Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Nerfs and Buffs: Vanguards Dominate Hero Adjustments

Marvel Rivals is preparing for the upcoming release of Season 3.5, which will introduce new content and exciting changes to the superhero team-based PVP shooter. The mid-season update is expected to maintain the momentum after the cosmic chaos of Season 3’s The Abyss Awakens, which brought Phoenix and a Klyntar map with a symbiote theme.

According to the most recent Dev Vision Vol. 08, players may anticipate the release of Blade, a new Duelist hero, as well as a new map and another new game mode. In order to shake up the meta, the update phases out old combos and adds new Team-Up abilities with synergies involving Blade, Mantis, Luna Snow, and Adam Warlock.

The update’s main focus, like in previous Marvel Rivals seasons, is balance adjustments, which improve heroes to maintain fair gameplay. In order to address community feedback and meta trends and make sure that no single tactic dominates the battlefield, Season 3.5 delivers a mix of nerfs and buffs. Here are all the latest hero adjustments coming to the latest Rivals season.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Full Hero Nerfs And Buffs Coming With 20250808 Update

Hero Buffs

Doctor Strange

The Master of the Mystic Arts is getting a little oomph in his arsenal!

• Increase Daggers of Denak projectile charges from 8 to 10.
• Reduce Cloak of Levitation cooldown from 15s to 12s.

Groot

I am Groot! (Translation: Groot’s got slightly more reach and a bigger effect radius.)

• Increase Vine Strike range from 20m to 22m.
• Increase Flora Colossus effect range radius from 20m to 24m.

Thor

The God of Thunder’s gameplay gets a jolt of improvement and utility!

• Gain a fixed 1 Thorforce upon exiting the Awakening Rune awakened state.
• Lightning Realm New Effect: Enemies leaving its boundary are Grounded for 2s, restricting aerial abilities.

Star-Lord

Peter Quill gets a little more staying power in the heat of battle!

• Gain 25 Bonus Health when using Stellar Shift (max 25), which lasts for 3s before decaying to 0 over 1s.

Spider-Man

Spidey’s Ultimate just got stickier, and deadlier!

• Increase Damage per second of Spectacular Spin (Ultimate Ability) from 150 to 170.

Adam Warlock

Adam gets a slight cosmic buff to his Ultimate Ability frequency and strength, plus increased healing.

• Reduce the energy cost of Karmic Revival (Ultimate Ability) from 5000 to 4700.
• Karmic Revival New Effect: Revived allies gain Bonus Health equal to 70% of Maximum Heath, which lasts for 5s before decaying to 0 over 2s.
• Cosmic Cluster New Effect: Each hit now reduces Avatar Life Stream charge times by 0.3s.

Mantis

A new Team-Up Anchor effect for Mantis, but her base healing gets a gentle nerf to balance the cosmic scales. 

• Increase healing by 10% with the new Team-Up Anchor effect.
• Reduce Healing Flower’s Healing Over Time effect from 12.5/s to 10/s.
• Reduce Life Energy Blast projectile charges from 20 to 15
• Increase Soul Resurgence (Ultimate Ability) excess healing to Bonus Health conversion rate from 0.7 to 1.

Hero Nerfs

Magneto

The Master of Magnesium’s shields and survivability are getting a slight tune-down.

• Reduce Metal Bulwark and Iron Bulwark Shield Value from 300 to 250

Black Panther

After addressing hit detection, T’Challa’s Spirit Rend is getting a longer cooldown.

• Increase Spirit Rend cooldown from 8s to 10s.

Wolverine

Logan’s ultimate is a little bit tougher to unleash; time to earn that berserker barrage!

• Increase the energy cost of Last Stand (Ultimate Ability) from 2800 to 3400.
• Lifesteal gained from the Primal Flame – Phoenix Warrior Team-Up Ability no longer contributes to Wolverine’s Ultimate Ability energy.

Cloak & Dagger

Ty and Tandy’s Ultimate Ability now takes a bit more energy to unleash their Eternal Bond!

• Increase the energy cost of Eternal Bond (Ultimate Ability) from 4000 to 4300.

Hero Adjustment

Iron Fist

With his Team-Up Anchor removed, Lin Lie’s raw power gets a slight boost to even things out.

• Increase Jeet Kune Do’s fifth strike damage from 50 to 55.
• Increase Yat Jee Chung Kuen percentage damage of the enemy’s Max Health per strike from 2.1% to 2.7%.
• Adjust Harmony Recovery Bonus Health decay start time from 1s to 2s.
• Increase K’un-Lun Kick’s first strike damage from 30 to 35.

Team-Up Abilities

NEW

Duality Dance (Adam Warlock – Luna Snow)

• Luna Snow unlocks the new Light & Shadow Karma ability from her Team-Up with Adam Warlock.

Vibrant Vitality (Mantis – Groot/Loki)

• As the Team-Up Anchor, Mantis gains a 10% increase in healing effects.
• Groot gains the new Wild Wall ability from his Team-Up with Mantis.
• Loki gains the new Deific Blessing ability from his Team-Up with Mantis.

ADJUSTED OR REMOVED

Atlas Bond (Iron Fist – Luna Snow)

The bonds have been broken.

• The Team-Up Anchor effect for Iron Fist has been removed, along with the Atlas Bond Team-Up Ability.
• Luna Snow loses the Frozen Chi ability from her Team-Up with Iron Fist.

Chilling Assault (Luna Snow- Hawkeye/Iron Fist)

• Iron Fist joins the assault and unlocks the new Lunar Chi ability through his Team-Up with Luna Snow.

Guardian Revival (Adam Warlock – Mantis/Star-Lord)

• The Guardian Revival Team-Up is being laid to rest.
• Mantis loses the Nature’s Soul ability previously gained from her Team-Up with Adam Warlock.
• Star-Lord loses the Leader’s Soul ability previously gained from his Team-Up with Adam Warlock.

Lunar Force (Cloak & Dagger – Moon Knight/Blade)

• Blade launches into Lunar Force and gains the New Moon ability through his Team-Up with Cloak & Dagger.

Ragnarok Rebirth (Hela – Thor/Loki)

• Loki has other plans in stall and loses the Laufeyson Reborn ability previously gained from his Team-Up with Hela.

Rocket Network (Rocket Raccoon – Peni Parker/Star-Lord)

• Star-Lord connects to the network and unlocks a new Astral Jump ability through his Team-Up with Rocket Raccoon.

Balance Changes

Ever-Burning Bond (Human Torch – Spider-Man)

We’ve increased Spider-Man’s combo potential after using this Team-Up.

• Reduced the backflip distance after activation from 12m to 7m, allowing for more reliable follow-ups with moves like Amazing Combo.

Those were all the hero balancing changes that will be deployed with the Season 3.5 update on Marvel Rivals. If you’re looking forward to the next Rivals season, tell us in the comments!