Marvel Rivals Dev Reveals Plans to Enhance Strategist Experience After Support Player 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, with new characters, maps, and modes propelling the hero shooter forward. The team has committed to faster seasons and an expanded roster of playable heroes. However, recent balance changes have shifted the power dynamics, leaving Strategists—primarily the Support class—feeling outmatched by Vanguards and Duelists.

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

VanguardDuelistStrategist

AnswerSee ResultsThe diminished effectiveness of the Support class has sparked intense discussions within the Marvel Rivals community since the launch of Season 2. As other classes gained more battlefield dominance, many Strategists reported not only difficult matches but also toxic interactions, with teammates often blaming them in text and voice chats. Tensions escalated this week when numerous players took to social media to announce a boycott of the healer role until NetEase addressed the issue and improved the gameplay 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, whether due to the strike's impact or the inherent challenges of the class, NetEase has announced plans to address these concerns. In a Dev Talk post on their website, NetEase outlined a dual approach to ease the pressure on Strategists: enhancing the Support role and making the Competitive mode more rewarding.

The team plans to increase the "threat levels" of Strategists in an upcoming patch. This could 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 the affected characters 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.”

Meanwhile, the Competitive mode in Marvel Rivals has experienced slight shifts in performance stats since Season 2 began. Duelists have enjoyed an edge in performance ratings, while Vanguards and Strategists have been at a disadvantage. To address this, NetEase intends to adjust the performance rating calculations to promote fairness among 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. While we await the results of the upcoming balance changes and their impact on the Support strike, you can also look forward to a recent Marvel tease that could see a collection of swimsuit skins joining the game.