Marvel Rivals Duelist Tier List – All 23 DPS Heroes Ranked

GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Marvel Rivals presents a dynamic 6v6 hero shooter experience developed by NetEase, featuring an expansive selection of iconic Marvel characters. The Duelist classification serves as the primary damage-dealing archetype, specifically designed for eliminating opponents and controlling engagements. While Strategist and Vanguard categories maintain smaller selections, the Duelist roster currently boasts 23 combatants, with Daredevil representing the latest inclusion and additional heroes planned for subsequent seasonal updates. These warriors span diverse combat methodologies from close-quarters melee specialists to long-range artillery experts, providing substantial tactical variety. Despite this extensive lineup, only a single character consistently underperforms relative to their peers.

The precision-focused sniper specialist initially appears more capable than her placement suggests, but Black Widow demonstrates significant limitations in ranged damage output compared to alternative marksmen. Her specialized rifle delivers respectable impact but lacks the lethal potential for instant eliminations, even with perfectly placed headshots. This deficiency combines with her methodical firing cadence and demanding accuracy requirements to create an underwhelming performance profile. Defensive capabilities including electrified batons and the Edge Dancer evasive maneuver offer some protection against aggressive flankers, but their modest damage output leaves her critically vulnerable in close-quarters confrontations.

Competent execution remains achievable with dedicated practice, but selecting Black Widow over superior precision alternatives like Hela or Hawkeye presents questionable strategic value. Her ultimate ability applies movement impairment to adversaries while dealing moderate damage, creating opportunities to target temporarily immobilized foes. However, this capability falls short of the game-changing potential exhibited by other Duelist ultimate techniques.

Moving upward from the absolute bottom tier, every subsequent character maintains viability across competitive environments, though specific constraints prevent certain heroes from reaching elite status. Scarlet Witch operates with noticeably restrained damage potential and typically requires close proximity to maximize her offensive contributions. Her primary attack establishes a damaging tether connection that inflicts 5 base damage augmented by 0.5% of the target’s maximum health pool. This mechanic proves particularly effective against durable Vanguards while demonstrating reduced efficacy against lower-health targets. Damage accumulation fuels her alternative fire mode—a compact explosive projectile with enhanced impact—though Scarlet Witch consistently struggles in direct firefights.

Optimal performance demands utilization of Mystic Projection, which renders her undetectable and immune to damage, enabling positioning above or behind distracted enemies for sustained health drainage. This approach proves devastating against melee-focused opponents but exposes her to significant risk from hitscan specialists or ranged combatants. Scarlet Witch can achieve exceptional results when mastered, though substantial investment in movement technique development is prerequisite to unlocking her full potential. Her cataclysmic ultimate discharges a massive area-of-effect explosion dealing 750 damage, but requires a complete four-second channeling period during which enemies receive prominent visual warning indicators. Successful execution demands careful timing and positioning to avoid interruption during the lengthy activation sequence.

Iron Man presents classification challenges due to dramatic damage amplification available through specific team compositions, particularly when paired with Bruce Banner’s Hulk. However, practical assessment necessitates evaluation excluding specialized synergies, as players cannot reliably coordinate such combinations in most matchmaking scenarios. His Repulsor Blasts deliver satisfactory impact on direct connections but feature negligible area damage. Since optimal deployment typically occurs during aerial maneuvers at medium-to-long ranges, consistently landing precise hits proves technically demanding for most operators.

The Unibeam capability serves as his primary damage source, normally inflicting 120 damage per second escalating to 180 under Armor Overdrive enhancement. Iron Man must approach close quarters to maximize Unibeam effectiveness, becoming exceptionally vulnerable while hovering stationary during activation. Opposing teams featuring even a single competent ranged specialist will consistently eliminate Iron Man during these vulnerable engagement windows. His Pulse Cannon ultimate discharges 1000 damage across a substantial area, though any shield-equipped tank can completely neutralize this ability, particularly considering its noticeable charge duration.

