Adam Warlock is a Strategist hero in Marvel Rivals and is more of a DPS/Support Hybrid. He has the best of both worlds: respectable healing and reviving powers on top of insane damage-dealing potential. The Child of Light gets three stars out of five in terms of difficulty, meaning he is relatively easy to master if you know how to use his skills.
In this ultimate guide, we’ll go over how to play Adam Warlock in Marvel Rivals the right way. We’ll delve into his abilities, lesser-known details, tips, and how to play with him like a pro.
All Adam Warlock Abilities In Marvel Rivals
| Name | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum Magic | Normal Attack | Launch basic quantum energy projectiles to deal damage. |
| Cosmic Cluster | Offensive Ability | Charge quantum energy into a cluster and quickly fire several projectiles at the foe. |
| Avatar Life Stream | Healing Ability | Target an ally to channel a bouncing stream of healing energy, which also restores Adam Warlock’s health upon casting. |
| Soul Bond | Healing and Defensive Ability | Establish a soul connection with allies that provides Healing Over Time while spreading damage among them. |
| Regenerative Cacoon | Passive Ability | After Adam Warlock is killed, he can freely exist as a soul and resurrect his body in a selected location. |
| Karmic Revival | Ultimate Ability | Place a spawn point that revives fallen allies within range/duration. |
| Soul Perseverance | Team-Up Ability | When paired with Star-Lord and Mantis, Adam Warlock grants them the same power as Regenerative Cacoon. |
Each ability has more pertinent details that you must know to utilize Adam Warlock better:
Quantum Magic:
- The projectiles have falloff damage from the 20m range, which is halved at 40m.
- Headshots deal double damage (critical hit).
Cosmic Cluster:
- Shoots one projectile with a quick charge and five fast shots when fully charged.
- Quantum Magic and Cosmic Cluster share ammo. A fully charged cluster will drain five ammo from the pool.
Avatar Life Stream:
- The bouncing stream doesn’t target Adam Warlock.
- This ability allows you to store up to two charges.
- When used on an ally, Adam Warlock receives 35 HP, while each bounce heals the target for 95 HP.
- If there are no other allies near the targetted teammate, the target will receive all the healing, including the bounces, which will be roughly 300 HP.
- Adam Warlock will receive around 150 HP when used with no ally targetted.
Soul Bond:
- Adam Warlock can bond with his whole team, i.e., six player link.
- All bonded characters will receive 10 HP per second for 6 seconds total.
- The soul link can break under certain conditions:
- If Adam Warlock receives enough damage to KO him (although he will survive with 1 HP after it breaks).
- If Adam Warlock or the linked ally leaves the link’s maximum range of 15m.
- If any of the linked allies sustain 250 damage.
- When the six-second duration runs out.
Regenerative Cacoon:
- Has a long cooldown of 105 seconds.
- Adam Warlock can fly in his soul form, giving him almost boundless movement freedom.
Karmic Revival:
- It has an energy cost of 5000.
- Revived teammates will respawn with 100 HP.
- The revival radius is 30m fixed on Adam Warlock.
- The revival effect lasts for 10 seconds.
- While activating this power, Adam Warlock is vulnerable to enemy attacks.
- Once the ultimate is activated, you’ll see floating icons where allies have fallen, and a numbered icon will pop up over the ultimate meter on the bottom right, indicating how many allies are in the range of the radius.
Soul Perseverance:
- Adam Warlock will receive a 15% healing bonus when teaming up with Star-Lord and Mantis.
- These characters can also fly freely when killed and respawn anywhere they choose.
How To Play Adam Warlock In Marvel Rivals
This section will cover what things you need to consider before you start playing as Adam Warlock in Marvel Rivals:
- Your goal is to keep pressure on enemy tanks from a distance or even up close if given a safer opportunity.
- Adam Warlock is also useful for controlling the side angles. Try to fend off enemies from taking over the more minor routes around the central lane, flanking your team, or ambushing.
- If you can aim the Quantum Magic ability properly (headshots at close quarters), Adam Warlock can come out on top against most characters in one-on-one duels. He is a duel expert if you have skills.
- There is much room for error and learning when playing with Adam Warlock. If things go sideways, you can return with the Regenerative Cacoon passive.
- You should aim to protect your allies when they advance or make huge plays in the match, especially the ones who are low on HP.
- He lacks sustained healing abilities and must rely on his cooldown-based Avatar Life Stream and Soul Bond powers. You must be more tactful when using these abilities.
- Both of his healing powers are medium-range and require the target to be in point of view to work. This puts Adam Warlock closer to the combat; thus, you need to be offensively adept.
- Adam Warlock works better when paired with other proper healer heroes, like Luna Snow and Cloak & Dagger.
- He is best utilized in clutch situations owing to his burst healing and damage mitigation potential. Not to mention, his ability to respawn teams can turn the tide of battle in a flash.
Pro Tips
Now that you know what Adam Warlock is capable of, it’s time to figure out how to use his powers most effectively. We have compiled several tips and tricks taken from the top-ranking players of Adam Warlock in Marvel Rivals:
1) Quantum Magic/Cosmic Cluster Basic Strat
Using this technique, Adam Warlock can actually become an effective mid-range DPS master. You need to charge the Cosmic Cluster ability in a corner, come out and fire the whole 5-projectile barrage on an enemy, and instantly follow it up with a Quantum Magic shot, preferably a headshot for the double damage critical hit. It is better to use it while standing still to ensure all Cosmic Cluster projectiles land.
