How Marvel Rivals Hawkeye could fit into the game's meta

Marvel Rivals continues its countdown to launch day with exciting reveals every day until December 6th. The latest announcement included the Hydra Erebus Base map and the addition of Hawkeye to the Duelist role. The Archer's arrival in the superhero-based shooter seemed inevitable after an image of Hawkeye surfaced on Marvel Rivals' website along with Moon Knight before it was hastily removed.




With Hawkeye set to be playable in just a few weeks, his ability kit should interest fans of Clint Barton and those who enjoy projectile characters. After NetEase Games revealed Hawkeye's gameplay and abilities, it is clear that he will be a strong choice. While fans can only speculate how he will fit into the game's meta, he appears to be an impressive threat from range or melee.

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Marvel Rivals Hawkeye has game-changing potential

Hawkeye could go meta in Marvel Rivals

Hawkeye is the 28th character revealed out of the 33 characters in the starting eleven for season 0 of Marvel Rivals. Of the known heroes, Barton is becoming one of the strongest Duelist characters due to his one-shot potential, as he can snipe enemies across the map with his primary fire, Piercing Arrow. Currently, no other heroes can eliminate other targets with a single shot.


Fortunately, to keep this ability balanced, the developers have made it so that Hawkeye cannot burn angles. Pulling back the bow charges the damage output, and a 100% charge can only be achieved by actively targeting an enemy. Therefore, more value is placed on intentional and accurate images. In this way, Marvel Rivals can avoid controversy surrounding one-shot heroes without a target in their line of sight before firing.

Hawkeye's passive ability, Archer's Focus, increases damage the longer he aims at a target, while the bow's ranged charge increases accuracy when he draws it back.

How Hawkeye performs in close combat

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye playable


While the archer is primarily known for his precision with the bow and arrow, as a ronin samurai, he is also an expert swordsman. In the game, this is illustrated through two separate abilities. First, his Crescent Slash ability, tied to Left Shift, allows him to slash forward and knock enemies into the air. This can be especially useful for securing environmental death. The other, Ronin Slash, allows him to use the Wakizashi sword to melee while deflecting oncoming projectiles. As such, Marvel Rivals players shouldn't expect Hawkeye to be vulnerable in close range encounters, especially since Skyward Leap gives him the mobility to double jump away.

Hawkeye's secondary fire, Blast Arrow, has been compared to Monitorings original Scatter Arrow ability as he can send out three explosive arrows that deal splash damage. The core difference is that the arrows are an AoE ability, meaning they won't be able to ricochet or headshot characters. Similarly, the Hypersonic Arrow damages targets in its path, resulting in the ability to pierce multiple enemies at once and knock flyers like Storm or Iron Man out of the sky.


Additionally, Barton's ultimate, Hunter's Sight, creates “Afterimages” of moving enemies. It doesn't seem like he can headshot these projections, but he can damage them, which then damages the targets as well. Fans have theorized that Black Widow, who may be revealed soon, will also be able to damage these “Afterimages” via Marvel Rivals' Team-Up Ability, but this has yet to be confirmed.

Ultimately, Hawkeye is well-rounded in almost every respect as a projectile hero who can counter heroes with escape, engage in melee, and get value from being ranged. Still, he'll likely be easily countered by flanking heroes like Star-Lord or Loki, a good Hela, and Vanguard characters that can deal most of the sniper's damage. With Hela as an S-Tier choice Marvel Rivals' closed playtests, it will be interesting to see how Hawkeye compares with her hitscan capabilities. Regardless, his one-shot can be especially game-changing when paired with characters with a stun, like Mantis.


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