Starlord occupies a unique tactical niche within Marvel Rivals, representing one of the limited non-melee assault Duelists. While sharing aerial mobility similarities with Iron Man, his twin Element Guns experience rapid damage degradation beyond specific ranges. Effectiveness begins diminishing at 10 meters, suffering 60% reduction at 25 meters, compelling Starlord to operate within aggressive proximity to his targets. He maintains two charges of Stellar Shift, conferring momentary damage immunity, though he frequently struggles against close-range specialists capable of delivering superior burst damage.

Starlord excels at neutralizing Strategist supports, as he can rapidly penetrate defensive formations and evade powerful abilities through well-timed dodges, leaving support characters with exhausted cooldowns. His automated targeting Galactic Legend ultimate proves exceptionally valuable, enabling extreme-range deployment while avoiding retaliation, simultaneously devastating enemy ranks.

Mastering Marvel Rivals’ Duelist class requires understanding nuanced positioning requirements and ability synchronization. Avoid common mistakes like overextending with close-range specialists or maintaining excessive distance with precision marksmen. For optimal performance, practice advanced movement patterns in training modes before deploying characters in competitive matches. Time investment varies by complexity—basic competency typically requires 2-3 hours per character, while advanced technique mastery may demand 5-8 hours of dedicated practice.

Character-specific optimization involves studying damage breakpoints and cooldown management. Black Widow players should focus on high-ground positioning and escape route planning. Scarlet Witch operators must master vertical movement and ambush timing. Iron Man requires precise energy management and engagement selection, while Starlord demands aggressive positioning and cooldown tracking awareness.

Squirrel Girl’s Burst Acorn delivers exceptional burst damage, hitting for 110 on direct impacts with substantial splash radius. The projectile’s unique bounce mechanics allow creative angles around defensive formations and shield barriers. Her primary limitation stems from a restricted ability toolkit and underwhelming ultimate performance that reduces her overall impact in competitive matches.

Her Tail Bounce provides vertical mobility to evade close-quarters threats or engage aerial targets. Mammal Bond offers immediate weapon reload and grants one free use of her other abilities, creating windows for aggressive plays. The Squirrel Stampede ultimate releases a wave dealing 150 damage per contact, persisting for 10 seconds with 650 health, but lacks the fight-changing potential of other Duelist ultimates.

Moon Knight dominates matches where opponents fail to counter his Ankh placement strategy. His triple-shot primary fire ricochets between enemies and Ankhs, enabling rapid damage against clustered targets when combined with his Moon Blade ability. However, shield-equipped Vanguards can completely neutralize his damage potential by blocking initial projectile contact.

Successful Moon Knight play demands extensive flanking maneuvers and intelligent positioning, leaving you exposed to close-range specialists. While possessing multiple escape tools and a serviceable melee combo, his grappling hook’s limited range and activation delay create vulnerability windows against crowd control abilities.

Black Panther represents a potent melee specialist hampered by complex ability sequencing requirements. His combat effectiveness hinges on applying Vibranium Marks via Spear Toss or Spinning Kick, then consuming them with Spirit Rend to gain healing and ability resets. The rapid movement during these attacks creates targeting challenges for enemies but also increases the likelihood of missing crucial ability connections.

The precision-demanding nature of his combo chain means any missed component drastically reduces damage output, with minimal compensation from his basic attacks. While a skilled Black Panther presents significant threat, the technical demands result in many players struggling to maximize his potential.

Despite initial impressions of overwhelming power, Human Torch functions best as a situational pick specializing in area control. His kit excels against grouped opponents but struggles in isolated 1v1 scenarios. The unusual spread pattern of his primary fire makes consistent damage against ground targets challenging despite his aerial mobility.

His Fireball creates persistent damage zones that can be amplified with Fire Wall, creating deadly combinations against clustered enemies. The Dive Attack contradicts his preferred engagement range, often resulting in quick elimination unless used for finishing critically wounded targets.

