Despite some setbacks and controversy surrounding Square Enix’ handling of Marvel’s Avengers, the live-service model has continued to grow the game with new characters, missions and costumes. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have bolstered their roster with the addition of Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, the master archer and a veteran Avenger.
Barton’s protege, Kate Bishop, was the game’s first DLC characters to be released. But despite both characters being expert marksmen with deadly gadgets, Clint and Kate couldn’t be more distinct in terms of playstyle. The biggest thing separating them beyond aesthetics and arsenal are their Heroic Skills. While Kate uses subterfuge and evasion to get the jump on her enemies, Clint’s skills promote continuous offense and assistance to allies.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Support Ability: Recovery Arrow
Hawkeye’s Heroic Skill on the support tree is Recovery Arrow, which has him shoot an arrow laden with nanobots that allows his teammates to recover willpower. The fact that the Recovery Arrow has a wide area of effect and a 10 second duration means that Hawkeye excels as a healer. Further upgrades to the Support Tree allow Recovery Arrow to also cure status effects and extend its range of dispersal.
The Recovery Arrow’s first specialization will be one of three options: extending the duration of the Arrow, a critical attack buff to allies or a temporary shield that absorbs 20 percent of oncoming damage. Its second specialization also has three options: an increase to recovered health, a chance for enemies to drop Heroic orb or a chance for enemies to drop an Intrinsic orb.
Assault Ability: Nightstorm Arrow
Barton’s Heroic Skill on the assault tree is Nightstorm Arrow, a kind of cluster bomb that rains several explosive arrows upon foes in a large targeted area. This skill is great for applying continuous damage accumulating upon multiple enemies at once, making it significantly easier for allies to finish them off. Upgrades to the Assault Tree add an increased chance to dropped Heroic orbs and fire a second Nightstorm arrow before the required cooldown.
Specializing in the Assault tree the first time will allow for three potential upgrades that apply elemental damage: electric arrows that stun enemies, cryonic arrows that freeze them or explosive fire arrows that launch them into the air. The second specialization adds one of three general upgrades to an already great ability: an increased area-of-effect, additional damage in the bombardment zone or an increased rate to enemy debuffs.
Ultimate Ability: Hunter’s Arrow
Hawkeye’s Ultimate Heroic Skill is the devastating Hunter’s Arrow, a projectile driven by an AI sent to penetrate multiple targeted enemies for massive damage, targeting 10 times before running out of energy. Whereas most of Hawkeye’s abilities are for support and harassment, Clint’s Ultimate is tailored to laying down the hurt on the Avengers’ enemies. Not only that, but it can be upgraded to eventually reach up to 20 targets and leave a massive explosion.
If that wasn’t enough, this Ultimate ability can be further upgraded in its two specializations. For the first specialization, the three potential upgrades involve a twin pair of shock arrows, a sticky bomb attachment on every struck enemy or concentrated damage on a marked target — perfect for taking on bosses. The second specialization upgrades also involve a health recovery attack, a chance to receive a heroic orb or a taunting arrow that drives enemies towards Hawkeye’s location and away from allies.
About The Author
