Marvel Rivals has unveiled its fourth season, Heart of the Dragon, scheduled for release on September 12th, 2025.
Season 4 brings a variety of changes, many of which will likely shake up the esports meta. This includes introducing two new playable heroes, maps, balance changes and more. As such, Esports Insider takes a deep dive into the upcoming developments.
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New Heroes and Maps
In the Dev Vision Volume 9 video, more details were shared for Season 4’s two new playable heroes. Angela has been revealed to be a Vanguard character, though specific details for her kit have yet to be revealed. Guangyun ‘Guanguang‘ Chen, Creative Director for Marvel Rivals, did share how she is capable of flight, can dive into enemy lines, has a ranged spear attack, and can create a shield to block incoming damage.
Daredevil will release in the Season 4.5 update, and is anticipated to be a Duellist, though his kit currently remains a mystery.
On September 25th, a new convergence map will also be added to the pool called K’un-Lun: Heart of Heaven. Specific details have yet to be revealed, but similar to previous additions, it will likely be available in both ranked and esports map pools.
Balance Changes In Season 4
During the Dev Vision, Marvel Rivals Lead Combat Designer ‘Zhiyong‘ shared all the upcoming changes to Season 4’s meta, which will undoubtedly have a major impact in future esports events.
Team Ups
Another round of Team-Up rotations has been revealed, retiring old ones while introducing new abilities.
Here is a breakdown of all the Team-Ups being added, removed or changed in Season 4, Heart of the Dragon:
- New Team Ups
- Divine Armory – Angela (Anchor), Thor: Thor throws a Thunder Spear that restores Thorforce upon hit, Thor can then leap towards the spear’s impact point for area of effect damage.
- Removed
- Dimensional Shortcut – Magik (Anchor), Black Panther: Black Panther can enter a portal and teleport back to a previous location.
- Changes
- Arcane Order – Dr Strange (Anchor), Scarlet Witch, Magik (new): Magik gains Chain of Cyttorak, linking two enemies together to slow them down. The further apart they are, the greater the slow.
- Gamma Charge – Hulk (Anchor), Namor, Black Panther (new): Black Panther gains a Gamma Shield when his health drops below a certain threshold, temporarily blocking incoming damage.
How viable these Team-Ups will be remains to be seen. However, fans can see how these changes affect the best players in the world in future esports events such as Marvel Rivals Ignite Stage 2.
Buffs and Nerfs
With a new season comes a flurry of balance changes, toning down the most popular characters of the meta, whilst buffing less utilised picks that struggled in the past season.
Emma Frost was by far the most popular pick for the Marvel Rivals Mid Season Finals, so it’s no surprise she’s being nerfed for Season 4. Furthermore, two of the best Strategists in the game, Luna Snow and Loki, will be toned down in the new season.
During the LAN international tournament in China, diving was prevalent, especially with Captain America, a popular choice for teams such as the EMEA Stage 1 Champions, Citadel Gaming. As such, Captain America will receive a slight nerf.
Developers noted that Squirrel Girl has been popular in the lower ranks, and so her long-range poke’ is being ‘toned down.’ Black Panther also dominated in the early stages of Season 3, and so will receive a survivability nerf. Finally, Psylocke’s burst damage will also become less powerful.
In terms of buffs, both Peni Parker and Thor will receive a power boost to their ultimates for ‘more playmaking potential.’ Doctor Strange, one of the best characters in 2025, will once again receive another buff to his outgoing damage.
For Duellists, Moon Knight, the Season 3.5 addition Blade, and Scarlet Witch will become ‘stronger and more competitive.’ Finally, Strategist’s Invisible Woman, Jeff the Landshark, and Ultron will receive a boost to their ultimate abilities.
Other popular esports picks, such as Phoenix, Magneto, Cloak & Dagger, and Human Torch will not change this season, but Zhiyong promises that NetEase will ‘continue to monitor the meta’.
Esports Updates For Marvel Rivals
Alongside the Season 4 announcement, a schedule was released for Ignite Stage 2 events in September, 2025. The full schedule, including regional playoffs, has yet to be revealed, though NetEase has promised to give updates on its website and socials.
Here is when Ignite Stage 2 will begin across all four regions:
- Asia – September 11th, 2025
- China – September 11th, 2025
- EMEA – September 18th, 2025
- Americas – September 25th, 2025
- Oceania – September 25th, 2025
Near the end of the Dev Vision, Guangguang revealed that Marvel Rivals will be coming to PlayStation 4 (PS4) on September 12th, 2025. However, the game will not be coming to Xbox One or the Nintendo Switch systems.
Only time will tell how stable the performance will be on the last generation console. It is also unclear whether or not it will be included in esports events such as the console division for the Seasonal Championships or the monthly PlayStation Cups.
Source: https://esportsinsider.com/
