Mario Bautista
Thor and Jeff are suddenly some of the most controversial heroes in Marvel Rivals. Netease Games has outlined major changes coming to the tank and healer very soon with Season 2.5, and both heroes are getting some huge nerfs to their survivability and kit. This hasn’t gone down well with players so far, who’re worried that each character could become much less viable going forward. Netease has taken notice, though, and followed up the recent hero balance adjustments with deeper breakdowns for Jeff and Thor, so you can see exactly how they’re going to play in the future.
Season 2.5 can’t come soon enough. Netease Games is introducing six new team-ups, another map, the strategist Ultron, and even an all-new autobattler game mode. If you’ve taken a break from Marvel Rivals, this will absolutely be the perfect time to dive back in. If you’re a Jeff or Thor player, however, you’ll want to brush up on some big upcoming changes.
Both of these Marvel Rivals characters are undergoing transformations with the mid-season patch, chiefly to their survivability. This means both will die quicker unless you play smarter, but that’s not all. The two heroes are also being somewhat nerfed in the multiplayer game, and after players started being vocal about the changes, Netease outlines exactly how each will be impacted.
First, let’s take a look at Thor. “With Hammer Throw removed from the shared ability pool and now recovering Lightning Energy on hit, Thor can rapidly cycle through Awakening Rune → Hammer Throw → Mjolnir Bash to quickly build up energy and maintain Awakening Rune for longer durations,” NetEase writes. “Additionally, Thor can now utilize Hammer Throw’s long-range energy recovery to his advantage—first repositioning with Storm Surge to high ground or flanks, then following up with Hammer Throw + Awakening Rune for strong ranged damage output.”
You should have more diverse combo opportunities with the God of Thunder from the next patch, and even gain better ranged options going forward, too. As for Jeff, a lot of his changes feel more severe at a glance. His aqua burst is being altered to a charge ability with a max of three shots at a time, and his healing bubble is becoming a heal-over-time effect. That said, there are some good changes, too.
“As for Jeff, the initial balance update mistakenly showed a non-final version of his changes—we’ve now corrected the announcement,” Netease Games writes. “We’ve also improved the feel of Joyful Splash, increasing its water flow speed for smoother control. In the updated version, Joyful Splash now pierces both allies and enemies, healing teammates while damaging opponents. With this change, Jeff now charges his ultimate faster, making combos like the Sharknado with Storm or solo initiations more effective than ever!”
I think the worry here is that we hadn’t seen these changes in action at the time of Netease’s announcement, but the team has now rectified that problem. You can watch a new video above that displays both Thor and Jeff’s changes in the practice range, helping you make a better judgement call as to their effectiveness. Netease Games is releasing the Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 patch on Friday May 30.
In the meantime, make sure you check out all the best Marvel Rivals skins and current Marvel Rivals events to stay up to date.
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Source: Marvel Rivals dev responds to pushback around Thor and Jeff changes
