The latest Marvel Rivals update brings the Ancient Powers Awaken event, featuring new skins, emotes, balance tweaks, and the debut of the Resource Rumble game mode. Packed with unlockable rewards, free skins, and gameplay adjustments, this patch delivers plenty of fresh content for players.
Ancient Powers Awaken Event Pass and Skins
The Ancient Powers Awaken mini-pass introduces a set of high-value cosmetics and gameplay rewards. Priced around 690 Lattice, the pass offers both free and premium tracks. The free reward features the Old Man Strange skin from the Wastelanders collection. With its silver hair, detailed gloves, and Book of Vishanti emote, it adds a unique visual style to Doctor Strange.
On the premium side, players can unlock two standout designs:
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Reborn King in Black Venom – A legendary skin with custom sound effects, unique visual touches, and an MVP animation featuring the symbiote dragon.
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Phoenix Fist Iron Fist – An epic-tier skin showcasing fiery chi attacks, glowing effects, and an exclusive MVP sequence.
Each tier also offers nameplates, sprays, Chrono Tokens, and Unstable Molecules, adding plenty of customization options.
Iron Man Extrembiote Armor and Free Rewards
This week’s store spotlight belongs to the Iron Man Extrembiote Armor, a legendary cosmetic priced at 2,200 units. It includes an intro animation, unique sound effects, and a custom emote where Iron Man inspects his reflection with a playful animation. The armor features symbiote-themed enhancements, including glowing green eyes and a swirling forehead mark, tying into the update’s visual identity.
Alongside the premium skins, a free promotional reward is available through the NVIDIA app. Players can claim the Master of Blackmagic Doctor Strange skin, normally valued at 600 units, by redeeming a code in-game. This offer lasts until September 19, making it a must-grab item for collectors.
Emotes, Duo Features, and New Store Additions
This update introduces the first-ever group emote in Marvel Rivals. The “My Baby and Me” emote features Jeff the Land Shark and Emma Frost sharing a playful hug when used together. If activated individually, the emote plays a standalone animation, offering flexibility for solo play.
Other emotes include:
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Venom revealing Eddie Brock’s face beneath the symbiote
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Iron Fist channeling flaming chi
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Doctor Strange opening the Book of Vishanti
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Mantis performing the popular “kitty shadow” meme
Based on current leaks, additional duo emotes may arrive in future patches, including one for Winter Soldier and Venom.
Resource Rumble Mode and Balance Changes (Marvel Rivals)
Launching alongside the event is Resource Rumble, a fast-paced mode set on the Throne of Knull map. Teams compete to secure resource zones that unlock randomly, introducing dynamic objectives and high-stakes gameplay. The symbiote dragon makes another appearance here, tying the new map’s theme to the update’s lore.
Several heroes also receive balance adjustments in this patch:
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Blade Buff: Bloodline Awakening lifesteal increased from 60% to 65%, while self-healing reduction drops from 40% to 35%, resulting in a 42% net lifesteal.
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Human Torch Nerf: Flame Field damage reduced from 25 to 20 per second; Pyro Prison ticks lowered from 50 to 40 per second.
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Loki Nerf: Primary fire damage decreased from 30 to 25, including clone attacks, while healing remains unchanged.
These changes aim to balance offensive pressure while rewarding strategic positioning and cooldown management.
