Marvel Rivals is gearing up for its first big update since the official release back in December, and it’s headlined by Marvel’s First Family. The Fantastic Four will storm onto the scene throughout Season 1, but new characters aren’t the only thing for fans to look forward to when things kick off on January 8th.According to a new leak, Rivals is taking a big shot at rebalancing the game this week. Hawkeye and Hela have dominated the upper-echelon of Ranked matches since launch, making them two of the most banned characters in Diamond+ lobbies, which makes them prime candidates for a nerf.
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Hawkeye’s ability to pick off both DPS and Strategist characters is unmatched by anyone on the roster. A well-placed shot can take them out of the fight in one go, completely halting a push before it can even get started. Hela, on the other hand, is extremely hard to kill. Not only can she deal devastating damage from a distance, but her Astral Flock ability (which temporarily transforms her into a Nastrond crow) means pinning her down in a team fight is nigh on impossible.
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It’s not all about making characters worse, though. A handful of other characters will be getting corrective buffs to make fights a little more fair. There’s still no exact details for these changes, but expect movement buffs for Venom and Captain America, as well to-be-announced adjustments for Storm, Cloak and Dagger, and Wolverine. Several of these heroes have been underperforming against the field, but that’s certainly not the case for Cloak and Dagger. The form-shifting duo is currently an elite Strategist who can control entire engagements from start to finish. Whether shielding off game-changing damage through Dagger’s Lightforce Veil and Dagger Storm combo or completely juking enemy Ultimate abilities via Dark Teleportation, both halves can change games in the blink of an eye. Any change made to their ability’s may have meta-shifting consequences.
As for the Vanguards on the list, Eddie Brock and Steve Rogers are the two most mobile options at their role. Using them effectively requires players to stay on the move, weaving in and out of danger to disrupt the opposition before retreating back to safety. This stands in stark contrast to characters like Dr. Strange or Magneto, who are far more limited in their movement but provide a more traditional shield-based tank experience. A movement buff should boost their viability at all ranks. Currently, attempting to chase down Spider-Man as Venom is a complete waste of time—and who doesn’t want to see those old foes square off as often as possible?
All in all, these changes should be good for the health of Marvel Rivals. The game already has the Season Bonus system, which gifts a small boost to a small number of characters in each role every season, and additional balance patches will only serve to keep things fresh for everyone. That’s been a huge talking point around Rivals. Many have doubted NetEase’s ability to permanently shift players away from games like Overwatch, but this is a great start towards doing exactly that.
