Marvel Rivals Dev Plans to Enhance Strategist Experience After Support Players Strike

NetEase Games, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, has responded swiftly to the community's concerns just days after fans initiated a widespread Support strike. Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has been largely successful, introducing new characters, maps, and modes, and promising faster seasons with an expanded roster of playable heroes. However, recent balance changes have shifted the power dynamics, particularly affecting the Strategist class, which serves as the game's Support pool. Players of this class have found themselves at a disadvantage as Vanguards and Duelists have gained more power on the battlefield.

Since the launch of Season 2, the decreased effectiveness of the Support class has sparked intense discussions within the Marvel Rivals community. With other roles gaining more battlefield dominance, Strategist players have reported not only challenging but also toxic gameplay experiences. Teammates have been quick to criticize and blame Support players in text and voice chats, leading to a community-wide strike where hundreds of players vowed to avoid the healer role until NetEase addressed their concerns.

"We just want basic respect," expressed one Reddit user. "We're not asking to be glorified or seen as the 'hardest' role - because I don't think we are. We just want basic respect. It's tiring to be called brain dead or worthless when your stats are solid and you're playing your role the way it's meant to be played."

I Need Healing

In response to the strike and the ongoing challenges faced by Strategist players, NetEase has outlined a plan to alleviate some of the pressure. In a Dev Talk post on their website, the developer detailed a two-pronged approach to enhance the Support role and make Competitive mode more rewarding. The upcoming patch will see an increase in "threat levels" for Strategists, potentially buffing heroes like Invisible Woman or Jeff the Land Shark, while nerfing the survivability of Vanguards such as Captain America and Groot. Additionally, Spider-Man's Amazing Combo ability will see a reduction in damage range. Specific details on which characters will be affected are yet to be disclosed.

"Since this is a mid-season balance adjustment, we aim to be cautious, keeping changes minimal to enhance the experience of certain heroes without drastically altering the overall meta," NetEase stated. "As we move into S2.5, with Ultron's arrival and new Team-Up Ability adjustments, we'll consider broader, more comprehensive balance changes."

Competitive mode in Marvel Rivals has also seen adjustments since Season 2 began. Duelists have enjoyed a performance rating advantage, while Vanguards and Strategists have been at a slight disadvantage. To address this, NetEase plans to recalibrate performance rating calculations to ensure fairness across all heroes.

"Balancing the game and rank adjustments is a challenging endeavor, and we can't guarantee perfection 100% of the time," the Dev Talk post added. "However, we remain humble and attentive, striving to address issues promptly and enhance your experience. Stay tuned for official patch announcements for more updates. Thank you for your support and patience!"

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals introduced Emma Frost as its newest playable Vanguard hero, with Season 2.5 set to include Ultron in the near future. As the community awaits the upcoming balance changes, there's also excitement about a recent Marvel tease that could see a collection of swimsuit skins joining the game.