Marvel Puzzle Quest: Character Rebalances - Batch #2 (Nov 13, 2025)

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  • BriMan2222
    BriMan2222 Posts: 1,947 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited 18 November 2025, 14:14

    @skittledaddy said:
    5. Put yourself at ease, the whale-consensus has apparently spoken. Crippling nerfs are totally acceptable as long as it is only to characters that they don't use anymore.

    Crippling?? When these characters can still take down enemies 275 levels above them and chew through 2.5 million hp completely unscathed, what has been "crippled"?

    Besides a cheese team like kangveil or MM/coulson, what other unboosted 5 star team can do that????

  • TheXMan
    TheXMan Posts: 271 Mover and Shaker

    Not saying that Polaris didn't need toned down but I think Mthor/Riri can do this with many other third characters.

  • TriSentinel
    TriSentinel Posts: 176 Tile Toppler

    What I have found far more game changing than the rebalances to characters is the change in difficulty to the clearance levels.

    I'm perfectly happy to run new teams to contend with new challenges and the increased levels and hit points of the clearance levels has definitely changed that.

    My only concern is the increased length of matches, which might be the length the devs think is reasonable, but, as is the case with most long time players, the longer you've been playing the less time you have to play.

  • BriMan2222
    BriMan2222 Posts: 1,947 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited 18 November 2025, 15:24

    @TheXMan said:
    Not saying that Polaris didn't need toned down but I think Mthor/Riri can do this with many other third characters.

    This site won't let me show the vid, but if it did you would see that riri didn't do anything. I didn't use her stunlock, she was just there to hold the ap support.

  • TheXMan
    TheXMan Posts: 271 Mover and Shaker

    @BriMan2222 said:

    @TheXMan said:
    Not saying that Polaris didn't need toned down but I think Mthor/Riri can do this with many other third characters.

    This site won't let me show the vid, but if it did you would see that riri didn't do anything. I didn't use her stunlock, she was just there to hold the ap support.

    Ok, but you could use Riri and not need Polaris

  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 12,057 Chairperson of the Boards

    @TriSentinel said:
    What I have found far more game changing than the rebalances to characters is the change in difficulty to the clearance levels.

    I'm perfectly happy to run new teams to contend with new challenges and the increased levels and hit points of the clearance levels has definitely changed that.

    My only concern is the increased length of matches, which might be the length the devs think is reasonable, but, as is the case with most long time players, the longer you've been playing the less time you have to play.

    I have only been able to beat CN on Venom Bomb once on third day so far. Even Kang teams are dying. So gonna have to think or maybe just give up. My health packs have been kersplatted for sure!

  • Blackstone
    Blackstone Posts: 887 Critical Contributor

    @BriMan2222 said:

    @skittledaddy said:
    5. Put yourself at ease, the whale-consensus has apparently spoken. Crippling nerfs are totally acceptable as long as it is only to characters that they don't use anymore.

    Crippling?? When these characters can still take down enemies 275 levels above them and chew through 2.5 million hp completely unscathed, what has been "crippled"?

    Besides a cheese team like kangveil or MM/coulson, what other unboosted 5 star team can do that????

    5* Namor, Magneto, and third such as Zemo, sunspot, gorgon, really just need a purple and yellow user. 1HE works well but I was trying to find another 5 without too much cheese that avoids current meta.
    Mags is boosted right now but can still do it even when he's not.

    Just offering a cascade centered team that can do what your provided team did on your example and survive relatively unscathed. (IF you play well and get a decent starting board)

    Yes, you need to be smart about your matches, etc, but there are other teams that can do it.

    To be clear, that's just answering a question... But in answering that question it proves your overall point.

    I can find a 5* team that CAN do the same thing the Polaris, Mthor team can do, BUT it's NOT as consistent as the Polaris, MThor team, AND needs more thought/skill to MAKE it work, while Polaris/MThor do it more easily.

    Anyone who thinks either Polaris or MThor were crippled isn't being reasonable because they objectively have but e been crippled.

  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 7,815 Chairperson of the Boards

    @TriSentinel said:
    What I have found far more game changing than the rebalances to characters is the change in difficulty to the clearance levels.

    I'm perfectly happy to run new teams to contend with new challenges and the increased levels and hit points of the clearance levels has definitely changed that.

    My only concern is the increased length of matches, which might be the length the devs think is reasonable, but, as is the case with most long time players, the longer you've been playing the less time you have to play.

