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

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has recently announced its strategy to alleviate the pressure on Strategists players, just days after a community-wide Support strike was initiated by fans.

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has been largely successful, introducing new characters, maps, and modes that have propelled the hero shooter forward. The promise of faster seasons and an expanding roster of playable heroes has kept the community engaged. However, the balance changes implemented in this season have led to new challenges, particularly for the Strategists, the game's Support class. As Vanguards and Duelists have gained more power, Strategists have found themselves struggling to keep up, resulting in less enjoyable and often toxic gameplay experiences.

The discontent among Strategist players has been a hot topic since the launch of Season 2. Players have reported not only difficult matches but also receiving blame and criticism from teammates in text and voice chats. This frustration culminated in a strike, with hundreds of players taking to social media to voice their grievances and vow to avoid the healer role until NetEase addressed their concerns.

"We just want basic respect," one Reddit user commented. "We’re not asking to be glorified or seen as the ‘hardest’ role - because I don’t think we are. 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."

In response, NetEase published a Dev Talk post outlining a two-pronged approach to improve the situation for Strategists. The plan involves enhancing the Support role and making Competitive mode more rewarding for all players. An upcoming patch will elevate the "threat levels" of Strategists, potentially buffing characters like Invisible Woman or Jeff the Land Shark, while nerfing the survivability of Vanguards like Captain America and Groot. Additionally, Spider-Man's Amazing Combo ability will see a reduced 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."

Meanwhile, the Competitive mode in Marvel Rivals has seen slight adjustments to performance ratings since Season 2 began. Duelists have enjoyed an advantage, while Vanguards and Strategists have been at a disadvantage. NetEase plans 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 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!"

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals introduced Emma Frost as its newest playable Vanguard hero, with Season 2.5 set to include Ultron in the near future. As the community awaits the upcoming balance changes, there's also excitement about a recent Marvel tease that could see a collection of swimsuit skins joining the game.