Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games is responding to player concerns about Strategists just days after support mains initiated a community-wide protest.
Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has largely impressed fans with fresh content. New heroes, battlegrounds, and gameplay modes have propelled the hero shooter forward, though recent balancing tweaks have created unforeseen complications. Strategists - essentially the support class of Marvel Rivals - find themselves struggling as Vanguards and Duelists dominate the battlefield.
AnswerSee ResultsThe weakened state of support characters has sparked ongoing debate since Season 2's launch. As other classes gained more battlefield presence, many Strategist players have endured not just difficult matches, but outright hostility from teammates quick to blame them in chat channels. The situation escalated last week when hundreds of players publicly declared they'd boycott the support role until developers addressed their concerns."What we want is simple - just give us some recognition"
"Nobody expects the support role to be overpowered or get special treatment," one Reddit user explained. "What we want is simple - just give us some recognition. It's demoralizing to put up great numbers and still get called useless just because we're not playing a damage-dealing role."
Healing Crisis
Whether due to the protest or natural gameplay shifts, NetEase is taking action. In today's developer blog, the studio outlined plans to improve both the Strategist experience and Competitive mode rewards.
Upcoming adjustments will boost Strategist effectiveness, potentially strengthening support heroes like Invisible Woman while toning down tanky Vanguards like Captain America. Spider-Man's signature combo attack will see reduced range. The full details of these balance changes remain under wraps.
"Since these are mid-season adjustments, we're taking a measured approach," NetEase clarified. "When Ultron arrives in S2.5 alongside new team abilities, we'll implement more sweeping balance changes."
The Competitive mode is also getting retuned after reports showed Duelists gaining rating advantages while Vanguards and Strategists struggled. NetEase promises fairer performance evaluations across all roles."Perfect balance is an impossible standard, but we're committed to continuous improvement," the post states. "Stay tuned for patch notes with specific changes. We appreciate your patience as we work to make Marvel Rivals the best it can be!"
Season 2 recently added Emma Frost to the Vanguard roster, with Ultron joining in the upcoming S2.5 update. While players await these balance adjustments, they can speculate about potential summer-themed cosmetic outfits that might be coming to the game.
