By Published May 14, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Matthew Danielson is a Senior Gaming Staff Writer for Screen Rant, using their expertise in fighting games, RPGs, and action titles to provide insight into your favorite experiences.
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The latest Season of is taking some big swings regarding how characters are balanced, with fewer systemic changes and more direct buffs and nerfs for particular heroes. With the "Sins of Alchemax" Season introducing characters like Devil Dinosaur and Cyclops, the inclusion of these heroes could shake up everything. As such, tweaking the way some characters in every role operates will continue to keep the game feeling dynamic.
Already, the previews for Devil Dinosaur as Season 8's first character already show new mechanics like Bleed being added to the game. As such, other characters might get buffed or nerfed to adjust to this fresh system, similar to how changed other heroes in Season 7. That being said, the comparative strengths and weaknesses of characters from past Seasons have also shaped their current direction.
Every Season 8 Character Buff
Upgrades To Mobility And Utility For Several Different Heroes
There are far smaller changes to characters in Season 8, with several receiving both nerfs and buffs at the same time. However, plenty of specific heroes are getting big adjustments to their skills, usually having their toolkit's utility streamlined in some way. For example, some characters don't have to reload as often, while others have decreased ability cooldowns or shift to certain skill strengths.
The buffs some characters got are still incredibly useful, as you can see in the tables below:
Unlike some of the , many of the changes in Season 8 sometimes shift the playstyle of some characters. For example, Mantis' abilities now grant a movement speed buff instead of just healing, allowing her supportive role to be different from a character like Ultron. At the same time, the intensity of some character strengths have been rounded out, allowing some heroes to get a bit more consistent after several nerfs.
Every Season 8 Character Nerf
Lower Intensity Of Already Strong Archetype Abilities
The number of nerfs for the Season 8 patch is quite low, especially compared to previous balance adjustments. That being said, Marvel Rivals is still fine-tuning how certain characters play, sometimes getting rid of certain skill qualities to emphasize other ones. Many of the characters with new skill properties from earlier buffs have another nerf or two to balance them out.
Newer characters or ones that are constantly seen in Quick Play and Ranked are those who have been nerfed the most this time around. The following table shows which characters received nerfs in Season 8, and how various abilities were changed as a result:
Reduced damage across the board for different characters allows for more dynamic fights, preventing some heroes from taking out foes in one or two hits. This restricts characters like Phoenix from taking out 250 Health heroes, giving players more opportunities to collaborate with their teams when in danger. Narrowing the scope of what a single character can do promotes more teamwork, adding to the cooperative nature of online matches.
Every Season 8 Team-Up Change Explained
No Removed Synergies Open Up More Doors For Other Characters
For one of the first times in the game's history, Marvel Rivals is not removing any Team-Ups for the Season 8 update, instead keeping all the past co-op abilities. In fact, a new Team-Up is coming instead, between the new character Devil Dinosaur and launch hero The Punisher. Also known as Primal Punishment, this Team-Up lets The Punisher ride Devil Dinosaur into battle, similar to how Rocket Raccoon and Jeff the Land Shark can mount up with Groot.
Also named "Primal Punishment," The Punisher and Devil Dinosaur Team-Up only allows The Punisher to wield his two primary firearms and use his grenade, while locking his other abilities. As the anchor, Devil Dinosaur also gains 100 Bonus Health passively.
Despite the lack of removed Team-Ups, existing ones are getting small balance changes. To be specific, only one Team-Up is being modified for Season 8, which you can see in the table below:
With so many Team-Ups left untouched, the , and multiple character balance changes, this Season has the potential to revitalize a lot of aspects of this popular hero shooter. With Marvel Rivals Season 8 already off to a strong start, the excitement behind the buffs and nerfs this patch could entice new players to try the game, while also bringing back others who may have skipped a Season or two.
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Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op Franchise Marvel Platform(s) , Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Genre(s) Third-Person Shooter, , Multiplayer Expand Collapse
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