“It’s good to frustrate the player”: Marvel Rivals Director Explains Why Intentional Nerfs Are Good for Games Like Helldivers 2

“Nerf”, “Buff” and “OP” – are three of the most-heard words by any multiplayer game fan, be it Marvel Rivals, Helldivers 2, or Valorant. Every multiplayer title, PvP or PvE, goes through a number of updates each time the balance of the game gets broken.

However, Marvel Rivals director, Thaddeus Sasser believes nerfing is an important aspect of any multiplayer title, even though it disappoints the fans to some certain extent. He has stated that there is a lot to learn from the way Arrowhead Game Studios makes changes in Helldivers 2.

Marvel Rivals boss thinks nerfs are inevitable

The director of Marvel Rivals, Thaddeus Sasser, claims that while playing the meta might be a quick route to success, balance changes in games like Helldivers 2 can teach us a valuable lesson in losing “fairly.”

Sasser discussed how nerfs and other tweaks are intended to improve online multiplayer games, even though they may seem more like punishments, in an interview with the VideoGamer Podcast #3. It makes sense that a developer could benefit from this annoyance by making the player more humble and encouraging them to try out new builds or tactics. He stated:

Sometimes it’s good to frustrate the player […] because winning all of the time is boring, so it’s important to be able to lose, too and feel like you lost fairly and not be frustrated.

Additionally, he admits that some nerfs can feel incredibly unjust, making players feel “like they lost because you took ‘the thing’ away, and that feels unfair.” It sounds like a skillful balancing act to push players outside of their comfort zones without depriving them of enjoyment, but Sasser says developers can take advantage of one thing: language and framing.

How do they do it? Sasser explains that it’s about psychology. The developers sometimes use clever tactics to divert a player’s emotions from anger to intrigue. If the developers tell you that they are going to nerf a fan-favorite weapon, players are going to be disgusted and disappointed. However, if they tell them that the enemy from now on is going to be harder, then obviously it will motivate them to face a bigger challenge rather than disappointing them.

Not every nerf made Helldivers 2 players motivated

The Escalation of Freedom update, which was released on August 6, 2024, brought a number of new enemies, mission objectives, a new difficulty, and long-awaited bug fixes to Helldivers 2. Notwithstanding its many positive effects, that update also displeased game players by imposing nerfs on some of Helldivers 2‘s most well-liked weapons.

Although Helldivers 2 has previously been criticized for nerfing well-liked weapons, the most recent situation is more complicated and unstable than in the past.

Although there were numerous weapon nerfs in the Escalation of Freedom update, the SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary primary shotgun and the FLAM-40 Flamethrower support weapon modifications appeared to have shaken the Helldivers 2 community the most.

While some players are annoyed that some of their favorite weapons are experiencing nerfs on their own, others appreciate the challenging dynamics of Helldivers 2‘s difficulty changes caused by weapon nerfs. A long-running argument among the game’s fans regarding the need for nerfs in a purely PvE game has been rekindled by this controversy and we already got the opinion of the Marvel Rivals boss.

But what’s your take on this? Should nerfing be treated a bit more positively? Let us know your thoughts below!

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