Blade joins the roster as the second Duelist-Vanguard hybrid but doesn’t match Mister Fantastic’s effectiveness in this role. His substantial health pool and Bloodline Awakening healing provide durability, though he remains vulnerable during activation. Both his sword and shotgun deliver modest damage, requiring precise target selection and mechanical skill for eliminations.

His flexibility comes from two dash charges that apply slow or healing reduction based on equipped weapon, enabling rapid engagement and disengagement patterns.

Wolverine’s Feral Leap serves dual purposes – it can initiate combat by transporting an enemy to your landing zone while simultaneously enhancing your basic attacks. This mobility tool excels at extracting high-value targets from team fights, creating isolated engagements where healers cannot intervene. His survival mechanism activates when fatal damage would occur, converting accumulated rage into temporary health that persists for three seconds. While this defensive cooldown is lengthy initially, securing eliminations significantly reduces its timer. The berserker rage ultimate launches opponents airborne before slamming them earthward, with damage scaling directly proportional to your current rage meter – achieving devastating impact when fully charged.

Winter Soldier presents a unique hybrid archetype, wielding precision firearms while specializing in close-quarters engagements. His triple-shot sidearm delivers 70 impact damage on direct hits plus equivalent area damage in surrounding zones, though targets cannot suffer both effects simultaneously – however, precise shots can score critical strikes. Tainted Voltage discharges slow-moving projectiles that impair enemy movement, while Bionic Hook yanks struck foes into melee range, and Trooper’s Fist uppercuts forward to launch enemies, forming an intuitive ability sequence. Executing any skill while your weapon requires reloading instantly refreshes ammunition while providing temporary health, offering crucial combat sustainability.

As seasoned Marvel Rivals competitors will attest, Bucky’s ultimate possesses team-wiping potential when deployed skillfully. He vaults skyward to inflict area damage and mark adversaries, causing instant elimination if their health drops below the execution threshold during the mark duration. Securing kills through this method – including assists – replenishes ultimate charges, enabling potential consecutive activations while vulnerable enemies remain. Most of Winter Soldier’s toolkit demands accurate targeting but delivers exceptional payoffs for players with sharp aim.

Namor dominates through relentless pressure, deploying squid turrets that demand immediate enemy attention due to their substantial durability and consistent damage output. He can maintain two active Monstro Spawns simultaneously, which autonomously target and harass opponents. Scoring critical strikes with his trident primary weapon sends these constructs into frenzied states, dramatically increasing their aggression. Successfully landing any primary fire hits reduces cooldowns, enabling near-constant turret replenishment throughout engagements.

Wrath of the Seven Seas mirrors his standard attack pattern but triggers Monstro Spawn frenzy upon connecting with enemies while directing all active turrets to focus the struck target, resulting in rapid eliminations. His climax ability summons Giganto to crash down on foes, inflicting 500 damage in the central impact zone and 200 in the peripheral area. This exceptional area denial tool effectively clears objectives and ranks among the limited high-damage ultimates capable of defeating Luna Snow during her own ultimate activation – a potentially match-deciding factor.

Mr. Fantastic brings unprecedented versatility to the roster, blending Duelist aggression with Vanguard resilience. He boasts an impressive 350 base health pool, with Reflexive Rubber absorbing an additional 300 damage temporarily. Throughout this duration, ally healing remains effective, essentially providing secondary health bars reminiscent of Venom’s defensive capabilities. His offensive output proves respectable but generally insufficient to overwhelm dedicated healing support. This creates exceptional sustainability in solo engagements, though he often lacks the burst damage to secure kills independently. When supported by teammates, however, he becomes extraordinarily durable while dealing adequate damage to enable finishing blows from allied Duelists.

