Marvel Rivalscreative director Guangyun Chen agrees with fans over one of the game’s biggest problems, but a fix may still be a ways off. The reception to the popular PvP hero shooter has been mostly positive since its release, with many citing itsBattle Pass practices, robust roster, and creative use of the Marvel license as high points. But there’s always been one huge point of contention among fans, and Chen agrees, even if a solution may not come anytime soon.
In a new interview withRivals Assembled, Chen states that heagrees there are too many Duelist characters when compared to the Vanguard and Strategist offerings, saying:“We’ve seen a lot of feedback about this from the community. Going forward, we will address it.“He added a caveat, though, saying:“the whole process from confirming a hero roster to production and final release takes quite a long time.”
Guangyun Chen Agrees There Are Too Many Duelists
But It Will Take A Long Time To Even Out The Roster
Chen also explained the process for adding heroes to the game and confirmed theMarvel Rivalsteam is currently deciding onthe game’s upcoming heroesto be released in 2026, which makes adjusting the quantities of Vanguards, Duelists, and Strategists difficult. He added,“We are paying attention to the problem and gradually working to solve it. It won’t happen overnight, but, gradually, a new balance will form.”
With the recentrelease of Blade(another Duelist),Marvel Rivalscurrently has 41 total characters. 22 of those are Duelists, 10 are Vanguards, and 9 are Strategists. The lack of role queues for matchmaking and unlocked team compositions cansometimes result in unbalanced teams full of Duelists.
Marvel Rivals Needs More Vanguards & Strategists
Season 3 Was Just Duelists
Starting with Season 3 in July, a new hero will be added toMarvel Rivalsevery month, anew character release strategy. In theory, that would mean we still have four more characters to be added to the game for 2025. Dozens of characters have been leaked and datamined, some of which already had role designations. With that many characters on the table, Chen’s comments about taking a long time to balance out make sense.
Still, it can be frustrating in a team-based, PvP hero-shooter for several players to instantly lock in Spider-Man, Blade, Phoenix, or another Duelist instead of working with teammates to create a balanced team. It’s great that theMarvel Rivalsteam is aware of the fan complaints, but it will likely be a long time before the Vanguard and Strategist numbers catch up.
