Season 8.5 of Marvel Rivals introduces the new character Cyclops, but it also changes the game significantly with a balance patch for many different heroes. Some characters are receiving much-needed nerfs to reduce their strength, while others are gaining the buffs they need to catch up to others. As the game reaches the halfway point in its Season, the changes are fewer, but far more significant to specific characters.
The previous round of changes for Season 8 were integral to shifting how certain characters played, giving their abilities new properties for players to try. Season 8.5 is taking a slightly opposite approach, seeking not to re-invent how heroes work, but rather adding greater quality-of-life to the roster. Characters who are considered “broken” or “perma-banned” by the community are the ones targeted the most by this update’s balance adjustments.
Every Season 8.5 Character Nerf
Big Reductions Of Strength Across The Board
Long-range poke has been greatly reduced in Season 8.5, alongside several other aggressive characters who are seen frequently in matches. Duelists, in particular, have borne the brunt of nerfs this time around, with multiple characters from this role having their skills balanced somewhat. This has appeared in reductions to damage and range across the board, hopefully giving other heroes a chance to shine.
Each nerf in Season 8.5 can be seen in the table below, including which character it affects and their role on a team:
|
Character |
Role |
Nerf(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Devil Dinosaur |
Vanguard |
|
|
Black Cat |
Duelist |
|
|
Daredevil |
Duelist |
|
|
Moon Knight |
Duelist |
|
|
Character |
Role |
Nerf(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Phoenix |
Duelist |
|
|
Gambit |
Strategist |
|
|
Ultron |
Strategist |
|
|
White Fox |
Strategist |
|
As you can see, Black Cat in Marvel Rivals is by far the recipient of the biggest nerfs, but other characters like Gambit, Ultron, Devil Dinosaur, and Moon Knight were also impacted greatly. Most characters with high damage options from long-range were targeted by heavy nerfs, making it harder for team to play it safe without engaging with their opponents. By reducing the overpowered strength of heroes like Gambit and Devil Dinosaur, new strategies may be necessary to win matches.
Every Season 8.5 Character Buff
Improvements To Core Mechanics Of Characters Make Them More Appealing
The abilities of other characters have been improved in Season 8.5, giving them quality-of-life changes that compliment their usual play style. This comes in the form of ability cooldowns getting reduced, damage falloff values being tweaked, or even increased utility from passive skills to make the character just feel better to play. Even some heroes with nerfs have gotten some small buffs to prevent them from being made too weak.
Some abilities of characters are coming back after being taken away from a previous Season’s nerf. Unfortunately, for newer characters like Devil Dinosaur in Marvel Rivals, this is not possible.
The table below shows which buffs some characters got, as well as the role they occupy to apply those increases in strength:
|
Character |
Role |
Buff(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Angela |
Vanguard |
|
|
Magneto |
Vanguard |
|
|
Rogue |
Vanguard |
|
|
Black Cat |
Duelist |
|
|
Blade |
Duelist |
|
|
Character |
Role |
Buff(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Elsa Bloodstone |
Duelist |
|
|
Human Torch |
Duelist |
|
|
Namor |
Duelist |
|
|
Star-Lord |
Duelist |
|
|
Adam Warlock |
Strategist |
|
|
Cloak & Dagger |
Strategist |
|
|
Deadpool |
Strategist |
|
Vanguard blocking and Strategist healing gained boosts to their efficiency in Season 8.5, while Duelists have more opportunities to use their unique abilities. Some of the biggest winners here are Blade and Rogue, who both desperately needed some shifts in how their skills worked. Marvel Rivals‘ encouragement to reward using skills wisely to reduce cooldowns also helps Namor and Adam Warlock, giving them more room to play to their strengths.
Every Season 8.5 Team-Up Balance Change
No Removed Synergies Combined With One Significant Nerf
Thankfully, no Team-Ups have been removed in Season 8.5, allowing many player strategies to remain going into the midway point of the Season. That doesn’t mean other Team-Ups haven’t been adjusted, as one of the newest character combination skills has been modified. The details of this Team-Up balance change can be seen in the table below:
|
Team-Up |
Characters |
Buff or Nerf? |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Explosive Entanglement |
Gambit + Magneto/Rogue |
Nerf |
|
The Team-Up changes here only really affect Rogue, partially toning down the character’s strengths when paired together with Gambit. With Gambit already being one of the game’s strongest characters, Rogue’s additional buffs may have influenced this choice to make the Gambit/Rogue team comp not the default option for all teams. However, with Gambit’s nerfs this seasonal update as well, it’s unclear if these plans for this Team-Up might change in Season 9.
Unlike Team-Up changes of the past, this balance adjustment is one players might not even see very often. With the strength of the Gambit/Maneto Team-Up still remaining strong, it’s likely that some team comps might still rely on Explosive Entanglement in the future. That being said, with so many other nerfs and buffs in Season 8.5 of Marvel Rivals, it will be interesting to see how other team compositions adjust to the recent patch.
- Released
-
December 6, 2024
- ESRB
-
T For Teen // Violence
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine 5