While there’s no denying that Marvel Rivals kicked off Season 6 on the right foot — Rivals’ version of Deadpool filling all three roles was an awesome surprise, and the Collector’s Museum map is largely enjoyable — Season 6.5 is treading some difficult waters. Yes, Elsa Bloodstone looks fun to play, serving as a mix between Magik and Overwatch’s Ashe, but there’s no denying that she’s a lesser-known character and can’t bring in as many eyes as Deadpool did. Add on the return of the controversial gacha mechanics for the Mr. and Mrs. X skins, not to mention Overwatch’s hugely successful Season 1 relaunch, and there was more pressure than ever for Season 6.5 to be a big win for balancing. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened.
Marvel Rivals has struggled with balance for some time now, as it feels like NetEase is unsure what approach it wants to take with its game. Some changes feel aimed at low ELO casual fans while others only seem to be based on high ELO stats, and certain adjustments feel entirely random. Overpowered heroes often go unchecked for far too long, leaving players to grow frustrated, and based on social media reactions, this patch might just be like a breaking point. There is a particular meta that has been overbearing as of late, as well as a handful of heroes in desperate need of a shakeup. Unfortunately, the update fails to address these complaints, which has led to a good number of players threatening to quit or at least take time away from the game. And with Overwatch looking so attractive to frustrated Rivals fans at the moment, that’s something to be concerned about.
Some players are even calling for a demotion of NetEase developer and lead combat designer Zhiyong. While this is obviously harsh, he is essentially the target for all the outrage since he handles the balancing segment of the Dev Visions.
Marvel Rivals’ 6.5 Balancing Patch Fails to Hit The Poke Damage or Triple Strategist Comps
While the arrival of Deadpool and Marvel Rivals’ Kingsman drama briefly distracted from the complaints, the triple Strategist meta has been criticized constantly for months now. A natural consequence of the lack of role queue, players will find unexpected strategies that feel unfair, and it’s a developer’s job to keep these compositions in check. Whereas Overwatch had the infamous GOATs meta for a time, Rivals’ most frustrating play style yet has seen players tripling down on healers. This essentially leads to fights that feel never-ending, constantly drawn out by Strategist ultimates that heal through all the damage players can lay down. It feels restrictive, too, as any team that refuses to run triple Strategist in response to a team that is embracing it will get rolled.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
If players have to play triple Strategist to compete with triple Strategist, role queue might as well exist, as players aren’t as free with their team comps as they’re supposed to be. This isn’t the only solution to the problem, though, as NetEase could limit it to where there are a max of two Strategists on any given team, lower the overall healing output for every hero on the roster, or find another out-of-the-box solution that regular players wouldn’t think to cook up. Sadly, any adjustments to Strategists in Season 6.5 are fairly minor, with the only major change being Adam Warlock’s new ability to fly. And though this extra movement is both welcome and lore accurate, it feels like NetEase has really dropped the ball on hero changes overall.
The other massive issue with Marvel Rivals’ latest balancing update is that it leaves so many overpowered heroes broken or with a slap on the wrist that doesn’t fix the issue. These problematic, yet still strong, heroes include:
- Pheonix (a health nerf is something, but does nothing to prevent her high damage)
- Winter Soldier (no changes)
- Hela (no changes)
- Hawkeye (projectile size untouched)
- Gambit (no changes)
- Star-Lord (an ultimate buff that the hero didn’t need)
Marvel Rivals players annoyed with poke damage are really out of luck with the 6.5 update, as they can expect more of the same for the next several weeks. Some of these characters going unchanged is baffling, too; Gambit was deemed too strong when he first released, yet has remained meta ever since he debuted. He’s essentially an insta-ban, which is frustrating for Gambit mains wanting to use him in comp and for any characters who rely on his team-ups. Having characters that feel like required bans takes up a ban slot, too, which is all the more frustrating when there are multiple characters that feel too strong at the moment (and given how teams can double-up on bans, leaving more OP characters unchecked).
Marvel Rivals Has to Overhaul Its Approach to Balance Patches
What’s frustrating about the Marvel Rivals Season 6.5 update is that there are some good changes here. The aforementioned Adam Warlock buff, as well as Storm’s much-needed adjustments, are worthy of praise, as is the decision to go back and add VFX options for some existing cosmetics like Sue and Reed’s wedding attire. Yet there’s so much wrong, and so many odd adjustments (Loki’s changes are brutal, as he’s stock reloading constantly now), that it’s clearer than ever NetEase needs to rethink its approach to game balance.
First and foremost, clearer communication is a must. Regardless of whether players agree with every change — and they often don’t — Overwatch’s big patches contain explanations for each and every hero adjustment. This way, players know exactly what the developers were thinking when they made alterations, and can properly debate them using this extra insight. Rivals’ updates, on the other hand, come with fun little quips about things like NetEase’s Luna Snow favoritism. While these should be charming, they can come off tone-deaf, as they should be coming in addition to a detailed explanation for whatever changes are made, not filling in for those kinds of comments entirely.
Secondly, there’s a case to be made for a “Recovery Season” for Marvel Rivals, similar to what happened with Rainbow Six Siege’s ‘Operation Health.’ While two heroes per Season is a big selling point for the game, and helps Rivals compete with Overwatch, a one-off Season where there is only one character (or even none) could be the best path forward at this point. In place of heroes and maps, frequent balance updates could be made to satisfy frustrated players. Overhauling the healing of every Strategist, nerfing characters players have been begging to see changed, and properly reworking characters like Black Widow that need something extra in their kits could be huge for the game long-term. Maybe now isn’t the best time to ease up on content, as Overwatch has its foot on the pedal, but some time down the road, a Season of Health may be worth the investment. And for now, more detailed insight through patch notes and a better grasp on nerfs the community actually wants to see is essential.
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
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NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
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NetEase Games
