Marvel Rivals Hawkeye: How to Play, Counters & Abilities

So you want to play Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals. Let’s be upfront – he’s not the easiest hero to start with in Marvel Rivals. You need good aim, solid positioning, and a lot of patience to make him work. But once you get the hang of him, you’ll be able to control entire areas of the map and take down key targets before they can even react.

As Hawkeye, you’ll be looking to charge your shots and make the enemy team think twice about pushing forward without checking every corner first.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about playing Hawkeye effectively – from basic mechanics to advanced strategies. We’ll cover how to position yourself, when to use your abilities, and most importantly, Hawkeye counters in Marvel Rivals.

Note: This guide is based on the Marvel Rivals Version 20241219. We will update this article as soon as there is any stat or ability change.

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye Stats and Role

Hawkeye is a precision-focused Duelist who excels at long-range combat and picking off high-priority targets. While he takes significant practice to master, his ability to one-shot most non-tank heroes makes him a formidable threat in the right hands.

	Hawkeye
Role	Duelist
Difficulty	★★★★☆ (4/5)
Base Health	250 HP
Speed	6 m/s

How to Play Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals?

The key to succeeding with Hawkeye is mastering positioning and aim. You’ll want to find elevated positions with good sightlines to the fight while maintaining access to cover and your team’s healers. Playing him like a traditional mid-range damage dealer usually leads to quick deaths.

The most important skill to practice is charging your Piercing Arrow shots. While you can spam quick shots, taking the time to fully charge and land headshots will dramatically increase your effectiveness. Try for 2-3 second charge times to maximize damage while maintaining a reasonable fire rate.

When enemies dive you (and they will), don’t panic. Your Skyward Leap gives you good mobility to reposition, and Crescent Slash can create space if they get too close. Use Ronin Slash to deflect incoming projectiles while retreating to your team.

One trick that works well is using Blast Arrow when enemies are grouped up rather than trying to land single target shots. The AOE damage adds up quickly and can force enemies to split up, making them easier to pick off with Piercing Arrow.

Your ultimate ability, Hunter’s Sight, is incredibly powerful but requires smart timing. Use it when:

• Enemy healers are trying to dodge in and out of cover
• Mobile heroes like Spider-Man are harassing your team
• You need to shut down a flying hero like Iron Man

How to Counter Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals?

Let’s talk about dealing with a good Hawkeye player because facing one can be really frustrating if you don’t know what to do. The key thing to remember is that Hawkeye struggles when you don’t let him set up in his preferred spots. He needs time to charge those powerful shots, and if you keep him moving, he can’t do that effectively.

The biggest weakness you can exploit is his low health pool of just 250 HP. Once you get close to him, he doesn’t have many options to escape. Sure, he has that double jump and some defensive abilities, but if you catch him without these cooldowns, he’s in big trouble. Therefore we suggest you to pick at least two tanky melee heroes that can stick to him like Captain America and Venom.

Here’s what works really well against him:

• Spider-Man: Your best pick against a Hawkeye. The web-swinging makes it nearly impossible for him to land those charged shots, and you can constantly harass him from different angles. When you see him trying to charge a shot, that’s your moment to swing in and disrupt his rhythm.
• Iron Fist: A nightmare for Hawkeye players. You can close the distance quickly and your constant pressure means he can’t take the time to line up his shots. The shield ability also gives you some protection while you’re closing in. Once you’re in his face, keep the pressure up – don’t give him room to breathe or create distance.
• Black Panther: Similar to Iron Fist, you’re great at getting in close. Your movement speed makes it hard for Hawkeye to track you, and your abilities let you stick to him once you get there. The key is using your dodge to avoid his Crescent Slash when you get close.
• Doctor Strange: A different type of counter. Instead of diving him, you make his life difficult by protecting his targets. Your portals can save teammates from his shots, and your shields completely shut down his ability to pick off key targets. Position your team behind your shields and watch the Hawkeye player get frustrated.
• Venom: The tank approach to dealing with Hawkeye. Your high health pool means you can survive his initial burst, and your mobility lets you chase him down. Once you’re on top of him, you won’t even need your team to help you to take him down.

When playing against Hawkeye, pay attention to his cooldowns. If you see him use Skyward Leap, that’s your window to engage – he won’t have his escape ability for 6 seconds. Similarly, after he uses Crescent Slash, he’s vulnerable to close-range pressure for 15 seconds.

Marvel Rivals Hawkeye Abilities

Ability	Description	Key Stats
Piercing Arrow (Primary)	A charged arrow shot that deals increased damage based on charge time. The projectile follows an arced trajectory.	• Damage: 8-80 (max at 0.9s charge) • Speed: 120-180 m/s (max at 0.9s) • Min charge time: 0.7s • Movement slow while charging: 30% • Can critical hit • Infinite ammo
Blast Arrow (Secondary)	Fires three explosive arrows in a spread pattern that create damage fields on impact.	• Projectile damage: 20 • Field damage: 25 • Radius: 3m sphere • Speed: 60 m/s • Spread angle: 18° • Charges: 3 • Cooldown: 0.5s • Movement slow while charging: 30%
Hunter’s Sight (Ultimate)	Creates afterimages of enemies that can be damaged to hurt the actual target.	• Duration: 10s • Afterimage creation: Every 0.5s • Afterimage duration: 3s • Energy cost: 3700
Crescent Slash (Shift)	A forward katana slash that launches enemies upward.	• Damage: 40 • Range: 8m • Cooldown: 15s
Hypersonic Arrow (E)	Fires a fast arrow that deals damage in two phases and can knock down airborne enemies.	• Total damage: 100 (50 + 50) • Speed: 150 m/s • First hit: 3m x 3m x 2.7m area • Second hit: 3m x 5m x 1.6m area • Slow effect: 40% for 1s • Cooldown: 12s
Ronin Slash (V)	A melee strike that deflects incoming projectiles.	• Range: 3m • Cannot block explosion effects • No cooldown
Skyward Leap (Space)	Performs a double jump in your movement direction.	• Cooldown: 6s
Archer’s Focus (Passive)	Increases Piercing Arrow damage while aiming at an enemy.	• Bonus damage: 0-80 (max at 0.9s) • Applies to Piercing Arrow base damage • Can critical hit
Supersensory Vision (Team-Up)	Shares Hunter’s Sight benefits with Black Widow.	• 20% damage boost for team • Black Widow can damage afterimages

Note: All stats are current as of game version and subject to balance changes.

Getting good with Hawkeye takes time and practice. You’ll miss shots, you’ll get caught out of position, and you’ll probably feel frustrated at times. But stick with it. Focus on improving your aim in the practice range, learn the maps, and most importantly, pay attention to positioning.

Remember, you don’t need to carry every game. Sometimes, just forcing the enemy team to play differently because they’re worried about your shots is enough to give your team the advantage.