Marvel Rivals is getting a mid-season balance patch on February 19, 2026, at 9:00 AM UTC with no server downtime. The update hits four heroes — Elsa Bloodstone, Hawkeye, Hela, and Gambit — with nerfs aimed at curbing the dominant poke playstyle and reining in Elsa's overtuned ultimate ability. The developers at NetEase framed the patch as a direct response to community feedback, though the player base is sharply divided on whether these changes address the right problems.
Quick answer: Patch 0219 reduces Hawkeye's arrow damage across the board, increases Hela's long-range damage falloff, cuts Elsa's Glartrox ultimate health and duration nearly in half, and drops Gambit's base HP from 275 to 250 while lowering his Breaking Spades damage boost from 15% to 10%.
Release time: February 19, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC
Elsa Bloodstone Ultimate Nerfs
Elsa Bloodstone launched with Season 6.5 on February 13 and immediately became one of the most complained-about heroes in the game. Her ultimate, Glartrox, summons a monster that grabs and suppresses enemies in a large area-of-effect, effectively removing tanks from team fights for extended periods. The patch hits Glartrox in three ways: its health drops from 500 to 400, the dash duration shrinks from 6 seconds to 3.5 seconds, and the grab hitbox is reduced from 6m × 6m × 3.5m to 5m × 5m × 3.5m.
In practice, this means Glartrox is easier to destroy before it finishes its suppression, covers less ground while dragging enemies, and has a smaller capture zone. The community broadly agrees the ultimate needed adjustment — tank players in particular found it nearly impossible to avoid at close range — but some players feel the real issue is the near-instant cast time rather than the hitbox or health values. Elsa's base kit, including her overshield-granting dash and hitscan primary fire, remains unchanged for now.
Hawkeye Damage Reduction
Hawkeye has been a persistent ban target in competitive play for multiple seasons. His Piercing Arrow base damage drops from 34 to 28, and a fully charged arrow goes from 85 damage down to 70. When boosted by his Archer's Focus passive, a charged arrow now deals 160 damage instead of 175.
These numbers matter because they raise the skill floor for securing kills. Previously, Hawkeye could charge a shot on a tank, miss, and still one-shot a support standing behind the original target. With the reduced numbers, he needs to consistently land shots while maintaining his passive stacks to reach lethal damage thresholds. Some players worry this pushes Hawkeye back into irrelevance — a pattern the hero has followed through several previous balance cycles, where he oscillates between overpowered and unplayable.
Hela Long-Range Falloff Changes
Hela's Nightsword Thorn retains its existing damage falloff start point at 18 meters, but the maximum falloff at 30 meters now reduces damage to 70% of base instead of the previous 80%. The critical change is that beyond 25 meters, two headshots can no longer kill a 250 HP target.
Before this patch, Hela could reliably two-tap supports and squishier duelists from extreme range with consecutive critical hits. A headshot at 30 meters previously dealt 128 damage; it now deals roughly 112. Body shots at the same range drop from 64 to about 56. Hela remains strong at medium range and will still punish players who peek without cover, but she loses the ability to instantly delete targets from across the map with just two well-placed shots. The nerf is modest enough that most Hela players will barely notice it outside of those specific long-range two-tap scenarios.
Gambit Survivability and Damage Nerfs
Gambit's base health drops from 275 to 250, and his Breaking Spades ability now grants a 10% damage boost instead of 15%. These changes make him easier to dive and kill, and slightly reduce his offensive output when playing aggressively.
This is where the community backlash is loudest. Gambit has been a near-permanent ban in competitive modes since his release, and the overwhelming consensus among players is that the problem lies entirely with his ultimate ability. Gambit's ult provides 100 instant healing, 55 HP per second sustained healing, a 50% movement speed bonus, a 20% damage boost, a 30% ultimate charge rate increase for teammates, enhanced jump height, and a cleanse that removes crowd control effects. It essentially functions as an offensive team-wide steroid that also heals, and it combos devastatingly with duelist ultimates from heroes like Punisher, Phoenix, and Star-Lord.
By nerfing Gambit's neutral kit instead of his ultimate, NetEase risks a pattern players have seen before with heroes like Human Torch and Loki — gradually gutting a character's base abilities while leaving the problematic element intact, then eventually nerfing the ultimate too, leaving the hero unviable across the board. The developers have hinted that more changes are coming in Season 7, but for now, Gambit will almost certainly remain a permanent ban pick.
What the Patch Doesn't Address
Several community pain points are absent from this balance pass. Phoenix, widely considered the strongest poke duelist in the game, receives no changes despite remaining a pick-or-ban hero at high ranks. Bucky, Jean Grey, and Namor — all strong performers in the current meta — are similarly untouched. The broader issue of ultimate charge rates, which many players feel are too fast across the board and turn matches into an "ult simulator," isn't addressed either.
NetEase acknowledged in the official balance post that the Season 6.5 changes were intentionally restrained to maintain stability through the season. The developers stated they are tracking feedback and testing additional changes internally, with more substantial adjustments planned for Season 7.
Full Patch 0219 Balance Changes
| Hero | Role | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Elsa Bloodstone | Duelist | Glartrox HP 500 → 400; dash duration 6s → 3.5s; grab hitbox 6×6×3.5m → 5×5×3.5m |
| Hawkeye | Duelist | Piercing Arrow base 34 → 28; full charge 85 → 70; Archer's Focus charged 175 → 160 |
| Hela | Duelist | Nightsword Thorn max falloff at 30m: 80% → 70%; two crits beyond 25m no longer KO 250 HP targets |
| Gambit | Strategist | Base HP 275 → 250; Breaking Spades damage boost 15% → 10% |
The patch represents a step toward addressing the poke-heavy meta that has frustrated tank and dive players throughout Season 6, and the quick turnaround on Elsa's ultimate — less than a week after her release — shows NetEase is willing to act on urgent feedback outside the normal patch schedule. Whether these changes meaningfully shift the competitive landscape or simply shuffle which heroes get banned remains to be seen. The real test comes with Season 7, where the developers have promised broader balance adjustments and additional content.