Marvel Rivals has only just launched, so in many ways everyone logging in to play is a beginner. That said, genre experts may have an advantage, so we’ve prepared a list of the most forgiving options if you’re new to the scene.
In a break from the tradition of stalwarts like Overwatch, Marvel Rivals doesn’t have a rigid role system, but the game’s champions do still fit into more loose categories. Divided into either Vanguard, Strategist or Duelist, their purpose is a little more difficult to decipher than the usual Tank, Healer and DPS.
There also isn’t a balanced matchmaking system that ensures each type is represented equally on opposite teams. As such, games often have an overabundance of certain champion types and a dearth of others.
While that remains the case, the best thing you can do is master your own hero, so these are our picks for the easiest options while you get used to how Marvel Rivals works.
Best Duelists for beginners in Marvel Rivals
Squirrel Girl
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Burst Acorn: Shoot bouncing Burst Acorns
- Unbeatable Squirrel Tsunami: Summon a horde of squirrels to charge forward, dealing damage while bouncing against structures
- Tail Bounce: Rocket upwards with a bounce of her tail
- Mammal Bond: Reload Burst Acorns and can use an ability without cooldown once for a short duration
- Squirrel Blockade: Launch an acorn to unleash Squirrel Guards, imprisoning the first enemy it hits
- Webbed Acorn (Team-up Ability): Spider-Man gives Squirrel Girl a web bomb. She can slingshot it to unleash an explosion upon contact with the environment or an enemy, briefly ensnaring and damaging enemies caught in the blast
One of the more interesting features of the current meta is that characters of a lesser name are rising to the top of the tree. That said, anybody who has read any appearances by Squirrel Girl in the comics will be entirely unsurprised to see her on this list.
Her ranged acorn attacks are explosive and do a diabolical amount of damage to enemies in the area. For new players, she’s a character that doesn’t require you to be particularly accurate, but she does reward those who take the time to master her intricacies.
The prevalence of Spider-Man in lobbies also makes her Team-Up Ability one of the best in the game if you can pull it off.
Iron Man
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Repulsor Blast: Fire nano pulse cannons forward (additional Armor and Gamma Overdrive variants)
- Unibeam: Fire nano pulse cannons forward in a continuous beam (additional Armor and Gamma Overdrive variants)
- Invincible Pulse Cannon: Fire a devastating pulse cannon in the targeted direction, delivering catastrophic damage to the targeted area upon impact
- Hyper-Velocity: Activate Hyper-Velocity state for swift forward flight (additional Armor Overdrive variant)
- Armor Overdrive: Activate Armor Overdrive state, enhancing the damage of Repulsor Blast and Unibeam
- Micro-Missile Barrage: When Hyper-Velocity or Armor Overdrive is used, Iron Man can launch a missile bombardment (additional Armor Overdrive variant)
Arguably the most iconic character from the post-MCU era, Iron Man packs a hell of a punch in Marvel Rivals while keeping new players relatively safe from damage. The big advantage that he offers to beginners is indefinite flight, which allows you to avoid melee damage from most champions with ease.
His normal attacks are relatively simple to hit and the Pulse Cannon has a huge area of effect with extremely high damage, making it remarkably easy to hit grouped enemies. His Armor Overdrive state elevates Iron Man to new levels, enhancing damage and turning him into a one-man wrecking crew on the battlefield.
The Punisher
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Adjudication: Fire at enemies with Adjudication, his Automatic Rifle
- Deliverance: Fire at enemies with Deliverance, his Shotgun
- Final Judgement: Unleash two Gatling guns and missiles to attack enemies
- Vantage Connection: Launch a hook to generate a cable that enables the Punisher to move rapidly by pressing F
- Culling Turret: Deploy a Culling Turret that grounds Punisher and blocks damage from the front while dealing massive damage
- Scourge Grenade: Throw a smoke grenade forward to obscure enemy vision and leap backward
- Warrior’s Gaze: Retain vision of enemies that disappear from view for a short duration
- Infinite Punishment (Team-Up Ability): Rocket Raccoon throws an Ammo Overload device in the target direction. Upon entering the device’s range, The Punisher and Winter Soldier receive the buffs of Infinite Ammo and Faster Firing
The Punisher has an impressively varied toolkit and is easily one of the most forgiving Duelists in the game’s current roster. The Culling Turret is a great option to have if you find yourself cut off, overpushed, or just in need of holding the enemy advance while you wait for your teammates to make plays.
His hook and smoke grenades offer additional chances to get yourself out of trouble, and you should be able to get out of most major scrapes without dying. He also deals damage in spades, and Final Judgement tears through enemies at a genuinely frightening rate.
