It’s that time of year; Overwatch’s Winter Wonderland event is on – It’s time to earn those skins for characters you will never play, and voice lines and sprays you will never ever use. Other than that though, you might be sat there wondering what’s new to bring you back this year… Well…

There’s a new Mei deathmatch mode, where you fight off against other Mei’s in order to be the top Mei – I don’t really have any top tips for this other than keep moving. Utilise your abilities and try to shoot quicker than the enemy.

Mei’s Snowball Offensive is still a season exclusive game – This sees two teams of Mei’s face of in a team deathmatch, one in the chamber, one shot one kill mode. Each Mei starts with one snowball in the chamber which, once fired, you have to find a patch of snow to recharge. Mei is still able to use ice walls and hide in her ice block to avoid those quick shots from enemies; the mode is fast paced and definitely helps to improve your shooting and evasion tactics – The best way to win this I’ve found is to stick with another person on your team, and flag down the single Mei’s as they can only get off one shot. Plus this pack travelling increases your chances of survival, as you’re less likely to get hit. If you do get split up, or if you’re facing off one to one, it’s time to move as much as possible and utilise your ice wall and ice cube.

Along with Mei’s Snowball Offensive, Yeti Hunter is back! This mode sees a team of Mei’s face off against an overpowered Winston – Mei can still put up ice walls and heal as normal, but instead of throwing up snowballs and creating an ice zone, Mei’s ultimate is now a bear trap. The bear trap stops the Winston in his tracks, even if he’s in rage mode – Winston on the other hand has all his abilities, a lot more health, and his ultimate is powered by collecting four bits of meat – I don’t know if it has been tweaked, but it does feel like this year the meat recharges a lot quicker, and Winston feels a bit stronger. Winstons aren’t getting as savaged as they were last year, and it feels more balanced! But perhaps I’ve just gotten a bit better as Winston… As always, you can choose if you want to play as a hunter or as the yeti.

How to win as Mei? The trick to winning as Mei is to slowly chip away at the Winston. Use your ranged shot where necessary, and if possible you can get the Winston in a corner with a group of Mei’s, freeze him and trap him with bear traps. This is game over for most Winston’s! It’s important to keep an eye on the meat level of Winston as well – If the Winston has already got 3 meats, it’s best not to follow him to a fourth; you’d be better off waiting out his rage and spreading out before starting again. A good tip is to place a bear trap over a piece of meat, as it will stop Winston even in his raging form, even if it’s only a few seconds.

As Winston, where possible, try to move around the edge of the map. Utilise Winston’s jump as much as possible to move quickly – Wait a little after getting three meats to give the others a chance to spawn; this means that you can get a rage mode quicker than enemy Mei’s are expecting! You could also try waiting for Mei’s at a fourth bit of meat to get the jump on them.

So that’s it for this year’s Overwatch event. What are your best tips for these game modes?

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