from 150 to 200, making him able to take more punishment. In addition, he received a new secondary fire mode for his Tesla Cannon, as well as an increase in his Barrier Projector’s HP. This should make him much more viable in the single-tank team compositions of Overwatch 2, and allow him to help lead the charge to his team’s victory.

Tesla Cannon

Winston’s signature weapon is the Tesla Cannon. When used, Winston fires a short-range cone of electrical damage that hit enemies for 60 per second. This cone has a range of 8 meters and multiple enemies can be damaged by it at once. The Tesla Cannon holds 100 rounds in the magazine and it takes 1.7 seconds to reload. The primary fire ability is great for doing AoE damage to large groups of enemies and can force them to split up to avoid all of them taking damage at once.

The Tesla Cannon’s secondary firing method is brand new for Overwatch 2. When used, it allows Winston to charge up his Tesla Cannon, consuming up to 12 ammo per shot at full charge. When unleashed, Winston can fire a long-range bolt of electricity up to 30 meters in front of him. Enemies struck by this ability will take 50 damage. This new ability allows Winston to have a better chance at hitting enemies that are further away and can help him poke at the backline while engaging in close quarters with other enemies.

Jump Pack

Winston has access to an incredible movement tool with Jump Pack. When used, Winston uses his energy pack to propel him forward through the air, up to 28 meters. When he lands, he will deal damage to any enemies within a 5-meter radius, causing up to 50 damage, and staggering any enemies hit by the blow. Jump Pack can be used to reach faraway targets, such as Widowmaker, which lets Winston keep the area clear for his team. Jump Pack has a cooldown of 6 seconds, and 2 seconds during Primal Rage.

Barrier Projector

As a tank hero, Winston is able to help shield his allies from danger. One of the ways he does this is by using Barrier Projector. When used, Winston places down a Barrier Projector that creates a bubble. Any allies standing in the bubble will be shielded from incoming fire. The Barrier Projector bubble can absorb up to 700 damage, and allies standing inside of it can fire through it to deal damage to their foes while in the safety of the bubble. Barrier Projector had its duration reduced for Overwatch 2 down to 8 seconds from 9. However, to compensate, it also had its cooldown reduced down to 12 seconds from 13, making Winston able to use it more often.

Primal Rage

Primal Rage is Winston’s Ultimate Ability. When used, Primal Rage lets Winston embrace his animalistic nature, transforming him into a raging beast. Under the effects of Primal Rage, Winston gains health and armor, drastically increasing his survivability. In addition, Winston can only use melee attacks and Jump Pack. However, these attacks become stronger and Jump Pack gains a reduced cooldown. This can allow Winston to be very aggressive and push into enemies with ease, using his Jump Pack to quickly travel around the map and disrupt groups of enemies. The cost to activate Primal Rage has been increased by 20% for Overwatch 2, to compensate for Winston now having access to a longer-range secondary fire mode.

Tips for using Winston in Overwatch 2

Winston is a very mobile and aggressive tank that can use his jump pack to have a constant presence in close range of the enemy. He can use this mobility and disruption to leap into groups and cause chaos for the enemy team. His Tesla Cannon allows him to reach multiple foes at once, and can even hit targets behind barriers. This makes him great at defeating retreating enemies and those at low levels of HP.

However, he has few defensive options, save for Barrier Projector, which makes him less tanky than some of the other options available. In addition, he is limited by his weapon’s range, and while it has been somewhat mitigated with the addition of a secondary firing mode, he can still be out-ranged by other heroes. However, if he can use Jump Pack to get up close and personal, he can quickly take out heroes who may try to keep him at range. Winston’s biggest weakness though is that large amounts of burst damage can lower his health to unsustainable levels if he is caught without a support hero helping him.

Pick Winston to leap into victory in Overwatch 2

Winston is a very good choice for a tank in Overwatch 2, helping to support the team with barriers and taking out his foes with his high mobility and disruptive attacks. Players can choose Winston to lead their team and leap into victory in Overwatch 2.