Deadlock Surpasses Marvel Rivals in 2 Key Areas, Poised to Steal Overwatch 2’s Last Remaining Fans

NetEase Games has absolutely smashed expectations with the release of Marvel Rivals. It’s a hero-shooter where gamers can choose from tons of classic Marvel characters to team up and fight other teams. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.

NetEase has been constantly adding updates and new heroes to Rivals, which is one of the reasons why it’s dominating the genre. However, there’s a new competitor on the scene, Deadlock, which has some major advantages over Rivals that would allow it to completely steal the remaining Overwatch 2 player base.

Deadlock can prove to be the Marvel Rivals killer

Valve’s MOBA Deadlock first appeared on the scene back in early 2024 after multiple gameplay leaks surfaced online. Since then, the third-person shooter has managed to carve out a place for itself in the oversaturated hero-shooter genre, with the game now competing against Marvel Rivals as well.

Sure, Rivals is far more popular than Valve’s MOBA game right now. However, it doesn’t change the fact that Deadlock surpasses the Marvel hero-shooter when we talk about movement mechanics and in-game objectives.

If you’ve ever played the Valve title, you’ll immediately take note of the movement mechanics. It brings an edge to players who are always looking for skill-based challenges.

The game focuses much more on efficient movement than its competition, with various mechanics such as slides, dash-jumps, and stamina movement. With these systems, players can outplay their enemies and turn the tide of any battle.

While Rivals has done a fine job with in-game events, the objectives Valve has brought into Deadlock are simply peak strategic complexity. The game focuses a lot on its MOBA roots and brings features such as Soul Urn that spawn every five minutes after the ten-minute mark. Sending the urn gives bonus souls, buffs, and skill points, which make it a critical objective.

Deadlock forces players to fend off enemies mid-boss to earn rewards and deal with the risk this task brings. Kicking off the fight without wiping your enemies can bring annihilation. You might think these mechanics are simple, but they push players to analyze their environment and coordinate with the team.

Marvel Rivals could turn things out with a rumored feature

Even though Deadlock has a clear-cut advantage over the NetEase hero-shooter, there are still a few tricks the developer has up its sleeve. Rumors suggest that a PvE mode for Rivals could be arriving sometime in the future.

However, RivalsLeak notes that they’re unsure if the idea has been completely scrapped or not, as it was experienced right before the full debut of Rivals on 6th December 2024. Still, though, it’s an exciting prospect to think about.

Potential PvE Mode for Marvel Rivals? ‼️🔥

Some time ago, I was informed by a source that they had experienced a PvE mode in the game. Today, @RivalsInfo found a tag suggesting PvE might still be in development.

It’s unclear if this feature has been scrapped or if it’s planned… pic.twitter.com/OfDSR4Jv22

— Marvel Rivals – Leaks & Info (@RivalsLeaks) January 6, 2025

If you’ve forgotten already, one of the main selling points for Overwatch 2 was the dedicated PvE mode that Blizzard decided to abandon. If Rivals decides to add its very own PvE mode, it could deal another massive blow to Overwatch 2.

The idea of a full-fledged PvE mode for Marvel Rivals isn’t too hard to imagine, either. There are 80+ years of lore and comics to dive into, plus NetEase has shown that it can properly use the Marvel IP, unlike some other developers.

With that said, do you think Rivals should adapt Deadlock‘s most beloved mechanics? Let us know in the comments below.