    It's definitely a big change, but I don't understand why it's a problem. Anybody who doesn't want the increased challenge, or doesn't have time to play harder matches, can just pick a different difficulty level. They let you pick!

    I can see getting caught out by it the first time, because they communicated the change pretty poorly, but once you know the new CL10 is not for you, why not go back to CL8? It's like picking Nightmare difficulty in a shooter game and then complaining that it's too hard -- just pick Normal!

  • Read_Only
    Read_Only Posts: 64 Match Maker

    @DAZ0273 said:

    They've recreated Gambatt with 1* Hawkeye, it really is incredible.

    I think it would harder to find a worse comparison than this. 1* hawkeye is nothing like the original or first reworked gambit.

  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 12,057 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited 18 November 2025, 16:14

    @Read_Only said:

    @DAZ0273 said:

    They've recreated Gambatt with 1* Hawkeye, it really is incredible.

    I think it would harder to find a worse comparison than this. 1* hawkeye is nothing like the original or first reworked gambit.

    Gambatt. Not Gambit.

    Edit: Gambatt was the version of Gambit where his 3* version passively produced red and purple AP (his 5* version of course did too). In order to sidestep Gambit's restriction on red and purple powers for other characters, players simply rostered a 0/0/5 in black version and voila had almost unlimited supply of red and purple AP. This was simple to do with a 3*. The team I most remember was Thing/Spider Gwen/Gambatt who basically stun locked you and constantly battered you to death. Thing jumped to the front to protect Gambatt. They changed 3* Gambit's black power because of this.

  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 7,815 Chairperson of the Boards

    @DAZ0273 said:

    @Read_Only said:

    @DAZ0273 said:

    They've recreated Gambatt with 1* Hawkeye, it really is incredible.

    I think it would harder to find a worse comparison than this. 1* hawkeye is nothing like the original or first reworked gambit.

    Gambatt. Not Gambit.

    Edit: Gambatt was the version of Gambit where his 3* version passively produced red and purple AP (his 5* version of course did too). In order to sidestep Gambit's restriction on red and purple powers for other characters, players simply rostered a 0/0/5 in black version and voila had almost unlimited supply of red and purple AP. This was simple to do with a 3*. The team I most remember was Thing/Spider Gwen/Gambatt who basically stun locked you and constantly battered you to death. Thing jumped to the front to protect Gambatt. They changed 3* Gambit's black power because of this.

    That team was annoying the same way Bishop was -- they passively stunlocked you on defense and prevented you from playing the game.

    I don't think that's the right comparison for Hawkeye...I'm not sure what he is yet. It's kind of hard to judge because he's boosted right now. If we start seeing him unboosted it'll be time to have that discussion.

    I actually do support them pushing characters like this, but they have to be able to pivot quickly if they've gone too far, and we know how that generally goes.

  • bottleface
    bottleface Posts: 14 Just Dropped In

    Well Shang Chi and Mighty Thor are my most highly levelled 5 Stars. Great to know I've wasted my time.

    Kinda getting afraid to level anyone now as all the people listed for buffs are characters I have zero interest in.

  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 12,057 Chairperson of the Boards

    @entrailbucket said:

    @DAZ0273 said:

    @Read_Only said:

    @DAZ0273 said:

    They've recreated Gambatt with 1* Hawkeye, it really is incredible.

    I think it would harder to find a worse comparison than this. 1* hawkeye is nothing like the original or first reworked gambit.

    Gambatt. Not Gambit.

    Edit: Gambatt was the version of Gambit where his 3* version passively produced red and purple AP (his 5* version of course did too). In order to sidestep Gambit's restriction on red and purple powers for other characters, players simply rostered a 0/0/5 in black version and voila had almost unlimited supply of red and purple AP. This was simple to do with a 3*. The team I most remember was Thing/Spider Gwen/Gambatt who basically stun locked you and constantly battered you to death. Thing jumped to the front to protect Gambatt. They changed 3* Gambit's black power because of this.

    That team was annoying the same way Bishop was -- they passively stunlocked you on defense and prevented you from playing the game.

    I don't think that's the right comparison for Hawkeye...I'm not sure what he is yet. It's kind of hard to judge because he's boosted right now. If we start seeing him unboosted it'll be time to have that discussion.

    I actually do support them pushing characters like this, but they have to be able to pivot quickly if they've gone too far, and we know how that generally goes.

    Obviously times have changed and the comparison isn't exact but unchecked constant AP generation normally ends up in misery. As we are playing Venom Bomb didn't they change something in the Venom/Carnage node so that players weren't constantly hit in the face by Symbiote scythes because of passive AP generation? Anyway, exact or not, it is worth keeping an eye on.

