Biggest Character Buffs And Nerfs In Marvel Rivals Season 1.5

Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 is almost here, and with the developers dropping a ton of new info regarding balancing changes and updates, fans have been given a sneak peek at some of the biggest alterations that will be made to members of the cast. Considering the game has only been out for a little more than a few months, it’s understandable that at least a few characters may still feel a little too strong or underpowered, so NetEase has to ensure everyone feels as balanced as possible to create an even playing field.

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With many of their ultimate attacks being some of the best in the entire game, Season 1 saw a massive rise in popularity among Strategists, while many Duelists were still recovering from the last patch of nerfs. For the mid-season update though, it seems as though NetEase is dialing down some of the support characters while lifting a few of the damage dealers back to their former glory.

1

Magneto

The Metallic Curtain Is Toned Down While Magneto’s Damage Is Being Buffed

• Role: Vanguard
• Health: 650

The Metallic Curtain, which is Magneto’s defensive shield ability, could originally only last for a maximum of two seconds, but this is being cut down to 1.5, making it even harder to use effectively during a match. Unlike Strange’s shield which can stay up for a while before being destroyed, Magneto needs to use his shield sparingly, even more so now that it will only keep his allies protected for little more than a second.

Still, it’s not all nerfs for Magneto, as his basic attack is being enhanced from 35 to 40 damage. While this may seem like a fairly minimal buff, it does at least help to make up for the Master of Magnetism’s sluggish attack speed, making him a bit more offense-heavy than he was originally.

2

Groot

Groot Can Now Trap His Opponents From A Further Distance Away

• Role: Vanguard
• Health: 850

While Groot’s Thornlash Wall ability can be used for defensive purposes when the team is under fire, many players will more commonly use it to separate the enemy team, such as blocking Duelists from getting to their healers, for example. NetEase has realized this and as so has decided to extend the placement range from 15 to 18 meters.

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Originally, Groot players would need to risk getting pretty close to place a wall exactly where they want it to go, but this adjustment makes it far easier to do so without needing to become a sitting duck in the process. Groot can therefore become even more of a team player and a much bigger problem for his opponents to deal with.

3

Black Widow

With A Few Extra Bullets And An Improved Ultimate Attack, Black Widow Is Sure To Cause Some Chaos

• Role: Duelist
• Health: 250

Black Widow has felt pretty underpowered compared to many of the Duelists since the game launched, but it seems as though NetEase is trying to make her much more of a viable option thanks to these buffs. The biggest change is the magazines of Widow’s rifle now containing a staggering 15 shots as opposed to 8, allowing her to deal more consistent damage without being bogged down by reload times.

Additionally, her ultimate ability is going to be slowing enemies down by 80% rather than 50%, and not only that, but those affected by the slow will take more damage for an additional 4 seconds. This introduces some nice combo potential where Natasha can debuff the enemy team to leave them wide open for her fellow Duelists to take out, or she can simply jump in with her batons and get the job done herself once the ultimate is over.

4

Mister Fantastic

Fantastic Will Be Stretching Just A Little Farther To Catch His Enemies Off Guard

• Role: Duelist
• Health: 350

Mister Fantastic is one of the slower Duelists when it comes to overall mobility, so to ensure he doesn’t get left behind, NetEase is making him much more effective at dealing with enemies from afar. His Flexible Elongation, which allows Reed to pull himself toward an enemy, is now double the range, and will also knock back the enemy that it hits, allowing Fantastic to push someone off an objective point.

He’s also receiving a pretty drastic buff to his ultimate ability, which will deal 70 damage with each bounce rather than 50, though it will take a bit longer to recharge. This will make it much easier to kill Strategists and low-HP Duelists with his ultimate attack, which admittedly has felt a bit underpowered since he was first released.

