A new Marvel Rivals balance patch is on the way, and, while it includes some much-needed upgrades for one of the newest heroes, developer NetEase is determined to maintain the "rich diversity" of strategies players have been using in Season 1.5 by refraining from changing too much.
In the patch notes for version 20250314's balance adjustments (which are set to go live tomorrow, March 13, at 2am PT/ 5am ET/ 9am GMT), NetEase explains that in the current season (specifically, its second half) the devs have "noticed a surge in the popularity of various heroes, leading to exciting new strategies in matches."
It continues: "Whether it's a rush comp centered around mobile Vanguards and Duelists, a double-flyer setup featuring Storm and Human Torch, or the classic 3-1-2 lineup with three Vanguards, or even the previously popular 2-2-2 or single Vanguard compositions, each has showcased their unique flair in the current competitive environment."
It's because of this "rich diversity" that the team is "optimizing the experience for just a handful of heroes." Specifically, new Fantastic Four addition Human Torch is being tweaked, along with Cloak and Dagger and Iron Man.
In Human Torch's case, it's good news, with a "boost to his primary attack damage output and Ultimate Ability." His main Fire Cluster move will have more ammo (increasing from 12 to 14), and its projectile speed will increase, too. Otherwise, while his ult's energy cost is going up (from 3,400 to 4,000), its activation wave damage is increasing by 10 (up to 80), while Flame Tornado will deal 120 damage per second instead of 100. Over on Reddit, this is already being hailed as a "necessary" buff after the poor guy debuted with "basically no ultimate, it was so bad."
Meanwhile, it's a mixed bag for Iron Man, whose Repulsor Blast is getting hit with a selection of buffs and nerfs. In stage one and two, direct damage is being cut from 55 to 40, while stage three's damage is dropping from 65 to 50. However, spell field damage is going up, from 35 to 50 in the initial stages, and 40 to 60 in stage three. A very similar change is being rolled out for the Armor Overdrive version of Repulsor Blast, with direct hit damage being reduced by five (to 50 damage) and spell field damage going up by 10 (to 65 damage).
Finally, Cloak and Dagger mains will be pleased as the duo's healing abilities are being improved. When hitting allies, the Lightforce Dagger will now heal 16 damage instead of 10 (although the "spell field healing amount generated by the hit" is dropping slightly, from 18 to 16). On the whole though, that's still a solid boost.
While you're here, be sure to check out our tier list ranking the best Marvel Rivals characters.