Best Strategists for beginners in Marvel Rivals
Rocket Raccoon
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Bombard Mode: Fire energy projectiles that deal damage
- Repair Mode: Shoot bouncing spheres to heal allies
- C.Y.A: Deploy a Cosmic Yarn Amplifier that grants allies a Damage Boost
- Jetpack Dash: Dash forward
- B.R.B: Deploy a Battle Rebirth Beacon that revives a fallen ally and periodically produces armor packs and rocket jet packs
- Wild Crawl: Hold Space to run on a wall
- Flying Ace: Hold Space to fall slowly
- Old Friends (Team-Up Ability): Jeff the Land Shark and Rocket Raccoon can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving Damage Reduction
- Ammo Invention (Team-Up Ability): Rocket Raccoon throws an Ammo Overload device in the target direction. Upon entering the device’s range, the Punisher and Winter Soldier receive the buffs of Infinite Ammo and Faster Firing
Everyone’s favorite rude raccoon is back in Marvel Rivals and he’s bringing a ton of inventions from his arsenal of death and destruction. As a newer player, he has several movement options and his ability to scale walls and get out of trouble is an important one, considering he can’t take as much punishment as other heroes.
He has two different synergies pertaining to four different heroes and is one of the most broadly applicable heroes in the game. His C.Y.A. damage boost is very effective and universal, so teammates will usually be happy if you bring Rocket into your next game.
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Jeff the Land Shark
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Joyful Splash: Unleash a healing splash
- Aqua Burst: Launch a high-speed water sphere that bursts upon impact, dealing damage to enemies within range
- It’s Jeff!: Deep dive into the scene and resurface to swallow both enemies and allies within range, activating Hide and Seek for a brief duration before ejecting the swallowed heroes forward
- Hide and Seek: Dive into the scene with only his dorsal fin exposed, granting himself a Movement Boost. Jeff can heal while submerged and gains the wall-crawl ability
- Healing Bubble: Spit a bubble that heals the ally who collects it, granting them Healing Boost and Movement Boost while also launching up nearby enemies
- Oblivious Cuteness: Reduce damage taken from critical hits
- Frozen Spitball (Team-Up Ability): Luna Snow infuses ice energy into Namor and Jeff the Land Shark, who then can tap into the ice energy to power up abilities at will
- New Friends (Team-Up Ability): Jeff the Land Shark and Rocket Raccoon can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving Damage Reduction
Don’t be fooled by his insanely cute appearance, Jeff the Land Shark is just as scary as any character in Marvel Rivals. One of the major advantages he has is that several of his abilities make it very hard, or even impossible, to do damage to him while he’s moving. In those early games where you’re still getting used to things, that time to breathe is invaluable.
Though he has limited damaging abilities, the ones he does have are pretty devastating. Additionally, he offers a ton of healing and support to the other members of the team, so keeping you around for as long as possible is highly beneficial. If you’re looking for a different playstyle and slightly lowered intensity, Jeff’s a great option.
Adam Warlock
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Quantum Magic: Launch quantum energy to deal damage
- Karmic Revival: Awaken the karma of allies to revive them. Allies revived have lower health but enjoy a brief period of Invincibility
- Soul Bond: Forge a soul bond with allies, granting Healing Over Time and distributing damage taken across the bond
- Avatar Life Stream: Target an ally for a bouncing stream of healing energy, which also heals himself upon casting; self-targets if no ally is selected
- Cosmic Cluster: Gather quantum energy into a cluster and then swiftly launch it at the enemy
- Regenerative Cocoon: Once his body perishes, Adam Warlock can freely move as a soul and reforge his body at a chosen spot
- Soul Perseverance (Team-Up Ability): Adam Warlock enhances the rebirth power of Star-Lord and Mantis, granting them the power of cocooned revival
Adam Warlock is one of the most effective healers in the game, so if you were hoping to settle into a pseudo-version of that role, then he may well be the character for you. He has several options in that department, with both single-target and group healing available in his toolkit.
Regenerative Cocoon offers a second chance mechanic of sorts, and he is also able to resurrect allies thanks to Karmic Revival. Though his job may be a little understated thanks to the way Marvel Rivals is set up, there are aren’t many more useful champions in the game. He’s also relatively easy for a newbie to pick up, so don’t be afraid to give him a go.
