Marvel Rivals Hawkeye guide: Abilities, how to play, and more

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye is one of the few characters who relies solely on his skills rather than superpowers. He is famed for being an expert marksman who does not miss his shot and has an arsenal of nifty gadgets that can aid you on the battlefield. This hero is great for players who wish to deal damage and remain mobile during the game. However, Hawkeye is quite weak against group rushes.

Hawkeye, by default, is a straightforward character. His skill-ceiling is extremely high, and players who put in the work of mastering the hero's kit, and their mechanical aim will undoubtedly dominate over their opposition. Raw mechanical skill is an absolute necessity when it comes to using this character, and if you can master his projectile arrows, you will be an absolute menace on the battlefield.

This article will provide a detailed brief on the unique kit provided to Marvel Rivals Hawkeye and how you can use it to wreak havoc on your enemies. Read below to know more

Editor's Note: The contents of this guide have been updated to the latest patch deployed on January 25, 2025. This article will be further updated as a new balance update goes live for Marvel Rivals in the near future.

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Marvel Rivals Hawkeye: All abilities

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye is a Duelist character (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye has a variety of abilities in his kit. He has a total of two passive abilities, two different types of arrows, and five abilities. Here's a detailed look into all his abilities:

Ability	Effect
Piercing Arrow (LMB)	Shoot a powerful arrow
Blast Arrow (LMB)	Shoot three explosive arrows
Hunter’s Sight (Q)	Capture Afterimages of enemies in his view. Damage dealt to an Afterimage is transferred to the corresponding enemy
Crescent Slash (LShift)	Unsheathe a katana and slash forward, launching up enemies hit
Hypersonic Arrow (E)	Shoot a Hypersonic Arrow, dealing two instances of damage to enemies in its path and inflicting them with Slow. This ability can Knock Down flying heroes
Ronin Slash (V)	Swing a wakizashi to strike frontal enemies, deflecting all incoming projectiles
Skyward Leap (Space)	Perform a double jump in the direction of movement
Archer’s Focus (Passive)	Aim at an enemy to improve focus, enhancing the damage inflicted by Piercing Arrow
Supersensory Vision (Passive)	Hawkeye can share his Hunter's Sight with Black Widow, enabling her to catch sight of and damage afterimages of enemies

How to play as Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals?

Mobility

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye Skyward Leap (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye is limited to mostly running and using the double jump ability to move around. However, this can be used to quickly climb higher ground to shoot arrows from a distance. It is a great way to get to a vantage point and poke enemies from afar while also keeping other flying heroes in check.

Playstyle

Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals is a simple hero to understand but a difficult one to master. Since the abilities are limited to long-range combat with only a few defensive ones to survive rushes, it is best to stick behind the tanky heroes and support them during the fights.

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye Crescent Slash ability (Image via NetEase Games)

As a Duelist, you should aim to inflict as much damage as possible on the opponent team and drive them back. This will create more space for your team to play and can even result in a snowball victory.

You should try targeting the support heroes, or healers, in the enemy team for the best results. Once the opponents lose their support, the defense quickly crumbles and then you can start hunting them down.

Ultimate

Hawkeye's ultimate ability, Hunter's Sight, offers him a wide range of views for attack. When activated, he can see enemies afterimage for three seconds. If Hawkeye manages to hit this afterimage, the damage is transferred to the enemy. The duration of this ability is ten seconds with an afterimage generated every 0.5 seconds.

Best team-ups for Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals

1) Black Widow (Duelist)

Black Widow is a great duo for Marvel Rivals Hawkeye (Image via NetEase Games)

Hawkeye and Black Widow together form the Marvel Rivals team-up called Allied Agents. This grants Black Widow a special ability called Supersensory Hunt, which enables her to spot and damage afterimages of enemies.

2) Mantis (Strategist)

Mantis is a great duo for Marvel Rivals Hawkeye (Image via NetEase Games)

Mantis is an excellent hero to pair with Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals. She can provide consistent damage boosts with her Allied Inspiration ability that further increases the already heavy damage output of the archer.

Furthermore, Mantis’ Spore Slumber can sedate enemies and make them easy targets for Hawkeye to take down.

Best Counters for Marvel Rivals Hawkeye

1) Venom

Venom is a counter to Marvel Rivals Hawkeye (Image via NetEase Games)

Venom is an excellent counter to Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals. His kit with Venom Swing, Alien Biology, and Frenzied Arrival is difficult for Hawkeye to deal with, who is easily overwhelmed and taken down in an instant.

Furthermore, Venom can tank a lot of Hawkeye Piercing and Burst Arrows with his high health and taking help from his Symbiotic Resilience ability, thereby reducing the archer’s effectiveness on the battlefield.

2) Spider-Man

Spider-Man is a counter to Marvel Rivals Hawkeye (Image via NetEase Games)

Spider-Man is another excellent counter to Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals owing to his agility. His movement mechanics with Web Swing and Thwip and Flip allow him to dodge Hawkeye’s arrows easily and get close to him to take him down.

Furthermore, Spidey’s Get Over Here! and Amazing Combo can be used in combination to trap and defeat Hawkeye from the backlines.

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye Lore

The Hawkeye variant in Marvel Rivals has gone through the phase of being Ronin and is now back to his original mantle. He also fought against Hydra and rescued Winter Soldier. Read his full lore below:

"Clint Barton is one of the greatest marksmen alive. He may not have superpowers, but his natural ability to hit virtually any target earned him a place alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes. As Hawkeye, he's been known to take down an entire enemy fleet with nothing more than a quiver full of arrows. For a time, Clint distanced himself from the Avengers, setting off on a quest for vengeance as the assassin called Ronin. He returned to the fold older and wiser, just in time to infiltrate Hydra’s Erebus Base and rescue the captured Winter Soldier."

That's all there is to know about mastering the fan-favorite Marvel Rivals Hawkeye. Our guide will help you dominate your games, however, to see the best results, you have to put in the hours and grind this character.

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt