Introduction

Hawkeye is one of the best marksmen in the game, and he is also very easy to use since most of the time you will be only using his S2 and basic attacks. At higher levels, he will reach insane amounts of attack speed, and will be able to outrange most other marksmen. The short description of Hawkeye would be: keep your distance and pepper the enemy with arrows.

PROS

  • Very high DPS in the mid and late game, once you get at least two damage items
  • Bonus energy damage (from the S2), is a huge benefit, especially in the early game, since most heroes buy armor first, and don’t have any energy resistance
  • Long shooting and vision range, which improves whenever Hawkeye levels up
  • Can spot hiding/invisible heroes, so it’s almost impossible to ambush him
  • Easy to play

CONS

  • Weak in the early game, just like most other marksmen
  • Very Squishy
  • Low mobility
  • No escape tool, except the Ultimate

Hawkeye Item Build

MARKSMAN  
Silent Hunter MSW Silent Hunter
Hunting Greaves MSW Hunting Greaves
Dual Blade MSW Dual Blade
Valkyrior Bow MSW Valkyrior Bow
Twilight Blade MSW Twilight Blade
Gungnir MSW

Gungnir

 

 

NOTE: Hawkeye’s S2 deals bonus energy damage against heroes (base value + % max hp). However, Hawkeye can’t score critical hits with bonus energy damage, only with his physical attack.

POWER CORE  
Swift Pummel Power Core Swift Pummel
Rend Particle Power Core Rend Particle
Restoration Module Power Core Restoration Module
Agility Boost Power Core Agility Boost
TACTIC  
First Aid Tactic First Aid
Blink Tactic Blink

Hawkeye early game (lvl 8)

First a quick look at Hawkeye’s passive. As he gains levels Hawkeye’s shooting and vision range improve, meaning that you will be able to outrange almost all other marksmen. Also, Hawkeye is able to see invisible foes, so you don’t have to worry about enemies hiding in the brush (and you will always be able to see the Invisible Woman).  

During the early game, Hawkeye should play a bit defensively and focus on farming. Blast Arrow (S1) is great for poking in the early game (you can hit minions and still damage heroes, and you can also separate your foes from each other), but the S2 is his main skill and should be upgraded whenever it’s available. So, the goal in the very early game is to farm and not get killed. Hawkeye should be extremely careful before he reaches level 4 and unlocks his Ulti because without it he doesn’t have any escape option (except Blink) and can be easily taken out if ganked.

Multipurpose Bow (S2) is his main damage dealing skill, and Hawkeye should avoid fighting enemy heroes if this skill is on cooldown. Once you reach level 5-6, this skill will be upgraded to level 3, and now your Hawkeye can start dishing out some decent damage. Another neat thing about the S2 is that it deals energy damage, so most enemies in the early game won’t have any bonus resistance against it since most heroes buy armor items first.

TIP: Do not use S2 against minions or creeps! S2 only works on heroes, and you won’t receive attack speed and energy damage from it if you use it against minions. Even worse, wasting the S2 like this might leave it on CD when it’s badly needed.

So how should Hawkeye fight? Well, the most important thing is to always stay at maximum shooting distance – Hawkeye has a huge range, use it to your benefit. Once you engage the opponent, immediately activate S2, and start peppering it with arrows. If there are no minions between yourself and your target, try to hit it with S1, so you can slow it down and prevent it from escaping.

TIP: Hawkeye should always moving while shooting the bow. This way you can retreat one step and shoot at the enemy, staying at your maximum shooting distance while continuously attacking. The same rule applies if the enemy is trying to get away from you – one step forward, shoot, rinse, and repeat. Also, it will be a bit more difficult to hit the Hawkeye with aimed skills if he’s constantly moving.

Also, always stay behind your support/tank, at least in the early game, and pay attention to the mini-map. Hawkeye without map awareness is a dead Hawkeye. Considering target selection, always try to position yourself to shoot at the enemy marksman rather than support/tank. Proper target selection is probably the most important thing when playing Hawkeye. Well, having a good partner in a bottom lane is a blessing, having a bad one is one of the worst things that can happen to a Hawkeye.

Arrow Rain (Ultimate) is your one and only escape tool and it can be used to avoid some very nasty skills. For example, you can jump out of the Namor’s Ulti, avoid AoE spells from energy heroes, etc. Remember that Hawkeye is untargetable while being in mid-air when you use this skill. The point is that this ability should be saved and only used defensively. Using the Ulti when needed is the most important thing for keeping Hawkeye alive, and it distinguishes good Hawkeye player, from the rest of the herd.

TIP: Keep your distance and be careful around heroes that have powerful engage and control abilities, like Hulk, The Thing, Namor, etc. In the early game, they will crush you if they manage to get close. Also, try to keep track when they use their Ulti, so you can know if it is on CD, or not.

By the end of the early game (level 8), your Hawkeye is becoming more and more powerful and now presents a serious threat to the enemy team.    

Hawkeye mid-late game

During the late game, Hawkeye will have some of the highest DPS values in the Marvel Super War, if you get him properly farmed up before that. However, even with the life steal items, he is still a very squishy character and should never push the lane by himself. 

Also, he should always participate in the team fights, while staying at a somewhat safe distance behind the tank and fighter teammates. Don’t be one of those Hawkeye players that keeps jungling/farming while the rest of the team fights. Yeah, you might get some extra gold that way, but your team will sorely miss your damage potential, and will most likely lose a team fight without you. And, well, everything will start going downhill from that point.

Once you get to the late game, Hawkeye will be able to melt down squishier characters in a matter of seconds while keeping himself alive with the life steal. And when he gets the Gungnir even the dedicated tanks won’t be able to last long against him.   

At higher levels, Hawkeye will be able to outrange towers. It’s a bit tricky to get the exact position, but he is able to shoot at the tower, without it shooting back at him.

Countering Hawkeye: Engage right after his S2 ends (dark blue circle around the Hawkeye) and quickly close the distance. Hawkeye will lose a great portion of his damage without the S2 (no %HP energy damage) and will also lose some attack speed. If his Ulti is on CD, he won’t be able to escape. Stun, Knock up and similar control effects can also work wonders, as he’s very squishy and won’t be able to heal if he’s controlled. Considering items, Vibranium Armor and Heimdall’s Sword are great options. The first one will lower his attack speed and damage him whenever he hits you (works even better if Hawkeye doesn’t have Gungnir), while the second one will greatly reduce his life stealing ability.