GamesThird Person ShooterMarvel RivalsMarvel Rivals' first balance patch targets two popular Duelists and Jeff’s ultimateWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesThird Person ShooterMarvel RivalsMarvel Rivals' first balance patch targets two popular Duelists and Jeff’s ultimateWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Marvel Rivals: Season 1 Begins | Dev Vision Vol. 03 - YouTubeWatch On

Marvel Rivals: Season 1 Begins | Dev Vision Vol. 03 - YouTube

Marvel Rivals: Season 1 Begins | Dev Vision Vol. 03 - YouTube

Marvel Rivals: Season 1 Begins | Dev Vision Vol. 03 - YouTube

The leadup to Marvel Rivals season 1 is well underway. We already know that the entire Fantastic 4 squad is coming in aDracula-themed season called Eternal Night,but in a video published today, NetEase shared something arguably more significant: the details of its very first balancing patch.

How NetEase plans to balance its popular new shooter has been an open question in its first month—its first handful of patches have consisted entirely of store updates and bug fixes, no hero adjustments. That changes in season 1.

“As season 0 closes, our tireless analysis along with player feedback has revealed a rich tapestry of team compositions in regular matches, showcasing exciting diversity,” said lead combat designer Zhiyong. “However, as rank levels climb, shield-and-ranged hero combos seem to have become our first meta, with ranged duelists particularly dominating their lineups.”

Indeed, the “stand behind a shield and shoot the other team” strategies of Overwatch 1 are alive and well in Rivals. Two particularly dominant Duelists are the targets of Marvel Rivals' first nerfs: Hawkeye and Hela. The specifics of the nerfs will have to wait for official patch notes, but NetEase says the idea is “ensuring all ranged heroes have a chance to shine.”

Interestingly, the other balance changes NetEase talked about are almost all buffs. “Mobile-type” Vanguard heroes Captain America and Venom are getting buffs, seemingly to their speed.

“Additionally, we’re boosting the capabilities of heroes that shine in specialized compositions, like Wolverine and Storm, to ensure they are the cornerstone of unique strategies,” Zhiyong said.

I haven’t played Wolverine or Storm (or seen them all that often in matches), so I’m not sure what to take away from NetEase’s vagueness yet. Cloak and Dagger are getting an equally unclear buff to boost their effectiveness in “diverse” team comps.

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(Image credit: NetEase Games)

marvel rivals season 1 battle pass skins

Maybe the most personally heartbreaking nerf, though easily the most necessary, is a nerf to Jeff the Land Shark’s team-swallowing ultimate:

“The detection range of Jeff the Land Shark’s ultimate ability will also be fine-tuned to better align with early warning signals.”

OK, that’s at least approaching straightforward: It’ll be easier to avoid Jeff ults in the future, so we can probably expectfewer “giga gulp” team wipes. Hopefully the change isn’t so harsh that Jeff’s most unique ability suddenly feels useless.

Some other stuff we learned in this video:

Marvel Rivals tier list: Best characters for each roleMarvel Rivals units: How to earn the currencyMarvel Rivals codes: Grab free gear and moreMarvel Rivals review: Hero shooter reportBest FPS games: Finest gaming gunplay

Marvel Rivals tier list: Best characters for each roleMarvel Rivals units: How to earn the currencyMarvel Rivals codes: Grab free gear and moreMarvel Rivals review: Hero shooter reportBest FPS games: Finest gaming gunplay

Marvel Rivals tier list: Best characters for each roleMarvel Rivals units: How to earn the currencyMarvel Rivals codes: Grab free gear and moreMarvel Rivals review: Hero shooter reportBest FPS games: Finest gaming gunplay

Marvel Rivals tier list: Best characters for each roleMarvel Rivals units: How to earn the currencyMarvel Rivals codes: Grab free gear and moreMarvel Rivals review: Hero shooter reportBest FPS games: Finest gaming gunplay

Marvel Rivals tier listMarvel Rivals unitsMarvel Rivals codesMarvel Rivals reviewBest FPS games

Marvel Rivals tier list: Best characters for each roleMarvel Rivals units: How to earn the currencyMarvel Rivals codes: Grab free gear and moreMarvel Rivals review: Hero shooter reportBest FPS games: Finest gaming gunplay

Marvel Rivals tier list: Best characters for each roleMarvel Rivals units: How to earn the currencyMarvel Rivals codes: Grab free gear and moreMarvel Rivals review: Hero shooter reportBest FPS games: Finest gaming gunplay

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