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

NetEase Games, the developer behind Marvel Rivals, has responded swiftly to the community's concerns about the Strategist class 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, leaving Strategists, the game's Support class, feeling underpowered compared to Vanguards and Duelists.

Since the launch of Season 2, the Marvel Rivals community has been vocal about the diminished effectiveness of the Support class. With other roles gaining more battlefield dominance, Strategist players have faced not only challenging but also toxic gameplay experiences, often being blamed by teammates in chat for losses. The situation escalated this week when numerous players took to social media to announce a boycott of 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: enhancing the Support role and making Competitive mode more rewarding for all classes.

NetEase plans to increase the "threat levels" of Strategists in an upcoming patch, which may involve buffs for heroes like Invisible Woman or Jeff the Land Shark. Conversely, Vanguards such as Captain America and Groot might see nerfs to their survivability, and Spider-Man's Amazing Combo ability will have its damage range reduced. The exact details of these changes 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 intends to modify 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 a new Vanguard hero, with Season 2.5 set to feature Ultron. As the community awaits the impact of the upcoming balance changes on the Support strike, fans can also look forward to potential new content, such as a collection of swimsuit skins teased by Marvel.