With the zero season behind us, the first season of *Marvel Rivals* has burst onto the scene, bringing a wave of new content and balance changes that are set to shake up the gameplay. Let's dive into the key updates that you don't want to miss.

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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This season, *Marvel Rivals* introduces a thrilling undead invasion led by none other than Dracula. To counter this dark force, the Fantastic Four have stepped into the battle. Two members are already playable, with more to join as the season unfolds.

New Heroes

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**Mister Fantastic**: A versatile duelist who excels at medium range, swiftly navigating between foes and allies. He can deal area damage and temporarily absorb hits, making him a dynamic addition to any team.

**Invisible Woman**: A strategic mastermind whose attacks not only damage enemies but also heal allies. She can create shields, manipulate enemy positions, and, as her name suggests, become invisible—a perfect surprise tactic.

New Maps and Mode

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Explore the new map, "Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown," where superheroes clash amidst the ruins of New York City, including iconic locations like Grand Central Terminal.

A fresh game mode, "Doom Match," caters to 8–12 players. The top 50% of players emerge victorious once a set number of knockouts is achieved, promising intense battles.

Battle Pass

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The first season's Battle Pass is double the size of the zero season's, packed with content to keep you engaged over the three-month season. Out of the 10 skins available, 8 are premium. While most skins dazzle, the Blue Tarantula for Peni Parker might disappoint with its minimal visual changes. As always, completing tasks in the free section of the Battle Pass rewards you with Units and Lattice.

Celestial Rank

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A new "Celestial" rank sits between "Grandmaster" and "Eternity," divided into three tiers. While most players won't reach this elite level, it may ease future rank progression. As with many games, your starting rank in the first season will be seven levels below your zero season's end rank, ensuring a fresh start.

What Are the Balance Adjustments for Heroes?

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Balancing a roster with unique abilities is no small feat, and *Marvel Rivals* has made several adjustments to keep the game fair and fun.

Vanguard

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**Captain America**: Previously underperforming, he's now bolstered with a reduced Shield cooldown from 3 to 2 seconds, a quicker Rush ability cooldown from 12 to 10 seconds, a health boost from 650 to 675, and an Ultimate ability cost reduction from 3,400 to 3,100, now granting 100 extra health instead of 110.

**Doctor Strange**: His Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma-version now deal 70% less damage at an 8-meter range (up from 5 meters), and his shield recovery speed has dropped from 80/s to 70/s.

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**Thor**: Gains 25 additional health points and crowd-control immunity during his ultimate ability.

**Hulk**: His Gamma Shield now provides 200 health instead of 250.

**Venom**: Despite his strength, he's been buffed with increased armor based on lost health (coefficient from 1 to 1.2) and a 10-point increase in his ultimate ability's base damage.

Duelist

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**Black Panther**: Reduced extra health from Spirit Rend's marks from 40 to 30, and maximum additional health dropped from 120 to 75.

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

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**Hawkeye**: A slight nerf with narrowed explosive arrow spread, reduced Archer’s Focus activation distance from 60 to 40 meters, and maximum bonus damage from his passive skill decreased from 80 to 70.

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**Hela**: Her health reduced from 275 to 250, yet she remains a top DPS. New Twitch Drops offer a skin and other rewards for Hela, available by watching streams with enabled drops.

**Magik**: Her damage in Darkchild form's Umbral Incursion increased from 115 to 135.

**Moon Knight**: His ultimate now generates 14 talons instead of 10, with each claw's blast radius increased from 4 to 5 meters.

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**Namor**: Improved throw accuracy in his abilities.

**Psylocke**: A bug fix ensures her ultimate skill checks for barriers against opponents.

**The Punisher**: Reduced spread for Deliverance and Adjudication.

**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.

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**Storm**: Enhanced normal attacks with faster, more damaging projectiles, increased right-click damage, and bonus health after her ultimate increased from 350 to 450, decaying at 100 per second instead of instantly disappearing.

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**Squirrel Girl**: Squirrels now target the nearest enemy after bouncing, and the health of her Squirrel Tsunami halved.

**Winter Soldier**: Health from 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 falloff at 40 meters reduced from 65% to 60%, 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 15 to 12 seconds, and their ultimate now includes 4 dashes instead of 3, enhancing mobility.

**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 during dance now has a 0.5-second break instead of 0.1 seconds, a minor tweak that won't affect her protective capabilities.

**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 benefits have been adjusted. **Hawkeye** and **Hela** see a 5% reduction in their season bonus, while **Namor**, **Rocket Raccoon**, **Magneto**, and **Storm** receive enhancements to their abilities.

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These balance changes are subtle but could shift the meta. While Hela remains a top pick and frequent ban at higher ranks, the introduction of new heroes might bring fresh dynamics to the game. Only time will tell how these adjustments play out in the ever-evolving world of *Marvel Rivals*.