Tag Archives: Reviews

Marvel Rivals

Last Updated: Feb 15th, 2026

Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play, team-based PvP shooter that lets players create squads of Marvel characters to compete in objective-based matches on destructible maps.

The story features a tense meeting between Doctor Doom and his heroic 2099 counterpart, resulting in a “timestream entanglement” that creates new worlds where heroes and villains from the multiverse battle each other to stop both Doom variants from winning.

History

Developed by NetEase Games, it features a large roster of characters, unique “Team-Up” skills that combine abilities, and dynamic environments inspired by iconic Marvel locations.

The game launched in late 2024 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a PS4 version following in 2025, and receives regular content updates with new heroes, maps, and modes.

Features

  • Team-Based Gameplay: 6v6 matches focused on objectives, requiring teamwork and strategy.
  • Vast Roster: Includes heroes and villains from the Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.
  • Dynamic Environments: Battlefields are destructible and change during matches. For example, a player controlling Magneto could combine his powers with another hero to manipulate metal in the environment, creating new paths or obstacles for the enemy team.
  • Team-Up Skills: Combine character abilities for powerful, unique attacks.
  • Free-to-Play: The game is free to download and play.

Modes

Quick Match games are unranked and feature three modes: Domination, Convoy, and Convergence. Players can team up with others to battle AI opponents in the Practice Vs. AI mode.

The game has seven modes that can be played:

Convoy

Teams are assigned offense or defense, with the offense aiming to escort a moving object through the map while defenders attempt to stop them by eliminating the offense and recapturing the object. If the offense succeeds in escorting the convoy to the end within a time limit, they win. The object moves automatically once captured, and it goes backwards if defenders recapture it unless attackers are nearby. In competitive mode, teams swap roles after the offense has progressed, and they continue until a winner is determined based on the best performance.

Domination

Both teams compete to capture a point on small maps. The defending team earns points until reaching 100%, ending the round. The game continues on another map, with the first team to capture two points winning.

Convergence

Teams are assigned to offense or defense roles, with offense aiming to capture a checkpoint while defense seeks to hold it until time runs out. If the offense succeeds, the game transitions to Convoy mode, where they escort a cart to two additional checkpoints. Victory is achieved by reaching the final checkpoint, and in competitive play, both teams strive for the best progress, with additional attempts allowed if both reach the objective.

Resource Rumble

Both teams compete for one of three randomly selected points on a single map to collect resources; once depleted, the next point unlocks. A team wins by collecting all resources from both points, but if both teams reach a minimum resource amount, a third point unlocks for capture. The mode is available only in custom matches.

Conquest

Players form two teams, aiming to eliminate heroes and collect points dropped on the ground. Allies can also collect these points to prevent the opposing team from scoring. The game concludes when one team reaches 50 points or the timer runs out, with the team holding the most points declared the winner. In case of a tie, teams get an additional chance to score.

Doom Match

A free-for-all deathmatch with up to 12 players competing to achieve the most Final Hits, ending when a player reaches 16 Final Hits, with the top half declared winners.

18 vs. 18 Annihilation

Players form two teams in a 36-player battle, earning points for each elimination towards a target score of 120 within a 6-minute limit; the team with the higher score wins if time runs out.

Field of Play

As of April 2025, there are 13 unique maps in the game.

  • Yggsgard: Yggdrasil Path
  • Yggsgard: Royal Palace
  • Tokyo 2099: Spider-Islands
  • Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya
  • Tokyo 2099: Ninomaru
  • Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown
  • Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park
  • Empire of Eternal Night: Sanctum Sanctorum
  • Hellfire Gala: Arakko
  • Hellfire Gala: Krakoa
  • Hydra Charteris Base: Hell’s Heaven
  • Grand Garden
  • Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda: Birnin T’Challa
  • Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda: Hall of Djalia
  • Klyntar: Symbiotic Surface
  • Klyntar: Celestial Husk
  • Klyntar: Throne of Knull
  • K’un-Lun: Heart of Heaven

Levels and Ranks

Players must reach profile level 15 to access Competitive mode, where they receive a projected rank based on their previous season’s rank or peak, followed by 10 placement matches to determine their starting rank.

Matchmaking occurs within nine rank divisions comprising three tiers, with promotions and demotions influenced by wins, losses, and performance.

The mode features Domination, Convergence, and Convoy, and allows Gold rank players and above to impose two hero bans per team, rendering selected heroes unplayable for both sides during matches. At season’s end, players earn cosmetic rewards based on their final rank.

Players must achieve at least Platinum rank and join a Faction to participate in Tournament matches, which follow Competitive modes and rules in best of three or five formats.

Each team can ban three heroes from the opposing team and has two protected heroes. Custom Games can also utilize these modes, including Resource Rumble.

