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

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has swiftly responded to community feedback by outlining plans to alleviate the pressure on Strategists, just days after fans initiated a widespread Support strike. The launch of Marvel Rivals Season 2 has been largely successful, introducing new characters, maps, and modes, and promising even quicker seasons with more heroes. However, the balance changes have shifted the power dynamics, particularly impacting the Strategist class, which serves as the game's Support pool. As Vanguards and Duelists have gained strength, Strategists have found the gameplay less enjoyable and more challenging.

The community has been vocal about the decreased effectiveness of the Support class since the start of Season 2. With other roles gaining more battlefield power, Strategist players have reported not only more punishing matches but also toxic interactions, with teammates often unfairly blaming them in text and voice chats. The situation escalated when hundreds of players took to social media to announce a boycott of the healer role, demanding NetEase address how it could improve the experience.

"We just want basic respect," a Reddit user commented. "We're not asking to be seen as the 'hardest' role - because I don't think we are. We just want basic respect. It's exhausting to be called brain dead or worthless when your stats are solid and you're playing your role correctly."

I Need Healing

In response, whether due to the strike or players avoiding the challenging class, NetEase has announced plans to take action. In a Dev Talk post on its website, NetEase addressed the concerns surrounding the Strategist class. The developer's approach to ease the pressure involves a two-pronged strategy: buffing the Support role and enhancing the rewards in Competitive mode.

NetEase plans to elevate the "threat levels" of Strategists in an upcoming patch. This might mean boosting characters 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 some changes 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 adjust 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 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!"

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. While we await the outcome of the upcoming balance changes and their impact on the Support strike, you can explore a recent Marvel tease that could see a collection of swimsuit skins joining the game.