Alright, so I finally got some proper time in with Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals. Been looking forward to this one, you know, Bucky Barnes, cool arm, the whole deal.
Getting Started with Bucky
First thing, jumped into the training mode. Always do that. Don’t want to be that guy in a live match, fumbling with controls. So, there he is. Model looks pretty good, classic Winter Soldier vibe. Okay, let’s check out the kit.
First up, his main rifle. Standard stuff, point and shoot. Felt okay, maybe a bit more recoil than I expected. Had to spend a good ten minutes just getting used to the spray pattern on the dummies. It’s not just hold-and-pray, you gotta manage it a bit, especially at range. This took a bit of work.
Then, the bionic arm. This is where I thought the fun would be. He’s got this punch, right? A melee attack. Used it a few times. It’s got a decent thud to it when it connects. But the range, man, the range is super short. You gotta be right up in their face. Messed that up a few times, whiffing punches like an idiot.
Figuring Out The Moves
He’s also got some kind of charged shot with the arm, or maybe it was a special ability tied to it. The instructions weren’t super clear, or maybe I just wasn’t reading properly. Anyway, I held down a button, and his arm started glowing. Let it go, and BAM, this energy blast. That was pretty cool, actually. But the charge-up time felt like an eternity when I imagined using it in a real fight. Someone could just shoot me while I’m standing there powering up.
Then there were grenades. Classic. Tossed a few.
- The arc felt natural, easy enough to aim.
- Damage seemed alright, good for flushing people out of cover.
- But the cooldown felt a little long. Like, I’d use one, and then I’m waiting around for it.
Mobility-wise, he’s… well, he’s a soldier. He runs. He slides. Nothing too fancy like some of the other heroes who are zipping and flying all over the place. This means positioning is super important. I found myself getting caught out of position a lot in the beginning. He doesn’t have an easy “get out of jail free” card.
Putting It All Together (Sort Of)
So after an hour or so in training, I felt like I had a basic grasp. Basic being the key word. Jumped into a few quick matches. Oh boy. It was rough at first. Really rough.
My first few encounters, I’d try to use that charged arm blast, get gunned down. I’d try to go for a melee, misjudge the distance, and get melted. My rifle aim, which felt okay in training, suddenly felt like I was shooting with my eyes closed against actual moving players. It was a humbling experience, let me tell you.
I started to realize you can’t just go in guns blazing, or arm blazing, with him. You gotta be more methodical. Use the rifle to poke, soften them up. Use the grenades to control space or finish off weak targets. The arm punch? That’s for when someone gets too close, or you manage to sneak up on them. That charged blast? Gotta pick your moment very, very carefully. Maybe when an enemy is distracted or locked down by a teammate.
Slowly, very slowly, it started to click a little. I had one good moment where I actually managed to flank an enemy, hit them with a grenade, and then finish them with a quick burst from the rifle. Felt good. Like, “Okay, maybe I don’t completely suck with this guy.”
But yeah, he’s not a pick-up-and-play character, not for me anyway. He needs patience. You gotta learn his ranges, his timings. He feels like he’s got potential, but you gotta work for it. Not like some other characters where you just press a button and cool stuff happens. With Winter Soldier, you gotta earn it. Still got a long way to go to feel truly comfortable, but that’s the process, right?