Best Vanguards for beginners in Marvel Rivals
Groot
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Vine Strike: Launch vines to attack enemies
- Strangling Prison: Fire a massive vine cluster that pulls nearby enemies to its center and Imprisons them
- Thornlash Wall: Target a location and grow a Thornlash Wall. When Awakened, it strikes nearby enemies attacked by Groot and his allies
- Ironwood Wall: Target a location and grow an Ironwood Wall. When the wall is Awakened, damage dealt by Groot and nearby allies grants Groot Bonus Health
- Spore Bomb: Throw an explosive Spore Bomb that splits into multiple small explosive spores
- Flora Colossus: Wooden walls near Groot will Awaken, activating an extra effect. Right-click while building a wooden wall to continue building additional walls
- Furious Flora: Perform a combo with his arms, and the third strike will slightly Launch Up the hit enemy airborne
- Friendly Shoulder (Team-Up Ability): Jeff the Land Shark and Rocket Raccoon can ride on Groot’s shoulders, receiving Damage Reduction
As you might expect from a big tree, Groot is a tanky and irrepressible force in Marvel Rivals. His ability to reduce incoming damage and protect areas is an important one, making it a lot easier to hold certain areas when being attacked by enemy teams.
His greatest strength is his crowd control, with several abilities that severely limit the opposing team’s capabilities, regardless of who they’re playing. Happily, none of his abilities are particularly difficult to hit and he can take a ton of damage before falling in battle, making him a great choice for newer players who may struggle to stay out of danger.
Venom
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Dark Predation: Unleash tentacles forward to attack enemies
- Feast of the Abyss: Burrow underground for free movement. After a duration or by left-clicking, devour enemies above to deal damage based on the enemy’s current health and generate equivalent Bonus Health
- Venom Swing: Launch webbing forward, allowing for a singular swing in the desired direction
- Symbiotic Resilience: Generate Bonus Health against damage. The lower Venom’s Health, the greater the Bonus Health generated
- Frenzied Arrival: Dash to the target location from a certain height. Upon landing, damage nearby enemies, launching them up toward the landing point
- Cellular Corrosion: Unleash tentacles to Slow enemies within reach. Enemies unable to break free in time will suffer damage
- Alien Biology: Press Space to wall crawl, and while crawling, left-click to sprint
- Touch of Klyntar (Team-Up Ability): Venom shares a part of his symbiote with Spider-Man and Peni Parker, activating their symbiote abilities. Spider-Man and Peni Parker can convert the symbiotes into explosive spikes that inflict harm on nearby enemies and relentlessly drive them back
Venom may have a strong claim to being the best character in Marvel Rivals overall right now, but he’s also very forgiving for beginners. His movement is fast and easy to get the hang of, making it quite easy to stay out of danger. If you do get caught, he can take a fair amount of punishment before being taken out.
Feast of the Abyss is a huge boon, allowing him to stay entirely out of trouble, either to get away from advancing enemies or to sneak in behind for a surprise attack. For a tank, he also outputs a hell of a lot of damage and you should find yourself cleaning up enemy characters without too much trouble before long.
Magneto
Normal Attack & Abilities
- Iron Volley: Fire a volley of magnetic orbs forward. The range of the resulting explosion increases based on distance flown
- Meteor M: Draw in all materials around to forge an iron meteor that deals massive damage upon impact. Absorbing enemy projectiles can enhance the meteor’s power, yet overloading will cause it to self-destruct
- Metallic Curtain: Change the magnetic field around to form a metallic curtain, blocking all incoming projectiles
- Metal Bulwark: Conjure a metal shield around a chosen ally. Damage taken will transform into rings on Magneto’s back
- Iron Bulwark: Conjure an iron shield around himself. Damage taken will transform into rings on Magneto’s back
- Mag-Cannon: Convert the iron rings on Magneto’s back into a Mag-Cannon and launch a metallic mass forward. Higher stacks of rings increase damage, and full stacks knock back enemies
- Magnetic Descent: Hold Space to fall slowly
- Metallic Fusion (Team-Up Ability): Scarlet Witch can infuse Chaos Energy into Magneto to enchant his greatsword. Upon receiving the Chaos Energy, Magneto can unleash its full force, striking down enemies with his enchanted greatsword
Though a little trickier to get the hang of than the other two Vanguards in this list, Magneto is easily the most rewarding for those who take the time to learn his intricacies. That said, he is also easy to pick up and play and should offer a nice route from a beginner player to a more advanced combatant, without having to change heroes.
Magneto brings a lot of shielding options into battle for both himself and allies, allowing a great route for deep engage champions to get where they need to be without taking damage. Magneto has very little in the way of difficult-to-hit skill shots and the learning curve mostly comes in knowing what to use and when.
That’s our complete guide to the best beginner heroes in Marvel Rivals. Make sure to check out our tier list, so you know exactly how your choice stacks up against the competition.
