Marvel Rivals is the hottest hero shooter many players are anticipating. Developed by NetEase, the game looks promising with an expansive roster of everyone’s favorite Marvel superheroes and villains. With the game now in its Alpha stage, many fans are witnessing gameplay from various content creators and are likely itching to give the game a whirl. That said, many may be wondering which character fits their playstyle so they’d know who to use come launch.
Players initially figure out which character suits them most when playing hero shooter games like Marvel Rivals. Some like playing aggressively, others would rather protect their team, while others prioritize supporting their squad. Whatever the case may be, each character and type of player contributes a significant role.
Before deciding who to play when the game launches, players need to understand the different character types. There are Duelist, Strategist, and Vanguard characters.
Duelists pretty much speak for themselves. Their main goal is to rack up kills for their team and deal the most damage.
Strategists are the support characters in the team. Most Strategist Heroes either provide healing effects for the squad or try to get them out of sticky situations.
As for Vanguards, they’re basically the tanks. While dealing significant damage to opponents, they’re also quite tough and have higher HP compared to everyone else.
If players are wondering which hero or villain suits them best, here’s a full breakdown of each Marvel Rivals character with their abilities. Take note that only the PC controls are currently available. There are no provisions for controller inputs yet.
The king of Wakanda, Black Panther, is a melee duelist hero who can easily outmaneuver foes. He mostly utilizes his Vibranium Claws and pounces around enemies.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
For a magical wizard who mainly keeps his distance, Doctor Strange serves as a tank in Marvel Rivals. Strange provides shields for his team and himself. He can also create portals for his weakened allies to make a run for it. In a sense, one could say that Doctor Strange is a Vanguard Strategist hybrid.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Groot is a versatile Vanguard who can both deal heavy damage and protect his allies by creating barriers. Not only does he provide a shield for his squad, but it also allows them to regroup and launch a new barrage of attacks.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Hela is a lethal Duelist Hero who specializes in throwing needle-like thorns. She’s a long-distance Duelist who could easily annihilate her adversaries with just a few darts.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
The Incredible Hulk is quite unique in Marvel Rivals. Players have the option to hop on the game as either one of his variants: Bruce Banner, Hero Hulk, or Monster Hulk. Entering a match as one of them doesn’t mean players can no longer use the other variants. Hulk has the ability to switch forms mid-match.
Here’s a full list of each variant’s abilities:
Iron Man will most likely be a difficult match-up to deal with. Tony Stark can fly around the map while shooting beams of lasers from up above.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
The God of Mischief Loki is back at it with his antics in Marvel Rivals. He’s classified as a Strategist Hero but isn’t necessarily a healer. The way Loki provides support is by bamboozling his opponents.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Luna Snow is another hybrid hero who mainly focuses on being a support but has damage lethal enough to carry herself in combat.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
Magik is a heavy-hitting duelist who can make herself more lethal when transforming into the Darkchild variant. She isn’t necessarily a melee hero but she’s more efficient when in close-range combat.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
Magneto is a perfect Vanguard Hero who can protect his team from afar. He can easily manipulate objects and fire projectiles all while providing shields for his allies.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Mantis mostly focuses on providing health regeneration for her allies. She can collect Life Orbs which translates into added health for her team. She can also buff her team and increase everyone’s damage.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
Namor is a good mid-range Duelist Hero who can summon sea creatures to deal with enemies within close range. While his creatures fight their opponents, Namor can stack up his damage with his mid-range attacks.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Peni Parker is one of the tankiest heroes in Marvel Rivals thanks to her enhanced SP/DR suit. She mostly utilizes a collection of technology as her form of attack, giving her allies an opening to stack up damage. Her abilities should make it easier for her team to secure kills.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
Rocket Racoon is more of a utility hero in Marvel Rivals. While he does provide some healing for his team, he mainly gives out ammo and damage boosts thanks to his love for guns. However, foes should never underestimate him as his blasters deal heavy damage as well.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Similarly to the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlet Witch is considered the most powerful duelist in Marvel Rivals. Aside from being able to soar through the sky, she can easily wipe reality and use that to her advantage to get rid of the enemy team.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
While many on-ground heroes might find it difficult to face flying adversaries, they might find it more difficult to deal with the web-slinging Spider-Man. Peter Parker is a swift Duelist Hero who can easily get out of sticky situations with just a flick of his wrist. Spider-Man is most effective when constantly moving around.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
He may not look like much but Star-Lord is a threat. Equipped with his trusted jetpack, Peter Quill can soar through the skies and lock on enemy targets to easily blast his laser guns.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
Storm is classified as a Duelist Hero but her abilities can be used as support during combat. While her team deals a lot of heavy damage, she can use her lightning abilities to either go for the kill with one lethal strike or zap her foe’s health bar to a minimum for her team to secure the kill.
Here’s a full list of her abilities:
The Punisher mainly focuses on shooting down his enemies and going for the kill. A pretty straightforward hero for any player to use, especially when learning the game.
Here’s a full list of his abilities:
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