NetEase and Marvel are gearing up for the imminent Season 1 content for their acclaimed hero-shooter that has taken the gaming sphere by storm. With over 20 million active players (and counting), Marvel Rivals is shaping up to be one of this year’s best new games.
Season 0 ended with a bang, launching with a massive roster of 33 iconic heroes and villains from Marvel Comics and a budding competitive scene inviting professional players to its Tournaments.
With Season 1, it looks like there’s trouble brewing in New York City, as Dracula has engulfed the entire city with his vampiric powers. Luckily, the Fantastic Four are ready to help. Here’s everything you need to know about Marvel Rivals Season 1:
The Fantastic Four Are Here!
The biggest reveal for Season 1 is the addition of four new characters to the base 33 roster, making it a total of 37 now. Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing will be coming to shake up the game’s meta.
Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman will be free on Season 1’s launch day, while the Human Torch and the Thing will be unlocked mid-season. This is a great move from NetEase, allowing players to enjoy the new heroes without being overwhelmed by the rest.
Dracula Has Taken Over New York
Season 1’s big bad is Dracula, one of Marvel’s iconic villains and an archnemesis to Blade. He also owes Moon Knight some money.
After Doctor Doom disrupted the timelines in Season 0, Dracula has turned New York into his breeding ground for vampires. This creates chaos across the city, turning familiar landmarks upside down.
Now dubbed the ‘Empire of Eternal Night,’ iconic locations such as Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, the Fantastic Four’s Baxter Building, and even Avengers Tower have fallen under Dracula’s influence.
3 New Maps!
Season 1 will launch with two maps corrupted by Dracula’s forces. The third map will be available alongside the mid-season release of the Human Torch and the Thing.
- The Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown will be a convoy map, with the Fantastic Four’s resident robotic pet, H.E.R.B.I.E., as the payload.
- Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum will be home to a new game mode for arcade players called ‘Doom Match.’ This mode pits players against each other in a deathmatch-style game, where the first to reach a set percentage wins.
- The third map, Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park, will be released mid-season. It could potentially be a Convergence map, mixing Convoy and Domination gameplay. All three maps will feature destructible environments, allowing players to reshape the battlefield and develop new strategies.
New Battle Pass
The Season 1 Battle Pass is double the size of the Season 0 model. It will include 10 new skins, such as a Van Helsing-themed Wolverine, a gothic look for Loki, and a witchier version of Scarlet Witch.
The Battle Pass will be priced at 990 Lattice (the yellow currency) and will include 600 Lattices and 600 Units (the blue currency) unlockable within. The Battle Pass will not expire, so once purchased, progress can be made at any time without fear of missing out.
Balance Changes
Marvel and NetEase have teased new balance updates for their best- and worst-performing heroes.
- Hela and Hawkeye will finally receive nerfs for being the most frustrating heroes to fight in high-level play, reducing one-shot kills and unbalanced damage.
- Buffs will be provided for underperforming heroes, including Storm, Captain America, Venom, Wolverine, and Cloak & Dagger. Details are still scarce, but players hope Storm will become viable in higher ranks.
- Jeff the Shark’s ultimate will be reworked to make his ‘circle of death’ more manageable, giving players better counterplay options.
Rank Reset
Ranks will be adjusted when Season 1 begins, with players dropping seven divisions from their current rank. For example, those at Platinum 1 will drop to Silver 2.
A new Celestial rank will be introduced between Grandmaster and Eternity, providing more distinction for high-level players.
And More!
A new ‘Hero Hot List’ feature will be available on the game’s website and updated every season. It will showcase the most -- and least-picked heroes, their win rates, meta viability, and other data. This tool will be invaluable for aspiring competitive players.
Players on lower-end PCs will finally experience smoother gameplay with new graphics settings that reduce special effects, lighting, and shadows.
Finally, a mouse acceleration setting will be introduced, improving aim responsiveness and addressing previous issues with controls.
This is just the beginning for Marvel Rivals. More heroes and content are planned for future updates, including leaked characters like Ultron and a map based on Krakoa.