This whole combo will take out most enemies with around 250 HP. If an enemy isn’t killed, they are left weak for your team to pick off. You can stand on a higher ground and snipe enemies with this tactic. However, the Quantum Magic has some fall-off damage, making it less effective if you are further away.
Additionally, this is an effective way of breaking down “walls” that the other team has put up. Avoid spamming both of these abilities alternatively. The overall DPS is relatively low while spamming, and it will consume your ammo like crazy.
2) Quantum Magic Close Range & Cosmic Cluster For Long Range
Whenever Adam Warlock is further back, avoid using his normal Quantum Magic attack. The damage falloff of this attack ruins the damage output at long range. You are better off using the primary attack in close quarters, especially when you want to burn a charging enemy tank. This attack is advantageous up close and somewhat at mid-range, where you can aim for headshots and get double the damage output.
We recommend that you exclusively use the Cosmic Cluster from long range. This ability has no damage falloff, and every projectile will hit at the same value. You can snipe enemies from afar with equal damage.
3) Priority Healing Ally With Avatar Life Stream
The Avatar Life Stream ability heals two allies as it bounces between them. The key thing to remember here is that it bounces twice between the two targets.
Let me give you a proper run down of this ability; the ally you used the ability on will heal once, the stream will bounce to the closest ally and heal them, and then back to the primary target to heal again.
Use this to your team is pushing forward. Target the teammate with the least HP with a nearby ally. This will ensure that the ally with the lower HP gets double the healing, helping them sustain the enemies’ onslaught.
The right time to employ this is when your tanks/Vanguards are at the frontline, under heavy enemy fire. The Vanguard with the lower HP needs to be targeted for priority double healing while his other tank comrade is also healed in the process, allowing them to continue the push.
4) Self Healing To Full HP Using Avatar Life Stream
Although Avatar Life Stream is more of a teammate healing ability, you can also use it to replenish Adam Warlock’s HP too. If you don’t place your reticule over an ally and activate this ability, target less, Adam Warlock will receive both the default self-heal and the healing from the stream bounce. You are looking at around 150HP replenishment in a snap.
This is ideally used when caught in a one-on-one duel and losing the fight. You can quickly pop this off and gain the much-needed HP to out-survive the opponent and sustain the fight until you either kill them, or your ally comes to your aid.
5) Soul Bond Before Dueling
Soul Bond is the best ability to use when facing an enemy mano e mano. By soul bonding yourself with three other allies, you effectively gain 6 seconds of 1000 shared HP. Couple that with the healing over time, and you are basically invincible until the bond breaks.
Use this to your advantage when up against a Duelist or Tank alone.
6) Soul Bond For Unstoppable Ultimate Use
Whenever one of your enemies is about to pop off their devastating ultimate, like Iron Man’s Invincible Pulse Cannon, you and your team are more likely to survive if you Soul Bond with a couple of them. This will allow you and your bonded mates to share the brunt of the ultimate and come out on the other side, ready to fight.
Conversely, if an ally is prepared to unleash their ultimate attack but requires a brief wind-up period, you can Soul Bond with them. This action grants them extra HP, allowing them to withstand enemy fire while executing their ultimate ability without being eliminated.
7) Full Team Soul Bond
Ideally, you’d want to Soul Bond with at least three to four other heroes since it’s easier to pull off and get the most out of this ability.
However, if you have the opportunity, try to link up with all the members of your team. This will give the whole squad the maximum amount of damage mitigation, allowing them to play aggressively for a short period and push enemies back without fatal consequences.
8) Ultimate Karmic Revival Tip
You shouldn’t use his Karmic Revival ultimate when close to enemies; otherwise, your newly revived allies will fall just as quickly since they have really low HP as they return.
The best way to use it is to take cover somewhere safe first, pop off the ult, and then slowly walk towards your dead allies. As you get close after using the ultimate, you’ll notice the revival icon appear over your allies, and they will suddenly respawn where you activated the power.
Basically, the ring ball thing he places acts as a spawn point while the AoE of the revive is fixed around Adam Warlock. This will ensure that you revive as many allies as possible, and they return to a safe location, away from the enemy fire, giving you ample time to heal them.
This also works when Adam Warlock is in his soul form (Regenerative Cocoon ability). If you die after using the ultimate and turn into your soul form, you can fly toward your downed teammates, and they will revive at the spawn point.
Remember that you only have 10 seconds to get in range of your dead allies before this resurrection effect wears off.
Of course, the best time to use this ultimate is when your whole team has fallen in close proximity. You can pop it off, bring back all of them at once, and continue the pressure on the enemy.
9) Hold Healing Ability For When Reviving
When your Karmic Revival is ready, make sure you have Avatar Life Stream available, too. Since the revived allies come back with critical health, you need to heal them quickly before they are ready to fight; otherwise, they’ll be heading to an early grave.
This tip is handy when no other healers are nearby to top up your revived teammates’ HP.
10) Regenerative Cacoon Positioning
When Adam Warlock dies and transforms into a soul through his Regenerative Cocoon ability, he acquires freeform movement. You can fly up and perch upon a higher vantage point. From here, you can snipe enemies from relative safety (until you are discovered) or position yourself over a skirmish and heal your allies to withstand the enemy onslaught better.
There are so many ways that make Adam Warlock a viable part of a team in Marvel Rivals. His hybrid playing style allows him to cover so many bases in the match, and if you play him correctly, he could easily help you push the enemy heroes and claim victory. His playing style requires a bit of strategizing, but it’s nothing that can’t be learned with practice.