Details on new Marvel Rivals game mode for Spring Festival

M Alzamora Published 21/01/2025

To ring in the Lunar New Year, Marvel Rivals is celebrating with a Spring Festival that brings new hero skins and a new game mode.

Marvel Rivals is no stranger to a good theme. December saw the arrival of the Winter Celebration, featuring Jeff with snow powers and icy costumes for select other heroes, including Venom and Magik. The entirety of Marvel Rivals Season 1 is based on a darker, vampiric version of New York that will culminate in Dracula’s takeover. It’s no surprise then that developer Netease took the opportunity to announce a new Spring Festival to align with the Lunar New Year.

Running from late January through mid-February, players can look forward to seeing a new soccer game mode and lion-themed costumes for three special heroes. Here’s what we know.

Clash of the Dancing Lions game mode brings soccer to Marvel Rivals

Players participating in the Spring Festival can enter Wakanda’s world arena to compete in the new soccer 3v3 game mode for Marvel Rivals.

Players can select such heroes as Iron Fist, Star-Lord, and Black Widow as their character for the soccer competition. To start, each of the two sides must have three players, though it is currently unknown if there needs to be one of each individual hero or if players can compete as the same hero on the same team. Much like in regular soccer, the overall aim of the Clash of the Dancing Lions game mode is to score as many goals as possible by sending the ball into the opposing team’s goal area. A team wins by either scoring 10 goals or the most goals in a 10 -minute period. In a nod to the Lunar New Year, the “soccer ball” used in the new game mode is actually a lantern.

Some are comparing the new game mode to Rocket League, or to Lucioball from fellow hero shooter Overwatch. In Lucioball specifically, heroes can use their powers to gain advantages. This means there may finally be a use for Black Widow’s ability kit.

Winning Clash of the Dancing Lions doesn’t just provide clout. It can also aid players in getting access to limited-time themed skins and costumes, provided they complete a few relevant missions.

Spring Festival offers new Lunar New Year hero skins

Alongside the new game mode, Marvel Rivals is adding new hero skins and an additional event to the Spring Festival.

Players will be able to unlock Clash of the Dancing Lions costumes for all three featured champions and additional cosmetics, including nameplates. Black Widow, Iron Fist, and Star-Lord are all themed around the “golden lion’s mane” to embody strength and good fortune. Although the year 2025 is actually the Year of the Snake, the lion is still a powerful figure in many Lunar New Year celebrations and was chosen to represent the theme here.

Star-Lord’s skin is the only free skin of the set. He will likely be available through completing challenges, similar to how Jeff the Shark’s costume was during the Winter Celebration. Though Netease has not confirmed it just yet, players will likely have to spend some amount of either Units or Lattice on the other two skins, perhaps in addition to finishing out event missions.

The Spring Festival will also have a gallery card customization event called Fortune and Colors. More details will follow as the festival event kicks off. Those who would rather receive a fully made gallery card should look into the Season 1 battle pass offerings.

The Clash of the Dancing Lions game mode and all of its rewards go live in Marvel Rivals on January 23. Players have until February 14 to prove their skill and earn the three themed skins to show off long past the Lunar New Year. May their new costumes bring them luck when they return to doing battle with the dreaded Dracula.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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