Only one Overwatch hero has never been nerfed and fans can’t believe it

Throughout Overwatch’s 5+ year history, only one of its 32 heroes has never received a nerf. Can you guess who?

Overwatch has been through a ton of balance updates and patch notes throughout it’s life. This is, in large part, because of how much players have changed the game over the years, the addition of new heroes that shake up the meta, and Role Queue being implemented.

From the days of no hero limits, to GOATS, to 2-2-2, and probably leading right up until Overwatch 2, there’s only one hero that has never received a nerf. Who is that hero, you ask?

What hero has never been nerfed in Overwatch?

The only hero in Overwatch to never receive an outright nerf is… everyone’s favorite gorilla scientist, Winston.

A fan on Reddit recently pointed this fact out, leaving fans shocked at the claim. But, after following up on the post, it by all accounts seems to be true.

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When checking logs on Winston, only five total patch notes came up for the gorilla, all of which were either buffs or had a net neutral effect on the hero.

Winston all-time patch notes

3/21/2017

Barrier Projector

• Ability cooldown now starts when the barrier is placed, instead of when it ends.

11/16/2017

Barrier Projector

• Now displays a health bar.

10/15/2019

Barrier Projector

• Duration increased from 6 to 9 seconds.

• Health increased from 600 to 700.

2/18/2021

• Base Armor/Health has been redistributed from 100/400 to 150/350.

Winston Changes in Overwatch 2

Winston probably won’t be getting nerfed anytime soon, either. In Overwatch 2, the hero will be getting a long-range hitscan fire to go alongside his Tesla Cannon that nearly resembles a rail gun.

This will make him more effective at range, which is one area Winston has always struggled to be effective.

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While his fate in the game’s sequel could change, this new alternate fire has appeared in early playtests, and devs haven’t shared any other major updates on the tank before the game’s release.

We’ll continue to monitor Winston and all other heroes’ changes leading up to OW2’s release, which is projected to come around the Spring 2022.