Competitive online games live and die by the fairness of their ranking systems, and the new darling of the live service genre is no different. We’re all enjoying our time in Marvel Rivals, but the game is far from perfect. For all the good things NetEase has done in the game, there are also issues.
One of the most egregious ones right now is the AFK penalty system. A lot of players are reporting that they get leavers every other game. The current system punishes leavers by restricting them from playing for a few minutes and deducting points. But what about the people who are left in a 5v6? They suffer.
The AFK punishment system in Marvel Rivals just doesn’t work right
When a player leaves mid-match, the game penalizes them with bans, starting with a five-minute timeout. However, the team left behind is forced to play at a disadvantage and still loses rank if they fail to win. This system feels unfair, as it punishes innocent players while deserters can queue up again after a short ban. And for a game with this many players, it’s annoying.
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A lot of us have called for a rework, arguing that those who stay should not lose points due to a teammate quitting. The community has had a number of different suggestions like adjusting rank loss, but that opens the door for potential abuse. People could set up intentional leavers to protect others, so who knows?
Another major problem is that Marvel Rivals does not differentiate between rage-quitters and those who disconnect due to crashes or network issues. Since the game has known stability problems, many players have reported being unfairly penalized after their game crashed. NetEase could add a grace period so that players can return without a penalty. We’ve seen it in other games.
Competitive Integrity in Marvel Rivals is a Joke – Leavers and AFK Players Face No Real Consequences
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The recent in-game reporting system for leavers is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t solve the core problem. While players can now report teammates who abandon matches, this doesn’t prevent unfair rank losses for the remaining team members. In ranked winning a game with one player short isn’t really possible, so it’s just unfair.
NetEase should put in the effort to figure out a good solution
Some players think that Marvel Rivals needs to have harsher penalties for leavers. One Redditor proposed increasing the point loss for AFK players from 20 to 50 to make it more costly. Others suggest banning repeat offenders from competitive play for days instead of minutes. That kind of severe action is something we think would make leavers rethink it. We’re tired of getting SVP every time someone goes AFK.
The struggle to handle leavers is not unique to Marvel Rivals. Many competitive multiplayer games have had this issue for decades, with no perfect solution. While harsher penalties and better detection systems help, no system can completely stop players from leaving or disconnecting. It’s a reality that we realize is true, but surely we can think of something better now.
For now, NetEase has taken steps to address mid-match quitting, but the current penalty system still harms innocent players. It’s up to NetEase to find the right balance. And for all of our sakes, we hope they figure it out sooner rather than later.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
