It’s hard to believe that Marvel Rivals is already well on its way through its third season. After the game launched in December of last year, Marvel Rivals has enjoyed consistent positive buzz. As one might expect of any game with a competitive community, balance updates have been a bit of a bumpier ride.
Marvel Rivals July 24 patch notes have just been revealed in a post from the official Marvel Rivals Twitter account. This post features a graphic which only includes a condensed handful of the upcoming updates. However, fans looking for further details can easily access the full patch notes on Marvel Rivals‘ official website. Regardless, the selective emphasis of certain features over others does give valuable insights into the developers’ priorities.
Everything to Expect From Marvel Rivals July 24 Patch Notes
Marvel Rivals‘ next update will arrive at 9 AM UTC/2 AM PT on July 2024, and promises a solid assortment of “additions and adjustments”. Perhaps most important to active players, developers confirmed that this patch will not come with any amount of server downtime. Instead, players simply have to wait a brief time while their personal game client updates, and then they’ll be able to jump right back into the action.
How Does Marvel Rivals’ New ‘First Steps’ Team-Up Work?
Two major changes serve as the proverbial headliners for Marvel Rivals‘ July 24 patch notes. First among them is the addition of a new Team-Up; a mechanic which has so far served as the backbone of the game’s competitive landscape. This particular Team-Up is called “First Steps”, and is performed by Human Torch and The Thing. Considering how ubiquitous other Team-Ups have become, don’t be surprised if you start seeing a lot more of The Fantastic Four on ranked.
First Steps allows Human Torch to lift The Thing skyward, and then drop him like a bomb into the battlefield. Upon impact, The Thing not only deals damage to surrounding enemies; he also creates a zone that prevents them from using mobility abilities. Dropping from the sky is likely to be most effective for invading the enemy backline, while mobility abilities are most frequently employed by enemy Duelists that dive the backline, making First Steps a fairly flexible tool.
Marvel Rivals July 24 Update Adjusts Accessory Points
After the new Team-Up, the next biggest announcement was a change to Accessory Points. For reference, the Accessory System is a new addition to Marvel Rivals, only coming to the game on July 11 when Season 3 first kicked off. Players were tasked with racking up Accessory Points by playing matches (in either Quick Match or Competitive) in order to earn these accessories, although there was a weekly cap of 700 points.
Frankly speaking, the new system isn’t very different. Instead, the patch really only affects the rates at which Accessory Points can be earned. Thankfully, this update seems to be for the better. Specifically speaking: Quick Match now grants 15 per match, while Practice VS. AI now grants 10 per match.
Marvel Rivals Season 3 Bug Fixes
Finally, Marvel Rivals is bringing a few bug fixes in tomorrow’s update. One is a simple fix to an apparent issue wherein Psylocke’s Breezy Butterfly costume would occasionally lack background music. Other fixes are more specific to gameplay, but don’t technically function as balance updates. Each adjustment came with a cutesy moniker (included in parentheses). The list of affected heroes is as follows:
- Spider-Man (Web of Woes)
- Phoenix (Fiery Focus)
- Black Widow (Red Room Reboot)
- Rocket Raccoon (Ravager Revival)
- Cloak and Dagger (Shadow Shuffle)
- Phoenix (Frame Rate Phoenix Down)
Each adjustment is designed to either remove an unintended interaction, or simply smooth out the process for the character involved. The developers at NetEase continue to apply a relatively light hand during midseason updates like this, meaning players expecting big changes may have to wait for Season 4; or at least until Blade arrives.
