Marvel Rivals Dev Plans to Enhance Strategist Experience After Support Strike

NetEase Games, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, has responded to the community's concerns just days after fans initiated a widespread Support strike. The focus of their response is to alleviate the challenges faced by Strategist players, who have felt the pressure due to recent balance changes in Season 2.

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has been largely successful, introducing new characters, maps, and modes, and promising even more content with shorter seasons. However, the balance adjustments have shifted the power dynamics, particularly impacting the Strategist class, which serves as the game's Support pool. With Vanguards and Duelists gaining more power, Strategists have found themselves struggling in matches, often facing toxic behavior from teammates who blame them for losses.

The dissatisfaction among Strategists has been a hot topic since the launch of Season 2, with players expressing frustration over the decreased viability of their class. This tension escalated into a community-led strike, where players vowed to avoid playing the healer role until NetEase addressed their concerns.

"We just want basic respect," stated one Reddit user, reflecting the sentiment of many. "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, NetEase has outlined a plan to improve the experience for Strategists. In a Dev Talk post on their website, the developer detailed a two-pronged approach to relieve the pressure on the Support role. This includes buffing Strategists and adjusting the Competitive mode to be more rewarding.

NetEase plans to elevate the "threat levels" of Strategists in an upcoming patch. This could mean enhancing heroes like Invisible Woman or Jeff the Land Shark, while simultaneously nerfing the survivability of Vanguards such as Captain America and Groot. Spider-Man's Amazing Combo ability will also see a reduced damage range. The specific characters to 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 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."

Additionally, NetEase is addressing the Competitive mode, which has seen altered stats since Season 2's launch. Duelists have enjoyed an advantage in performance ratings, while Vanguards and Strategists have been at a disadvantage. To remedy this, NetEase plans to adjust the 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 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 include Ultron. While the community awaits the upcoming balance changes, players can also look forward to potential new content, such as a collection of swimsuit skins hinted at in a recent Marvel tease.