Marvel Rivals absolutely set the world on fire when it debuted in December 2024, and it has managed to keep players engaged in the weeks since launch. Much of its success can be attributed to all it has learned from its hero shooter peers, as the game was able to launch after titles like Overwatch spent years on the market. Thanks to this advantageous position, Marvel Rivals has been able to dodge some of the biggest mistakes made by Overwatch 2, even if it does seem to be making one of its smaller ones.
Marvel Rivals does nearly every important thing right, whether that be its competitive system and quick bans for cheaters or its non-expiring battle passes and speedy hero additions. Still, there is always room for improvement, and it would be great to see the game expand upon its Trophy list with each character addition. This was an approach taken by the original Overwatch, and Overwatch 2 in its earliest days, but is something that Blizzard has abandoned in recent months. Sadly, based on season 1’s lack of fresh achievements, it seems like NetEase will not be adding extra Trophies for new heroes.
Why One Marvel Rivals Character Easter Egg May Never Amount to More
Marvel Rivals is jam-packed with Marvel lore and references baked into map environments, but one Easter egg would be tough to see come to fruition.
Why DLC Trophies For New Heroes Are Beneficial
In Overwatch, the DLC Trophies follow the same format as the main list, that being two hero-specific challenges tied to each character. One was usually significantly simpler than the other, with players able to display their base knowledge and deeper expertise through the two achievements. The very existence of these Trophies could motivate achievement hunters to try new characters, potentially finding a new main in the process. Simply having an extra reward to chase adds a bit more content to each character drop, too, making the additions feel just a bit more meaningful. Unfortunately, though Overwatch 2 was adding new Trophies for its heroes just like its predecessor, these additions have stopped, as Lifeweaver was the last character to receive their own achievements.
Overwatch 2’s hero-specific achievements also provide in-game sprays when they’re unlocked, which is something NetEase could learn from. These unlockable strays have, fortunately, still been added to OW2 even though the achievements have not.
Marvel Rivals Could Do More With Post-Launch Achievements
With several Overwatch 2 heroes having released after Lifeweaver, it’s doubtful that character-specific achievements will ever be added again. Unfortunately, there is no indication that DLC Trophies will ever come to Marvel Rivals, as though the base list has character-specific challenges just like Blizzard’s game, none have been added alongside its first two new characters. While there are in-game challenges tied to the addition of the Fantastic Four, no Trophies associated with the Season 1 characters have come to the hero shooter, so it can be assumed that NetEase is not planning to add additional achievements over time.
While this is obviously not a huge negative, it is still a bit of a bummer, as it’s always nice to have more goals to chase. Marvel Rival s also would not have to limit itself to hero challenges for potential post-launch achievements, as possibilities include:
- DLC Trophies could give gallery cards and artifacts deeper purpose, rewarding players who finish a certain number of comics or collect multiple artifacts.
- Map-specific Trophies tied to post-launch additions. Winning Midtown on both sides, for example, could be a possible achievement.
- Mode-specific Trophies could be introduced when permanent new modes like Doom Match are added. Players could be tasked with finishing near the top of the board multiple times or going on streaks in these modes.
- Easter egg-specific Trophies could reward and motivate players to do things like talk to Bats the Ghost dog.
While NetEase should obviously continue to prioritize heroes, modes, maps, skins, and new events like Spring Festival, it would still be great to see it make small-scale additions like adding DLC Trophies. Hopefully, the developer kicks this off by surprising achievement hunters with some extra Trophies when the entire Fantastic Four is available in the game, as more hero-specific tasks could just be the tip of the iceberg for new Marvel Rivals Trophies.
Marvel Rivals
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- December 6, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
- NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
- NetEase Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer
