Season 1.5 Changes and New Content
February 18, 2025
As Marvel Rivals continues to evolve, the second half of Season 1 brings exciting content, balance changes, and new gameplay opportunities. From the introduction of the final two iconic Fantastic Four members to a haunting new map, here's everything you need to know about the latest updates.
The Fantastic Four expands its presence in Marvel Rivals with the addition of two beloved characters:
The Thing: A powerhouse vanguard known for his durability and defensive capabilities. Whether you need a steadfast wall or a fierce frontline fighter, The Thing is ready to stand his ground and protect his team.
Human Torch: A blazing duelist who lights up the battlefield with fiery attacks and aerial mobility. His high-energy playstyle promises to bring an explosive dynamic to team compositions.
The second half of Season 1 introduces Central Park, a sinister battlefield overtaken by Dracula's vampire legions. This haunted terrain challenges players to venture into the Empire of Eternal Night, culminating in a daring raid on Dracula's castle. The map offers unique objectives and atmospheric design, immersing players in a high-stakes fight against darkness.
Season transition: The first half of Season 1 concludes on February 21, 2025, at 8 AM UTC. Players will receive rewards based on their ranks, including exclusive cosmetics for Grandmaster-level players and the top 500 competitors.
Rank reset: With the second half of the season, ranks and scores will carry over, but players must complete at least ten matches in competitive mode to qualify for new rewards.
New redemption system: Responding to community feedback, excess seasonal tokens can now be converted into units if players purchase the luxury battle pass. This ensures that no effort goes unrewarded.
Triple strategist lineups: While this composition has gained popularity in high ranks due to its survivability, adjustments are being made to prevent it from slowing down match pacing. Energy costs for frequent strategist ultimates (e.g., Cloak & Dagger) will increase, while vanguards like Venom and Magik will see reduced ultimate costs to encourage counterplay.
Vanguard adjustments: Dominant picks like Doctor Strange and Magneto will receive nerfs to their survivability. Meanwhile, movement-focused vanguards will be buffed to diversify playstyles.
Hero Tweaks: Characters such as Storm and Moon Knight are receiving moderate adjustments to refine their balance and maintain competitive viability.
The development team has committed to observing the meta closely throughout each half-season. Urgent issues will be addressed with smaller patches between major updates.
Competitive play is heating up with the announcement of the Marvel Rivals Championship. Faction registration has already maxed out in North America, with invitationals kicking off at the end of February and continuing into March. To enhance player anonymity during matches, a hidden name feature is being introduced for high-ranking players in competitive mode to help prevent both trolling and targeted bans for players known as specializing with particular characters.
With these updates, Marvel Rivals continues to deliver thrilling content while addressing community feedback. Whether you're eager to explore Central Park, master The Thing or Human Torch, or climb the competitive ladder, there's plenty to look forward to in the second half of Season 1.
About the author
A true OG of gaming since the very earliest days of the Atari 2600 and ZX Spectrum, Sacrilege is a passionate and driven content creator. A fan of creating 3D animations and skits, he's perhaps best known for building and running some of the most successful gaming community resources for titles such as Infinite Crisis, Predecessor, and now Marvel Rivals. You'll typically find him playing a strategist.
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