Marvel Rivals: Captain America Character Guide (Abilities, Ultimate, Tips & Tricks)

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Players new to Marvel's Overwatch clone may take a little bit of time to learn how best to use Cap. His abilities are pretty straightforward, and they are all pretty much what players would expect Cap to be able to do. That said, playing a tank is a strategic role that requires an understanding of positioning. Players hoping for something flashy might be a little disappointed by Captain America, but true to his character, Cap can be a consistent and reliable hero.

All Captain America Abilities

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One aspect of Captain America that is nice for newer players is that all his abilities are active. This means they don’t have to worry about tracking cooldown counters or stacks on passive abilities. Instead, anything Cap can do, players are fully in charge of activating it.

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Sentinel Strike

Captain America’s basic attack starts out as a close-range melee attack. However, after two strikes on an enemy, Cap can throw his shield up to four times from a distance. This means Cap can jump into the action and then pressure enemies while retreating or if they decide to back off.

Leading Dash

Captain America’s Left-Shift/R1/RB ability is a sprint. There is no limit on the amount of time Cap can sprint for. Also, if players jump while sprinting, they do a Fearless Leap which launches them high into the air.

Vibranium Energy Saw

By pressing E/L1/LB, players can throw Captain America’s shield. This attack hits all enemies in the area into which he throws it. This throw does not count as one of Cap’s allotted shield throws gained by landing Sentinel Strikes.

Liberty Rush

Cap’s F/Square/X ability is Liberty Rush. When activated, Captain America charges forward with his shield, doing melee damage to an enemy hero if he hits them. The cooldown on this move is only five seconds, so it can be used to help get Cap back into position quickly after being eliminated.

Super-Soldier Slam

Any time Captain America falls from a high point, he can perform a Super-Soldier Slam. When available, players will see a circle on the ground where this ability will cause Cap to land, dealing area-of-effect damage to enemies within the radius. This ability can be activated during Captain America’s Fearless Leap or if jumping from a high vantage point.

Living Legend

Captain America can also use his shield to block incoming bullets or other projectiles. While holding Right-Click/L2/LT, Cap will raise his shield, which can absorb 450 points of damage. The shield also causes projectiles to ricochet off it, potentially damaging enemies that are standing near Cap while his shield is up.

How To Use Captain America's Ultimate

Cap’s Ultimate Is Perfect For His Role As A Leader

Captain America's Freedom Charge ability in Marvel Rivals

Once Captain America has a full meter, players can activate his ultimate ability, Freedom Charge, by pressing Q/both thumbsticks. This will cause Cap to raise his shield into the air and begin leaving a red, white, and blue path behind him. Cap and his allies get Bonus Health and Movement Boosts while inside the path created. This ability only lasts for 10 seconds, so players will need to make sure they are using it at a good time.

The best time to use a Freedom Charge is when Cap’s team needs to swing the momentum of a fight in their favor. If several allies show that they need healing, or if the team really needs to speed up to get on point, Freedom Charge can help. While Freedom Charge is far more effective when used in a group, players may also need to just use it on themselves in some situations. If Cap is the last ally on point and just needs to hold out a little longer, this ability can help him survive until backup arrives.

Best Team Composition For Captain America

Healers And Other Tanks Help Make Up For Some Of Cap’s Weaknesses

Captain America and Thor teaming up to use Charged Aegis in Marvel Rivals

One unique aspect of Marvel Rivals is that certain heroes have bespoke team-up abilities to encourage players to run them together. Captain America’s team-up ability, Charged Aegis, is with Thor. This ability allows Thor to give Captain America a 10-second boost to movement and adds electricity to his shield. This allows Cap’s shield to do electricity damage to nearby enemies in addition to its normal damage. Thor is also a Vanguard, so it’s nice that Rivals is giving players an incentive to run two on a team, seeing as the roster is overpopulated by DPS heroes at the moment.

Whether it's Thor or not, players will probably want to run Cap with another Vanguard. Although Captain America’s shield essentially provides him with an additional 450 health that frequently recharges, this is only for projectile damage. Players will likely want a Vanguard who can tank melee attacks better to go along with him.

An effective healer like Adam Warlock, who's near the top of Marve Rivals' character tier list, can also be a good addition to a team that includes Captain America. His ability to do consistent healing without having to focus directly on the heroes he’s helping can make Captain America live even longer than he normally does. Additionally, because Cap does best standing in front of his allies and tanking ranged damage, ranged damage heroes are also good allies. That way, they can stay behind Cap and take out enemies while he takes the aggro for them.

Best Tips, Tricks, & Strategies For Winning

Captain America’s Priority Should Be Staying Alive And Protecting His Team

Captain America from Marvel Rivals next to a space station that looks like Black Panther's mask.

One important thing to keep in mind when playing Captain America is what his shield does and does not reflect. Cap’s shield reflects all projectiles, which even includes projectile ultimate abilities. However, the shield does not reflect melee attacks. If players find themselves confronted by a melee hero on the other team, they should either attack or back up instead of raising their shield. It’s also important not to be stingy with the shield. It comes back, so players should prioritize using it over taking damage.

Positioning is also super important to keep in mind with Cap. Players should charge in first and plant themselves between their team and the enemy. Although he can move quickly, players shouldn’t go chasing after weak enemies hoping to score an elimination. This opens Cap up to taking melee damage, which he can’t block with his shield, and also stops him from effectively protecting his team. If an enemy gets low and tries to back off, that’s a good time to shoot Cap’s shield at them and hopefully poke them for the last bit of damage.

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Players will also want to make sure they are taking full advantage of Captain America’s maneuverability. If players die, they will want to get back to the battlefield as quickly as possible to help defend their teammates. Players shouldn’t be afraid to burn Cap’s Super-Soldier Slam and Liberty Rush to get them from the spawn back to the action more quickly. These abilities have relatively short cooldowns, and it’s more important that Cap is in position than hoarding abilities to do some extra damage.

If played correctly, Captain America can be one of Marvel Rivals’ best Vanguards. Although his moves are easy to understand, it can take a few rounds to get the hang of where to stand and how to interact with one’s team and enemies. Still, it’s worth the time investment for players wanting to fill this important role on their team.