On January 8, 2025, NetEase introduced the first major update for Marvel Rivals Season 1, titled Eternal Night Falls. This update not only adds new characters but also significantly alters the power levels of many existing heroes in the game, bringing a more balanced experience for players.
Fantastic Four Joins the Roster
One of the biggest highlights of Season 1 is the introduction of Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman are now part of the game’s roster, promising to bring fresh and exciting strategies for players.
Balance Updates
NetEase has not only introduced new characters but also made a series of buffs and nerfs to existing heroes. The goal is to create a more fair playing field, allowing players to experiment with a wider variety of strategies.
According to NetEase, Season 0 saw diverse team compositions and strategies, with players experimenting with multi-hero teams and powerful counterattacks. However, some heroes were overly powerful, while others were underused due to certain weaknesses.
Major Buffs and Nerfs for Heroes
Vanguard:
- Captain America:
- Reduced shield recovery cooldown from 3 seconds to 2 seconds after Living Legend.
- Reduced Liberty Rush cooldown from 12 seconds to 10 seconds.
- Increased base health from 650 to 675.
- Reduced energy cost for Freedom Charge from 3400 to 3100.
- Doctor Strange:
- Added damage reduction mechanism for Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma Maelstrom. When enemies are within 5 meters, damage is reduced by 30%, and at 8 meters, it’s reduced by 70%.
- Thor:
- Increased base health from 500 to 525.
- Added immunity to crowd control effects in God of Thunder.
- Hulk:
- Reduced Gamma Shield value in Indestructible Guard from 250 to 200.
- Venom:
- Increased healing from Symbiotic Resilience from 1 to 1.2.
- Increased base damage for Feast of the Abyss from 40 to 50.
Duelist:
- Black Panther:
- Reduced additional health after Vibranium Marks refresh from 40 to 30.
- Black Widow:
- Increased range of Edge Dancer from 3-meter radius to 5 meters.
- Reduced cooldown of Fleet Foot from 12 seconds to 4 seconds.
- Hawkeye:
- Reduced splash area for Blast Arrows.
- Reduced activation range for Archer’s Focus from 60 meters to 40 meters.
- Moon Knight:
- Increased number of talons generated by Hand of Khonshu from 10 to 14.
Team-Up Ability Changes
In addition to individual hero adjustments, NetEase also made slight changes to how Team-Up abilities work. However, they mentioned that they didn’t make significant changes to the Team-Up system in Season 1. Instead, small tweaks have been made to improve the effectiveness of current Team-Ups.
- Hawkeye – Black Widow:
- Reduced seasonal bonus for Hawkeye from 20% to 15%.
- Luna Snow – Namor:
- Increased Frozen Spawn damage from 25 to 27.
- Increased slow effect from Frozen Spawn when hit from 25% to 30%.
Mid-Season Update
NetEase also mentioned that a mid-season update will be implemented to monitor the effects of these changes and make further adjustments if necessary. This ensures that the game remains fair and engaging for all players.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 Official Launch
Marvel Rivals Season 1: Eternal Night Falls will be officially released on PC and console platforms on January 10, 2025. With major changes to hero balances and new characters like Fantastic Four, this season promises to bring fresh challenges for players. Get ready to dive into the action and explore new strategies with the latest additions!
About Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play third-person shooter developed by NetEase. In this game, players engage in intense battles featuring iconic heroes from the Marvel Universe, including Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and many others.
The unique feature of Marvel Rivals is its team composition system, allowing players to create powerful squads by combining different heroes’ abilities and strengths. Players can experiment with a variety of strategies by forming teams to battle enemies ranging from alien invaders to other players in intense PvP matches.
The game offers several modes, including campaign missions and PvP battles, with a deep progression system and challenging fights. Marvel Rivals also features a character upgrade system, allowing players to enhance their heroes through battles and unlock new skills and equipment.