Highlights

  • Loki stands out in Marvel Rivals as a support character with diverse abilities, including teleportation and a shape-shifting Ultimate ability.
  • Mastering Loki will require an understanding of his complex skill set as well as the abilities and meta of other roster characters, making him a challenging but rewarding choice for players.

Following the announcement of Marvel Rivals, a superhero team-based shooter by NetEase Games, details about the playable characters and their powers are highly anticipated. With a current roster of 18 confirmed characters, there's sure to be a good number of powerful heroes to master when the game launches. Though the developer has yet to detail an official release date for Marvel Rivals, the Closed Alpha Test in May should give players an idea of who the strongest picks will be.

While heroes like Iron Man and Black Panther showcase high damage potential, other Marvel Rivals characters like Luna Snow and Bruce Banner will serve different purposes. Based on the trailer, the 6v6 shooter utilizes a class system with damage dealers, tanks, and support characters. Surprisingly, Loki appears to fall under the support category. Given his impressive in-game kit, mastering his abilities while acting as a support character could prove to be quite a challenge.

Peni Parker
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Loki's Skill Ceiling Should Be High in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals Lineup

Loki Is A Support Character in Marvel Rivals

During the official announcement trailer, Loki was shown wielding his iconic golden scepter. While it's still to be determined whether this will be used for combat or healing purposes, it seems that for PC players, pressing the left shift key will heal. The healing is likely meant to apply to allies around him, but it could also be an instant burst or heal over time for Loki.

Interestingly, Loki's abilities appear to be quite diverse. For instance, at one point, the trickster god can be seen using a teleportation ability, similar to Reaper's Wraith from Overwatch 2, that appears to be on a 10-second cooldown. With a base health of 250 HP, it makes sense that Loki has a means to escape a fight. Of course, whether Loki mains will use this as a means to leave a dangerous area or use it to flank remains to be seen.

Loki's health is subject to change before Marvel Rivals officially launches.

Loki May Not Be A Beginner-Friendly Hero

While teleportation is an interesting mechanic, it's Loki's ultimate that could make him the most difficult hero. Although Marvel Rivals is different from Overwatch 2 in a few key ways, Loki's ultimate is a prime example of an ability that has likely been influenced by Blizzard's designs. The available gameplay footage shows Loki can transform into another character within his line of sight, indicated by a green mist that surrounds him after copying. However, at the moment, it's unclear if this is limited to enemy players, or if Loki can also mimic his teammates.

For Overwatch 2 fans, this may sound similar to Echo's ultimate ability, Duplicate, which allows her to copy a targeted enemy hero. That said, it's also possible that this ability was inspired by characters like Shang Tsung, who steals moves from other kombatants in Mortal Kombat, the hero-shooter genre is a more likely source. Regardless, Loki's shape-shift ability demands at least a basic understanding of other character's playstyles to be effective.

Overall, Loki's ultimate ability could be incredibly rewarding in the right hands, but his skill set will make him a complex choice for beginners. Similar to Echo, Loki's shape-shifting ability grants him control of another hero, albeit with a temporary duration. As such, mastering Loki will require players to learn the entirety of Marvel Rivals' roster.