His grappling technique propels him toward enemies or allies, offering moderate mobility that falls short of more agile Duelists. The passive ability provides substantial bonus health and damage amplification when triggered, facilitating aggressive pushes. Swinging his limbs horizontally during primary fire engages multiple targets simultaneously, flooding areas with damage, while his ultimate effectively disrupts enemy formations despite delivering damage more gradually than some instant-kill alternatives.

Magik delivers heavy melee punishment while maintaining superior survivability among close-range Duelists. Her innate ability converts damage dealt into temporary health, enabling sustained combat presence amid fierce fighting. Her primary weapon is a sword dealing 65 damage per strike. Though attack animations feel deliberate, incorporating quick melee attacks between swings accelerates your damage rhythm. The dash assault closes distances rapidly while launching struck enemies airborne.

The standout feature in her arsenal involves Stepping Discs, available in two charges. Magik transitions through portals where she becomes invulnerable, emerging to select between two options – a circular blade sweep or summoning a temporary demonic familiar that attacks independently. These dimensional gateways negate incoming damage and ultimate abilities while providing rapid repositioning options. Her ultimate transformation into Darkchild enhances all standard attacks with increased damage, consequently generating greater health regeneration through her passive conversion.

Arguably the most technically demanding character to master, Spider-Man functions as a lethal assassin when piloted skillfully. Beyond possessing three web-swing charges enabling rapid engagement and disengagement, properly executed combinations eliminate any non-Vanguard target efficiently. Spider-Man deploys Spider-Tracers via alternate fire, which amplify damage from his fist-based primary attacks when struck.

Duelists represent the primary damage-dealing specialists in Marvel Rivals, designed to eliminate enemy heroes through precise execution of their unique combat mechanics. These characters excel at creating advantageous engagements while maintaining enough survivability to stay in extended fights. Understanding each Duelist’s specific playstyle and ability interactions is crucial for maximizing your impact in matches.

Psylocke’s tactical invisibility provides three seconds of stealth engagement opportunities, allowing strategic repositioning during critical team fights. Unlike many stealth mechanics in similar games, taking damage doesn’t cancel her concealment—it only briefly reveals her position to opponents. This creates unique flanking possibilities where you can initiate from unexpected angles while absorbing incidental damage.

Her ultimate ability unleashes a devastating area-of-effect assault as she rapidly dashes between targets. During this sequence, Psylocke becomes completely invulnerable to elimination and doesn’t require manual targeting. When facing multiple opponents simultaneously, you might not eliminate all enemies quickly enough before they escape, but the ability consistently removes two or three combatants when properly timed.

Advanced Tip: Use stealth to bypass frontline defenses and target vulnerable support heroes. The temporary visibility when hit means you should time engagements when enemy attention is divided.

Iron Fist dominates as the premier close-quarters combat specialist, combining exceptional damage output with remarkable self-sustain capabilities. His rapid-fire punches deliver substantial damage while simultaneously reducing the recharge timer for Dragon’s Defense. This defensive ability not only blocks incoming attacks with damage reduction but transforms received damage into additional health reserves.

When Dragon’s Defense concludes, it enhances his basic attacks into more powerful strike combinations, enabling dramatic fight turnarounds. His aerial kick technique deals increased damage against wounded opponents, creating perfect execution opportunities. For comprehensive character strategies, consult our Class Guide to understand team composition synergies.

Harmony Recovery completely restores his health meter, with any surplus healing converting to bonus hit points. This sustain mechanism allows Iron Fist to operate deep within enemy territory, provided he can locate temporary safety for recovery. His ultimate amplifies damage output, movement velocity, and attack distance while shortening Dragon’s Defense cooldown, establishing him as either a powerful ally or formidable adversary depending on perspective.

Common Mistake: Players often use Dragon’s Defense reactively instead of preemptively. Activate it before engaging to maximize both damage mitigation and the subsequent empowered state.

Phoenix secures her elite ranking through exceptional damage potential and reliable survival tools. Her primary attack delivers accurate ranged fire projectiles that inflict respectable damage while applying Spark stacks—two stacks on critical strikes. Accumulating three Sparks triggers a detonation dealing area damage and spreading the effect to nearby targets.

