Not only Fantastic Four is coming to Marvel Rivals. Devs nerf Jeff's ultimate
Season 1 of Marvel Rivals features new heroes, an eternal battle pass and an equally eternal night, and, of course, game balance changes that will affect Jeff, Venom, Wolverine, and Hela, among others.
We have already discussed the upcoming debut of the Fantastic Four in the first season of Marvel Rivals. However, new heroes, skins and, after all, an unexpected opponent aren't everything. The developers also discussed changes in the gameplay balance, which will be introduced to the game in the first patch, designed to modify the combat potential of Marvel Rivals' heroes.
The game's first season will introduce an eternal night (courtesy of Dracula himself), a battle pass with no time limits (featuring highly praised skins), a gameplay mode, and three maps, along with a new adventure split into two episodes, anticipated to last 6 to 7 weeks. That's why at the beginning we will only get two members of the Fantastic Four: Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards and Susan "Invisible Woman" Storm.
Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm will make their debut halfway through the season, but the specifics of the second part will be revealed "when the time is right." Maybe this is because the first season is meant to provide an opportunity for the narrative team to excel, ensuring that the plot of Marvels Rivals is more than just a background thing.
Buffs and Nerfs
Of course, an important (for some players even the most important) issue is the game balance, mainly the inevitable wave of buffs and nerfs (although new heroes will certainly also mess up the meta). Zhiyong, the lead combat designer in Marvel Rivals, briefly mentioned them.
These are likely not all the precise changes, but even this preview of balance improvements has generated significant emotions. The first meta of MR was supposed to focus - according to Zhiyong - on the classic combination of long-range abilities of duelists like Hawkeye and Hela with various shields, and it is the latter who will be nerfed. Not only directly (which gives other heroes fighting at a distance a chance to shine), as the developer is also planning to upgrade mobile heroes charging at vanguards.
An interesting, but probably correct decision is to buff characters with specific abilities - those who need a carefully selected team of characters to spread their wings (Wolverine and Storm were given as examples). In theory, this is supposed to promote the use of unique strategies based on the unusual skills of these heroes. Cloak & Dagger will also receive a bit of love.
Jeff without water?
If you've seen any materials from Marvel Rivals, you probably won't be surprised by the next change. The charming (sometimes) and annoying (usually) land shark Jeff will receive a "range adjustment" to his ultimate ability, which has saved many, but also sent countless enemies out of the arena.
Players have been complaining about this ultimate from the beginning, mainly because the visual effect of the vortex didn't accurately represent the size of the hitbox. It even happened that it worked on enemies in sight, not only below it, but even above it, high in the air. Of course, players swiftly started seeking solutions, and it's enough to mention that a popular one was... Jeff using the same ability within his own team.
Statistics and changes in ranking mode
We still need to wait for the complete list of changes, but many players have already sighed with relief after learning about these recent improvements. Typical discussions about the validity / absurdity of the remaining changes (especially Wolverine's, because after the initial disappointment with him, fans quickly discovered what he is capable of in a confrontation with tanks) also started quickly.
Perhaps the devs anticipated such discussions and therefore plan to reveal statistics about the chosen heroes and their successes in Marvel Rivals Season 0. This will feature separate data for PCs and consoles in ranked mode (Quick Match mode will have combined statistics), and comparable summaries will be released after each half of the upcoming seasons.
There will also be changes in the ranking mode, primarily seasonal degradation with the start of the first season, and a completely new rank (Celestial), which will replace Grandmaster as the third highest "tier." Moreover, the developers will add more graphic settings to the game, allowing players to customize it according to their preferences. For instance, they can increase the number of FPS or add mouse acceleration. Streamers should also be pleased with a special mode designed for their needs.
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