  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 12,057 Chairperson of the Boards

    @bottleface said:
    Well Shang Chi and Mighty Thor are my most highly levelled 5 Stars. Great to know I've wasted my time.

    Kinda getting afraid to level anyone now as all the people listed for buffs are characters I have zero interest in.

    They are mine too. But neither of us have wasted our time. The uncertainty over Shang is definitely not ideal.

  • Blackstone
    Blackstone Posts: 887 Critical Contributor
    edited 18 November 2025, 17:54

    @bottleface said:
    Well Shang Chi and Mighty Thor are my most highly levelled 5 Stars. Great to know I've wasted my time.

    Kinda getting afraid to level anyone now as all the people listed for buffs are characters I have zero interest in.

    MThor is still very affective. I'm still trying to figure out why people think she's not. Beyond the stygma the term "nerf" carries, I'm just not seeing any reason to call her a waste of time.

    I don't rely on her, but I wasn't relying on her before the change either.

    I used her to test her after the changes and didn't really notice any difference. Are people using her against the same level enemies they were before and utterly failing now? Or are they using her in the new harder S10 and not considering the harder enemies?

    I'm not discounting the experiences of others, I just haven't seen anyone provide details explaining exactly how the changes have made her unusable.

    "Those two less destroyed tiles caused me to lose ten games in a row!" Would be a start but I haven't even seen that. Just "I rely on the OP characters (for my roster level) and now they're not as OP (as they were before, so now it's a waste!" Sums up the complaints I've seen.

    Meanwhile there are literally pictures in this thread of someone using her in a team to beat level 800+ enemies.

  • TriSentinel
    TriSentinel Posts: 176 Tile Toppler
    edited 18 November 2025, 18:00

    @entrailbucket said:

    @TriSentinel said:
    What I have found far more game changing than the rebalances to characters is the change in difficulty to the clearance levels.

    I'm perfectly happy to run new teams to contend with new challenges and the increased levels and hit points of the clearance levels has definitely changed that.

    My only concern is the increased length of matches, which might be the length the devs think is reasonable, but, as is the case with most long time players, the longer you've been playing the less time you have to play.

    It's definitely a big change, but I don't understand why it's a problem. Anybody who doesn't want the increased challenge, or doesn't have time to play harder matches, can just pick a different difficulty level. They let you pick!

    I can see getting caught out by it the first time, because they communicated the change pretty poorly, but once you know the new CL10 is not for you, why not go back to CL8? It's like picking Nightmare difficulty in a shooter game and then complaining that it's too hard -- just pick Normal!

    I'm enjoying the changes but I'm concerned about the increased duration of matches when I have limited time. It's just something for the devs to consider, I certainly don't want them to whiplash back and introduce an new two character meta.

    I've been playing long enough that I don't feel the need to bump back to CL8.

  • BriMan2222
    BriMan2222 Posts: 1,947 Chairperson of the Boards

    @entrailbucket said:

    @TriSentinel said:

    @entrailbucket said:

    @TriSentinel said:
    What I have found far more game changing than the rebalances to characters is the change in difficulty to the clearance levels.

    I'm perfectly happy to run new teams to contend with new challenges and the increased levels and hit points of the clearance levels has definitely changed that.

    My only concern is the increased length of matches, which might be the length the devs think is reasonable, but, as is the case with most long time players, the longer you've been playing the less time you have to play.

    It's definitely a big change, but I don't understand why it's a problem. Anybody who doesn't want the increased challenge, or doesn't have time to play harder matches, can just pick a different difficulty level. They let you pick!

    I can see getting caught out by it the first time, because they communicated the change pretty poorly, but once you know the new CL10 is not for you, why not go back to CL8? It's like picking Nightmare difficulty in a shooter game and then complaining that it's too hard -- just pick Normal!

    I'm enjoying the changes but I'm concerned about the increased duration of matches when I have limited time. It's just something for the devs to consider, I certainly don't want them to whiplash back and introduce an new two character meta.

    I've been playing long enough that I don't feel the need to bump back to CL8.

    I really really wish they'd called the new levels CL11 and CL12, because I do get where you're coming from, but I think it really would've changed how it felt. If the narrative was "stepping up" rather than "dropping down..." I just think we're all having a different conversation about this.

    They probably would have if they could, but in Marvel shield clearance only goes up to 10 and Marvel has to approve everything. I don't think anything higher than shield level 10 exists in any other games or IP.