Marvel Rivals, developed by Marvel Games and NetEase Games, is set to release Season 1.5: Eternal Night Falls on February 21, 2025.
This update introduces two new characters from the Fantastic Four—Human Torch as a Duelist and The Thing as a Vanguard—enhancing the game’s roster with fiery and protective abilities, respectively.
A new map, “Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park” features a Central Park overtaken by Dracula, offering a unique battleground for players.
New features and competitive enhancements
The update includes a new redemption system allowing players to convert excess Chrono Tokens into Units, providing more flexibility in resource management.
The competitive mode sees updates with increased Faction registration limits for the Marvel Rivals Championship (MRC) in North America and a series of Marvel Rivals Invitationals (MRI) starting at the end of February, leading to a grand championship.
Balance adjustments for various heroes are part of the update, with detailed patch notes available on the official website (Marvel Rivals Patch Notes).
This ensures a refreshed gameplay experience, with specific changes to hero abilities and team-up skills.
New characters: Human Torch and the thing
The update brings two new characters from the Fantastic Four: Human Torch and The Thing.
Human Torch, a Duelist, is described as the Fantastic Four’s resident hothead heartthrob, with the ability to ignite his body and soar across the city, using scorching flames to battle Dracula’s legions.
His narrative role includes gathering Chronovium and scavenging for parts of the Timestream Reintegration Device, adding an intense flare to battles.
The Thing, a Vanguard, was originally a pilot transformed by cosmic rays into a rocky, indestructible monster.
Despite his monstrous appearance, he retains a heart of gold, focusing on protecting New York City, plunged into eternal night, and leading missions to collect Chronovium using his piloting skills.
This addition enhances the game’s strategic depth with a protective, strong character.
New Map: Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park
A new map, “Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park,” is introduced, set in Central Park, which has been overtaken by Dracula.
This map features Dracula’s castle integrated into the park, creating a destructible environment with a dark, thematic twist.
This map has a unique setting, with players noting the humorous and thematic placement of Dracula’s castle amidst trees, enhancing gameplay with a mix of iconic and supernatural elements.
Gameplay enhancements
The update includes a new redemption system, allowing players to convert excess Chrono Tokens into Units.
Chrono Tokens and Units are in-game currencies, with this system providing flexibility for resource management, as noted in the press release.
This feature aims to improve player experience by offering more options for utilizing earned resources.
Competitive mode and tournament plans
Competitive mode receives updates, with the Marvel Rivals Championship (MRC) increasing its Faction registration limits in North America following the update.
A series of Marvel Rivals Invitationals (MRI) will kick off at the end of February and continue into March, paving the way for the upcoming grand championship.
This expansion caters to competitive players, enhancing the esports scene for Marvel Rivals.
Balance adjustments and patch notes
The update includes balance adjustments for various heroes, with detailed patch notes to be available on the official website upon release.
A table summarizing these changes is provided below, extracted from the patch notes:
| Category | Hero/Ability | Change Description | Details (Numbers, Effects) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | Captain America | Enhanced survivability, smoother Vibranium Energy Saw, reduced ultimate energy cost | – Shield self with Living Legend mid-leap – Vibranium Energy Saw: projectile speed 60m/s to 80m/s, ricochets 100m/s to 150m/s – Freedom Charge energy cost: 3100 to 2800 – Separated Sentinel Strike from melee, allows melee during shield throw or Charged Aegis, airborne melee no longer triggers Super-Soldier Slam |
| Doctor Strange | Reduced survivability | – Base health: 650 to 600 | |
| Groot | Increased threat range | – Thornlash Wall placement range: 15m to 18m | |
| Magneto | Slight dip in survivability, small offensive surge | – Iron Volley projectile damage: 35 to 40 – Metallic Curtain: energy consumption 50/s to 65/s, max duration 2s to 1.5s | |
| Thor | Improved user experience post-Awakening Rune | – Remove shared cooldown after Awakening Rune ends | |
| Venom | Heightened threat, leaner ultimate energy cost | – Frenzied Arrival knockback: vertical to inward, 75° angle – Feast of the Abyss energy cost: 2800 to 2500 | |
| Duelist | Black Widow | Enhanced combat effectiveness, increased ultimate threat | – Red Room Rifle magazine capacity: 8 to 15 – Electro-Plasma Explosion: slow effect 80% to 55%, adds 15% Vulnerability for 4s |
