Marvel Rivals' Legendary Start: Update Highlights

The zero season has wrapped up, and we're now diving into the thrilling first season of *Marvel Rivals*, packed with exciting new content and crucial balance updates. Let's explore the key changes that are set to shake up the game.

What’s New in the First Season?

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This season's theme is an epic undead invasion led by none other than Dracula! To counter this dark threat, the Fantastic Four have stepped into the battle. Two members are already playable, with the rest joining throughout the season.

New Heroes

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Mister Fantastic: A versatile duelist with medium-range attacks. He swiftly navigates between foes and allies, dealing area damage and absorbing damage temporarily.

Invisible Woman: A strategist who not only heals allies but also creates shields, manipulates enemy positions, and, as her name suggests, can turn invisible—surprise!

New Maps and Mode

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Explore the "Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown" map, where superheroes clash in a ravaged New York City, including iconic spots like Grand Central Terminal.

Jump into the new "Doom Match" mode, designed for 8–12 players. The top 50% become winners after reaching a set number of knockouts.

Battle Pass

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The first season's Battle Pass is double the size of the zero season's. Future seasons will last three months, offering more content. Out of 10 skins, 8 are premium, with most being visually appealing. However, the Blue Tarantula for Peni Parker is just a color swap of the default outfit. Earn Units and Lattice by completing tasks in the free portion of the Battle Pass.

Celestial Rank

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A new "Celestial" rank sits between "Grandmaster" and "Eternity", divided into three tiers. While most players might not reach beyond "Bronze", this could ease future ranking climbs.

Like many online games, *Marvel Rivals* resets ratings at season's end. Your starting rank in the first season drops seven levels from your zero season's final rank. For instance, ending at Platinum I in zero season means starting at Silver II in the first.

What Are the Balance Adjustments for Heroes?

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Balancing a diverse roster of heroes is always challenging, and *Marvel Rivals* is no exception. Here are the minor adjustments made for the first season:

Vanguard

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Captain America: This previously underpowered tank received buffs:

• Shield cooldown reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.
• Rush ability cooldown decreased from 12 to 10 seconds.
• Health increased from 650 to 675 points.
• Ultimate ability cost reduced from 3,400 to 3,100, now granting 100 extra health instead of 110.

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Doctor Strange: Adjustments to balance his power:

• Damage for Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma-version decreases by 70% at 8 meters (from 5 meters).
• Shield recovery speed reduced from 80/s to 70/s.

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Thor: Enhanced to improve survivability:

• Health increased by 25 points.
• Gains crowd-control immunity during his ultimate ability.

Hulk: Slightly nerfed:

• Gamma Shield now grants 200 health instead of 250.

Venom: Already strong, but buffed:

• Gains more armor based on lost health (coefficient increased from 1 to 1.2).
• Base damage of his ultimate ability increased by 10 points.

Duelist

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Black Panther: Reduced health gains:

• Extra health from Spirit Rend reduced from 40 to 30.
• Maximum additional health reduced from 120 to 75.

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Black Widow: Improved with minor changes:

• Radius for Edge Dancer's first effect increased from 3 to 5 meters.
• Fleet Foot recovery time reduced from 12 to 4 seconds.
• Time to reach maximum power for her ultimate ability shortened from 1 to 0.6 seconds.

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Hawkeye: Slightly nerfed:

• Spread angle between explosive arrows narrowed.
• Archer’s Focus activation distance reduced from 60 to 40 meters.
• Maximum bonus damage from his passive skill decreased from 80 to 70.

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Hela: Health reduced, but still a top DPS:

• Health reduced from 275 to 250.

New Twitch Drops for Hela include a skin and other rewards. Watch live streams with Twitch Drops enabled to claim them.

Magik: Increased damage in Darkchild form:

• Damage to Umbral Incursion increased from 115 to 135.

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Moon Knight: Enhanced:

• Number of talons generated by his ultimate increased from 10 to 14.
• Blast radius of each claw increased from 4 to 5 meters.

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Namor: Accuracy of throws adjusted.

The Punisher: Reduced spread for Deliverance and Adjudication.

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Scarlet Witch: Enhanced:

• Chaos Control damage increased from 50/s to 60/s.
• Damage-over-time percentage reduced from 5% to 3%.
• Chthonian Burst damage increased from 30 to 35.

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Storm: Significantly strengthened:

• Normal attacks release faster, more damaging projectiles.
• Right-click damage increased.
• Bonus health after using her ultimate increased from 350 to 450, decaying at 100 per second.

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Squirrel Girl: Changes for predictability:

• Squirrels now target the nearest enemy after bouncing.
• Health of squirrel tsunami halved.

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Winter Soldier: Enhanced:

• Health from right-click and E increased from 30 to 40.
• Main attack damage increased from 70 to 75.
• Area damage reduced from 70 to 65, with damage falloff at 40 meters reduced from 65% to 60%.
• Base health increased from 250 to 275.

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Wolverine: Boosted:

• Health increased from 300 to 350.
• Damage reduction coefficient for Undying Animal decreased from 50% to 40%.

Strategist

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Cloak & Dagger: Improved to match other supports:

• Dagger Storm cooldown reduced from 15 to 12 seconds.
• Number of dashes during ultimate increased from 3 to 4.

Jeff the Land Shark: Adjusted:

• Ultimate range changed to a 10-meter cylindrical field with a height of 5 meters.
• Healing from Joyful Splash increased from 140/s to 150/s.

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Luna Snow: Slightly weakened:

• Mode change break during dance increased from 0.1 to 0.5 seconds.

Mantis: Weakened:

• Acceleration from Nature's Favor reduced from 2.5m/s to 1.5m/s.

Rocket Raccoon: Healing speed increased:

• Healing speed in recovery mode increased from 60 to 70 units per second.

Team-Up

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Team-Up benefits have been adjusted:

• Hawkeye and Hela: Season bonus reduced by 5%.
• Namor, Rocket Raccoon, Magneto, and Storm: Enhanced. Namor's monsters deal more damage, Rocket Raccoon heals better, Magneto's projectile damage increased, and Storm's charged storm hits more often and harder.

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These balance adjustments are subtle but could shift the meta. While Hela remains a constant ban at higher ranks, the impact of the new heroes on the game's dynamics will be fascinating to watch unfold.