Marvel Rivals Season 4: Heart of the Dragon launched on September 12, 2025, at 09:00 UTC after maintenance estimated at two to three hours. NetEase’s September 4 launch notes introduced Angela as the season’s new hero, a Fruit of Immortality Battle Pass with 10 costume sets, the Scroll of the Immortal Beasts event, permanent Arcade modes, rank changes, quality-of-life features, and a broad balance pass. These are historical launch details: live hero values, cosmetic availability, and event access may have changed since that date.
The launch notes do not explicitly identify Angela’s role in the visible text, so this article calls her the new hero rather than independently labeling her a Vanguard. The accompanying balance post does establish her as the anchor of the new Angela–Thor Divine Armory team-up.
When did Marvel Rivals Season 4 launch?
Season 4: Heart of the Dragon began on September 12, 2025, at 09:00 UTC. NetEase estimated two to three hours of maintenance before access, while both the official launch notes and balance post were dated September 4, 2025.
| Milestone | Date or timing | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Official launch and balance pages | September 4, 2025 | The published notes describing launch content and tuning. |
| Season 4 start | September 12, 2025, 09:00 UTC | The announced beginning of Heart of the Dragon, following maintenance. |
| Twitch Drops window | September 12–October 10, 2025 UTC | A dated promotional period, not a standing reward program. |
| PlayStation 4 download | After maintenance on September 12, 2025, at 09:00 UTC | The notes’ stated timing for PS4 availability. |
Because the dates are historical, do not read the launch notice as proof that the same Battle Pass, Twitch Drops, store bundles, or balance values remain available today.
Who is Angela in Season 4?
Angela is the hero introduced for Heart of the Dragon. NetEase’s announcement describes her as descending into Marvel Rivals and asks players to unleash Asgardian might. The visible launch text does not provide a role label or a full ability breakdown, so the safest sourced description is “new hero Angela.”
Her most concrete launch connection is Divine Armory, a new team-up with Thor. Angela is the anchor and receives 100 additional health; Thor gains Thunderstrike Pike. That pairing makes Angela central to the season’s Asgardian theme, but a team-up designation alone should not be used to infer a role classification.
What did the Season 4 Battle Pass and event include?
Fruit of Immortality Battle Pass
The launch notice advertised a Battle Pass themed around the Fruit of Immortality with 10 all-new sets of heroic costumes. That wording describes Season 4’s original content package, not a guarantee that the pass was still purchasable after the season ended.
A later official Season 10 patch-notes search result referenced a return of the Season 4 Battle Pass. The available material does not establish the dates, price, regional availability, or contents of that return, so check the current in-game announcement before assuming the pass can be bought or completed now.
Scroll of the Immortal Beasts
The seasonal event asked players to light Immortal Beast badges. Completing that activity could earn the Ultron – Wasteland Robot costume. The launch notes present this as a Season 4 event reward; they do not promise that the event or its unlock path remains active.
How did Season 4 change competitive progression?
At the season transition, ranks were demoted by seven divisions according to each player’s final Season 3.5 rank. NetEase’s example says a Diamond I player would be moved to Gold II. The rule is a reset mechanic, not a statement about matchmaking quality or the number of players in any rank.
- Rank rewards: Gold-rank players were listed as eligible for the Angela – Siriana’s Silver costume.
- Higher-rank recognition: New nameplate frames and Crests of Honor were added for higher competitive ranks.
- Timing: The demotion and rewards belong to the Season 4 transition described in the September 2025 notice.
If you are comparing a current rank with the launch notes, account for later seasons and resets instead of treating the seven-division rule as a permanent ladder policy.
Which Arcade modes were added or returned?
Season 4 expanded Arcade with one new ruleset and several returning modes. The launch notice says all of the listed choices became permanent, meaning they were intended to remain selectable beyond a limited event window; it does not guarantee unchanged rules, queue populations, or reward schedules forever.
Conquest (Annihilation)
Conquest awards one point for every enemy defeated. The first team to reach 50 points wins, creating a straightforward elimination race rather than an objective-control match.
Free Fight
Free Fight uses Quick Match rules without duplicate-hero restrictions. Each team can also make two bans, so compositions can be shaped both by hero selection and by removing problematic picks.
Clone Rumble
Clone Rumble returned in a streamlined format. The launch notes identify the format change but do not provide a complete rules breakdown in the announcement.
Giant-Size Brain Blast
Giant-Size Brain Blast also returned. Like the other modes in this Arcade list, it was described as permanent from the Season 4 update.
What quality-of-life and system features arrived?
The update bundled a large set of interface, communication, customization, and custom-game changes:
- The Emoji Wheel was reworked.
- Costume rotation could cycle through selected unlocked costumes.
- Players gained controls for viewing other players’ custom ultimate visual effects.
- Friend suggestions were added.
- PC players received a slow-walk option.
- Voice chat could be limited to the squad or opened to the whole team.
- High-resolution Gallery Cards became downloadable on PC and PlayStation 5.
- Team lobbies received entrance animations.
- Tournament Room custom games could auto-pause when a player disconnected.
These changes affect how players present themselves, communicate, and manage private matches; they are separate from hero balance and do not alter the competitive rank reset.
Which heroes were buffed or nerfed in the Season 4 balance patch?
The September 4 balance post changed heroes in all three roles. The figures below are launch-patch values from that post, not current live-game measurements or population statistics.
