Marvel Rivals is Making AFK and Throwing Penalties Harsher

AFKs and throwers can ruin even the most fun Marvel Rivals match. In a surprise September update, the team is rolling out harsher penalties for these players. Here’s everything to know.

Marvel Rivals Makes AFK Penalties Stricter

Marvel Rivals Season 10 is stepping up the competition with tons of Hero balances and fresh in-game mechanics. Gorr the God-Butcher is the game’s most recent Strategist character, and players are experimenting with a ton of new skins. With every update like this, the player count tends to surge… and so does the number of AFKs and throwers in Ranked matches.

The game is noticing how AFKs and throwers make the overall experience worse for dedicated community members. Just six days after the new Marvel Rivals Season’s start (on September 17), the title popped up with an announcement that it would increase its penalties for players who negatively impact their teams.

In an announcement, the devs clarified their efforts. “We are increasing the severity of penalties for being inactive, throwing, and leaving matches early. As the number of violations increases, the offending player will face increasingly longer matchmaking suspensions. For recurring behaviors that persistently ruin the gameplay experience of others, we will implement even stricter disciplinary measures.“

New Marvel Rivals AFK and Throwing Punishments

As of September 17, overall punishments for throwing and going AFK will be more severe in every game mode: “We are increasing the severity of penalties for being inactive, throwing, and leaving matches early. As the number of violations increases, the offending player will face increasingly longer matchmaking suspensions. For recurring behaviors that persistently ruin the gameplay experience of others, we will implement even stricter disciplinary measures.“

Quick Match Also Gets Updates

In addition, Marvel Rivals is making sure Quick Match throwers can’t escape from punishments. Though their penalties won’t be as severe as offenders in Ranked matches, they’ll still face problems for disrupting the experience.

Marvel Rivals states: “Quick Match will no longer share a penalty escalation tier with Arcade Mode. Instead, it will utilize its own independent penalty tier, with increasing penalty severity compared to the previous baseline.”

The title acknowledges that “teamwork is just as crucial in Quick Match.” The devs comment, “Through these adjustments, we hope to mitigate the negative impact caused by inactivity, throwing, and early leaving, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a complete and satisfying match experience.”

To summarize:

• Quick Match now has its own penalty system.
• Quick Match has harsher punishments for throwers and AFK players.
• All Marvel Rivals modes have more severe throwing and AFK penalties.
• Players will face more punishments and longer matchmaking suspensions with each repeat AFK offense.

Will I Get Punished for Going AFK in Marvel Rivals?

All that being said, Marvel Rivals recognizes that some players may genuinely go AFK due to unforeseen wifi issues. To make sure users with good intentions aren’t affected, the team has clarified: “We fully understand that in the real world, you may occasionally encounter network disconnections, hardware crashes, or other unexpected emergencies.”

Can I Appeal a Marvel Rivals Ban?

The Marvel Rivals devs are also making improvements to the ban appeal process. Players who accidentally recieve an AFK punishment simply due to disconnection “can submit an appeal through our Customer Support channels. Once the situation is verified, we will revoke the corresponding penalties to ensure players aren’t unnecessarily punished for genuine accidents.”

“Handing out penalties is not our ultimate goal,” NetEase concludes. “Protecting the rights of dedicated players and fostering an environment where everyone strives together for victory is what we truly wish to achieve.

Stay tuned for more Marvel Rivals news. We regularly cover new skins, Marvel Rivals leaks, and esports content.