Marvel Rivals Season 3 brought two broad balance passes, a Wolverine follow-up, and several Team-Up changes. Season 3.0 launched July 11, 2025; Season 3.5 followed on August 8. The official notes include straightforward buffs and nerfs, but also mixed adjustments that raise one value while lowering another, plus new abilities and utility effects. The figures below are the before-and-after values in the published notes, not independent measurements of match performance.
Season 3 balance timeline
- July 2, 2025: Marvel Rivals published its Season 3.0 balance post for version 20250711. The season launch update was scheduled for July 11 at 09:00 UTC. Season 3.0 balance post · Season 3 launch notes · NetEase season announcement
- July 17, 2025: A follow-up adjusted Wolverine and the Phoenix–Wolverine Team-Up. Wolverine follow-up
- July 24, 2025: A patch added the Human Torch–The Thing Team-Up and listed fixes and optimizations, but did not include a hero-balance section. July 24 patch notes
- July 31, 2025: The Season 3.5 balance post announced another broad set of changes. The update was scheduled for August 8 at 09:00 UTC. Season 3.5 balance post
Below, each change is described as stated in the corresponding official post. A listed adjustment does not, by itself, establish how a hero’s win rate, pick rate, or competitive standing changed.
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Season 3.0 hero changes
Vanguard
- Emma Frost — mixed adjustment: Telepathic Pulse damage at 99 energy fell from 120/s to 110/s, and at 100 energy from 150/s to 140/s. Diamond Form damage reduction fell from 30% to 25%. Psionic Seduction’s energy cost fell from 3,700 to 3,400.
- The Thing — added utility: Battle Blitz was added, letting him leap toward enemies while gaining 25% damage reduction and targeting enemies up to 20 m away. Stone Haymaker gained an effect that knocks down flying enemies it hits.
- Venom — buff: Cellular Corrosion’s enemy slow increased from 15% to 25%.
Duelist
- Human Torch — mixed adjustment: Fire Cluster damage per projectile fell from 6 to 5.5. Supernova’s activation shockwave damage fell from 80 to 75, and Fire Tornadoes damage over time fell from 120/s to 110/s. He also gained a 5% Team-Up Anchor damage bonus.
- Iron Man — nerf: The first two Repulsor Blast hits fell from 40 to 35 and, in Armor Overdrive, from 50 to 45. Invincible Pulse Cannon’s energy cost rose from 2,800 to 3,400.
- Mister Fantastic — nerf: Inflated state bonus health fell from 400 to 350.
- Namor — buff: Trident of Neptune projectile damage increased from 70 to 75, and its projectile speed rose from 120 m/s to 150 m/s. Wrath of the Seven Seas projectile speed also rose from 120 m/s to 150 m/s.
- Scarlet Witch — mixed adjustment: Reality Erasure’s maximum slow during its charge fell from 35% to 25%, while its damage rose from 750 to 850.
- Spider-Man — buff: Get Over Here! kick damage after pulling to an enemy rose from 50 to 55; Spider-Power midair damage rose from 50 to 55; and Amazing Combo damage rose from 55 to 60.
- The Punisher — nerf: Culling Turret projectile damage and Spell Field damage each fell from 12 to 10. Final Judgement’s energy cost rose from 3,400 to 3,700.
- Winter Soldier — falloff adjustment: Roterstern’s maximum damage falloff at 40 m changed from 60% to 70%. The post specifies the new falloff value; it does not establish an independently tested outcome.
- Wolverine — nerf: Feral Leap strike duration increased from 4 s to 5 s, and its cooldown rose from 12 s to 15 s.
Strategist
- Invisible Woman — mixed adjustment: Orb Projection launch healing increased from 40 to 45 and launch damage from 20 to 25. On its return, healing fell from 40 to 35 and damage from 20 to 15.
- Loki — nerf: God of Mischief’s energy cost rose from 4,000 to 4,300.
- Mantis — mixed adjustment: Healing Flower gained an effect that heals allies by 2.5% per second, while its base healing fell from 20/s to 12.5/s. Soul Resurgence’s energy cost rose from 3,700 to 4,300, while its bonus maximum health increased from 100 to 150.
- Ultron — nerf: Dynamic Flight’s acceleration effect time fell from 8 s to 6 s. Imperative: Firewall bonus health fell from 75 to 65 for Ultron and from 55 to 50 for allies.
Season 3.0 Team-Up changes
- Ever-Burning Bond (Human Torch–Spider-Man) — added: Human Torch as anchor gains 5% damage; Spider-Man gains Inferno Blast.
- Primal Flame (Phoenix–Wolverine) — added: Phoenix as anchor gains 10% damage; Wolverine gains Phoenix Warrior.
- Guardian Revival (Adam Warlock–Star-Lord/Mantis): Leader’s Soul and Nature’s Soul cooldowns rose from 120 s to 135 s.
