Here is Everything to Know About Marvel Rivals Season 1

If you haven't heard about the massive success of Marvel Rivals yet, let me get you up to speed very quickly about how impressive this game is. NetEase's latest title launched to over 444 thousand concurrent players on Steam and yet there were no major technical issues in sight. There were 33 playable players from the get-go—each with astoundingly different gameplay mechanics—along with eight maps pulled from iconic Marvel locations that any fan would recognize in a heartbeat. Crossplay is available, there are no lengthy queue times, and monetization isn't a major part of the experience. Things have been fantastic so far, which only makes us more eager about what's to come next.

Marvel Rivals was released with Season 0 titled Doom's Rise. While every Season is meant to last around three real-world months, there is always the one and only exception which is coming sooner than expected. Season 1 titled Eternal Night Falls will begin on Jan. 10, 2025, and it will introduce some long-awaited characters as well as a dreadful new villain. So here's everything you need to know about the next chapter in the beloved Marvel PvP shooter.

The Fantastic Four are coming, but they won't all be released on January 10

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Eternal Night Falls is the introduction of Marvel's First Family themselves; The Fantastic Four. But while it's exciting to know four completely new characters will be arriving soon, it's worth noting that not all of them will be available from the get-go. In an interview with Marvel Rivals' creative director, Guangyun Chen, it was revealed that the season will be divided into two halves lasting six/seven weeks each. That means Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman will be playable on January 10 while The Thing and the Human Torch will be released mid-Season. Furthermore, Reed Richards and Johnny Storm will be duelists while Ben Grimm is a Vanguard, and Sue Storm is a Strategist.

Speaking of Sue, we know what her abilities will be like thanks to dataminer X0XLEAK via X (formerly Twitter):

• Primary fire Heal/DMG
• Grant teammate a wide front-facing shield
• Knockback Tunnel ability
• Gravity bomb ability (DOT dmg + CC)
• Double jump
• Ultimate: A wide ring that heals teammates after the player chooses a deploy location.

Furthermore, Reed Richards had a character reveal trailer of his own (which you can watch below) that showcases what the superhero is capable of. Chances are the rest of the Fantastic Four will each get a trailer as well the closer we get to the release of Season 1.

While The Fantastic Four are some of Marvel's most popular heroes, we all know their supporting cast is just as important. That's why it's nice to know that H.E.R.B.I.E. will also come to the game in the form of the payload within a brand-new convoy map. Speaking of which...

Three new maps will be added as Dracula expands his nightmare

Few things are as exciting as getting new playable characters on a good live-service game, but coming in a close second is getting to explore brand-new maps. Fortunately, that will also be the case for Marvel Rivals. Sanctum Sanctorum and Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown will both arrive once Eternal Night Falls releases. Since Dracula is plunging New York into an "eternal night" filled with vampiric creatures, it makes perfect sense that all new maps will be located in the city.

But as if that wasn't enough, we'll also be getting a third new location mid-Season in the form of Eternal Night: Central Park. This new battleground will feature a (very cool looking) mechanic where players can reverse time to restore complete structures after completely tearing them apart. While Marvel Rivals already features destructible environments (and they re-spawn with time), this newest "restore" animation for the map adds a lot of depth and immersion to the game. It's much more dynamic than simply watching complete structures appear almost out of nowhere as it's the case now. It's small features like these that truly show the passion that NetEase pours into improving the game.

A new game mode is on the horizon

One of my few personal nitpicks about Marvel Rivals is its current lack of different game modes. Fortunately, developer NetEase is well aware of this and will start to rectify things starting in Season 1. Doom Match will make its big debut as a "Free For All" mode in which 8 to 12 players battle it out inside the Sanctum Sanctorum. When a predetermined amount of kills is reached, the top 50% of players will claim their victory.

It's unfortunate to know that this latest game mode won't make its way to pre-existing Marvel Rivals maps. However, there's always the possibility that developer NetEase will add it to any upcoming locations they're working on, so fingers crossed for that!

Existing characters will be adjusted

NetEase has been carefully studying the team compositions players pick the most in Season 0 of Marvel Rivals. The studio came to the realization that ranged duelists are amongst some of the most popular choices, so they will take action to keep things a bit more balanced going forward. That means characters such as Hela and Hawkeye will be nerfed, while "mobile-type" Vanguards such as Captain America and Venom will be buffed. Furthermore, Wolverine, Storm, and Cloak & Dagger will also get gameplay enhancements.

If you've played as Steve Rogers, you know how little of an impact he tends to have in matches. So it's nice to see the iconic hero will (hopefully) get the chance to shine moving forward. And if, for whatever reason, there happens to be a NetEase developer reading this: Please, add Iron Fist to the list of characters getting nerfed. Sincerely, a Jeff-the-Land-Shark main.

A new battlepass will be summoned

Were you a bit disappointed by the Battle Pass of Season 0? Well, then worry not! The next one will come with double the content for all players to enjoy. It will include 10 new costumes, some of which will be for Loki, Wolverine, and The Scarlet Witch. Furthermore, it will cost 990 Lattice or approximately 10 USD. However, it's worth pointing out that the Battle Pass will unlock 600 Lattice in return, as well as 600 Units. So all things considered, it looks like a pretty fair deal that could save you some money (six dollars, specifically) on Season 2's pass if you were to get it as well.

As always, once you purchase the Battle Pass it will remain yours forever—no time limit constraints. It's a nice touch that truly shows NetEase values its customers more than other game studios out there that shall remain unnamed for the sake of keeping things pEAceful.

New exciting features, maps, and heroes are on the horizon for Marvel Rivals. On the bright side, it won't be long before we finally get to experience the next chapter in this beloved Marvel PvP. Eternal Night Falls will be released on Jan. 10, 2025, at 4 AM EST.