Halfway through season 4, Hell’s Kitchen’s Man Without Fear is making his Marvel Rivals debut. As the newest melee duelist, his arrival makes Season 4 the season of the melee characters, as his predecessor, Angela, also focused on this form of attack. But that’s all they share in common, as Daredevil ( Aleks Le, Solo Leveling) brings a lot of original elements to the competitive shooter.
Daredevil’s core offensive weapon comes from a nunchuk. Presumably, his trademark billie club in an altered form, with it, he deals out a solid amount of damage with his standard strike, while also building up fury with each hit. Fury is a special resource he spends on some of his abilities.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
Matt Murdock also has a powered-up version of his melee attack called Righteous Cross. When used, he surges forward, dealing greater damage and also gaining more fury. This is generally available after triggering certain abilities, as will be listed below.
Daredevil’s kit tap is an interesting interpretation of the Marvel character.
Capturing the most iconic part of the hero’s superpowers is his passive ability, Radar Sense. As long as an enemy is within a certain radius of him, Daredevil will be able to see a red outline of the character. This gives him a one-of-a-kind scouting skill that is sure to give him extra value in higher-ranked or formal competitions when teams are better coordinated and on mikes.
Adding to this ability is a purely cosmetic element as well. Buildings outside of Daredvil’s ability to interact with are shown purely in outlines. This creates a cool visual effect, showcasing how Matt Murdock sees the world, without having it interfere with your gameplay. A cool touch to lean into his character.
Daredevil’s second passive ability allows him to run up walls and spring off of them. This is the first of several abilities that combine to give Murdock an impressive amount of maneuverability.
Starting our look at DD’s active abilities is Devil’s Latch. This ability fires a grappling hook straight ahead. When it connects with an opponent, it pulls both the foe and Daredevil towards each other, causing them to meet in the middle. Upon completion, Daredvil gains fury and temporarily enables Righteous Cross.
This ability can also be used to pull Murdock towards terrain elements as well. This can be useful, but something to be wary of as well. If a Latch is fired at a foe and misses, but hits a terrain piece behind them, Daredevil can quickly find himself much further back behind enemy lines than he intended to go.
The DPS hero’s next ability is really two in one. Infernal Fury gives Daredvil access to one of two temporary buffs by consuming some of his fury. The first, Devil’s Chain, converts the damage he does into bonus health, while the other, Devil’s Throw, slows enemies hit. Both also temporarily enable Righteous Cross.
Daredevil shakes up DPS in Marvel Rivals in a big way.
Both of these abilities serve separate roles well. Chain gives Murdock a chance to keep himself on his feet if a fight is slipping away, while Throw is great for keeping enemies from escaping a losing fight, allowing himself and others to clean up straggling foes for a sweet ace.
Another movement enabling ability in Daredevil’s kit is Sonic Pursuit. DD locks onto a target, gaining increased speed and damage reduction. When in range, he can perform a dash towards the target, which will both temporarily blind them and restore some fury.
While the blind effect is fairly short, it can still be incredibly powerful. Taking a for out of a fight for even a few seconds can tip the scales of a battle, and Daredevil does that while also putting himself in a position to pummel his foe as well.
Representing Daredvil’s courtroom persona, we have the excellently named Objection! ability. This ability gives Matt a few seconds of amplified defense. Becoming a blur of blocking animations, Daredevil reflects incoming projectiles and blocks frontal damage, becoming immune to all incoming damage, while also gaining fury.
Daredevil’s ultimate ability, Let the Devil out, afflicts every enemy in his line of sight. And, with his special Radar Sense, that means everyone within a certain distance will be affected. While in this bubble, enemies take ongoing damage and can become blinded over time. Daredevil also continually gains fury for the duration of his ultimate. This allows him to get maximum use out of his foe’s compromised states.
Daredevil feels like a great duelist that is capable of harassing enemies and disrupting their formations, while possessing enough defensive/mobility powers to survive. While he doesn’t feel as powerful as someone dps-oriented characters, he feels like he will bring something special for those with the courage to master the Man Without Fear’s particular brand of combat.
Daredevil is available now for Marvel Rivals.
