The Legendary Beginning of Marvel Rivals: what the Update brought

The zero season has concluded, and we're now diving into the exhilarating first season of *Marvel Rivals*. This season brings a host of new content and crucial balance changes to keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. Let's explore the significant updates you need to know about.

What’s New in the First Season?

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The theme of this season is an undead invasion led by none other than Dracula! To counter this dark force, the Fantastic Four have stepped into the battle. Two members of the team are already playable, with the rest to be introduced as the season unfolds.

New Heroes

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**Mister Fantastic**: A versatile duelist excelling at medium range, Mister Fantastic can swiftly maneuver between enemies and allies, unleash area damage, and temporarily absorb incoming damage.

**Invisible Woman**: A strategic mastermind, her attacks not only deal damage but also heal allies upon impact. She can generate protective shields, manipulate enemy positions, and, of course, become invisible—an ability that's sure to surprise her foes!

New Maps and Mode

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Explore the new "Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown" map, featuring iconic locations like Grand Central Terminal in a ravaged New York City. Additionally, the "Doom Match" mode has been introduced, designed 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. Future seasons will span three months, offering even more content. The premium version includes 8 out of 10 skins, most of which are visually striking. However, the Blue Tarantula skin for Peni Parker is somewhat underwhelming, offering merely a color swap. Completing tasks in the free section of the Battle Pass will still reward you with Units and Lattice.

Celestial Rank

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A new "Celestial" rank has been inserted between "Grandmaster" and "Eternity", comprising three divisions. While most players may not reach beyond "Bronze", this could ease the climb through the ranks in future seasons. As with many online games, a rating reset occurs at the end of each season, with your starting rank for the first season dropping seven levels from your zero season's final rank.

What Are the Balance Adjustments for Heroes?

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Balancing a large roster of heroes with unique abilities is always challenging, and *Marvel Rivals* is no exception. Here are the minor adjustments made to various heroes in the first season:

Vanguard

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**Captain America**: As one of the weaker tanks, he's received significant buffs. His Shield cooldown has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds, Rush ability cooldown from 12 to 10 seconds, and his health increased from 650 to 675 points. The Ultimate ability's cost is now 3,100 (down from 3,400), granting 100 extra health instead of 110.

**Doctor Strange**: His Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma-version damage decreases by 70% at a range of 8 meters (up from 5 meters), and shield recovery speed is reduced from 80/s to 70/s.

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**Thor**: Health increased by 25 points, and he now gains crowd-control immunity during his ultimate ability.

**Hulk**: Gamma Shield health reduced from 250 to 200.

**Venom**: Gains more armor based on lost health (coefficient increased from 1 to 1.2), and his ultimate ability's base damage increased by 10 points.

Duelist

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**Black Panther**: Extra health from Spirit Rend reduced from 40 to 30, and maximum additional health decreased from 120 to 75.

**Black Widow**: Radius for Edge Dancer's first effect increased from 3 to 5 meters, Fleet Foot recovery time reduced from 12 to 4 seconds, and time to reach maximum power for her ultimate ability shortened from 1 second to 0.6 seconds.

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**Hawkeye**: Explosive arrow spread angle slightly narrowed, Archer’s Focus activation distance reduced from 60 meters to 40 meters, and maximum bonus damage from his passive skill decreased from 80 to 70.

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**Hela**: Health reduced from 275 to 250. New Twitch Drops offer a skin and other rewards for Hela, obtainable by watching live streams with enabled Twitch Drops.

**Magik**: Damage to Umbral Incursion in Darkchild form increased from 115 to 135.

**Moon Knight**: Number of talons from his ultimate increased from 10 to 14, and blast radius of each claw increased from 4 meters to 5 meters.

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**Namor**: Accuracy of throws in his abilities adjusted.

**Psylocke**: Ultimate ability now checks for barriers against opponents.

**The Punisher**: Spread for Deliverance and Adjudication slightly reduced.

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**Scarlet Witch**: Chaos Control damage increased from 50/s to 60/s, damage-over-time percentage reduced from 5% to 3%, and Chthonian Burst damage increased from 30 to 35.

**Storm**: Normal attack projectiles now fly faster and deal more damage, right-click damage increased, and bonus health after using her ultimate increased from 350 to 450, decaying at 100 per second.

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**Squirrel Girl**: Squirrels now target the nearest enemy after bouncing, and health of Squirrel Tsunami reduced by half.

**Winter Soldier**: 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, and base health increased from 250 to 275.

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**Wolverine**: Health increased from 300 to 350, and damage reduction coefficient for Undying Animal decreased from 50% to 40%.

Strategist

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**Cloak & Dagger**: Dagger Storm cooldown reduced from 15s to 12s, and number of dashes during ultimate increased from 3 to 4.

**Jeff the Land Shark**: Ultimate range adjusted to a 10-meter cylindrical field with a height of 5 meters, and healing from Joyful Splash increased from 140/s to 150/s.

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**Luna Snow**: Mode change break during dance increased from 0.1s to 0.5s.

**Mantis**: Acceleration from Nature's Favor reduced 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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Team-Up bonuses have been adjusted. **Hawkeye** and **Hela** have their season bonus reduced by 5%, while **Namor**, **Rocket Raccoon**, **Magneto**, and **Storm** have been enhanced. Namor's monsters deal more damage, Rocket Raccoon's healing is improved, Magneto's projectile damage increased, and Storm's charged storm hits more often and harder.

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These balance adjustments, though minor, could shift the meta slightly. While Hela remains a top pick at higher ranks, the introduction of new heroes like Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman might bring fresh strategies to the forefront. As the season progresses, we'll see how these changes play out in the dynamic world of *Marvel Rivals*.