You're in the heat of a 6v6 team fight. Your Iron Man just dropped a literal nuke on the enemy team, securing a clean quintuple kill. Naturally, you want to flex. You want to leave that mark on the floor so the enemy sees it when they respawn and trudge back to the point. But you're hitting every button on your keyboard and nothing is happening. It's frustrating. It's basically the modern gamer's equivalent of forgetting where you parked your car. If you're trying to figure out Marvel Rivals how to spray, you aren't alone, and honestly, the game doesn't make it as obvious as it probably should.
Most hero shooters follow the Overwatch or Valorant blueprint where "T" is the universal "spray" key. In Marvel Rivals, NetEase decided to get a little bit more creative—or annoying, depending on who you ask.
The Secret Shortcut for Marvel Rivals How to Spray
Let’s get straight to it. You don't have to go digging through five sub-menus just to tag a wall. By default, the spray function in Marvel Rivals is tucked inside the Comm Wheel.
On a keyboard, you’re going to want to press and hold "G". This opens up your communication radial. From there, you just move your mouse to the spray icon—it looks like a little pressurized canister—and let go. If you're playing on a controller (PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S), you're looking at the D-Pad. Holding "Up" on the D-Pad usually brings up that same wheel.
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But here is the thing: nobody actually wants to hold "G" and flick their mouse every time they want to tag a wall. It’s clunky. It feels slow. Most players who are serious about their "BM" (bad manners) or just like the aesthetics of the game want a dedicated bind.
To fix this, go to Settings, hit the Control tab, and scroll down to the Communication section. You’ll see an option for "Spray." Bind that to "T" or whatever button your muscle memory is already screaming at you to use. Once you do that, the game feels infinitely more responsive. You can jump, 180-flick, spray the floor, and keep moving without breaking your stride.
Why Your Sprays Might Be Locked
You’ve found the button. You’re pressing it. Nothing is coming out.
Don't panic. You probably just haven't equipped one yet. Unlike some games that give you a generic logo right out of the gate, Marvel Rivals expects you to actually go into the Gallery and set your favorites.
Each hero has their own specific sprays, though there are "Universal" ones that any character can use. If you're playing as Spider-Man, you might have a cool "Thwip" icon. If you're Magneto, maybe it’s a metallic purple crest. Go to the "Hero" tab in the main menu, select your favorite character, and check their "Customization" or "Collection" sub-menu. If the slot is empty, your character will just do a weird little hand gesture but nothing will actually appear on the wall. It’s kind of embarrassing when it happens mid-match.
Customizing the Comm Wheel and Beyond
The Comm Wheel isn't just for sprays, even if that's what we're focused on here. It’s actually a pretty robust system for people who don't like using a microphone. You've got your "Need Healing," your "Group Up," and your "Ultimate Status."
NetEase really leaned into the social aspect of the game. You'll notice that sprays in this game actually have some decent physical properties. They don't just "flat" stick to every surface perfectly; they interact with the lighting and the textures of the Chrono-Vivere maps. It's a small touch, but it makes the world feel a bit more "lived in" even when you're just tagging a giant statue in Yggsgard.
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Breaking Down the "Spray Limit"
One thing most players don't realize until they’re five minutes into a match is that you can't just cover the entire map in graffiti. Marvel Rivals operates on a "One Spray Per Player" rule for the most part.
When you spray a second time, your first one disappears. This is pretty standard for performance reasons. If twelve players all spammed 50 sprays, the game engine would probably start sweating, and your frame rate would dip harder than a Hulk Smash.
Interestingly, some surfaces are "Anti-Spray." If you try to tag certain transparent energy shields or specific destructible environments that are already in the process of crumbling, the spray might not register. This isn't a bug; it's just how the physics engine handles temporary surfaces.
The Art of the Flex: When to Actually Spray
There is a certain etiquette to Marvel Rivals how to spray. If you're doing it in the spawn room before the doors open, you're just killing time. That's fine. We all do it. You spray the door, someone else sprays over yours, and a silent war begins before the match even starts.
But the "Pro" move? It's the "Kill Cam Spray."
If you know you’ve just landed a massive play—maybe you’re playing Hela and you just wiped the backline—dropping a spray immediately after the final kill ensures that the enemy sees it during their death recap. It’s psychological warfare. Is it toxic? A little. Is it part of the hero shooter culture? Absolutely.
- The "Tag Team" Spray: If you're playing with a friend, try to find sprays that complement each other. Some of the comic-panel style sprays look great when placed side-by-side.
- The High-Ground Tag: Spraying in hard-to-reach places (like the top of the clock tower in Tokyo 2099) is a weirdly fun way to show off your movement skills with characters like Spider-Man or Iron Man.
Technical Glitches and "Ghost" Sprays
Sometimes, you’ll see your spray, but your teammates won't. This usually happens during high-latency spikes. The server registers that you performed the action, but it doesn't "broadcast" the image to everyone else's client fast enough.
Also, keep in mind that graphics settings matter here. If you are playing on the absolute "Low" preset to maximize your FPS, the game might limit the render distance of sprays or reduce their resolution until they look like a blurry mess of pixels. If you want your tags to look crisp, you need to make sure your Texture Quality and Effects Detail are at least at "Medium."
How to Get More Sprays
You're bored of the basic ones. I get it. To get the cool stuff, you have a few paths:
- The Battle Pass: This is the most consistent way. As you level up the seasonal pass, you'll unlock hero-specific and universal sprays.
- Hero Mastery: The more you play a specific character like Black Panther or Peni Parker, the more "Mastery" experience you earn. Often, sprays are tucked into these progression tracks as early rewards.
- Events: NetEase loves limited-time events. During the Closed Beta and the subsequent launches, there were specific challenges that rewarded "exclusive" sprays that you can't get anywhere else.
- The Shop: If you've got some extra currency burning a hole in your virtual pocket, the shop usually rotates bundles that include sprays as "fillers."
Actionable Next Steps for the Aspiring Rival
Now that you know the "how" and the "where," it's time to actually set yourself up for success. Don't wait until you're in a match to fix your settings.
First, jump into the Practice Range. It’s the safest place to mess with your keybinds without getting shot in the face by a stray Punisher rocket. Open your settings, go to the Controls tab, and find the Communication section. Rebind "Spray" to T. While you’re at it, rebind your "Emote" to something accessible too, because those two go hand-in-hand.
Next, head to the Gallery. Look through every hero you play and make sure you have a spray equipped in the first slot of the radial wheel. If you have "Universal" sprays, put those in the other slots so you always have a backup.
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Finally, test the "Spray-and-Fade." Go to a wall, use your new keybind, and see how long it lasts. Get a feel for the distance—you usually have to be within a few virtual meters of a surface for the spray to stick. If you’re too far away, your character will just wave their hand at the air like they’re swatting a fly.
Once you’ve got the muscle memory down, you’re ready to go out there and leave your mark on the multiverse. Just remember: a well-placed spray is great, but winning the match is better. Don't get caught tagging a wall while the enemy is capturing the objective. That's a one-way ticket to a "Defeat" screen and a very salty team chat.
Master Your Loadout
- Keybind: Change it to T for faster access.
- Menu: Settings > Control > Communication.
- Prerequisite: You MUST equip a spray in the Hero Gallery first.
- The "Secret": Hold G if you don't want to change your keybinds, but it's slower.
Get your settings sorted now so the next time you pull off a team-wiping play, you can celebrate properly.