Marvel Rivals players are risking account bans by continuing to use mods, even after a Season 1 crackdown. Since the game's December launch, players have created custom skins using mods, despite warnings. Popular examples include transforming Iron Man into Dragon Ball's Vegeta and Mantis into a goth character; even Jeff the Land Shark has been modded into Chainsaw Man's Pochita.
Last week's Season 1 update, featuring the Fantastic Four, included a secret anti-modding measure: asset hash checking. Developer NetEase reiterated its terms of service, which prohibit mods, cheats, bots, hacks, and unauthorized third-party software. NetEase previously warned players about potential consequences, stating that modifying game files risks bans.
However, a workaround is now circulating online, requiring more steps than previous methods but remaining accessible to many PC players. Modder Prafit, who uploaded a workaround to Nexus Mods, cautioned users, emphasizing the risk of bans, although noting that permanent bans haven't been observed yet.
New mods utilizing the Fantastic Four characters have emerged. For example, Ercuallo's mod transforms Mister Fantastic into One Piece's Luffy, already downloaded over 5,000 times in two days, according to Nexus Mods.
Whether NetEase will enforce its ban threat remains to be seen. No confirmed bans for mod usage have been reported, but workarounds might prompt further action.
NetEase's motivation for banning mods likely stems from potential revenue loss from in-game skin sales, intellectual property concerns, gameplay balance disruption, and potential performance issues. Prafit even notes their workaround requires a powerful PC.
Meanwhile, explore the Marvel Rivals Season 1 patch notes, official win rates for Season 0, the latest Marvel Rivals codes for free skins, and participate in our community tier list vote.