Marvel Rivals, like any competitive multiplayer game, is always going to see players rushing to queue as whoever is overpowered or strong in the contemporary meta. But a big allure for Marvel Rivals in particular is also the selection of popular Marvel characters it adapts. Lin Lie’s Iron Fist certainly isn’t as popular as any Avenger on the roster, for instance, but is currently one of the game’s most lethal Duelists. Conversely, adoring Spider-Man fans who love the character in every other iteration are learning just how challenging it can be to main the wall-crawler in Marvel Rivals.
Moreover, Marvel Rivals does an exceptional job of blending popular and obscure characters, as well as reinterpreting less popular characters with fascinating or inspired adaptations—that goes for both visual designs and gameplay kits. Black Widow and Hawkeye realistically underwhelm when put in a room with characters such as Psylocke, Magik, or Scarlet Witch in terms of how captivating they are on paper, but Marvel Rivals does a phenomenal job of making up for their relative normalcy or lack of sensationalism by having it be more satisfying to perform well with them.
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Marvel Rivals’ Spider-Man Having a Steep Learning Curve is a Breath of Fresh Air
Spider-Man is still arguably one of the most difficult Marvel Rivals characters to master and that’s proven to be a brilliant design choice.
Marvel Rivals’ Black Widow and Hawkeye are Two Sides of the Same Coin
They can’t call upon the claws of Khonshu like Moon Knight or enchant Storm and Captain America with Thorforce like Thor, but the skill level it takes to land even individual kills with Black Widow or Hawkeye in the midst of a hectic match equates to superhuman ability and is twice as tough to execute depending on any given player’s skill level and familiarity with shooters. Black Widow and Hawkeye require precision as characters who revolve largely around sniping headshots for high damage and KOs in discrete vantage points. That doesn’t make a well-timed Squirrel Girl acorn lob any less impressive, but it’s true that many characters’ primary projectile options are more forgiving or lenient on their accuracy.
It’s not required to aim down sights with the Straight Shooter right-click for Black Widow’s Red Room Rifle, but doing so may aid players in honing their shots. For Marvel Rivals’ Hawkeye, charging the Piercing Arrow fully deals more damage. Both characters have interesting if not limited mobility and close-quarters options, too, with their sniping potential being what sets their kits apart from most others in the roster.
Marvel Rivals’ Black Widow and Hawkeye’s Difficulty Translates to Aiming Finesse
Interestingly, Hawkeye’s Ultimate is the more interesting as it creates Afterimages that can be struck to damage the opponent they mirror, but this effect is shared with Black Widow in Marvel Rivals’ Allied Agents Team-Up ability. Black Widow and Hawkeye have always been a neat pairing of powerless but expert sharpshooters, and Marvel Rivals is now the perfect outlet to celebrate them.
Just like with Spider-Man, seeing a Black Widow or Hawkeye in the lobby will soon probably denote that they are incredibly skilled at a playstyle that isn’t terribly accessible for an average or casual player, especially if an average or casual player is being introduced to the 6v6 hero shooter genre through Marvel Rivals. Black Widow and Hawkeye both unsurprisingly have a four-star difficulty rating, and yet the difficulty in playing them will almost wholly boil down to how excellent the player’s aim is above all else.
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