Fantastic Four, buffs and nerfs, and more

A new season dawns in Marvel Rivals, with Season One bringing new environments to compete on, additional characters to the roster, and balance changes to fine-tune the meta that has emerged since launch.

Marvel Rivals‘ first full season is due to kick off on Jan. 10, introducing two new characters immediately alongside new maps, game modes, a fresh Battle Pass, and more. Later down the line, a mid-season update will expand things further.

Below, we’ve highlighted all the major changes and tweaks to Marvel Rivals from the latest Developer Vision video, culminating in the early patch notes for Season One.

Marvel Rivals Season One early patch notes

To make it easier to find exactly the details you’re looking for, we’ve broken down the article into bitesize snippets focusing on key areas. You can quickly navigate to the exact point you want using the table of contents below.

New characters, maps, and game modes

The highlight of Season One is undoubtedly the addition of four new characters, expanding the already-stacked roster, with the Fantastic Four entering the scene. Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are joining for the start of the season on Jan. 10, with the Human Torch and The Thing joining six-to-seven weeks into the season.

Alongside the new characters, three new maps are entering rotation. All based in a New York Dracula has taken over, these themed environments will provide new challenges for players. The three maps are listed below:

• Empire of Eternal Night: Sanctum Sanctorum
• Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown
• Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park

In the first part of Season One, Midtown features as a new Convoy map, with the goal of taking H.E.R.B.I.E from the Baxter Building to the Avengers Tower, while the Sanctum Sanctorum is the scene for a new Arcade game mode: Doom Match. The new mode features eight-to-12 players, with the top 50 percent securing victory. Further details will be unveiled before Season One begins.

New Battle Pass

Season One features a new Battle Pass stacked full of rewards to earn, which is double the size of the Season Zero mini pass and features 10 new costumes to unlock, alongside related content to each, including Sprays, MVP screens, nameplates, and more.

A teaser for the Battle Pass, shown above, features new skins for Loki, Wolverine, and Scarlet Witch.

The Luxury Battle Pass in Season One is priced at 990 Lattice ($9.99), with 600 Lattice earned for completing the Battle Pass along with 600 Units. Once the Luxury Battle Pass is purchased, it is available to complete beyond the end of Season One.

Nerfs and buffs

While Marvel Rivals allows for diversity in team composition, shield-and-ranged hero combos have emerged as the first meta, particularly in the higher ranks of competitive. Several balance adjustments are being implemented to “keep the battles fresh and exciting.”

Hawkeye and Hela are receiving nerfs that tone down their formidable prowess, allowing other rather Duelists an opportunity to shine. Jeff the Land Shark’s Ultimate is also being fine-tuned so that the detection ranger “better aligns with early-warning signals.”

On the buff side of things, mobile-type Vanguards like Captain America and Venom are given improvements that empower them to “charge into battle protect their allies with renewed vigor.”

Heroes that “shine in specialized compositions,” specifically Wolverine and Storm, are also receiving buffs to “ensure they are the cornerstones of unique strategies.” Meanwhile, Cloak & Dagger also receive a buff to “elevate their potential” and “make them more formidable in diverse team setups.”

Full details on the buffs and nerfs for Season One will be outlined before the servers go live for the new season on Jan. 10.

Pick rates and win rates

The pick and win rates for Season Zero will be revealed as the current season draws to a close. In Quick Match, PC and console players will be merged due to crossplay in that mode, but Competitive will be separated.

When looking at Competitive mode, the pick and win rates will be organized by rank to provide a “clearer understanding of battlefield dynamics.”

New intel on the pick and win rates in Marvel Rivals will be released every half-season.

Ranked adjustments

Players in Competitive mode will have their ranks reset for Season One based on their standing at the end of Season Zero. Each player in Competitive will be demoted by seven divisions to begin their journey in the new season—meaning Platinum 1 players, for example, will begin Season One in Silver 2.

A new major rank is also being introduced to ranked for Season One, with Celestial slotting in between Grandmaster and Eternity. Like many other tiers, the Celestial tier will feature three divisions to work through.