Marvel Rivals is out now and free to play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The hero shooter largely unashamedly draws inspiration from Overwatch. As a result, NetEase's move to the genre feels like putting on a familiar glove to long-time Blizzard game players. However, there are a few pieces of minutiae that are different and worth keeping in mind, even if you have spent hundreds of hours in similar games. I put about 15 hours in Marvel Rivals during its testing periods and about a few more hours since its launch on December 5. So here are some tips for newcomers if you're jumping into the game for the first time.
Spend some time in the practice area
Marvel Rivals launched with a large menu. With 33 characters right off the bat, it can be overwhelming to figure out which heroes to jump with. Competitors games are so fast that it can be confusing to explain what each character does. Your best bet in finding a hero you like is to spend some time in the practice area first. Here you will have full access to the entire roster and you can train on some robot dummies. Just a few minutes here will give you a starting point before going into online games. This way you're not completely fumbling in the dark without any frame of reference for how characters play. The best way to learn all the intricacies is by playing a real battle, of course, but going in blind will make on-ramp more difficult.
Just read your Hero Profile
Part of getting to know all the heroes is learning their moves, but several of them have passive abilities that you won't press a button to activate but are still worth knowing. In the hero select screen you can access each character's Hero Profile, which contains a direct summary of their abilities, active and passive. Read these before you run out to fight if you're trying someone new, the difference between winging it and winging it is having some tactics in mind for how to handle a fight.
Here is a summary of the currencies
Marvel Rivals it's free-to-play, which means it makes most of its money through microtransactions. None of the heroes are locked behind a paywall, but cosmetics like clothes, emotes, and intros cost currency. There are two main currencies that hold roughly the same value, the gold one is called Lattice, which can be bought with real money, and the blue one is called Unit, which can be earned by playing and completing challenges. A tile can be exchanged 1:1 for Units, with $1 USD equaling 100 Lattice. You can only buy Lattice in bundles, meaning you may have to fork over it to pay for something cheaper. I bought the Star-Lord Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 suit, which cost 1800 Units, but the $20 Lattice pack was the only pack that would cover the cost. So just keep that in mind as you navigate in-game currency purchases. Beyond those, there are also Chrono Tokens used primarily to unlock battle pass rewards that you get through events and tasks.
The path of the battle is not controlled by time
Speaking of a passing battle, Marvel Rivals takes the FOMO out of its Luxury Battle Passes by allowing you to unlock the content at any time as long as you purchase them throughout the season. The pass itself costs 490 Lattices and includes robes and other cosmetic items. So if you plan to play Marvel Rivals long term and want to unlock everything in battle pass but you may need to take a break now and then, you can just buy the battle pass and come back to it whenever you feel like that.
Iron man skin for free
If you are reading this before March 5, 2025, NetEase Iron man skin for free. Redeem the in-game code nwarh4k3xqy and unlock Tony Stark in the black and gold Armor Model 42.
Teams can give you a chance, but don't feel pressured to pick heroes just for them
One of the great distinguishing features of Marvel Rivals are Team Up capabilities. These give extra ability to certain hero combinations that give you an advantage in combat. Some are extra abilities in your back pocket like Adam Warlock giving Mantis and Star-Lord a second life, while others like Rocket and Jeff ride behind Groot and lose their independent movement in exchange for more defense will fundamentally change how you play in some. methods. These are great when they come up naturally and it's a great tactic to build your team composition around them. However, they are not the end all of strategy Marvel Rivals. Many games can be won without characters that are artificially meant to work better together. It's about reading the situation you're in and sticking to characters you can play well enough to defeat the enemy team.
Be flexible
This wealth comes from Star-Lord's one-trick. But do as I say, not as I do. Hero switching is essential in games like Marvel Rivals and Overwatchbut it's very easy to get involved with one character that you really connect with. However, if you're losing a game and can't seem to get the upper hand, it might be time to turn. Part of the toxicity that permeates these games is the insistence that someone else on the team should cancel who they are playing and it may not be the toxic player. problem The truth is, sometimes it's not about player skill, some heroes just aren't built for every situation. If the enemy team is playing Black Widow, with a bunch of air warriors that she can cut easily that is not going to win you the fight no matter how good you are. You can have your main one, but take the time to learn at least a few characters that you can change in a pinch.
You don't have to cover every role, but you should always have a healer
Role distribution is another controversial topic in hero shooters, as some fans want to have the flexibility to create team pieces that don't have to stick to an identical 2-2-2 formation. At the moment, Marvel Rivals it doesn't have a role queue that forces the team to pick two of each (Vanguard, Duelist, Strategist), but at least one of each is a good rule of thumb when deciding who to play . I had a team that was three duelists and three strategists and we did well, though. However, the main role in all of this is the Strategist who you should make sure you have at least one (maybe more). Straight up, you're not going to win fights against a decent enemy team if you don't have someone who can heal your teammates, and if the randos you're teaming with aren't willing to to do and you want any chance of winning, maybe consider switching to one yourself. Yeah, that sometimes means you end up babysitting, but if there's no one to play the medicine, nothing's going to get done.
Do not enter
When you're lost in the sauce and running on adrenaline after a chaotic fight, it's easy to run out of spawn to try to get back in the garbage. The problem is, if you and your five teammates do that but they don't die at the same time, you end up trying one by one for the enemy team to pick up when you enter their line of sight. If you and your team are not all gathered and pushing a goal as a unit, you will get nowhere. Always try to move as a group, and if you are trying to wolf alone, make sure you have a plan like flanking the enemy team or surprise them with an end.
Final charge carries between rounds
One of the great differences between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch that is the final charge moving between rounds. This means that if your Ultimate was ready to go or at least close to it in one round, you will still have the same percentage when the next round starts. As the Overwatch player, it was a habit to use an ult at the end of a round because I might hear a cool voice line as well. He almost scored a winning run. I did that once in Marvel Rivals on opening night and realized I'd completely forgotten I'd still have it when the loading screen between rounds finished. So use that to your advantage, as it can give you a head start while you and the enemy team come down to the next point.
For the sake of your health, get together with friends
This is a good idea for most team-based multiplayer games. Grab at least a friend or two before going online. Marvel Rivals It's a very chaotic game, even with a team of people on voice chat, and so far I've had less luck in solo queue than I usually have Overwatch. I've always believed that the idea of one person carrying a team-based game is a power fantasy, but it rarely feels difficult to pull it off. Marvel Rivals Right now. Games may become more unfair as players learn the game, but for now, try to find people you can coordinate with. You'll have a much better experience that way.
We'll have a full review on it Marvel Rivals up in the coming days, but for now, this our thoughts on how NetEase's comic book hero shooter stands up to its obvious inspiration.
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