Marvel Rivals, with its wide variety of heroes familiar to comic book readers and movie-goers alike, features some deeper cuts. But it should be no surprise that the roster launched with the forever-popular friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. If you struggled with the recent buggy PC release of Spider-Man 2 and are expecting the webhead here to play the same, you might be in for a rude awakening.
Spidey is less of a one-man army and more of a flanking assassin here. He should be avoiding the frontline battles to focus on picking off targets. With the right settings and knowledge of his oft-forgotten mechanics, you’ll be able to keep your team safe.
Disable Automatic Swing
This tip is as vital for Spider-Man as it is for Venom. By default, the wallcrawler’s Web-Swing ability will automatically choose a spot to latch onto when used. Unfortunately, this can often result in a swing that veers off-course from your intended direction. It’s strongly recommended that you go into Spider-Man’s hero settings and disable the Automatic Swing option. I can attest that it will start feeling more comfortable and easier to control once you get used to it. Another benefit is that you can start aiming at the ground and Web-Swing will act more like a grapple hook.
Use his hidden overhead smash melee
There is a good chance that you’ve used an overhead hammerblow attack while smacking enemies around with his Spider-Power melee. It inflicts 50 damage, which is double the amount that his Spider-Power punches do, and is a great way to finish off a target. There isn’t any real mention of how to trigger this handy technique, but a couple of minutes in the practice range confirmed that it can be activated in the air after the following situations:
- After a Web-Swing
- After a double jump
- After jumping off of a wall
Swing in, get an elimination, swing out
On paper, Spider-Man’s damage is not something I would describe as amazing. His smaller health pool and lack of self-sustainability also mean that drawn-out fights aren’t quite his forte. Your primary strategy will be to swing in to harass the opposing team and attempt to get eliminations, with support heroes being the primary targets.
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Once you’ve taken out one or two opponents, swing back to safety and get healing from health packs or your team’s healers. Although Spidey’s Web-Swing has three uses and recharges every six seconds, I still recommend saving at least one for your eventual escape.
Combo your enemies with Spider-Tracers
Understanding how to dive with Spider-Man is crucial, but just as important is knowing how to inflict major damage. The trick is to use his Spider-Tracer mechanic to generate burst damage. His secondary fire, the ranged Cyber-Web Cluster, deals 30 damage and attaches a Spider-Tracer to the enemy. Spider-Tracers only last for three seconds, but they’ll deal an additional 45 damage if you manage to follow up with his Spider-Power melee or Amazing Combo ability. The Get Over Here! ability will also change from reeling an enemy to launching Spider-Man toward them with a flying kick.
An example of the easiest and most basic Spider-Man combo is the following:
- Web Cluster > Get Over Here! > Amazing Combo
You’ll want to modify this combo further depending on the situation. The typical methods to extend it are to add more Web Clusters or use the overhead smash melee. Just remember that Spider-Tracers won’t stack, although you can land a second one after triggering the first.
Coordinate with your team when using his Ultimate
Spectacular Spin is an amazing ultimate move. Not only does it dish out a decent amount of damage over a sizable range, but it also slows enemies down and can potentially stun them if they take too many hits. The extra 250 bonus health that Spider-Man receives is the cherry on top of a move that can change the momentum of a game.
Just don’t mistake its usefulness as proof that you can throw it out whenever. The damage can be outhealed by most support characters if they’re quick enough to respond. It’s also possible to get stunned out of this ultimate, which means that extra health will only help you so much. Your chances of getting some eliminations and escaping with health to spare are much better if you coordinate with your team. Pop this ult during a team push or at least when a support hero can cover you with some healing.
Remember Your Wall Crawl Ability
Just like the Hulk and his ability to cling to walls, it feels like most players forget that Spider-Man can do whatever a spider can. Press the jump button when near a wall to enter a crawling state. Pressing the primary attack button afterward will transition into a run. It might look a little goofy, but this is a handy ability that your enemies might not be expecting. I’ve had a lot of success with the move, whether I use it to escape a fight or latch onto a wall after an enemy Jeff tried to eject me off a ledge.
As long as you make full use of Spider-Man’s kit in Marvel Rivals, and don’t save his ultimate to attempt an Ace kill, you should be fine. Diving in to pick off just one or two targets at a time does feel strange compared to any other game with the sarcastic webslinger, but it’s a role he excels at and one your team will be thankful for.
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