This explosion mechanism also grants Phoenix 40 health restoration over four seconds, creating consistent self-sustain during extended combat encounters. All her additional abilities integrate with this core system. Telekinesis Blast generates three fiery pillars at the target location, each applying Spark on contact.

Dark Ascent provides brief aerial mobility while Telepathic Illusion teleports short distances, leaving behind a duplicate that detonates and spreads Sparks. Her Endsong Inferno ultimate launches Phoenix skyward before she descends dealing impact damage and applying multiple Sparks while eliminating enemy constructs, protective barriers, and bonus health within the effective radius.

Properly placed primary fire can eliminate opponents in three consecutive hits, while the healing from Spark explosions ensures combat longevity. Pro Strategy: Chain Telekinesis Blast into primary fire to quickly stack Sparks on multiple targets, creating chain reaction opportunities.

Hawkeye and the current top selection face potential balance adjustments soon, though significant position changes seem unlikely without major developer intervention. His arrows inflict substantial damage while his passive grants up to 80 bonus damage through target acquisition charging—complete charging requires under one second.

This charging mechanic enables Hawkeye to eliminate non-Vanguard heroes with single fully-charged shots, establishing him among the premier Duelists based solely on this capability. For weapon-specific strategies that complement his playstyle, explore our Weapons Unlock guide for complementary loadouts.

While his explosive arrows lack significant impact, they remain situationally useful. His blade attack repels and elevates enemies, creating easy headshot opportunities while maintaining distance from melee specialists. He can parry certain incoming attacks with melee defense, though mastering this technique presents considerable challenge.

Hawkeye’s ultimate generates enemy replicas that can be struck to damage the original target, rendering cover ineffective. This ability also benefits from his passive damage bonus, making it exceptionally effective against mobile opponents.

Optimization Tip: Use environmental geometry to maintain charging on targets while minimizing exposure. The brief charge time allows quick peeking maneuvers from safety.

While Hela cannot instantly eliminate targets like Hawkeye, her rapid fire rate combined with substantial damage output and one of the most reliable primary attacks makes her Marvel Rivals’ supreme Duelist currently. Her primary fire experiences damage reduction at extended ranges but delivers 70 base damage with exceptional critical potential.

Since landing headshots proves relatively straightforward without projectile travel time, you can dismantle opponents in merely two well-placed shots. Hela’s eight-round capacity before reloading establishes consistent threat presence throughout engagements.

She launches stunning explosive orbs that immobilize enemies for guaranteed headshots. Piercing Night discharges four projectiles that detonate after brief delays, inflicting 10 impact damage plus 30 from each explosion. Her mobility skill transforms her briefly into an invulnerable crow form, while her passive generates explosive crows from defeated enemies.

Her Goddess of Death ultimate elevates Hela above the combat area, granting 1,000 temporary health as she bombards the zone with 125-damage explosive attacks. The ultimate persists for ten seconds, creating overwhelming area dominance. Advanced Technique: Combine crow transformation with ultimate activation to position aggressively while avoiding counter-attacks during the wind-up animation.

Mastering Duelists requires understanding nuanced engagement patterns beyond basic ability usage. Target selection should prioritize vulnerable support and damage heroes before engaging tanks. Position yourself at optimal ranges where your primary damage remains effective while minimizing enemy counter-play opportunities.

Cooldown management separates competent players from experts—tracking defensive abilities like Dragon’s Defense ensures you have survival tools when needed. For comprehensive gameplay fundamentals, reference our Complete Guide for foundational mechanics.

Time Management: Most engagements should conclude within 5-7 seconds to avoid enemy reinforcement. Extended fights typically favor opponents with superior sustain or crowd control capabilities.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Marvel Rivals Duelist Tier List – All 23 DPS Heroes Ranked