When Marvel Rivals Season 1 launched final week, a complete host of updates got here with it. There have been new heroes and a few much-needed nerfs and buffs, however there was additionally one thing else that went unmentioned within the patch notes: asset hash checking. This prevented client-side mods from working in Marvel Rivals.
NetEase considers modding a no-go. Despite a complete host of mods being out there for gamers to make use of and obtain, it’s a bannable offense alongside botting or dishonest because it additionally makes use of unauthorised third-party software program. So it was solely a matter of time earlier than NetEase received sensible to all of the Marvel Rivals mods out there on Nexus Mods. But it seems there’s a technique to convey your favorite mods again if you happen to’re prepared to place all the things on the road.
Instead of simply placing your information right into a mod supervisor and loading them into Marvel Rivals, now you want direct entry to the sport’s .pak information. One participant has even put collectively a useful tutorial in case you want some steering with this (by way of Dexerto). Some individuals might use this to only mod Luffy into the sport as Mister Fantastic or to allow them to put on Jeff’s pores and skin when enjoying Iron Fist, however these aren’t the one causes to make use of mods.
A couple of gamers discovered that utilizing mods to assist with optimisation was a game-changer. While Marvel Rivals has improved lots since its launch, it is nonetheless a little bit patchy in some areas. I’ve skilled some annoying FPS drops, enemy gamers randomly turning invisible, and cluttered maps breaking my video games. One mod for performance-boosting mounted stuttering and helped your sport look cleaner at decrease resolutions. Unfortunately, whereas which will have labored to assist sport efficiency earlier than NetEase successfully disabled mods, it’ll most likely solely make issues worse now.
Another technique to get across the modding ban is with one other mod that successfully lets information be learn as pre-unpacked. However, one of many unintended effects of utilizing that is that the method might damage your SSD and make your efficiency even worse in Marvel Rivals. The mod even recommends that you simply solely use this for audio information—character fashions might actually mess up your PC.
There’s additionally a threat of getting banned by NetEase if you find yourself utilizing mods. While it does not appear to be NetEase has dished out any permabans to gamers utilizing mods to date, the devs have warned in opposition to utilizing any, simply in case. “It will not be beneficial to switch any sport information, as doing so carries the danger of getting banned,” NetEase mentioned in an announcement to IGN.
Right now, I truthfully do not assume modding is well worth the threat of borking your PC or getting banned. While it is a disgrace {that a} ton of inventive mods have now been rendered out of date, this was actually solely a matter of time and was an anticipated subsequent step for NetEase to take. It additionally looks as if Marvel Rivals’ efficiency is getting higher with each replace, and there are many skins already within the sport for gamers to select from and costume up with. While that does rule out Luffy or Goku from showing in your Marvel Rivals video games, that is most likely not the worst consequence potential.
