Marvel Rivals' Legendary Start: Update Highlights

The zero season has concluded, and with the launch of the first season, *Marvel Rivals* brings a host of new content and crucial balance changes to enhance your gaming experience. Let's dive into the exciting updates and adjustments you can expect this season.

What’s New in the First Season?

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This season's theme is an undead invasion led by the iconic Dracula! To counter this dark threat, the Fantastic Four have stepped into the battle. Two members of this legendary team are already available, with the rest set to join as the season progresses.

New Heroes

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**Mister Fantastic**: A versatile duelist who excels at medium-range combat. His unique abilities allow for swift movement between foes and allies, dealing area damage and absorbing damage temporarily.

**Invisible Woman**: As a strategist, her attacks not only deal damage but also heal allies. She can generate shields, manipulate enemy positions, and, true to her name, become invisible—a strategic advantage you won't see coming!

New Maps and Mode

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Explore the "Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown," a new map featuring iconic locations like Grand Central Terminal in a devastated New York City. Additionally, a thrilling new game mode, "Doom Match," has been introduced for 8-12 players, where the top 50% emerge victorious 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 and promises a three-month duration packed with more content. Out of the 10 available skins, 8 are part of the premium version, offering visually stunning options. However, the Blue Tarantula skin for Peni Parker only features a color swap, which might disappoint some players. Engage in the free portion of the Battle Pass to earn Units and Lattice by completing various tasks.

Celestial Rank

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A new "Celestial" rank has been inserted between "Grandmaster" and "Eternity," comprising three divisions. While most players may struggle to advance beyond "Bronze," 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 zero season rank; for instance, a Platinum I finish will place you at Silver II to start.

What Are the Balance Adjustments for Heroes?

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Balancing a diverse roster of heroes with unique abilities is a challenging task, and Marvel Rivals has made several adjustments to ensure a more competitive environment.

Vanguard

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**Captain America** has been significantly buffed to enhance his tanking capabilities:

• 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 increased from 650 to 675 points to reduce his vulnerability.
• The cost for his Ultimate ability has been lowered from 3,400 to 3,100, now granting 100 extra health instead of 110.

**Doctor Strange** received adjustments to balance his power:

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

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**Thor** saw improvements to bolster his survivability:

• His health increased by 25 points.
• He gains crowd-control immunity while using his ultimate ability.

**Hulk** underwent a slight nerf:

• Gamma Shield now grants 200 health instead of 250.

**Venom**, already a formidable character, 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** saw a reduction in extra health from upgrading marks with Spirit Rend from 40 to 30, and maximum additional health reduced to 75 from 120.

**Black Widow** was enhanced with 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** received a slight nerf:

• The spread angle between explosive arrows was narrowed.
• 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** had her health reduced from 275 to 250, yet remains a top DPS choice. New Twitch Drops include a skin and other rewards for Hela, available by watching live streams on Twitch with Drops enabled.

**Magik** now deals more damage with Umbral Incursion in Darkchild form, increased from 115 to 135.

**Moon Knight** saw improvements:

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

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**Namor** had the accuracy of throws in his abilities adjusted.

**The Punisher** saw a slight reduction in the spread for Deliverance and Adjudication.

**Scarlet Witch** received enhancements:

• 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** saw significant strengthening:

• Normal attacks release faster projectiles with increased 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:

• Squirrels now target the nearest enemy after bouncing.
• Health of Squirrel Tsunami reduced by half, making them easier to destroy.

**Winter Soldier** was enhanced:

• Health provided by right-click and E abilities 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**, a top 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** saw improvements to close the gap with 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** received adjustments:

• 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** was slightly weakened:

• Mode change during dance now has a break of 0.5s instead of 0.1s.

**Mantis** also saw a reduction in acceleration from Nature's Favor from 2.5m/s to 1.5m/s.

**Rocket Raccoon** received an increase in healing speed in recovery mode from 60 to 70 units per second.

Team-Up

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Team-Up bonuses have been adjusted:

• **Hawkeye** and **Hela** have their season bonus reduced by 5%.
• **Namor, Rocket Raccoon, Magneto, and Storm** received enhancements. 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 relatively minor, but they may shift the meta slightly. While Hela remains a constant ban at higher ranks, the introduction of new heroes and changes could bring fresh dynamics to the game. Only time will tell how these updates will influence the competitive landscape of *Marvel Rivals*.