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

NetEase Games, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, has responded swiftly to the concerns raised by the community just days after a widespread Support strike was initiated by fans. Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has been largely successful, introducing new characters, maps, and modes that have kept the hero shooter engaging. However, the balance changes implemented have led to significant challenges for Strategists, the game's Support class, as Vanguards and Duelists have gained an upper hand.

Since the launch of Season 2, the viability of the Support class has been a hot topic within the Marvel Rivals community. With other roles gaining more battlefield power, Strategist players have faced not only challenging but also toxic gameplay experiences. Teammates have often resorted to text and voice chats to unfairly criticize Support players, 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 Support strike and the challenges faced by Strategist players, NetEase has outlined a plan to alleviate some of the pressure. In a Dev Talk post on their website, they detailed a two-pronged approach that includes buffing the Support role and enhancing the rewards in the Competitive mode.

NetEase plans to increase the "threat levels" of Strategists in an upcoming patch. This could involve boosting the capabilities of heroes like Invisible Woman or Jeff the Land Shark, while simultaneously nerfing the survivability of Vanguards such as Captain America and Groot. Additionally, Spider-Man's Amazing Combo ability will see a decrease in its damage range. Although the specific characters to be adjusted have not yet been disclosed, NetEase aims to be cautious with these mid-season changes to refine the gameplay experience without drastically shifting the meta.

"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 explained. "As we move into S2.5, with Ultron's arrival and new Team-Up Ability adjustments, we'll consider broader, more comprehensive balance changes."

In the Competitive mode of Marvel Rivals, slight adjustments have been made to performance ratings since Season 2 began. Duelists have enjoyed an advantage, while Vanguards and Strategists have been at a disadvantage. To address this, NetEase intends to recalibrate the performance rating calculations to ensure a more balanced experience across all hero classes.

"Balancing the game and rank adjustments is a challenging endeavor, and we can't guarantee perfection 100% of the time," the Dev Talk adds. "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 feature 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.