5

Iron Man

In A Shocking Surprise Buff, Iron Man’s Suit Is Going To Be Even Stronger

• Role: Duelist
• Health: 250

Similarly to how Wolverine received a surprise buff at the beginning of Season 1, Iron Man is also being enhanced, despite already being seen as one of the strongest Duelists in the game by many players. His Unibeam attack will now deal 140 damage per second as opposed to the original 120, and with Armor Overdrive, it will reach upwards of 190 damage, allowing him to obliterate enemies from the skies.

This will make him a truly dangerous member of the cast, especially when further enhanced by the likes of Mantis or Storm, which will allow him to move faster while throwing out even more damage. Tony will have an easy time dealing with the enemy Duelists and Strategists, though this buff may not be quite enough for him to invoke fear in the eyes of enemy Vanguards just yet.

6

Cloak & Dagger

Major Adjustments Have Been Made To Cloak & Dagger’s Ultimate

• Role: Strategist
• Health: 250

After receiving a buff to their ultimate at the beginning of the season, the developers felt they made Cloak & Dagger a bit too powerful, which is why their ultimate ability is once again receiving an adjustment. Previously, their ultimate would be able to stack healing onto Cloak’s allies, but that will no longer be the case. This means dashing through the same ally multiple times will essentially be useless, as players are encouraged to instead spread the love to as many people as possible.

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However, the healing per dash has been increased to 250, so the ultimate can still keep everyone on the team topped up, even if it only hits them a single time. It’s also a bit easier to change the direction of the dash, which has always been the most annoying aspect of this attack.

7

Iron Fist

He Won’t Be Hitting Quite As Hard, But Iron Fists’s Survivability Has Been Greatly Improved

• Role: Duelist
• Health: 300

The lethal powerhouse, Iron Fist, won’t be hitting quite as hard after this patch. His Jeet Kune Do and Yet Jee Kuen abilities will both now deal less damage, which will make it far more difficult for Iron Fist mains to melt enemy health bars after they begin throwing out punches.

Thankfully though, the Harmony Recover will now restore up to 150 health rather than 50, which will encourage players to focus more on bobbing and weaving out of battle to stay alive. Iron Fists’s base health is also being increased from 250 to 300, which ensures he won’t be picked off too easily while executing his combo attacks.

8

Venom

Venom Can Now Draw Enemies Into His Proximity Much Easier

• Role: Vanguard
• Health: 800

Frenzied Arrival is a ground pound that Venom can perform whenever he’s high enough in the air, but usually, this attack would push the enemy players away, giving them a chance to retreat. This has been completely reversed, meaning anyone caught in the blast will now be pulled inwards, making it easy for Venom to combo attack with his Cellular Corrosion or even his ultimate.

Speaking of ultimate attacks, Venom’s Feast of the Abyss now costs 2500 rather than 2800. Considering the damage of this attack is a little lacking compared to many others, it’s nice to see that it will appear much more frequently, but by far the biggest buff here is to Frenzied Leap, which allows Venom to be played more strategically when working in tangent with a team.

9

Captain America

Cap’s Going To Be An Even Bigger Thorn In The Side With His Enhanced Survivability And Shield Speed

• Role: Vanguard
• Health: 675

Captain America is receiving more changes than any other hero with this mid-season patch, but Cap mains will be happy to hear that this is all buffs and no nerfs. The most important addition is that Steve can now activate his shield during his Fearless Leap, meaning he can remain fully protected while jumping over to the enemy backline to take out some healers. He can even use melee attacks during the leap too, which is useful for dealing with airborne targets.

The projectile speed of Captain America’s shield has also been greatly enhanced and can reach up to 150m/s when ricocheting between multiple characters. All of this feeds into Captain America’s hit-and-run playstyle, allowing him to toss out his shield quickly before backing away to safety. That’s not all though, as his Freedom Charge ultimate will also be available much faster now, with the energy cost dropping from 3100 to 2800, allowing him to buff his team during intense firefights far more regularly during a match.

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Released

December 6, 2024

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T For Teen // Violence