Winter Soldier can be a complicated character to play in Marvel Rivals, with plenty of weapons and abilities to master.
As a Duelist similar to Namor, Winter Solider has a variety of unique abilities that all function pretty differently from one another. While this makes the Winter Soldier hard when initially diving in, he provides excellent versatility and can be effective in multiple scenarios once you get a hang of his kit.
While the full roster is stacked with dozens of powerful heroes and villains, if Winter Soldier is calling your name in the Duelist role, here’s how to get the most out of the iconic character in Marvel Rivals.
Winter Soldier stats in Marvel Rivals
- Class: Duelist
- Health: 275
- Movement Speed: 6m per second
The Winter Soldier is by no means the strongest or the fastest Duelist in the game, but he’s still a powerful fighter in Marvel Rivals, and 275 health isn’t anything to feel bad about.
Thankfully, with his health and guns, Bucky is capable of some fantastic damage and shouldn’t be understated by both enemy and ally.
Season 1 meta changes
The Winter Soldier received some handy buffs as part of the season one patch, you can see all his buffs below:
- Increased the bonus health provided by Bionic Hook and Tainted Voltage from 30 to 40.
- Increased Roterstern’s projectile damage from 70 to 75.
- Reduced the area damage from 70 to 65 and reduce damage decay from 65 percent at 40 meters to 60 percent.
- Increased base health from 250 to 275.
Weapons
With a big focus on gunplay, Winter Soldier’s primary weapon is his Roterstern blaster. While limited in ammo, this gun can deal a big punch and help chip away at enemy health from a safe distance.
All his Roterstern stats are below:
| Projectile Speed | 180 m/s |
| Damage | 75 |
| Range | Cone shaped with 5m radius and apex angle of 90 |
| Spell Field Damage | 65 |
| Damage Falloff | Begins at 20m, decreases to 60% at 40m |
| Fire Rate | 2.5 per second |
| Ammo | 3 |
| Critical Hit | Yes |
| Special Mechanic | Enemies that take damage from the projectile will no longer receive damage from the spell field |
Abilities
Winter Soldier’s biggest strength as a character in Marvel Rivals is his abilities. With five in his arsenal, much higher than most other heroes, mastering each is pivotal.
| Ability | Details | What it Does |
|---|---|---|
| Kraken Impact | Casting: Spherical Spell FieldRange: 5m radiusDamage: 100Culling Duration: 5sCulling Threshold: 20% HealthNext Kraken Impact After a Culling: 8sEnergy Cost: 3100 | Leap high, then dash forward and slam down with the bionic arm, dealing damage to enemies in range, marking them for Culling. Marked enemies will perish instantly if their health falls below a certain threshold, recharging the bionic arm for another Kraken Impact within a short period. |
| Trooper’s Fist | Average Speed: 30m per secondMaximum Distance: 9mSeize Damage: 25Range: Length – 4.5m, Width – 4.5m, Height – 2mKnockback Damage: 65Cooldown: 12s | Dash forward, seizing enemies along the path and launching up enemies at the end of the dash. |
| Tainted Voltage | Projectile Speed: 100 m/sDamage: 55Slow Rate: -35%Slow Duration: 2sSpecial Mechanic: Projectiles pierce through enemiesCooldown: 6s | Charge up and launch a powerful electrical punch with the bionic arm in the target direction, dealing damage to enemies within range and Slowing them. This ability can Knock Down flying heroes. |
| Bionic Hook | Projectile Speed: 80 m/sCharge Time: 0.5s – 4sRange: 10m with 0.5s charge. Max of 20m with 1s charge4.5m radius and apex angle of 80Projectile Damage: 15Spell Field Damage: 20Cooldown: 8s | Charge up and launch a hook with his bionic arm, reeling in the first target hit and enemies lurking behind. |
| Ceaseless Charge | Bonus Health (Self): 40 (Bionic Hook & Tainted Voltage), 50 (Trooper’s Fist Kraken Impact) | Roterstern reloads automatically while the bionic arm is in action, granting Bonus Health to the Winter Soldier. |
| Infinite Grit | Rotterstorm Fire Rate Boost: 25%Team-Up Target: Rocket Raccoon | Rocket Raccoon throws an Ammo Overload device in the target direction. Upon entering the device’s range, the Punisher and Winter Soldier receive the buffs of Infinite Ammo and Faster Firing. |
How to play Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals
The balance between The Winter Soldiers’ passive abilities and damaged-based moves means you can develop a pretty natural flow with the character. It may take you a few matches to get your rhythm but don’t give up.
