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

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has outlined its strategy to alleviate the pressure on Strategists players, just days after the community initiated a widespread Support strike.

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has been largely successful, introducing new characters, maps, and modes, which have propelled the hero shooter forward. The team has promised faster seasons and an expanded roster of playable heroes. However, recent balance changes have sparked new challenges, particularly for the Strategists class, which serves as the game's Support pool. With Vanguards and Duelists gaining more power, Strategists have found the game less enjoyable.

Which Marvel Rivals class do you use the most? ----------------------------------------------

VanguardDuelistStrategist

AnswerSee ResultsThe diminished effectiveness of the Support class has been a hot topic in the Marvel Rivals community since the launch of Season 2. As other roles have become more dominant, many Strategist players have experienced not only challenging but also toxic matches, with teammates often blaming them in text and voice chats. The situation escalated this week when hundreds of players took to social media to announce a boycott of the healer role until NetEase addressed how it plans to improve the experience.

"We just want basic respect."““We’re not asking to be glorified or seen as the ‘hardest’ role - because I don’t think we are,” one Reddit user commented. “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 challenges faced by players, NetEase has committed to taking action. In a Dev Talk post on its website, the developer outlined a two-pronged approach to ease the burden on Strategists. This includes enhancing the Support role and making Competitive mode more rewarding.

NetEase plans to increase the "threat levels" of Strategists in an upcoming patch, which may involve boosting heroes like Invisible Woman or Jeff the Land Shark, while reducing 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 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.”

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 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!”

Marvel Rivals Season 2 introduced Emma Frost as its newest playable Vanguard hero, with Season 2.5 set to include Ultron in the near future. As we await the impact of the upcoming balance changes on the Support strike, you can explore a recent Marvel tease that could see a collection of swimsuit skins joining the game.