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

NetEase Games, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, has responded swiftly to the community's concerns just days after a widespread Support strike was initiated by fans. The strike was a response to the imbalance issues introduced in Season 2, particularly affecting the Strategist class, which serves as the game's Support pool.

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has brought exciting new characters, maps, and modes, propelling the hero shooter forward with promises of quicker seasons and an expanded roster of playable heroes. However, the balance changes have shifted power dynamics, leaving Strategists struggling against the dominance of Vanguards and Duelists. This shift has led to numerous challenging and even toxic matches for Support players, who have been unfairly blamed by teammates for losses.

The frustration reached a peak when hundreds of players took to social media to declare a strike, vowing to avoid the healer role until NetEase addressed the issues. "We just want basic respect," one Reddit user commented. "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 general dissatisfaction among Strategist players, NetEase has outlined a two-pronged approach in a Dev Talk post on its website. The plan involves enhancing the Support role while making Competitive mode more rewarding. An upcoming patch will elevate "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 decrease in damage range. NetEase aims to keep these mid-season adjustments minimal to enhance specific hero experiences without drastically altering 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, performance ratings have been slightly altered since Season 2's launch, with Duelists gaining an advantage while Vanguards and Strategists faced a disadvantage. NetEase plans to adjust these ratings "to ensure fairness across all heroes." The developer acknowledges the challenges in balancing the game and rank adjustments, stating, "Balancing the game and rank adjustments is a challenging endeavor, and we can't guarantee perfection 100% of the time. 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 introduced Emma Frost as a new playable Vanguard hero, and Season 2.5 is set to bring Ultron into the mix. As the community awaits the balance changes, there's also buzz about a possible addition of swimsuit skins to the game, as hinted in a recent Marvel tease.