Marvel Rivals Players Are Risking Account Bans to Mod the Game Even After Season 1 Clampdown

Since the highly successful launch of Marvel Rivals in December, players have been diving into the world of mods, customizing their favorite heroes with unique skins despite the looming threat of account bans. Mods have ranged from transforming Iron Man into Vegeta from Dragon Ball, to giving Mantis a goth makeover, and even morphing Jeff the Land Shark into Pochita from Chainsaw Man. However, with the arrival of Season 1 and the Fantastic Four, Marvel Rivals developers NetEase implemented a new mod restriction through asset hash checking. NetEase has been clear in its stance, telling IGN that the game's terms and conditions strictly prohibit mods, as well as cheats, bots, hacks, or any unauthorized third-party software. They reiterated their warning, stating, "It is not recommended to modify any game files, as doing so carries the risk of getting banned."

Despite these warnings, some players remain undeterred. A workaround for the new restrictions has surfaced online, making it possible for PC players to continue modding, albeit with more steps involved. Modder Prafit, who shared the workaround on Nexus Mods, cautioned users: "Use at your own risk." Prafit highlighted that this workaround bypasses a system designed to prevent modding on the Season 1 patch, adding, "No-one knows if NetEase will ban you, but they have never issued permabans as far as we know."

The release of Season 1 and the Fantastic Four has sparked a new wave of mods. For instance, Ercuallo's mod transforms Mister Fantastic into Luffy from the manga One Piece, which has already seen over 5,000 downloads within two days of its launch on Nexus Mods.

Modding Marvel Rivals lives on but it needs extra steps to pull off pic.twitter.com/VEeiiHyxiA

— Marvel Rivals - Leaks & Info (@RivalsLeaks) January 12, 2025

The big question looming over Marvel Rivals modders and those who continue to use mods is whether NetEase will follow through with its threat of bans. While no confirmed cases of bans for mod use have surfaced yet, the existence of workarounds might prompt further action from the developers.

NetEase's desire to ban mods stems from several concerns. Apart from potential revenue loss from official skin sales and intellectual property issues, mods can disrupt game balance and performance. Modder Prafit noted that their workaround should only be attempted by those with a "beefy" PC, indicating potential performance impacts.

As the situation develops, players can keep up with the latest updates through the Marvel Rivals Season 1 patch notes, and dive into the game's official stats that detail Marvel Rivals' pick and win rates in both Quickplay and Competitive modes for Season 0. Additionally, stay tuned for the latest Marvel Rivals codes for free skins, and participate in our community tier list to vote on the strongest Marvel Rivals characters.