Marvel Rivals Receives Pre-Season 1 Balance Patch with Significant Character Adjustments

NetEase has deployed a comprehensive balance patch for Marvel Rivals, impacting numerous characters ahead of Season 1's launch on January 10th. This update features buffs, nerfs, and tweaks across all hero categories, promising a refreshed meta for players. The patch addresses community feedback, particularly regarding underperforming characters.

Marvel Rivals, a popular hero-shooter, has quickly gained traction since its late 2024 release. Its roster of iconic Marvel characters, combined with team-based gameplay featuring payloads and capture points, contributes to its appeal. Season 1, focused on the Fantastic Four, is imminent, making this pre-season balance patch crucial.

The patch extensively revises hero abilities:

Duelists: Several Duelists received adjustments. Black Panther, Hawkeye, Hela, and Scarlet Witch experienced minor nerfs, while Black Widow, Magik, Moon Knight, Wolverine, and Winter Soldier received buffs, including increased health and reduced cooldown times. A significant buff was applied to Storm, previously considered one of the weaker Duelists. Her Bolt Rush now deals 80 damage (up from 70), and her Wind Blade projectile speed increased to 150m/s (from 100m/s).

Vanguards: Vanguards also saw improvements. Captain America and Thor received health boosts, and Venom's Feast of the Abyss damage was increased.

Strategists: The Strategist category saw various tweaks to Cloak & Dagger, Jeff the Land Shark, Luna Snow, Mantis, and Rocket Raccoon. Notable changes include a reduced cooldown for Cloak & Dagger's Dagger Storm and increased healing for Jeff's Joyful Splash. Rocket Raccoon's repair rate also received a boost.

Team-Up Abilities: Finally, the patch fine-tuned several team-up abilities, adjusting cooldowns and season bonuses for various hero combinations. For instance, the Hawkeye-Black Widow and Hela-Thor-Loki team-up bonuses were reduced.

Detailed Patch Notes: (The detailed patch notes from the original input are included here, maintaining the original formatting for clarity and ease of reference.)

Marvel Rivals Season 1 Balance Patch Notes

Duelist

Black Panther

• Reduce the additional health provided to self after refreshing Vibranium Marks with Spirit Rend from 40 to 30, and the upper limit of additional health provided from 120 to 75.

Black Widow

• Increase the range of the first effect of Edge Dancer from a 3-meter radius to a 5-meter radius.
• Reduce the time required for Fleet Foot to recover from 0 stamina to full from 12s to 4s.
• Reduce the time required for Electro-Plasma Explosion (ultimate ability) to reach maximum power from 1s to 0.6s.

Hawkeye

• Slightly reduce the spread angle between every two Blast Arrows.
• Reduce the triggering distance of passive ability Archer’s Focus from 60 meters to 40 meters. Reduce the maximum additional damage of the passive from 80 to 70.

Hela

• Reduce base health from 275 to 250.

Magik

• Increase Umbral Incursion damage in Darkchild form from 115 to 135.

Moon Knight

• Increase the number of talons generated by Hand of Khonshu (ultimate ability) from 10 to 14.
• Increase the explosion radius of each talon from 4 meters to 5 meters.

Namor

• Adjust the throwing feel of Monstro Spawn and Frozen Spawn. Now, Namor can more accurately throw them to the desired location.

Psylock

• Now Dance of the Butterfly (ultimate ability) will check for barriers (including Magneto’s Metal Bulwark, Hulk’s Indestructible Guard, etc.).

The Punisher

• Slightly reduce the spread of Deliverance and Adjudication.

Scarlet Witch

• Increase Chaos Control’s fixed damage from 50/s to 60/s.
• Reduce the percentage damage per second from 5% to 3%.
• Increase Chthonian Burst’s projectile damage from 30 to 35.

Storm

• Increase Wind Blade projectile speed from 100m/s to 150m/s and left-click damage from 50 to 55.
• Increase Bolt Rush damage from 70 to 80.
• After releasing Omega Hurricane (ultimate ability), the bonus health provided for herself will be increased from 350 to 450. Moreover, following its conclusion, the extra health will no longer vanish instantly but will instead diminish at a rate of 100 per second.

Squirrel Girl

• Addition of a new effect to the Unbeatable Squirrel Tsunami (ultimate ability): the squirrels will rush towards the nearest enemy after bouncing instead of bouncing randomly.
• Reduce the squirrel tsunami health from 600 to 300.

Winter Soldier

• Increase the bonus health provided by Bionic Hook and Tainted Voltage from 30 to 40.
• Increase Roterstern’s projectile damage from 70 to 75.
• Reduce the area damage from 70 to 65 and reduce damage decay from 65% at 40 meters to 60%.
• Increase base health from 250 to 275.

Wolverine

• Increase base health from 300 to 350.
• Reduce the damage reduction ratio provided by Undying Animal from 50% to 40%.

Vanguard

Captain America

• Reduce the delay time for shield restoration after releasing Living Legend from 3s to 2s.
• Reduce Liberty Rush cooldown from 12s to 10s.
• Increase base health from 650 to 675.
• Reduce the energy cost for releasing Freedom Charge (ultimate ability) from 3400 to 3100
• Reduce the additional health provided per second to self after releasing it from 110 to 100.

Doctor Strange

• Add damage falloff to Maelstrom of Madness and Gamma Maelstrom. Starting at 5 meters and reducing to 70% at 8 meters.
• Slightly decrease the shield value recovery rate after releasing Shield of the Seraphim from 80/s to 70/s.

Thor

• Increase base health from 500 to 525.
• Added immunity to control effects during God of Thunder (ultimate ability).

Hulk

• Reduce the Indestructible Guard gamma shield value for Hero Hulk from 250 to 200.

Venom

• Increase the Symbiotic Resilience bonus health ratio gained per lost health point from 1 to 1.2.
• Increase the base damage of Feast of the Abyss (ultimate ability) from 40 to 50.

Strategist

Cloak & Dagger

• Reduce Dagger Storm cooldown from 15s to 12s.
• Increase the number of dashes in Eternal Bond (ultimate ability) from 3 to 4.

Jeff the Land Shark

• Adjust It’s Jeff! (ultimate ability) range from a 10m sphere to a 10m radius, 5m high cylindrical spell field.
• Increase the healing of Joyful Splash from 140/s to 150/s.

Luna Snow

• Increase the interval for switching between healing and damage in Fate of Both Worlds from 0.1s to 0.5s.

Mantis

• Reduce Nature’s Favor (passive) movement boost from 2.5m/s to 1.5m/s.

Rocket Raccoon

• Increase the healing of Repair Mode from 60 per/s to 70 per/s.

Team-Up Abilities

Hawkeye – Black Widow

• Reduce Hawkeye’s season bonus from 20% to 15%.

Hela – Thor – Loki

• Reduce Hela’s season bonus from 20% to 15%.

Luna Snow- Namor

• Increase Frozen Spawn damage from 25 to 27.
• Increase Frozen Spawn slowing effect applied to hit enemies from 25% to 30%.
• Increase berserk state Frozen Spawn damage from 16 to 18.

Rocket Raccoon – The Punisher – Winter Soldier

• Reduce the cooldown of Ammo Invention from 45s to 40s.

Scarlet Witch – Magneto

• Increase Metallic Fusion projectile damage from 55 to 60.
• Increase Metallic Fusion spell field damage from 30 to 35.

Thor – Storm – Captain America

• Reduce the cooldown of Charged Gale from 20s to 15s.
• Increase the damage of Charged Gale from 50 to 55.

This extensive balance patch sets the stage for Season 1, promising a more balanced and engaging Marvel Rivals experience.