Players of Marvel Rivals who were hoping to escape the overpowering influence of Overwatch’s Hanzo meta are facing a familiar challenge—Hawkeye has entered the scene, bringing back the dreaded one-shot kills. This development has sparked considerable discontent among the community.
For years, Overwatch players found themselves frustrated by formidable characters like Hanzo and Widowmaker. Despite ongoing balance adjustments, these snipers typically maintained their position as game-changers with their exceptional accuracy and oversized projectiles, resulting in one-shot eliminations that tested the patience of players.
Now, in a different hero shooter, Hawkeye is emerging as a similarly disruptive force in Marvel Rivals.
The character’s current iteration has drawn sharp criticism, particularly for the impressive damage output he delivers. Players, many of whom have experience with Overwatch, are concerned that the developers of Marvel Rivals have not addressed the previous issues that arose from characters like Hanzo.
Hawkeye: The “Hanzo on Steroids”
Demands for a nerf from NetEase regarding this bow-wielding character are growing louder. One Reddit user expressed frustration, stating, “Please nerf this character. He makes the game miserable to play.” Another user added that Hawkeye’s presence makes matches “1,000,000,000x less fun.”
The multitude of issues associated with Hawkeye’s gameplay is striking. One-shot kills, oversized arrows, and an alarmingly rapid fire rate contribute to a negative experience for many players, who have drawn comparisons between Hawkeye and the “original Hanzo from OW.”
One frustrated player remarked, “It’s pretty absurd how good he is even with mediocre aim.” Others echoed the sentiment, noting that as long as “long-range one-shots are a thing,” characters like Hawkeye will continue to detract from the enjoyment of Marvel Rivals.
A different player lamented their experience with Hanzo in Overwatch, describing his one-shot ability as “BS.” They elaborated that it appeared to offer a “low skill, low risk, high reward” dynamic, leading to experiences of death that felt unjust and unfair.
Interestingly, a mid-September 2024 update allowed Hanzo to once again achieve one-shot kills against heroes in OW2. This decision followed an extensive period during Season 9 when players described nerfs as “soulless.”
Looking ahead, it is reasonable to expect that Hawkeye will encounter his own ups and downs within Marvel Rivals as the game evolves. However, with NetEase yet to respond to the ongoing concerns, players have no clear timeline for when balance updates addressing his capabilities might occur.
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