Marvel Rivals Reveals a New Vanguard, Season 5.5 Details, and More

NetEase Games has officially revealed that Rogue will be coming to Marvel Rivals as a Vanguard when Season 5.5 makes its debut on December 12. Marvel Rivals recently released Gambit as a Strategist with the launch of Season 5 in November, which came as a surprise to many players who expected the hero to be a Duelist. In fact, the addition of Rogue as a Vanguard means that Season 5 will be the first season that doesn’t include a new Duelist. A large portion of the community has been asking NetEase Games to add more Strategists and Vanguards to the title, and it seems as if the developers have been listening to the feedback.

The developers have also been paying close attention to community feedback when it comes to Marvel Rivals‘ game modes. In October, the hero shooter debuted a new game mode as part of a collaboration with the hit television show Marvel Zombies. The mode proved to be a massive success, as Marvel Rivals saw a sharp rise in players shortly after it was released. In response, NetEase Games announced that similar PvE modes will be coming at some point in the future. While the game mode was originally supposed to go away in November, the developers extended its window twice, allowing gamers to experience the mode through January 16.

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Marvel Rivals Reveals Rogue’s Unique Vanguard Abilities

In its most recent Dev Vision update, NetEase Games revealed that Rogue will be making her debut as one of Marvel Rivals‘ fearsome Vanguards when Season 5.5 launches on December 12. While Rogue certainly has her own abilities that promise to make her a powerhouse on the battlefield, she’ll also be able to steal the powers of other heroes. For instance, she can hit Doctor Strange with a melee ability and steal his Shield of the Seraphim, allowing her to utilize the defensive power for a period of time. The ability to steal signature moves in the middle of a battle has a lot of potential, as Rogue players could use this power at key moments to turn the tables on their opponents. This is somewhat similar to the way Loki can steal the ultimate ability of anyone on the battlefield, which can be used to devastating effect.

Rogue will also be joining the Explosive Entanglement team-up with Magneto and Gambit, giving her some special perks that could prove to be quite powerful. When paired up with Gambit, Rogue will have a special ability that allows her to channel his kinetic energy. Upon activation, this ability will make all of Rogue’s attacks damage nearby enemies while also healing any allies within range. This could prove to be one of the most valuable team-ups in the game, as it links one of Marvel Rivals‘ best Strategists with two of its Vanguards.

Season 5.5 will also introduce a few changes to the game’s other team-ups. On December 12, the Mental Projection team-up between Emma Frost and Psylocke will be going away, but the heroes won’t be left out in the cold. Emma Frost will be added to the Chilling Assault team-up with Luna Snow and Iron Fist, allowing her to unleash a cone of frost that slows enemies while also creating a wall of diamond and ice. Marvel Rivals‘ Psylocke will be joining the Sword of Duality team-up with Hawkeye and Cloak & Dagger, allowing her to wield light energy through a returning shuriken that both damages enemies and heals allies. Upon return, the shuriken will also heal Psylocke based on the number of targets hit. In addition, Psylocke will be able to imbue darts with dark energy, which will damage enemies within range and allow her to turn invisible for a brief period of time.

NetEase Games has also announced that Jeff’s Winter Splash Festival will be returning to the game on December 18. The mode will be a little different from 2024, as it will feature three different builds for Marvel Rivals‘ Jeff the Land Shark and the new Jeffland map. In addition, gamers can also expect to see new holiday-themed skins for the heroes Daredevil, Star-Lord, Winter Soldier, Squirrel Girl, Peni Parker, and Cloak & Dagger. As of writing, NetEase Games has not revealed when or how these skins will make their debut, but it’s likely that many of them will appear in the game’s shop. With so much content to enjoy and Season 5.5 launching on December 12, many fans are feeling optimistic about the future of Marvel Rivals.