Marvel’s Rival Devs Tackle Duelist Dominance: Balance Changes for Cap and Venom in Season 1

Marvel Rivals is set to launch its inaugural official season later this week. Although Netease has yet to provide a comprehensive list of patch notes for review, it has specified some vital balance alterations that are on the way. The takeaway? Ranged Duelists are facing some significant reductions.

“As Season 0 concludes, our ongoing analysis, along with player input, has illustrated a vibrant array of team formations in standard matches, revealing captivating diversity,” says lead combat style designer Zhiyong in the latest developer insight video. “However, as competitive ranks increase, shield-and-ranged hero combinations appear to have emerged as our primary meta, with ranged Duelists particularly dominating the rosters. In the initial phase of Season 1, we’ll implement key balance changes to keep the battles dynamic and engaging!”

As explained by Zhiyong, the developers will “subtly reduce the abilities of strong, ranged Duelists like Hela and Hawkeye, ensuring that all ranged heroes have the opportunity to shine. We’re also improving the mobile-type Vanguards like Captain America and Venom, enabling them to charge into combat and safeguard their teammates with renewed energy.”

While we won’t receive the complete details on nerfs and buffs until closer to the start of Season 1, there’s more to disclose. “We’re enhancing the strengths of heroes that excel in specific compositions, such as Wolverine and Storm, to ensure they serve as the foundation for unique strategies,” Zhiyong continues. “For Cloak & Dagger, we’re amplifying their capabilities, making them more potent in various team setups. Furthermore, the detection range for Jeff the Land Shark’s ultimate ability will also be fine-tuned to align better with early warning signals.”

This latter adjustment seems like a slight nerf for how much fear Jeff has instilled in Marvel Rivals, but it will surely make his ult a little less daunting to counter. We will soon receive more information on the actual viability of each hero, as the developers mention in the video that pick and win rates will be disclosed at the conclusion of Season 0, with these statistics continuing to be shared each half of the season.

Marvel Rivals Season 1 offers “twice the playable content of a typical season” and introduces maps, heroes, balance modifications, and more.

Dustin Bailey became part of the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022 and is currently based in Missouri. He has been covering games (with occasional ventures into the realms of anime and professional wrestling) since 2015, initially as a freelancer, and then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His passion for games was ignited somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you’ll often find him enjoying retro gaming, the latest blockbuster action-adventure title, or a long session in American Truck Simulator.