Buffs and nerfs for multiple characters inMarvel Rivalswere added in Season 2, making some heroes stronger while others were balanced to match the universal strength of the game’s roster. Alongside changes to general mechanics and unique Team-Ups, many characters' abilities have undergone adjustments. This patch may impact how powerful team comps work, including how some nerfs or buffs give rise to new team synergies.
The update for Season 2 includes the new Vanguard characterEmma Frost inMarvel Rivals, making a new Team-Up available withMagnetoandPsylocke. You won’t see any changes to Emma’s abilities until Season 2.5, the halfway point of the Hellfire Gala Season.When Ultron releases with the Season 2.5 update, Emma Frost may receive buffs or nerfsdepending on her strength compared to other heroes.
All Universal Changes Explained
New Currency Systems And Several Mode Adjustments
Unlike Season 1,several universal changes alter existing game modes and currency systemsinMarvel Rivals, changing the content players are used to. For starters, every player’s Competitive Rank is reduced by nine spots, resetting your status for the new Season. You’ll have to grind through the Ranks again to reach the heights you had before in Season 2.
As of Season 2, the number of maps that are in the rotation for Competitive has been reduced. There are only four maps you’ll play on in Competitive matches, including the new Krakoa: Hellfire Gala Domination map.
According to the Season 2 Roadmap published by the developers, another big universal change is how Team-Up abilities are being adjusted. As of this time of writing,two Team-Ups have been removed,while some characters have been added or dropped from pre-existing ones. TheTeam-Up changes in Season 2are extensive, so feel free to check out which ones have been adjusted from the"Heroes"menu of the game.
The biggest universal change comes from how you earn Chrono Tokens, Lattice, or Units currency through in-game challenges.Weekly missions and character-specific challenges have been separated, giving you new ways to earn in-game currency for new cosmetics. With the addition of a fourth currency type, Unstable Molecules, you even have a new type of money to earn for custom colors for certain character costumes.
All Characters Buffs & Nerfs
Heroes Made Stronger Or Weaker
Not every character from the Duelist, Vanguard, or Strategist roles received a buff or a nerf. However, heroes that did receive changes got a variety of balance adjustments that vastly affected multiple facets of their kit. To my knowledge, the modifications to characters can be boiled down into these categories:
Thecharacter changes in Season 2either created aBuff, Nerf, or Neutraladjustment to a herowhen you combine all their changes. For example, one character may get a nerf to their strongest ability, but also gain a boost to their total health to keep them viable on different team comps.
The following tables showcase each of the changes on different characters for Season 2, including whether they were Buffed, Nerfed, or remained Neutral with their balance:
Buffed
Vanguards did not receive too many changes, but the ones that did have adjustments were drastically changed.Doctor Strange has heavy nerfs while Peni Parker has substantial buffs, with damage and survivability being the key focuses. WithVanguards inMarvel Rivalsbeing the core of any team, this could greatly impact which synergies end up working the best in Season 2.
Neutral
As you may see,most of the Duelist characters got buffed in Season 2, especially ones that were struggling. Some stand-out winners from the Season 2 patch include The Human Torch andMister Fantastic inMarvel Rivals, whose abilities received some much-needed modifications. With so many viable Duelists in Season 2, it will be hard to predict which ones are the strongest.
TheStrategist characters inMarvel Rivalsgot significantly nerfed or adjusted in Season 2, likely to counter the"Triple Support"meta that was dominant in the previous Season. Despite some major adjustments,Strategist nerfs make a few characters stand outas much stronger than they were before. The biggest example of this is Rocket Raccoon, whose healing prowess is much more fearsome in Season 2.
The long list of changes for different characters may impact what strategies work best for them, so don’t be afraid to experiment with certain heroes to find their best playstyle. While the nerfs and buffs for characters inMarvel RivalsSeason 2 are extensive, many still perform strongly in any match if you understand what makes them tick.