| Hawkeye | Sharpened survival, honed close-quarters, increased ultimate peril | – Base health: 250 to 275 – Blast Arrow: projectile damage 20 to 15, spell field damage 25 to 32 – Crescent Slash cooldown: 15s to 12s – Hunter’s Sight: bow draw speed increased, damage multiplier 1.2 to 1.35 | |
| Hela | Increased mid-to-long-range suppression | – Nightsword Thorn damage falloff at 30m: 70% to 80% | |
| Iron Fist | Enhanced Yat Jee Chung Kuen with fortitude and finesse | – Jeet Kune Do: 1st/2nd/5th strikes 32 to 30, 3rd/4th 16 to 15, 6th 55 to 50; Yat Jee Chung Kuen: damage 19 to 10, adds 1.7% max health damage per strike – Harmony Recovery: additional max health 50 to 150, decays 25/s after 1s – Dragon’s Defense: max bonus health from blocked damage 150 to 200 – Base health: 250 to 300 | |
| Iron Man | Increased Unibeam damage | – Unibeam damage: 120/s to 140/s – Unibeam (Armor Overdrive): 180/s to 190/s | |
| Magik | Reduced damage, lowered ultimate energy cost | – Demon’s Rage damage: 80/s to 72/s – Darkchild energy cost: 3700 to 3400 | |
| Mister Fantastic | Greater ultimate impact | – Flexible Elongation: spell field radius 2.5m to 5m, adds knockback, recharge time 8s to 10s – Brainiac Bounce: damage 50 to 70, energy cost 2800 to 3400, damage decay starts at 3m, max 50% reduction at 10m | |
| Moon Knight | Improved reaction times, optimized damage logic | – Hand of Khonshu: reduced talons falling speed, damage trigger logic changed, damage per hit 75 to 150 | |
| Scarlet Witch | Boosted survivability during ultimate | – Reality Erasure: adds 100 Bonus Health, decays 50/s post-ability | |
| Spider-Man | Reduced Web-Cluster cooldown for increased offense | – Web-Cluster energize time: 3s to 2.5s | |
| Star-Lord | Upgraded mobility | – Rocket Propulsion max energy: 1200 to 1800 | |
| Storm | Toned down long-range tempest, recalibrated bonuses | – Wind Blade damage falloff at 30m: 70% to 60% – Thunder damage increase: 16% to 12% (Storm), 8% to 10% (allies) – Enhanced Thunder damage increase: 30% to 25% | |
| Strategist | Adam Warlock | Enhanced damage, slight healing increase post-Soul Bond | – Quantum Magic damage: 55 to 60, damage falloff at 40m 50% to 60% – Soul Bond healing: 10/s to 15/s |
| Cloak & Dagger | Increased survivability and healing during ultimate, reduced frequency/intensity | – Eternal Bond: energy cost 3400 to 4000, healing 220/s to 250/s, duration 10s to 8s, pause time 1s to 0.67s, non-stacking healing, unlocked camera – Terror Cape Vulnerability: 20% to 28% | |
| Invisible Woman | Reduced ultimate frequency | – Invisible Boundary energy cost: 4000 to 4300 | |
| Loki | Reduced ultimate frequency, slightly enhanced survivability | – God of Mischief energy cost: 3400 to 4000 – Mystical Missile charges: 10 to 12 | |
| Luna Snow | Reduced ultimate frequency | – Fate of Both Worlds energy cost: 4000 to 4500 | |
| Team-Up Abilities | Atlas Bond | Enhanced Luna Snow’s side | – Frozen Chi healing: 50 to 75, slow effect 20% to 30% URL: https://marvelrivals.gg/atlas-bond/ |
| Dimensional Shortcut | Increased sustained combat for Black Panther and Psylocke | – Psionic Disc Rewind Time: 5s to 3s, health to blue armor ratio 0.5 to 0.8 – Wakandan Master Rewind Time: 5s to 3s, health to blue armor ratio 0.5 to 0.8 URL: https://marvelrivals.gg/dimensional-shortcut/ | |
| Gamma Charge | Reduced damage capability, lowered Bruce Banner’s benefits | – Unibeam (Gamma Overdrive) damage: 220/s to 200/s – Hulk Team-Up Anchor health bonus: 150 to 100 URL: https://marvelrivals.gg/gamma-charge/ | |
| Lunar Force | Enhanced Moon Knight’s survivability | – Full Moon New Effect: heals 25 health/s while in effect area URL: https://marvelrivals.gg/lunar-force/ | |
| Symbiote Bond | Enhanced survivability for Peni Parker and Spider-Man | – Spider-Man’s Suit Expulsion: duration 4s to 1s, 50% damage reduction to invincibility – Peni Parker’s Armor Expulsion: duration 4s to 2s, 50% damage reduction to invincibility URL: https://marvelrivals.gg/symbiote-bond/ |
These changes aim to refine gameplay balance, with specific adjustments to health, damage, energy costs, and team-up abilities, ensuring a dynamic and balanced experience for players.
Development insights
The announcement includes a new episode of Dev Vision, offering insights into the development process, and character reveal trailers, enhancing community engagement.
The official website (Marvel Rivals Official Website) provides further details, including updates and patch notes, ensuring players have access to comprehensive information.
This mid-season update for Marvel Rivals, launching on February 21, 2025, significantly expands the game’s content with new characters, a thematic map, and gameplay enhancements.
The integration of Dracula’s influence in Central Park and the detailed balance adjustments reflect a commitment to narrative depth and competitive balance, catering to both casual and competitive players.
