Marvel Rivals players thought underwhelming feature would be ‘a lot more important than it ended up being’

Marvel Rivals sets itself apart from other hero shooters with its highly destructible environments, letting players break walls, ceilings, and entire structures to shift the tide of battle. In theory, this should make the game more strategic—removing an enemy’s cover or creating shortcuts for teammates sounds like a solid way to shake things up. But in practice, one of the game’s biggest map-changing features has fallen flat.

The mechanic that was expected to make destruction more tactical hasn’t really lived up to expectations. Players assumed it would be crucial for setting up game-winning plays, but the reality is that most of them barely touch it.

Chrono Vision is meant to highlight objects on the map that can be destroyed or altered, letting players change the environment to their advantage. Pressing B on a keyboard (or D-Pad Right on consoles) shifts the world into a grayscale view, showing breakable objects in yellow. At first, this sounds like a useful tool for teams who want to control the battlefield by cutting off enemy sightlines or opening up hidden paths.

And to be fair, it can be useful. Destroying high-ground cover forces snipers and other ranged heroes to reposition, while breaking open walls allows for flanking routes that weren’t available before. Some players also use it to speed up their team’s movement by removing obstacles, making it easier to reach objectives faster.

But for the majority of the player base? Chrono Vision is mostly just a fun way to break chandeliers before the match starts. A Reddit thread titled “I thought chrono vision would be a lot more important than it ended up being” sums up the general feeling. With over 170 comments and 4,300 upvotes, the overall response is a resounding meh.

Several players commented on Reddit that they haven’t used the feature in a while, with comments like, “Haven’t used it since Season 0. I completely forgot lol” showing exactly how much this forgotten feature means to Marvel Rivals fans.

The Midtown map tried to expand on the idea with the addition of Recursive Destruction, which allows players to rebuild certain ruined structures by dealing enough damage to them. Two locations on Midtown glow red when using Chrono Vision, indicating that they can be restored to their original form once enough firepower is applied. This should, in theory, create new vantage points or block off certain paths, forcing teams to adapt mid-game.

But stopping to break down and rebuild an entire structure isn’t practical if you’re in the middle of a fast-paced firefight. As a result, most players ignore these areas altogether.

Though players defend the feature a little with comments like, “It’s more useful on newer maps with fixable terrain. But the things you can fix normally don’t stand out compared to the other rubble that’s made during a fight.” Others have ditched it completely, saying: “Once you’re used to the maps and know what can or cannot be broken, it just becomes obsolete.”

At its core, Chrono Vision and Recursive Destruction should be exciting. Being able to manipulate the battlefield in ways that other hero shooters don’t allow is a great idea—but the execution makes it feel like an afterthought. Unlike the destructible environments in Overwatch, where walls can be broken through sheer damage alone, Marvel Rivals forces players to rely on a separate ability that doesn’t feel all that rewarding to use.

If Chrono Vision is going to matter, it needs more meaningful interactions. Right now, it’s a glorified map tutorial—something that’s only helpful for new players learning what can be destroyed. For veteran players, it’s just extra button presses for something they’ve already memorized. Unless future updates expand on its potential, most players will continue to ignore it entirely.