Winter Soldier, also known as Bucky, stands among the most formidable characters in Marvel Rivals, with his power scaling directly alongside player skill. For those seeking to test their limits and discover how far expertise can carry them, this enhanced soldier presents an exceptional choice. His versatility allows him to slot into virtually any team composition while offering a comprehensive skill set crowned by one of the game’s most devastating ultimate abilities.
Optimal Playstyle for Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier excels as a close to mid-range combatant, positioning himself behind tank units to bolster frontline assault capabilities. His unique toolkit enables him to ground airborne adversaries, isolate enemies from their allies, and effectively counter aggressive dive characters targeting your team’s support units. Throughout these engagements, he maintains impressive damage output while building charge for his game-changing ultimate ability.
Effective Winter Soldier gameplay involves coordinating with teammates to hook problematic opponents using Bionic Hook, dragging them into your team’s effective range for elimination. Utilize Tainted Voltage to force flying enemies to ground level, and deploy Trooper’s Fist to finish weakened targets at close quarters. Once Kraken Impact reaches full charge, the real dominance begins.
The strategy revolves around landing initial shots on vulnerable targets before securing eliminations with the ultimate ability. Priority targets include backline damage dealers positioned away from their team protection. Work systematically through enemy ranks until only the opposing Vanguards remain, then assist your team in mopping up resistance.
Winter Soldier’s Complete Ability Breakdown
Kraken Impact (Ultimate Ability)
This signature ultimate has already achieved iconic status among players. When activated, Winter Soldier launches skyward before crashing down at a targeted location, inflicting damage and applying death marks to affected enemies. When an opponent’s health drops into the critical dark red zone, they face instant elimination, which recharges the ultimate for immediate reuse.
The audio cue alerts enemies across the battlefield, creating psychological pressure alongside the devastating damage potential. The recharge mechanism operates within a brief window following the initial impact, but skilled players can chain eliminations indefinitely as long as marked enemies continue falling. This mechanic establishes Winter Soldier as one of Marvel Rivals’ most potent characters when wielded by experienced players.
Roterstern (Primary Weapon)
Winter Soldier’s primary armament fires explosive projectiles that deal area damage upon impact. While limited to three rounds per magazine, every ability usage provides instant reloading, and the weapon’s natural reload speed remains exceptionally quick. This design creates a seamless combat flow for skilled warriors.
Trooper’s Fist
This gap-closing ability concludes with an uppercut that launches opponents airborne, creating opportunities for follow-up weapon fire, Tainted Voltage applications, or coordinated team attacks. The ability proves particularly effective against fleeing enemies or finishing nearby low-health targets that prove difficult to hit with standard gunfire.
Tainted Voltage
A long-range projectile that inflicts damage while applying slow effects to enemies. When striking airborne opponents, this ability forces them to ground level, making it invaluable for countering careless Iron Man, Human Torch, and Storm players by bringing them within your team’s engagement range.
Bionic Hook
Arguably Winter Soldier’s most powerful tool, this ability can grab single or multiple enemies simultaneously, stunning them while dragging them directly to your position. This places targets in optimal range for follow-up attacks or additional ability usage. The hook proves particularly effective for pulling enemy Vanguard players into your team’s midst for swift elimination.
The ability synergizes exceptionally well with Groot, allowing players to hook enemies while Groot places barriers behind them, preventing enemy support from providing healing assistance. It also works on dimensional portals to grab Magik and can snare highly mobile characters like Black Panther or Spider-Man, making Winter Soldier an excellent counter to dive-focused opponents.
Ceaseless Charge (Passive Ability)
Each bionic arm ability activation triggers automatic primary weapon reloading and grants bonus health. This passive forms the foundation of Winter Soldier’s durability and self-sustainability. When abilities remain available, prioritize their usage over manual reloading to maximize combat effectiveness.
Winter Soldier rewards players who invest time mastering his mechanics, offering incredible potential for those willing to develop their skills with this versatile and powerful character.