Marvel Rivals has three unique class types that house its staggering 23-hero roster, bringing nearly everyone’s favorites to the battlefield for a fierce 6v6 competition. Amongst these roles are the damage-focused Deulists, with the one and only Punisher within its ranks, looking to dish out KOs like they’re going out of style.
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Overall, The Punisher is a fantastic character in Marvel Rivals that offers satisfying gameplay. He is a Hero who can rack up large amounts of damage and fry the opposition if you use his tools correctly and efficiently. If you’re a newcomer to Marvel Rivals or Hero Shooters in general, then you cannot go wrong with using him as your jumping-on point.
Updated December 16, 2024, by Seth Parmer: Despite receiving a small nerf to his health, going from 300 HP down to 275 HP, The Punisher is still an excellent Hero to pick up and play in Marvel Rivals’ full release. And, with the addition of Winter Soldier, utilizing the Ammo Overload Team-Up action can unleash disgusting amounts of damage in combat!
The Punisher Overview In Marvel Rivals
The Punisher is a relatively easy character to use in Marvel Rivals. He has a great deal of tools at his disposal, allowing him to unleash considerable amounts of damage and pressure on his opposition. If you’re looking for an easy-to-learn Duelist, then The Punisher will offer what you’re looking for and then some.
As a Duelist, The Punisher doesn’t have the largest health pool and is relatively squishy, so be wary of that before charging headfirst into combat. His damage potential is also very solid, and if you can place your shots and use your abilities properly, he will get the job done.
The Punisher Overview
|
Health |
275 HP |
|---|---|
|
Difficulty |
🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ |
The Punisher Team-Ups
|
Team-Up |
Characters |
Type |
|---|---|---|
|
Ammo Overload |
Passive |
Now that Winter Soldier is added to the fray, the Ammo Overload Team-Up ability will also impact him, allowing him and The Punisher to have unlimited ammunition and faster rate of fire while standing in the area of effect of Rocket’s device when placed on the ground.
This does shake things up quite considerably, as it is one of the best Team-Up actions in the game for dealing a mass amount of damage. Placing Rocket Racoon, Winter Soldier, and The Punisher on the same team can have some substantial benefits, so we recommend trying it out!
The Punisher Abilities
|
Ability |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Adjudication LMB/R2/RT |
The Punisher sprays a sea of bullets from his Adjudication Assault Rifle, providing a steady rate of fire and decent accuracy. The Adjudication holds 30 bullets max and must be reloaded when emptied. |
|
Deliverance LMB/R2/RT |
The Punisher fires a concise and tight spread from his Deliverance Shotgun, making it a solid tool for close-range encounters. The Deliverance holds eight shells max and must be reloaded when emptied. |
|
Scourge Grenade RMB/L2/LT |
Leap backward while tossing a Smoke Grenade forward, blocking the opposition’s line of sight, allowing you and your team to retreat or take a more advantageous position. |
|
Culling Turret E/R1/RB |
Summon a massive turret that The Punisher climbs into. This turret prevents him from moving but allows him to fire an onslaught of high-damaging rounds at the opposition. The Culling Turret has 600 HP and will disappear when destroyed or if The Punisher hops out of it. |
|
Vantage Connection LSHIFT/L1/R1 |
Set up a zipline that allows The Punisher to traverse the arena swiftly and efficiently, enabling him to reach advantageous positions. When on the zipline, pressing F/Circle/B will have The Punisher move faster. |
|
Final Judgement Q/L3+R3 |
The Punisher pulls out two massive Gattling Guns and a Missile Launcher for ten seconds, allowing him to unleash pure chaos and severe damage to everything and everyone in the area. |
|
Warrior’s Gaze Passive |
Allows The Punisher to see enemies behind cover for a brief period after they leave his line of sight. |
|
Infinite Punishment Passive Team-Up Ability |
If Rocket Raccon deploys his Ammo Overload Device, The Punisher and Winter Soldier will have unlimited ammo and a substantially faster rate of fire while standing in the device’s area of effect. |
Everything highlighted above makes The Punisher such a solid and fun Hero to play, as in Marvel Rivals. He is a tremendous starter character for anyone looking to play a Duelist. His ability to deal tons of damage at a safe distance also makes it far easier for him to dominate than characters like Spider-Man.
When it comes to overall gameplay flow, The Punisher’s toolkit meshes well with essentially any team composition, so you don’t have to ultra-focus a build around him. That being said, if you misuse some of his more global Abilities, such as his Scourge Grenade, you can also be a nuisance to your team.
Recommended Teams
To reiterate the point above, The Punisher is a largely flexible character who will thrive with just about any team composition out there. However, we do recommend trying to have Rocket Racoon on your team, at least when playing as The Punisher, as the Infinite Punishment Team-Up Ability makes The Punisher a monster in the arena.
Additionally, The Punisher’s Infinite Punishment Ultimate Ability is very solid, allowing him to chip away at the opposition’s health with ease. If paired with Rocket Racoon’s C.Y.A. Ultimate, it will deal even more damage, making them a match made in heaven. We cannot recommend utilizing this deadly duo enough in Marvel Rivals.
And, if you’re running a trio, we urge you to have Winter Soldier alongside Rocket Racoon and The Punisher, as the damage output will be astronomical if you use your Team-Up actions frequently and go in guns blazing. Again, this is one of the best Team-Ups in the game, so getting the most out of it will just propel you to victory!
How To Play As The Punisher In Marvel Rivals
Moving on from the general overview and outline of what The Punisher is capable of to how to use him in combat properly, we will highlight some combos for him below. However, please note that The Punisher’s idea of a combo is just unloading a barrage of lead into his opposition, so you best hit your shots.
The Punisher Combos In Marvel Rivals
- Adjudication > Deliverance > Vantage Connection > Scourge Grenade > Culling Turret
- Adjudication > Scourge Grenade > Vantage Connection > Culling Turret
- Adjudication > Deliverance > Scourge Grenade > Vantage Connection > Final Judgement
Again, The Punisher doesn’t really have a solid combo. It’s all about positioning, landing your shots, and using his tools to obstruct the opposition’s vision. Nonetheless, using Vantage Connection to get to a more advantageous spot to place your Culling Turret is always wise, especially since you can use the Scourge Grenade to block their vision.
If you’re struggling to hit your shots as The Punisher, we strongly recommend jumping into the Practice Range to improve your accuracy and shot placement. The Punisher is a remarkably strong and rewarding character that can be a tremendous positive to his team, but you must land your shots if you want that to be the case!
When To Use Final Judgement
Final Judgement is The Punisher’s Ultimate Attack in Marvel Rivals, having him bust out two Gatling Guns and a Missile Launcher for a solid ten seconds, granting him unlimited ammo for these weapons of destruction for the entire duration of the attack.
Using Final Judgement comes with the same responsibilities as before: you must hit your shots to make the most out of it. Still, it is a pretty accurate attack and deals TONS of damage on contact, so be sure to position yourself advantageously before unleashing it.
We recommend using Vantage Connection to reach higher ground or a more advantageous spot before executing Final Judgement. Treat this ability as a mobile version of his devastating Culling Turret, and be mindful of The Punisher’s low health pool. If you’re aiming to dive the opposition, ensure you have adequate healing and damage mitigation beforehand, or you will get KO’d pretty quickly.
When it comes to when to use Final Judgement, there’s really no reason to hold onto it unless the opposition is exceptionally far away from you or was recently wiped. Get to a strong vantage point, pop it, and reign chaos on all the enemies the moment you get it!
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