A monkey out of control – Winston is finally becoming a popular Overwatch character.
When a tank is called for in Overwatch, one almost automatically expects a Reinhardt, Zarya, or more recently, Orisa. However, since the last patch, Winston is being played more often. He has become a solid representative and is appearing in more and more matches – even though he doesn’t quite fit the tank stereotype.
Similar to Roadhog, Winston also had long-standing issues, as he wasn’t really good at functioning as a protective shield in any way. He prefers to focus on quick movements, disruptions, and control effects to lure opponents out of their positions – making himself an easy target in the process.
Recently, there were some changes to the gorilla and scientist. His deployable barrier is now used more frequently, as the cooldown starts with the placement of the barrier and not – as before – only upon destruction. This change alone ensures that the barrier is active about 35% more often, as players no longer hold it “for the one right moment” and place it more frequently.
Smaller head, larger player base
Additionally, a change was made that reduced his critical hit zone. Winston’s head hasn’t shrunk, but the hitbox has – it was too large before, as noted by the developers.
Although Winston’s play rate is slowly stabilizing, he is still lagging behind the other tanks. Hardly anyone wants to forgo a Reinhardt or Zarya to have a jumping monkey as the only barrier between them and the enemy’s fire.
But a perfect world where all heroes have exactly the same play rate will probably never exist – not even in the positive Overwatch universe.
Something is brewing in Overwatch – the Insurrection event is just around the corner!
