Marvel Rivals is giving Squirrel Girl, a Duelist who has been on the roster since the hero shooter launched, a major rework in Season 11. NetEase detailed the overhaul in its official Version 20261113 balance post, and the changes rebuild how her kit plays instead of simply tuning a few cooldown numbers.
NetEase says Squirrel Girl's difficult-to-control primary attack projectiles and her over-reliance on that primary attack for damage had introduced too much randomness into her playstyle. "Inconsistent KO efficiency and damage output have left her without a competitive edge as a Duelist in mid-to-high level competitive play," the developers wrote, adding that her high-damage shots often deal unintended damage off-screen. The rework aims to fix that while "preserving her unique playstyle while granting her more controllable damage and KO potential."
The centerpiece is a new Mammal Bond mechanic. Casting Mammal Bond now grants Squirrel Girl an additional 100% attack speed bonus for five seconds, during which her projectile speed rises from 80 to 150 meters per second and gravity is removed from her shots, so her acorns fly straight instead of arcing and bouncing. Each Burst Acorn deals 65% of its normal damage in that state, and the effect persists for its full duration even if the refreshed ability from Mammal Bond is used.
Squirrel Blockade is changing just as much. Its projectile speed increases from 20–60 meters per second to 60–90, and while its imprison duration drops from 1.3 seconds to 0.8 and its hit damage falls from 50 to 25, a hit now generates an Acorn Rain field with a five-meter radius around the target. The rain deals 30 damage per second to enemies inside it for two seconds and applies a 20% slow, and Burst Acorn's base damage is also reduced from 110 to 95, with its maximum damage falloff at three meters adjusted from 70% to 60%.
Smaller touches round out the rework. Squirrel Girl now gains 25 Bonus Health when she casts Tail Bounce, giving her a sturdier escape, and the overall package pushes her toward managing her cooldowns for the right moment rather than holding down her primary fire. She is the latest launch-era hero to get this treatment, following the Black Widow overhaul in Season 9 and the Scarlet Witch rework in Season 10.
The rework arrives with Season 11, Doomsday, on November 13, 2026, as part of a balance wave covering 29 heroes that also scales back Strategist survivability while buffing combat across the roster. Nightcrawler joins the game as its 55th hero in the same update.
Source: NetEase
