Winston Abilities and Strategy

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Winston (Specimen 28) Overview
  • 2. Winston's Strengths
  • 3. Winston's Weaknesses
  • 4. Winston Synergies
  • 5. Winston Counters
  • 6. Winston Is Strong Against
  • 7. Winston TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for Winston
  • 9. Changelog
• ×Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Winston TL;DR Tips
  • 2. Winston Abilities
    • 2.1. Tesla Cannon
    • 2.2. Jump Pack
    • 2.3. Barrier Projector
    • 2.4. Primal Rage
• +Playstyle
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Winston's Offensive Combo
  • 3. Timing with Winston & Knowing When to Dive
  • 4. Stalling with Winston
  • 5. How to Use Primal Rage
• +Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. Winston's Synergies
    • 1.1. D.Va & Winston
    • 1.2. Sombra & Winston
    • 1.3. Mercy & Winston
    • 1.4. Genji & Winston
  • 2. Winston Counters
    • 2.1. Reaper & Winston
    • 2.2. Roadhog & Winston
    • 2.3. Pharah & Winston
    • 2.4. Brigitte & Winston
  • 3. Winston Is Strong Against
    • 3.1. Genji & Winston
    • 3.2. Widowmaker & Winston
    • 3.3. Zenyatta & Winston
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for Winston
    • 1.1. Winston on Watchpoint: Gibraltar/Numbani
    • 1.2. Winston on Horizon Lunar Colony
  • 2. Worst Map for Winston
    • 2.1. Winston on Nepal

On this page, you will find a detailed overview of the abilities that Winston has access to. We also explain how to best use these abilities.

The other pages of our Winston guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

• Communication is key; if you cannot communicate with your team, Winston may not be the best option.
• Winston cannot fit into every team composition, and he is heavily composition-dependent. If allies are choosing heroes that do not work with Winston, do not be afraid to forgo the monkey.
• Timing and positioning are two crucial factors to Winston's success. Take advantage of your team's damage/picks, and follow up when possible.
• Barrier Projector can be used in midair, so do not be afraid to throw it down preemptively if you are worried about being focused.
• Primal Rage is one of the best stall abilities in the game. If your team needs to regroup to take a point, Primal Rage can get the job done.

Winston's primary fire (and primary form of damage) is called Tesla Cannon. Tesla Cannon is a multi-target auto-locking beam weapon that deals consistent damage over time. The beam reaches up to 8 meters, has a width of 6 meters from the player's field of vision and deals 60 damage per second.

Other mechanics of this weapon include:

• Holds 100 ammo.
• Uses 20 rounds per second.
• Reloads in 1.5 seconds.

Jump Pack is Winston's primary mobility ability. Jump Pack launches Winston in whatever direction he is currently facing, and the player's movements in midair will slightly change Winston's trajectory. With Jump Pack, Winston can launch himself anywhere from 18 to 22 meters depending on its usage.

Although mostly used as a way to get into position, Jump Pack also deals area of effect damage and displaces enemies who are caught within Winston's landing zone. The landing zone is a 5 meter radius around Winston's character model on impact. Players caught in Winston's landing zone will receive up to 45 damage as the damage decreases the farther away the enemy is from the epicenter of the landing zone. The ability has a 6-second cooldown that is lowered to 2 seconds when Winston is using Primal Rage.

Barrier Projector is Winston's main defensive ability. When used, Barrier Projector creates a barrier dome around Winston that can tank up to 600 damage and will disappear after 5 seconds if not destroyed. Once the dome is placed, the ability is put on a 13-second cooldown. The dome reaches 5 meters from Winston's position when used, but it should be noted that larger heroes' (like Reinhardt and Roadhog) shoulders can peek out of the dome if they stand too close to the edge.

Barrier Projector interacts with allies and enemies in the same ways as other barriers. Enemies cannot shoot through the barrier, and allies can shoot out of and through the barrier. Additionally, an enemy Symmetra can use a Barrier Projector to boost the damage of her Photon Projector primary fire. Enemies who enter the dome can hit enemies inside the dome, but they cannot shoot out of the dome.

It should be noted that players can drop a Barrier Projector while in midair with Jump Pack. This allows Winston to throw down his Barrier early in an effort to block incoming damage.

Primal Rage is a self-buffing ability that increases Winston's hit points and instantly heals any damage he has received (but takes away his armor), lowers the cooldown of his Jump Pack, increases his mobility, and changes his primary fire to a swinging melee attack that damages and knocks back enemies.

Primal Rage lasts a total of 10 seconds, is an instant cast ability, and can be used to save Winston at the last second before he is killed in action. Primal Rage's swinging attacks deal 40 damage, can hit enemies from 4 meters out, and can be used at a rate of 1.6 swings per second. Once Primal Rage ends, Winston's Tesla Cannon ammo is instantly restored.

About our Author

Mournflakes is a flex Grandmaster Overwatch player who boasts a career high SR rating of 4433. His favorite heroes are Roadhog, Soldier: 76, and Ana. He has played Overwatch since its initial release, and has put over 700 hours into competitive play. When not writing guides, you can catch Mournflakes streaming on his Twitch channel.