How to trigger Recursive Destruction in Marvel Rivals

The developers behind Marvel Rivals teased an exciting new mechanic called Recursive Destruction in their video Dev Vision Vol. 03 on Jan. 7. The feature finally made its debut alongside season one. While it’s a fascinating concept, there’s a bit of room for improvement.

What is Recursive Destruction in Marvel Rivals?

To experience Recursive Destruction, you’ll need to play on the Empire of the Eternal Night: Midtown map. This map is only available in Quick Play and must be selected manually. Instead of diving straight into the Quick Play queue, head to the play menu and choose the Empire of the Eternal Night: Midtown option. Once you’re loaded into the map, the real fun begins.

Recursive Destruction is a map-specific feature that allows certain structures to “reverse” into what they were before being destroyed. This mechanic changes the environment dramatically, creating opportunities to shift the tide of battle.

When you start the game on Empire of the Eternal Night: Midtown, activate your Chronovision (press B on your keyboard or Right on the D-pad of your controller). You’ll notice that most destructible parts of the map are highlighted in yellow, but two specific structures glow red. These glowing structures are the ones tied to Recursive Destruction.

The first is a large pile of rubble found after the first checkpoint on the route, while the second is a damaged building after the second checkpoint (you can see the second in the screenshot above).

Destroying either of these structures triggers the Recursive Destruction feature. After the structure has been brought down, the terrain resets and a restored version of the original structure appears. While it’s an interesting mechanic, it’s currently a bit underwhelming. These are the only two structures on the entire map that use Recursive Destruction, and the changes don’t feel as impactful as the developers’ description suggested.

How to complete the Factory Setting achievement in Marvel Rivals

The Recursive Destruction feature is linked to the Factory Setting achievement, which you’ll find in the Chronoverse Saga section of your Achievements tab. Despite some confusion around this, you don’t need to be the player who causes the destruction. As long as you’re in the match and a teammate triggers Recursive Destruction, you’ll still receive credit.

The achievement refers to Recursive Destruction as Reverse Destruction, which might cause some confusion. They are the same thing, though.

While Recursive Destruction adds a unique touch to the Empire of the Eternal Night: Midtown map, it doesn’t quite live up to the hype—for now. The developers described it as a feature that would “reshape the environment and create epic new opportunities for victory,” but its current implementation feels limited. Expanding this mechanic to other maps and adding more structures that utilize it would make it far more engaging.

If you’re loading up Marvel Rivals for season one, try the feature and see how it fits into your strategies. It’s always fun to explore new mechanics, even if they don’t quite hit the mark yet.