My Phone Service

I think we, as consumers, often complain publicly when we experience difficulties, but when things go as planned or better we rarely leave a good review. So, I wanted to take the time to say my piece.

A few years ago, I switched my mobile carrier from Consumer Cellular (CC) to Tello Mobile.

My previous phone had been included in a family plan with CC and we were paying close to $80 for three people.

We would often receive texts about going over our data limits. This would cause the plan to automatically upgrade to the more expensive plans.

I currently just have a single line with Tello and I pay just $9 per month for unlimited talk/text and 1 GB of data, which is fine for my needs. I could upgrade to the unlimited data as well and the cost would only be $25 per month.

Since the previous service with CC was a family plan, the support staff were only willing to speak with the account owner. Whenever we had an issue we would have to call my relative in another state and have them call CC for support.

Supposedly, the account was set up for any of us to call, but when we did we always got the run around despite the numerous promises otherwise by support staff.

I am glad I decided to switch my carrier and my wallet is certainly happier too.


Thanks for reading. Questions or comments put them below, and have a great day.

DDO in Review: Dragon Lord

Updated Review: based on changes from Update 67 on March 27th, 2024.

With this new Year of the Dragon coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the pen and paper game, we are seeing some wild new dragon-themed offers for the entire year.

The new Dragon Lord archetype can be claimed in the Hall of Heroes on the bottom floor. The archetype uses the Fighter class as its base.


Update 67

Some additional notes are available from the update on March 27th, 2024. Update 67 included a new free adventure pack for level 18 Heroic and 34 Legendary players.

Update 66.1

A recently released update has corrected many of the minor problems that players were encountering with the Ravager enhancement tree for Dragon Lord.


I would say the class works best as a pure build. Your talents lie in how fast you can clear single-target enemies and your ability to stun large groups of foes, with no consideration for type.

Basically, if it is in front of you when you roar, it will be stunned.

I have seen some class combos running around the server. The most common one I have seen is a Paladin/Dragon Lord with Dragonborn as the race. The next most common was a Druid/Dragon Lord with Asimar as the race.

My Build

I decided not to use a true reincarnation to make my Dragon Lord. I created a fresh, first-life character, to try out the new archetype.

I was initially a bit concerned with the lack of healing, but I soon got used to using the crowd-control abilities and choosing my targets to make fights go fast and take the least damage possible.

Dragon Lord is designed to use either your Strength or Charisma score for combat and abilities. Due to this, it does combine very well with Dragonborn, Half-Orc, and the Purple Dragon Knight races.

Abilities

The primary ability you will use throughout your life as a Dragon Lord will be the Roar which becomes available at level three. It is a cone-shaped Tactical attack that extends outward a short distance. Anything caught in the blast must make a save check or be Dazed.

The DC for the roar uses a Base 10 + the higher of your Charisma or Strength ability modifier + Breath DC bonuses + Stunning bonuses. Roar is also listed as a Tactical ability, so it also gets bonuses from anything that boosts Tactical abilities. For example, Combat Mastery and Sundering, or any of the many feats available to fighters.

At level 5, an improvement to this ability becomes available. The upgrade will reduce the cooldown time, turn the Daze into a full Cower, and give you a 20% bonus to damage against Helpless foes.

Reapers cannot escape your roar either and will cower while you dispatch them.

Dragon Lords get an Imbue damage type based on their chosen dragon. I took the Black Dragon as my selected type and I also used a White Dragon as my racial type. This gave me energy resistance to both Cold and Acid which are more useful in the endgame.

Draconic Arms adds a 1d6 bonus to your damage per imbue die you have. You will also get Aura-based bonuses at three stages of your character’s life and these can be freely selected to customize your build as you increase in level. The aura’s is similar to a paladin’s aura, affecting group members that are within range.

There is also a companion ability like what the Halflings get. This will improve an ally’s combat ability for a short while. Later it gets an upgrade that turns it into a mini-heal with a Panacea spell that scales with your Melee Power.

Originally, this ability required you to be right next to your ally, and the animation would root you in place when you used it. However, Update 67 corrected the problems when using the ability and you can now use it on the move.

One of the Tier five enhancements will give you a +2 bonus to your weapon’s critical multiplier with any weapon you use. With my Khopesh this brought me up to an x5 on the multiplier without any other bonuses included. The damage numbers get very big very fast with Dragon Lord.

Survivability

The class includes the potential for high AC and Fortitude scores, especially if you combine it with the Dragonborn racial bonuses to Natural Armor. The Defender enhancement tree can bolster your health enough to cover a lack of self-healing ability.

Second Wind, while useful in a pinch, is hampered by its long cooldown. Your goal with the Dragon Lord archetype will be to crowd-control enemies and then clear the field

Conclusion

I like the Dragon Lord, but I strongly suspect we will see some balancing soon to level the playing field. The damage output is crazily high at the moment and far outstrips what other melee classes can manage.

