The zero season has come to an end, and the first season of *Marvel Rivals* has arrived with a bang! This season is packed with exciting new content and significant balance adjustments designed to shake up the gameplay. Let’s dive into the details and explore all the noteworthy updates.
Table of Contents
- What’s New in the First Season?
- New Heroes
- New Maps and Mode
- Battle Pass
- Celestial Rank
- What Are the Balance Adjustments for Heroes?
- Vanguard
- Duelist
- Strategist
- Team-Up
What’s New in the First Season?
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The theme for the first season is an undead invasion led by none other than Dracula! To combat this dark force, the Fantastic Four have stepped into the arena. Two members are already playable, with the rest joining the battle as the season unfolds.
New Heroes
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**Mister Fantastic**: A versatile duelist who excels at medium-range combat. His abilities enable swift movement between enemies and allies, deal area damage, and offer temporary damage absorption.
**Invisible Woman**: A strategic mastermind whose attacks not only deal damage but also heal allies. She can create protective shields, manipulate enemy positions, and, of course, turn invisible, adding a layer of surprise to her gameplay.
New Maps and Mode
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Two new maps, "Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown," are now available, allowing superheroes to clash in iconic locations like Grand Central Terminal within a ravaged New York City.
A fresh game mode, "Doom Match," has been introduced for 8–12 players. The top 50% of players will emerge victorious once a specific number of knockouts is achieved.
Battle Pass
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The first season's Battle Pass is double the size of the zero season's and will span three months. Out of the 10 available skins, 8 are part of the premium version. While most skins are visually stunning, the Blue Tarantula for Peni Parker is somewhat underwhelming with just a color swap of the default outfit. The free portion of the Battle Pass offers Units and Lattice as rewards for completing various tasks.
Celestial Rank
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A new rank, "Celestial," has been introduced, positioned between "Grandmaster" and "Eternity" and divided into three tiers. While most players may not reach beyond the "Bronze" division, this addition could facilitate climbing the ranks in future seasons.
As with many online games, *Marvel Rivals* resets ratings at the end of each season. Your starting rank in the first season will be seven levels below your final rank in the zero season. For instance, finishing at Platinum I in the zero season means you’ll start at Silver II in the first season.
What Are the Balance Adjustments for Heroes?
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Balancing a diverse roster of heroes with unique abilities is always a challenge, and *Marvel Rivals* is no exception. Here’s a breakdown of the minor adjustments made to various heroes in the first season:
Vanguard
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**Captain America**: Previously one of the weaker tanks, he has received substantial buffs:
- The cooldown for his Shield has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.
- The cooldown for his Rush ability has decreased from 12 to 10 seconds, improving his mobility.
- His health has been increased from 650 to 675 points to enhance his survivability.
- The cost for his Ultimate ability has been reduced from 3,400 to 3,100, but it now grants 100 extra health instead of 110.
**Doctor Strange**: Received reasonable adjustments:
- Damage for Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma-version decreases by 70% at a range of 8 meters (previously 5 meters).
- Shield recovery speed reduced from 80/s to 70/s.
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**Thor**: Improved with the following changes:
- His health increased by 25 points.
- Gains crowd-control immunity while using his ultimate ability.
**Hulk**: Slightly nerfed with his gamma Shield now granting 200 health instead of 250.
**Venom**: Despite already being strong, received a buff:
- 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**: The extra health from upgrading marks with Spirit Rend has been reduced from 40 to 30, and maximum additional health decreased from 120 to 75.
**Black Widow**: Enhanced through several small changes:
- Radius for the first effect of Edge Dancer increased from 3 to 5 meters.
- Recovery time for the Fleet Foot reduced from 12 to 4 seconds.
- Time to reach maximum power for her ultimate ability shortened from 1 second to 0.6 seconds.
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**Hawkeye**: Slightly nerfed while retaining his strengths:
- The spread angle between explosive arrows was narrowed slightly.
- Passive ability Archer’s Focus activation distance reduced from 60 meters to 40 meters.
- Maximum bonus damage from his passive skill decreased from 80 to 70.
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**Hela**: Her health has been reduced from 275 to 250, yet she remains a top DPS. New Twitch Drops for Hela include a skin and other rewards, available by watching live streams of the game on Twitch.
**Magik**: Deals more damage with Umbral Incursion in Darkchild form, increased from 115 to 135.
**Moon Knight**: Already strong, now even better:
- Number of talons generated by his ultimate increased from 10 to 14.
- Blast radius of each claw increased from 4 meters to 5 meters.
**Namor**: The accuracy of throws in his abilities has been adjusted, more like a bug fix.
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**Psylocke**: The ultimate skill will now check for barriers against opponents.
**The Punisher**: Slightly reduced the spread for Deliverance and Adjudication.
**Scarlet Witch**: Mostly enhanced:
- Damage of Chaos Control increased from 50/s to 60/s.
- Damage-over-time percentage reduced from 5% to 3%.
- Damage of Chthonian Burst increased from 30 to 35.
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**Storm**: Significantly strengthened:
- Normal attacks release faster projectiles that deal more damage.
- Damage from right-clicking the mouse button has increased.
- Bonus health granted after using her ultimate increased from 350 to 450, now decaying at 100 per second instead of disappearing instantly.
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**Squirrel Girl**: Changes made for more predictability:
- Squirrels now target the nearest enemy after bouncing.
- Health of squirrel tsunami reduced by half, making them easier to destroy.
**Winter Soldier**: Enhanced to improve survivability:
- Health provided by right-click and E increased from 30 to 40.
- Damage of main attacks 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 points.
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**Wolverine**: The leading tank received a boost:
- 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:
- Cooldown of Dagger Storm reduced from 15s to 12s.
- Number of dashes during ulta increased from 3 to 4, enhancing mobility.
**Jeff the Land Shark**: Adjustments to enhance effectiveness:
- Ultimate range changed from a 10-meter sphere 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**: Only one nerf:
- During the dance, the mode change has a break of 0.5s instead of 0.1s.
**Mantis**: Weakened with reduced acceleration from Nature's Favor from 2.5m/s to 1.5m/s.
**Rocket Raccoon**: Healing speed in recovery mode increased from 60 to 70 units per second.
Team-Up
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The following changes relate to the benefits heroes receive from Team-Up:
- **Hawkeye** and **Hela**: Both players have their season bonus reduced by 5%.
- **Namor, Rocket Raccoon, Magneto, and Storm**: Enhanced with specific improvements to their abilities.
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Overall, these balance adjustments are relatively minor. A few characters may see a slight increase in popularity, but Hela remains a constant ban at higher ranks. The introduction of new heroes could potentially shift the meta, and only time will tell how these changes will impact the power dynamics within the game.
