Marvel and NetEase Games’s hero-based, free-to-play, third-person shooter Marvel Rivals, took the world by storm when released on December 6th last year, pitting the iconic heroes and villains of the expanded Marvel multiverse against one another in destructible environments that play on the worlds we already know and love. But it is now time to put Season 0 to rest and prepare for the next changes in store for Season 1.
Officially revealed on the Marvel Rivals YouTube channel, Season 1: Eternal Night Falls is set to launch on January 10th and will last for three months. This new season will see the members of the Fantastic Four join the roster, in addition to three new maps centred in a version of New York City ravaged by the Timestream Entanglement known now as the Empire of Eternal Night, as well as an all-new game mode known as Doom Match.
The official description of the season is:
“Darkness engulfs New York as the Timestream Entanglement leaves Doctor Strange trapped in the Entangled Astral Plane, scattering the Darkhold pages. Dracula and Doctor Doom disrupt the moon’s orbit, plunging the city into eternal night and unleashing an army of vampiric creatures. With the world on the brink, the Fantastic Four join forces with iconic Marvel heroes, standing together in the epic battle to break the mystical darkness with science. Ignite the battle against Dracula with the Fantastic Four in Marvel Rivals!”
The third instalment of the Developer’s Vision, as well as the official Marvel website, have also revealed that the new content will be divided across the three-month season into two halves ranging from six to seven weeks in length. The first half will see Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman join the fray as a new Duelist and Strategist respectively, whilst the Human Torch and The Thing follow afterwards in the second half as a new Duelist and Vanguard. Their abilities and gameplay mechanics have yet to be revealed.
In addition to that, the three new maps set to be added are the Sanctum Sanctorum, Midtown, and Central Park. The first two will be initially available, whilst Central Park will be rolled out in the second half of the season.
The new arcade game mode, Doom Watch, will also be available from the beginning of the new season. In this mode, 8 to 12 players will battle within the Sanctum Sanctorum with each player belonging to a different warring faction. Players must earn points by defeating enemies in order to score enough points to top the leaderboards and win.
The new season’s Battle Pass is also set to feature double the content of Season 0. It will also include new sprays, emotes, skins, and profile icons relevant to the season’s Eternal Night Falls theme. The Battle Pass will be available for 990 Lattice.
In addition, much-needed hero balance changes have been confirmed. Heroes like Hela and Hawkeye who have dominated the battlefield with their incredible range and kits will receive nerfs in hopes of incentivising new team compositions. Furthermore, characters like Captain America, Venom, Wolverine, Storm, Cloak and Dagger, and Jeff the Landshark will receive buffs to increase their play rate and capabilities in combat.
Marvel Rivals has become incredibly popular since its release, with NetEase Games reporting 10 million players on its launch weekend, as well as 20 million players less than two weeks later. It has also gone on to develop a highly competitive scene almost instantaneously that drew players from competitors such as Overwatch, Valorant, and even Counter-Strike.
Marvel Rivals is available for PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the official NetEase website.
About the Author
Jarrod Harrison
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Philosopher, avid gamer, and miniature painter. Jarrod is a lover of JRPG’s, connoisseur of all things horror, and professional Last of Us Part II defender.
