If you’ve been paying attention lately, Winston just received a new buff on “Overwatch” PTR. Although it is a tiny change, it is still enough to give the monkey scientist the buff he deserves. It basically improves the Barrier Projector.

Winston’s buff in a nutshell

Blizzard introduced a new update on “Overwatch” Public Test Realm recently, giving Winston a small buff. It is worth noting that nothing about his shield’s functionality has been changed. However, the studio added a health bar that simply measures the HP of said skill, according to Hot New Gaming.

It is quite handy actually. Consider it a quality of life change that, in one way or another, can improve Winston’s gaming experience.

The health bar, however, is not entirely new in the game. Most tanks already have it, giving players a look-see at how low or high a tank’s shield is. Both Orisa and Reinhardt, two of the most popular tanks in the game, already have health bars on their respective shields. Although D.Va’s Defense Matrix seems a bit different, it still has a clear meter that indicates the skill’s longevity.

How will this affect Winston’s playability?

In a sense, it is a huge help for players who main Winston in “Overwatch.” Their team play should somehow improve, allowing them to communicate well with their teammates.

For instance, they can now give their allies the idea that the shield is about to break. Remember that in the tank department, Winston’s Barrier Projector is the only one that does not last long. It can easily be broken by a series of attacks from the likes of Pharah and Soldier: 76. Nonetheless, the hero continues to be a significant addition in team comps due to his mobility.

In fact, he is the face of the so-called Dive comp - a team composition that consists of highly mobile heroes.

The change on Winston’s shield is absolutely a handy feature to track the damage taken. But since it is still on PTR, Blizzard might decide to add a couple of changes. Apart from the Winston buff, Roadhog has been disabled on the test server temporarily.

According to the official patch notes, “this change is only for the PTR and does not affect live servers.” However, the studio cannot provide an ETA for when the character will be brought back to the PTR. They are currently investigating the issue and a set of updates are expected to be posted on the game’s official forum site. This is definitely something that “Overwatch” players need to look forward to.
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