Marvel Rivals season 10 is officially here. Unlike previous seasons, this one brings only one hero. But what this season lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality: Gorr the God Butcher (Beau Marie, Elder Scrolls Online), wielding the terrifying blade All-Black (Crystal Lee, Ne Zha 2), and looks poised to split the meta in two.
Gorr’s approach to his job as a dive DPS feels noticeably different from many others who play the role. While the God Butcher has some movement options to help him avoid the worst retaliation from his enemies, he focuses more on sustaining himself through damage than on mobility to avoid it. But while his kit provides him with some strong aids to keep him on his feet, he is definitely a character who needs a strong support structure to achieve his maximum potential.
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Supports like Jubilee, who can aid both his healing and damage from afar, or White Fox, who can shield and dive in side-by-side with him, are crucial to keep the death engine going. But once he starts, Gorr can easily leave a swath of fallen opponents in his wake.
Gorr the God Butcher shakes up Marvel Rivals’ meta.
The central element of this combat menace’s kit is his Black Berserkers. Several of his abilities, along with the act of defeating an enemy, spawn these temporary allies. While on the field, they will attack nearby enemies with ranged attacks, unless they are sent into their Frenzied state, where they will unleash melee attacks instead. Whenever they deal damage, Gorr receives bonus health, making the monsters something opponents cannot afford to entirely ignore. Important to note: only three Black Berserkers can be summoned at a time.
Marvel Rivals‘ newest character’s primary fire takes the form of a powerful swing with the All-Black. Forming a four-hit combo, the attacks do solid damage, though not at the fastest speed. There is a wide swing to each, making multiple enemy hits with a single attack easily doable, so long as more than one enemy can be brought into the sword’s path.
The first ability in Gorr’s kit allows him to deploy one of his Bersekers in front of him. This no-frills ability allows the God Butcher to begin setting up his battle plan and start harassing foes with the extra damage his minions deal.
The next standard ability in the kit is Living Abyss. This lets Gorr transform into an inky black orb, briefly becoming invincible and moving faster. He leaves a Black Berserker at his starting location as well, and all Berserkers enter the Frenzy State. When the transformation ends, a damaging aura surrounds the god killer, hurting enemies over time for its duration. As the aura deals damage, bonus life is gained.
It’s important to note that Living Abyss is not limited to ground travel. If Gorr is looking up when activated, he will move at the angle he is looking, allowing him to reach areas and enemies otherwise out of his reach.
An easily overlooked element of this ability, but a critical one, is the Berserker left at Gorr’s transformation point. It creates a perfectly placed escape opportunity for the character thanks to his next ability: Shadow Harvest.
The God Butcher selects a Black Berserker, warps to it, and destroys it, gaining bonus health equal to half of the Berserker’s health. He also triggers a burst of AOE damage, as well as transforming All-Black temporarily into a scythe, launching a shockwave attack directly in front of him.
Gorr the God Butcher’s Black Berserkers’ Frenzy State amplifies their aggression.
Shadow Harvest’s aggressive elements make it a perfect means of opening a scrum, but at times it can be even more critical as a means of escape when a fight goes bad. It has a solid cooldown, though, so players must judge how best to enter and exit combat.
The last of Gorr’s standard abilities is Necro-Power. This ability fires a shot that, when it hits, slows its target and either teleports nearby Black Berserkers to the target or spawns a new one next to it. The Black Berserkers then perform a two-hit combo that launches all struck enemies upwards.
The God Butcher’s ultimate ability transforms All-Black into the Annihilablade. Upon activation, Black Berserkers are also spawned adjacent to nearby enemies, do not expire while the ability lasts, and remain in the Frenzied State. The damage of the primary fire is greatly increased as well, causing huge chunks of health bars to melt like fresh fallen snow.
The first team-up is with Hela. In its basic form, Gorr gains the ability to transform All-Black into a scythe for a short time. While in this state, his attacks can temporarily ground enemies. When Hela is present on his team, the scythe’s range increases, and hits with it spawn symbiote fragments that grant bonus health to him and his allies.
The second team-up is with Venom. This one grants Gorr a new ranged attack. When fired, the attack travels in a straight line, piercing enemies. When it reaches its maximum distance, it retracts, launching caught enemies towards the God Butcher. When Venom is present on his team, Black Berserkers gain a small damage boost and apply slow to hit enemies.
Gorr the God Butcher feels great to play when he is firing on all cylinders. However, sharp eyes and quick tactical decision-making, along with proper support from one’s team, feel necessary to unlock the full potential of the vengeful villain.
Marvel Rivals is available to play now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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