Given that Winter Soldier has no movement abilities, it’s recommended that you have experience with third-person shooter games when using the character, as aiming is key. Winter Solider operates at his best from mid to long-range.
If you find yourself stuck in a battle, the Kraken Impact Ultimate is the perfect move to help clear out foes who are low in health and minimize taking heavy damage. Tainted Voltage is also handy when trying to flee, as it’ll slow enemies down.
When engaging in a shootout, using Winter Soldier’s passive will ensure you get extra hits while also boosting your health to reduce the risk of a close-range hero coming in and taking you out.
Finally, remember the Winter Soldier’s Infinite Grit team-up ability. It is one of the best team-up moves in the game and, when used correctly, can be deadly. It helps to clear out multiple foes and completely unload bullets into tanks such as the Hulk and Thor.
Best team comp
The Winter Soldier works best when he’s with a team, especially when that team elevates his own gameplay. we suggest pairing him with the following characters:
- Rocket Racoon
- Groot
- Wolverine
- Jeff the Land Shark
Rocket Racoon
Given the Winter Soldier and Rocket Racoon’s Team-Up ability, it’s a given that you should always be fighting alongside Rocket. After all who doesn’t want infinite ammo and faster firing when your primary weapon is a gun?
This team comp is a no-brainer really, you should always be fighting for Rocket Racoon being on your team, and your gameplay will undoubtedly be better off for it.
Check out our Rocket Racoon guide for more details on the character.
Groot
Not to make it into a Guardians of the Galaxy fighting fest, but Groot is a perfect pairing with the Winter Soldier. Despite the lower health, Bucky is a close-ranged fighter, and is therefore at risk of being attacked by melee heroes. This is where Groot’s protective walls come in.
They’ll serve as protections for Bucky himself, but Groot can also use them to separate the enemy team up, pulling them away from their healers while the Winter Soldier destroys them.
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Check out our Groot guide for more details on the character.
Wolverine
As mentioned with Groot, Bucky is always either up close or in the mid-range of the battlefield, but his low health makes staying in that spot tricky. So, having a tanky melee character like Wolverine on your team is ideal.
Essentially, you need a melee fighter to distract the enemy while you take them down without being attacked. Wolverine’s job is to bring all the enemies to him, while you help keep him alive by rapidly reducing the number of attackers.
Check out our Wolverine guide for more details on the character.
Jeff the Land Shark
Having allies to block off enemies or incoming attacks is brilliant, but one of Bucky’s biggest letdowns is his movement. Luckily, Jeff can increase that movement by 60%, practically changing the entire character.
With extra movement, you’re able to completely destroy enemies while still getting out of the way of danger. Once you master that, you’ll be a one-man army.
Check out our Jeff the Land Shark guide for more details on the character.
Best counters
If you’re struggling against the Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals, then you’ll want to choose the following characters:
- Iron Fist
- Venom
- Wolverine
- Spider-Man
Iron Fist
As we mentioned in the team comps, the Winter Soldier doesn’t have the health to deal with melee characters, especially those that deal high damage. As such, you need to find a character that’s both quick and deals high melee damage, like Iron Fist.
Simply get up close and personal with Bucky and you should be fine, just be sure to avoid any of his weapons, as they can quickly take you down if you’re not careful.
Check out our Iron Fist guide for more details on the character.
Venom
Similar to Iron Fist, Venom has the tanky nature and the high powered shots. For this, simply use your higher health and constantly pressure the Winter Soldier. With your deadly attacks and Venoms many strong abilities, most of the time, the Winter Solder doesn’t stand a chance.
Check out our Venom guide for more details on the character.
Spider-Man
Bucky’s biggest weaknesses are his movement and health. So it makes sense to see Spider-Man popping up as a stellar counter.
Simply use his speed and web abilities to keep throwing shots off at the Winter Soldier. The primary power here is ensuring you don’t get hit, so keep moving and you’ll bring him down eventually.
Check out our Spider-Man guide for more details on the character.
Wolverine
Wolverine may work well with Bucky, but he also works just as well against him. Just like Venom, you’ll need to capitalize on your high health and damage. Though, for Wolverine, your claws enable to you just get face to face with Bucky and take him down without so much as a second thought.
Just get close, and keep attacking him until he falls. He’ll try to get away and bring himself to a mid-range, but as long as you don’t let that happen, you’ll succeed.
That’s all you need to know about Winter Solider in Marvel Rivals. For more on the massively popular game, check out our full tier-list ranking every hero as well as the game’s player count.