Vanguard changes
| Hero | Ability or system | Before | Season 4 launch value | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain America | Team-Up Anchor damage bonus | Included a 5% bonus | Bonus removed | His team-up damage contribution was reduced. |
| Doctor Strange | Maelstrom of Madness cooldown | 8 seconds | 6 seconds | More frequent use, alongside a health reduction. |
| Doctor Strange | Base health | 600 | 575 | Lower baseline durability. |
| Emma Frost | Diamond Form cooldown | 15 seconds | 18 seconds | Longer downtime between uses. |
| Emma Frost | Telepathic Pulse shield-hit energy | 10 per second | 5 per second | Slower energy generation from shield impacts. |
| Peni Parker | Spider-Drone slow | No listed stacking slow | Stacks up to 40% | Repeated drone effects can increasingly hinder movement. |
| Peni Parker | Ultimate drone release interval | 0.7 seconds | 0.5 seconds | Drone deployment happens more quickly. |
| Thor | Ultimate movement speed | 600 | 700 | Greater movement during the ultimate. |
| Thor | Ultimate landing effect | No listed stun | 1-second stun to nearby enemies | Landing can briefly disrupt opponents around him. |
Duelist changes
| Hero | Change | Launch-patch detail |
|---|---|---|
| Black Panther | Spirit Rend bonus health against marked enemies | 30 reduced to 25; base health also fell from 300 to 275. |
| Blade | Ancestral Sword slash damage | 22 increased to 24. |
| Magik | Magik Slash and projectiles | Shorter maximum-damage charge time, piercing projectiles, and increased damage values; the announcement does not state every new number. |
| Moon Knight | Moon Blade | Up to two charges, with each charge recharging in six seconds. |
| Psylocke | Wing Shuriken retrieve damage | 12 reduced to 8 per hit. |
| Scarlet Witch | Mystic Projection and Reality Erasure | She could be healed during Mystic Projection. Reality Erasure damage rose from 800 to 9,999 and gained a pull effect on nearby enemies. |
| Squirrel Girl | Burst Acorn damage | 110 reduced to 100; other values also changed without a complete set of figures in the announcement. |
| Winter Soldier | Second Trooper’s Fist strike | Added a one-second debuff preventing mobility abilities. |
The Scarlet Witch number needs particular care: 9,999 is the announced Season 4 Reality Erasure value. It is an ability tuning figure from the patch, not a claim about her ordinary attacks, average damage, or present-day performance.
Strategist changes
| Hero | Change | Launch-patch detail |
|---|---|---|
| Invisible Woman | Guardian Shield | Slow increased from 30% to 35%. |
| Invisible Woman | Invisible Boundary | Gained healing and a 20% slow effect. |
| Jeff | Ultimate healing pool | Leaves an eight-meter pool that heals allies for 100 health per second for eight seconds. |
| Loki | Illusion damage and healing ratio | 100% reduced to 80%; ultimate shapeshift timing was also reduced. |
| Luna Snow | Ultimate duration | 12 seconds reduced to 10 seconds. |
| Mantis | Movement boost | Now decays over two seconds after she is hit. |
| Ultron | Ultimate against Bonus Health | Gained 125% damage against Bonus Health. |
What team-up changes were introduced?
Season 4 added Divine Armory and revised several existing pairings.
- Angela and Thor — Divine Armory: Angela is the anchor and gains 100 health; Thor gains Thunderstrike Pike.
- Magik and Doctor Strange — Arcane Order: Magik gained Chain of Cyttorak.
- Magik and Psylocke: Dimensional Shortcut was removed.
- Black Panther and Psylocke: Black Panther lost Wakandan Master from that pairing.
- Black Panther and Hulk — Gamma Charge: Black Panther gained Gamma Vibranium Armor.
These are team-up configuration changes, so a hero’s value in a specific duo may differ from the value suggested by the individual balance table.
What other launch details and fixes were listed?
Timed and platform-specific details
- Angela bundles and costumes were listed for the store at launch.
- Twitch Drops ran from September 12 through October 10, 2025 UTC.
- Season 4 Championship details were announced.
- College Perk costumes were updated.
- PlayStation 4 downloads were scheduled after the September 12 maintenance window.
All of these items are date-bound launch information. The notes do not establish that the store offers, Drops, Championship schedule, or College Perk availability remain the same.
Fixes
NetEase listed improvements to the pre-match hero-selection wheel and Career page, corrections to Hero Proficiency displays, map-terrain and vehicle adjustments, and fixes for issues affecting Star-Lord and Winter Soldier.
How should you use these patch notes now?
- Anchor any comparison to September 12, 2025. Treat the listed values as the Heart of the Dragon launch state.
- Check the current in-game notices. This is essential for the Battle Pass, event rewards, store bundles, Twitch Drops, and any later re-release.
- Verify Angela’s role from a current official hero listing. The launch announcement names her but the visible patch text does not label her role.
- Separate hero tuning from team-up rules. A damage, cooldown, or health change may interact with a pairing that was added or altered in the same season.
- Use the mode descriptions when choosing Arcade. Conquest rewards eliminations, Free Fight permits duplicates and two bans per team, while the returning modes use their own formats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Season 4 announcement list Angela’s abilities?
No. The launch copy introduces Angela with Asgardian-themed wording and identifies her Divine Armory connection with Thor, but the supplied launch text does not provide a complete ability kit. Use a current official hero page or in-game ability screen for exact descriptions.
Are the permanent Arcade modes guaranteed to have active matchmaking today?
No. “Permanent” describes the intended availability of the modes after the update rather than a guarantee about queue times, player population, or unchanged matchmaking rules. Those practical conditions can vary by platform, region, and later updates.
Can I still claim the Season 4 Twitch Drops?
The announced Drops period ended on October 10, 2025, UTC. The launch notice does not state an extension or a later rerun, so a current campaign notice is required before assuming the rewards can still be earned.
Should 9,999 be treated as Scarlet Witch’s normal damage?
No. It is the Season 4 launch value listed for the specific Reality Erasure ability. It should not be converted into a general damage-per-second estimate or used as proof of her current live-game output.