Following the reveal of the Fantastic Four as new playable characters and an exciting new trailer revealing a vampire-ridden New York City, Marvel Rivals have released their first dev Diary for Season 1. The video, led by Rivals Game Director Guangguang and Lead Combat Designer Zhiyong, showcased what players can expect during the Marvel Hero Shooter’s first proper season, which is also set to feature double the amount of content as a regular season. The team discussed the release cadence for Season 1’s new playable heroes, the new maps that will arrive alongside the Fantastic Four, what kind of themed cosmetics will be available from the Battle Pass, the main nerfs and buffs coming to pre-existing Heroes, and more.
First and foremost, Guangguang discussed the most exciting detail of Season 1 and that’s the introduction of the Fantastic Four as four new playable characters. As teased in a new trailer earlier today, Marvel’s First Family, helmed by Mr Fantastic and featuring The Human Torch, The Invisible Woman, and The Thing, will all arrive during the course of Season 1, bringing the total number of Heroes at the end of the season to 37.
Eternal Night Falls will be split into two six-week halves, with two members of the Fantastic Four being added in each half. Mr Fantastic (who was confirmed to be a Duelist) will be released alongside The Invisible Woman (who is our next Strategist) when Season 1 launches on January 10th. Meanwhile, The Thing (the next Vanguard) and The Human Torch (who is, unsurprisingly, a Duelist) will arrive during the second half, which should launch around the end of February. Additionally, according to Guangguang, this first season will have roughly double the content of a regular season. This means that we can expect two new Heroes each Season, totalling up to eight new Heroes each year.
Fantastic Four VS Dracula
Alongside the Fantastic Four, Season 1 will see three new vampire-themed maps arrive as the Eternal Night version of New York City becomes playable in Marvel Rivals. According to the lore, Dracula has taken advantage of Doctor Doom’s multiversal chaos to cast an era of eternal night over New York City, infesting it with his vampiric thralls and waging war with Earth Mightiest Heroes in the process.
Similar to the new characters, the launch of these maps will be staggered, with two – Empire of Eternal Night: Sanctum Sanctorum and Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown – available on day one and the third – Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park – available during phase two. Midtown will be a new Convoy map where one team needs to guide the Fantastic Four’s robotic helper HERBIE from the Baxter Building to Avenger’s Tower, whereas the Sanctum Sanctorum map will be the main map for the new Doom Match Arcade game mode. While vague, Lead Combat Designer Zhiyong’s words seem to imply that this will be an 8-12-man free-for-all mode.
Eternal Night Empire Maps Feature Unique Destruction Mechanics
Also available on day one will be the Eternal Night Falls Battle Pass, the first complete Premium Pass we’ve seen in Marvel Rivals as the Season 0 Battle Pass contained half the content and cost half the price of an ordinary Battle Pass. Season 1’s pass will be Vampire and Eternal Night-themed, with 10 Costumes and their associated cosmetics available to obtain through this pass. The key art for the pass shows exciting and gothic new outfits for Loki, Wolverine, and Scarlet Witch.
As for how much the Season 1 Battle Pass will cost, you can purchase it for 990 Lattice (or around $10). Furthermore, if you purchase the Luxury Battle Pass, you’ll be able to claim 600 Lattice and 600 Gold as part of the pass. This can used to purchase the next Battle Pass or can be spent in the Store for new costumes or cosmetics. Based on the Season 0 Battle Pass, free players will likely be able to pick up about half of this amount of Gold and Lattice.
Season 1 Battle Pass
One of the final major segments discussed in the new Dev Diary was the buffs and nerfs that would arrive in Season 1. According to Zhiyong, the major balance changes coming in Season 1 are the following:
- Nerfs for Hela and Hawkeye to let other Ranged Duelists shine
- Buffs for Captain America and Venom, Rival’s dedicated mobility tanks
- Buffs for Storm and Wolverine, with the latter being particularly necessary
- Buffs for Cloak and Dagger, likely due to Dagger’s relatively low healing
- Adjustments for Jeff’s Ultimate, making it easier to predict or escape from
The full details of the adjustments and balance changes will be revealed in the Season 1 Patch Notes. As of right now, most players seem to be happy with this list (baring some concerns about Wolverine, who has rapidly grown to be a ridiculously strong contender in high-rank lobbies) but are lamenting the lack of Luna Snow or Mantis nerfs.
Lastly, the Marvel Rivals team announced several smaller changes or additions coming for Season 1. Firstly, a new Rank Division, Celestial, will be added between Grandmaster and Eternity. Celestial will have three ranks to climb and should give high-rank players a better onboarding experience as they climb higher and higher. Secondly, the Hero pick rates and win rates for Season 0 will be published on the Rivals official website in the coming days, with updates coming every half-season so curious players can keep up to date. Finally, more graphics settings will be arriving in Season 1 so that players can achieve higher frame rates, which should alleviate some of the optimisation issues certain players have faced.
New Rank, Celestial
Season 1 of Marvel Rivals will launch on January 10th 2025 with two new playable characters, two new playable maps, a suite of balance changes, and a host of new cosmetics to earn from the vampire-themed Luxury Battle Pass.
SOURCE: Marvel Rivals Season 1 Dev Diary
