NetEase Games has released a mid-season balance update for Marvel Rivals, focusing on optimizing just a few heroes to maintain the diverse meta that has emerged in Season 1.5. The Version 20250314 update, which arrives on March 14, 2025, brings significant buffs to Human Torch, adjustments to Iron Man's attack capabilities, and improvements to Cloak & Dagger's healing potential.
Human Torch Gets Significant Damage Buffs
Following his recent addition to the roster, Human Torch is receiving substantial buffs to enhance his solo takedown potential. The fiery hero's primary attack, Fire Cluster, is seeing improvements with increased projectile speed (from 120m/s to 150m/s) and projectile count (from 12 to 14), making him more effective in direct combat situations.
His Ultimate Ability, Supernova, is also getting powered up with increased activation wave damage (from 70 to 80) and Flame Tornado damage (from 100 per second to 120 per second). To balance these enhancements, the energy cost for his Ultimate has been increased from 3400 to 4000, requiring players to be more strategic about when to deploy this powerful ability.
Iron Man Receives Balanced Adjustments
The Armored Avenger isn't being left out of this update. Marvel Rivals developers have made several adjustments to Iron Man's primary attack in both standard and Armor Overdrive states, focusing on balancing his mid-range offensive capabilities.
His Repulsor Blast is seeing decreased direct hit damage across all stages, but increased spell field damage to compensate:
- Stage 1 and 2: Direct hit damage decreased from 55 to 40; spell field damage increased from 35 to 50
- Stage 3: Direct hit damage decreased from 65 to 50; spell field damage increased from 40 to 60
- Armor Overdrive: Direct hit damage decreased from 55 to 50; spell field damage increased from 55 to 65
These changes suggest a shift in Iron Man's playstyle, rewarding players who can utilize his area-of-effect damage potential rather than relying solely on direct hits.
What's New for Cloak & Dagger?
The dynamic duo Cloak & Dagger are receiving tweaks to their healing capabilities, making them more versatile support options for different team compositions. The healing effect from their Lightforce Dagger on hit allies has been increased from 10 to 16, while the spell field healing amount generated by the hit has been slightly reduced from 18 to 16.
This adjustment maintains their overall healing output while making their direct healing more reliable, potentially opening up new strategies for teams utilizing this unique Strategist character.
Diverse Meta Evolving in Season 1.5
According to NetEase, Marvel Rivals has seen a surge in diverse team compositions following the Season 1.5 update and the addition of Human Torch and The Thing. Players have been experimenting with various strategies, including:
- Rush compositions centered around mobile Vanguards and Duelists
- Double-flyer setups featuring Storm and Human Torch
- 3-1-2 lineups with three Vanguards
- Classic 2-2-2 or single Vanguard compositions
The developers have stated that this mid-season balance update is intentionally focused on just a few heroes to maintain this rich diversity in the competitive environment. This approach suggests a philosophy of making targeted adjustments rather than sweeping changes that could disrupt the evolving meta.
Looking Ahead to Season 2
While this update brings welcome changes to several characters, Marvel Rivals players have even more to look forward to in the near future. NetEase has teased that Season 2 will introduce new Heroes and fresh Team-Up Abilities, promising an even more exciting experience.
The Version 20250314 balance update demonstrates the development team's commitment to fine-tuning the game experience while maintaining the strategic depth that has emerged since the game's launch on December 6, 2024. With Marvel Rivals available on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S, players across all platforms can experience these balance changes when they go live on March 14, 2025.