Hawkeye is one of the highest dps characters in the game. His damage output is high enough to one-shot a large portion of the Rivals roster. He is one of the most banned characters at the highest ranks, highlighting his strength. In this guide, we will start with an overview of his abilities for new players. If you already know the basics of the character, skip down to the next section where we will give you some tips and tricks to improve your effectiveness in battle. Finally, we will give some guidance on if Hawkeye is the right character for you.
Basic Ability Guide (For Beginners)
You can find a bulleted list of the character's abilities in game under their character tab. This portion of the guide will cover the same info, as well as some extra information and tips that the game doesn't clearly outline. If you already have a basic grasp of the character, skip to the next section for more advanced tips.
Hawkeye has a pretty simple ability set. His primary fire is his Piercing Bow, which has unlimited ammo at the cost of drawing the bow between shots. This will be the majority of the character's damage output. He does have a secondary fire called Blast Arrow that you can swap between. This is a lower damage volley of 3 arrows that have an explosive impact. You rarely want to use these in standard combat, but they are great for finishing off opponents that run behind cover while at low hp.
For another niche usage ability, Hawkeye has a Hypersonic Arrow. This fires 2 consecutive, 50 damage shots. This is mostly used to knock down flying opponents or finish off low hp enemies with a quick 1-2 shot. You don't want to use this to just dish out damage in regular combat. Your standard bow does much more damage. Save it for a quick follow up when you shoot someone to low hp with the standard arrow.
An ability most players aren't fully utilizing is the Ronin Slash. This melee attack has a bit of knockback, which can protect you against aggressive opponents. You want to he at range to properly use your bow, so this ability can put some space between you and them. Ronin Slash also can deflect projectiles if timed correctly! While it won't save you from explosive impacts, it can protect you for a brief moment if you are under fire, giving you some extra time to find cover.
Hawkeye's Ultimate ability, Hunter's Sight, is extremely powerful and allows you to get kills that were previously unavailable to you. When activated, enemies in your field of vision will leave behind light blue freeze frame images of themselves. You can shoot these blue images and deal damage to the actual player, despite not actually hitting the player directly. The best example of the potential this gives you is versus Doctor Strange. If he is raising a shield to block damage, his after images could be exposed, allowing you to eliminate Doctor Strange despite his shielding!
Hawkeye also has a double jump on a cooldown. This can not only grant you access to vantage points, but give you unique angles to attack opponents on the back line. When you need to retreat in a hurry, it also gives you a fast way to bounce away and find cover.
Even with all of these abilities, Hawkeye has a passive ability that makes his shots extremely potent. Archer's Focus let's you deal more damage the longer your arrow is aimed at an opponent. While aiming, you will see a percentile go from 0% to 100% while aiming at opponents. This grants 80 bonus damage on a 100% charge, which takes about 1 second. This motivates you to slow down and focus on accuracy, rather than spamming arrows down range.
Gameplay Tips and Tricks
Hawkeye is a ranged fighter, so stay as far back as you reasonably can and let your Vanguard protect you. Your hp isn't very high, so you are very easy to kill. Your arrows don't have damage drop off, so sitting further away won't be a disadvantage for your damage output. Even when playing offensively, try to find a position that is out of the enemies typical lines of sight.
Try not to use your double jump the moment it recharges every time. You will often need it for specific situations, so it being stuck on cooldown severely hinders your flexibility.
Archer's Focus may add extra damage with slower shots, but you don't always need to get maximum damage. Some circumstances may call for rapid firing your primary shot. This may be useful when an opponent is near death, or you are close quarters with an opponent where you don't have time to aim a slower shot.
Save your ultimate for times you need a specific character killed. If a Strategist is moving too much, but keeping their team alive, you may use the ultimate to single them out. If a Vanguard keeps evading damage and protecting their team, you ultimate can eliminate them so the enemy team is finally vulnerable.
As the team's sniper, it's important to focus on which targets to hit first. For example: lets say your teammates are fighting off a Hulk. You should pay attention to what the most influential kill would be to support your team. If the Strategists are keeping Hulk alive, single out the Strategist so Hulk dies easier. If enemy Duelists are taking out your team while they fight Hulk, protect them by targeting the duelist first while they deal with Hulk. Knowing how to read the battlefield and single out key targets will help your team succeed.
Your secondary arrows may not do much damage, but they are great for securing that last little bit of damage you need. A severely injured opponent is likely to become evasive and flee, so sometimes it may be advantageous to swap to the explosive arrows to give a low damage spread that can be easier to hit with. If an opponent is heading around a corner, it can also give you the ability to kill them without directly seeing their character anymore.
Is Hawkeye For You?
Hawkeye is the definition of a sniper. You want to sit in the back and eliminate key targets that are hard for your team to single out. He requires a high amount of precision to be effective, as well as knowledge of how to balance quick and slow shots.
If you enjoy playing accuracy rewarding characters, Hawkeye may be for you. He is the most rewarding character to play if you like seeing your specific shot make a major impact. You don't have to use too many abilities, which makes him a very easy to learn character. His skill curve is simply being accurate.
If you like mobility or high complexity characters, Hawkeye may not be for you. He is considered a "point and click adventure" character, meaning the majority of your gameplay revolves around just aiming and shooting. If you want a more flexible, complex duelist, check out our Psylocke guide!