The Roar will likely be nerfed. I mean why, is an emotionless creature like a skeleton or a golem cowering because someone yelled at it?

MyPoints: A Detailed Guide for New Users

MyPoints is from the same parent company as Swagbucks and InboxDollars. The main difference I have found is the point values are lower than the other two platforms. You are allowed to have a single account with each platform.


You can earn Points in a bunch of ways. For example:
Shopping online, using the site as a starting point
Clicking on emails they send out on behalf of partners
Booking travel with the sites you already trust
Taking surveys
Playing online games


Welcome Bonus for new users: Spend $20 or more (excluding taxes, shipping & handling, and special processing fees) through the MyPoints.com website, the Score! browser extension or Bonus Mail emails in the first 30 days of membership to receive a $10 Bonus in your account. A $10 Bonus will be awarded in the form of Points deposited into your MyPoints account: $10 Bonus = 1,750 Points. Full terms of the offer here.


Here is my Referral link MyPoints, which will get you an extra bonus, or if you prefer, you can use this non-referral MyPoints link.

  1. Click, sign up, register, and verify your account via email.
  2. You will also be prompted to verify via text message when you redeem your points.
  3. Complete some initial demographic questions to build your survey profile.
  4. Make sure to complete the signup on the landing page before navigating away, or it won’t count.

Completing your To-Do list each day can earn 10 points plus a little more for each task you complete.

A. Vote in the Daily Poll
Weigh in on the daily poll and see what other MyPoint members think.

B. Magic Receipts
Add an In-Store Deal to your shopping list.

C. Deal of the Day
Get Free Shipping On $85+ Order Earn 8 Points Per Dollar

D. Complete a Watch Activity
Earn 2 points while being entertained and informed.

E. Earn Points from Discover
Over 50,000 Points are waiting for you with MyPoints Deals.

F. Attempt A Survey
Earn up to 5 points for attempting a survey, even if you don’t qualify, up to 5 times a day.

G. Complete a Survey
Provide your opinions to partners and earn Points for completing a survey.

H.
Meet Your Daily Goal
Meet your personalized Daily Goal every day to earn 10 additional Bonus Points.


There are many other ways you can earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards.

  1. Shop: With the In-Store shopping, when you shop at participating local stores and pay with your eligible linked card, you will automatically earn points on qualifying purchases. You can also add items to your shopping list and then, after purchasing in-store, submit your receipts to get points for the corresponding items.
  2. Deals: On the top menu of the site, there is a Deals tab, and you can view Deals by category. You can search by category, including electronics, Health and Wellness, Home, Sports and Leisure, and Toys and Hobbies.
  3. Coupons: Earn 25 Points for each coupon you redeem at your local grocery store. Plus, earn 1 Point per coupon printed. A maximum of 500 coupon prints per month are eligible for Points, but there is no limit on the 25 Points per redemption. Points for the coupon print activity will be posted the next business day.
  4. Surveys: You can earn up to 5 points for attempting a survey. The surveys are sorted by Estimated time to complete, and they list the number of points you can earn if you qualify.
  5. Watch: Once you start the playlist, it will auto-play until completion or until paused by the user. You must complete this playlist to receive the points. It’s usually 5-10 videos.
    Videos are only available on the site via desktop or laptop, but you can earn additional Points for watching videos on your smartphone or tablet with the MyPoints TV app. Available in iOS and Android.
  6. Games: You can play “Cash” games that require a deposit and earn rewards. Cash Competitions is operated by WorldWinner.com. WorldWinner Rewards Points are different from the Points earned in the MyPoints program and may not be used for MyPoints rewards.
  7. Travel: You can use the MyPoints portal and links to book flights and hotel stays and earn points for the bookings. There are travel offers and travel deals available regularly.
  8. More: Some other options are the 7-Day Challenge, Search and Earn: using MyPoints as your default search engine will give you a chance at earning more points, and the Score! The browser extension will pop up offers and deals when visiting sites with a corresponding offer.

Free Cash

Free Cash is another Get Paid To (GPT) site similar to Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and MyPoints. It uses many of the same offer walls available on the other platforms. The main difference is that the point values are different. At FreeCash 1,000 “coins” are equal to $1.

At Swagbucks 100 SB is $1. So, for instance, the welcome bonus of 100 coins is actually a small $0.10 reward; you get an additional 150 coins for installing the mobile app.

You will get a 100-coin bonus for signing up using the referral link. Remember to also download the app, log in, and go to the Reward page to claim your 150 coin bonus.

It may take up to 24 hours to get the app bonus. Anyone who signs up using your referral code will get 100 coins, plus you will earn 5% of any points they earn using the service.