If there’s one thing that Marvel Rivals unequivocally does right, it’s putting together a strong hero roster. There’s a cute shark, a K-pop idol, Norse gods, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers we all know and love, and many more. Despite all these great characters, Marvel Rivals has one big issue with its roster: over half of them are Duelists.
There are currently 41 characters in Rivals, 22 of which are Duelists, compared to ten Vanguards and just nine Strategists. It’s a massive imbalance that’s only worsened in higher-rank competitive play, since you can theoretically ban four Strategists or Vanguards, taking those numbers down to just five or six options respectively. It’s certainly stirred the pot recently, with many players (myself included) left unsatisfied with so many DPS heroes continuing to be added post-launch—including two in this season alone.
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In a recent interview with Rivals Assembled, creative director Guangyun Chen gave us some good and bad news. Let’s start with the good news: When asked about plans to even out the number of Duelists, Vanguards, and Strategists, Chen reveals that “going forward, we will address it—we are aware of the issue.” As primarily a tank player (partly out of necessity when my whole team insta-locks DPS), I’m relieved that my plight is being heard. Unfortunately, change won’t be happening any time soon.
“The whole process from confirming a hero roster to production and final release takes quite a long time. For example, at this point, the heroes we are currently deciding on are for a release slot next year. So under these circumstances, we are paying attention to the problem and gradually working to solve it. It won’t happen overnight, but over time, a new balance will form.”
The pitfall of all live service games strikes yet again. Working so far in advance is necessary to keep up the pace (especially with Rivals’ intense one-hero-a-month approach, which Chen even notes is “a lot of pressure”), but it also means you can’t be reactive.
Of course, I’ve no doubt that at least a handful of the upcoming heroes to round out Marvel Rivals’ first year will be Vanguards and Strategists—it’s not like we haven’t had any so far—but, from the sounds of it, the ratio won’t start to even out until next year, when this feedback can be acted on in earnest.
Whether the “new balance” that will form will actually be a more even mix of heroes or not remains to be seen, though, as damage dealers are traditionally the most popular characters in hero shooters. Even in Overwatch 2, which has a more even spread, there are significantly more damage dealers compared to tanks and supports. Chances are, there will always be more damage dealers than other roles.
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