- Symbiote Shenanigans (Venom–Jeff): Guardian of the Deep maximum bonus health rose from 50 to 100, and the maximum tendril link period rose from 3 s to 5 s. Hela also joined Venom’s Team-Up and gained Hel Tendrils.
- ESU Alumnus (Spider-Man–Squirrel Girl) — removed: The Team-Up and Spider-Man’s anchor effect were removed; Squirrel Girl lost Webbed Acorn.
- Stark Protocol (Iron Man–Ultron/Squirrel Girl): Squirrel Girl joined and gained Squirrel Missile.
- Storming Ignition (Storm–Human Torch) — removed: Storm lost Burning Hurricane and Human Torch lost Omega Fire.
July 17 Wolverine follow-up
The follow-up post said the Phoenix–Wolverine combination was putting too much pressure on Vanguards. Its changes were mixed rather than a uniform reduction to Wolverine’s damage:
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- Berserk Claw Strike base damage rose from 6 to 8, while percentage damage per attack at maximum Rage fell from 4.5% to 3.5%.
- Regenerative Healing Factor cooldown increased from 90 s to 105 s. The cooldown reduction for participating in KOs increased from 10 s to 12 s.
- Phoenix Warrior lifesteal fell from 33% to 25%.
Season 3.5 hero changes
Vanguard
- Doctor Strange — buffs: Daggers of Denak projectile charges increased from 8 to 10, and Cloak of Levitation’s cooldown fell from 15 s to 12 s.
- Groot — buffs: Vine Strike range increased from 20 m to 22 m, and Flora Colossus effect radius from 20 m to 24 m.
- Magneto — nerf: Metal Bulwark and Iron Bulwark shield value fell from 300 to 250.
- Thor — utility changes: He now gains a fixed 1 Thorforce when exiting Awakening Rune’s awakened state. Lightning Realm grounds enemies for 2 s when they leave its boundary, restricting aerial abilities.
Duelist
- Black Panther — nerf: Spirit Rend cooldown rose from 8 s to 10 s.
- Iron Fist — buffs and adjustments: Jeet Kune Do’s fifth-strike damage rose from 50 to 55; Yat Jee Chung Kuen percentage damage per strike rose from 2.1% to 2.7% of enemy maximum health; Harmony Recovery bonus-health decay begins after 2 s instead of 1 s; and K’un-Lun Kick’s first-strike damage rose from 30 to 35.
- Star-Lord — buff: Stellar Shift grants up to 25 bonus health for 3 s, with that health decaying to 0 over 1 s.
- Wolverine — nerfs: Last Stand’s energy cost rose from 2,800 to 3,400. Phoenix Warrior lifesteal no longer contributes to Wolverine’s Ultimate energy.
- Spider-Man — buff: Spectacular Spin damage per second rose from 150 to 170.
Strategist
- Adam Warlock — buffs: Karmic Revival’s energy cost fell from 5,000 to 4,700. Revived allies gain bonus health equal to 70% of maximum health, lasting 5 s before decaying to 0 over 2 s. Each Cosmic Cluster hit reduces Avatar Life Stream charge time by 0.3 s.
- Cloak & Dagger — nerf: Eternal Bond’s energy cost rose from 4,000 to 4,300.
- Mantis — mixed adjustment: Her new Team-Up Anchor effect increases healing by 10%. Healing Flower healing over time fell from 12.5/s to 10/s, and Life Energy Blast charges fell from 20 to 15. Soul Resurgence’s conversion of excess healing to bonus health rose from 0.7 to 1.
Season 3.5 Team-Up changes
- Duality Dance (Adam Warlock–Luna Snow) — added: Luna gains Light & Shadow Karma.
- Vibrant Vitality (Mantis–Groot/Loki) — added: Mantis gains 10% healing as anchor; Groot gains Wild Wall, and Loki gains Deific Blessing.
- Atlas Bond (Iron Fist–Luna Snow) — removed: The Team-Up and Iron Fist’s anchor effect were removed; Luna lost Frozen Chi.
- Chilling Assault (Luna Snow–Hawkeye/Iron Fist) — adjusted: Iron Fist joined and gained Lunar Chi.
- Guardian Revival (Adam Warlock–Mantis/Star-Lord) — removed: Mantis lost Nature’s Soul and Star-Lord lost Leader’s Soul.
- Lunar Force (Cloak & Dagger–Moon Knight/Blade) — roster update: Blade joined and gained New Moon.
- Ragnarok Rebirth (Hela–Thor/Loki) — adjusted: Loki lost Laufeyson Reborn.
- Rocket Network (Rocket Raccoon–Peni Parker/Star-Lord) — roster update: Star-Lord joined and gained Astral Jump.
- Ever-Burning Bond (Human Torch–Spider-Man) — adjusted: Spider-Man’s post-activation backflip distance fell from 12 m to 7 m. The post said the shorter distance allows more reliable follow-ups.
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