Technologies

Marvel Rivals Season 4 Release Time: Angela Abilities and Balance Changes

Thor’s sister Angela joins the roster next season, while overperforming strategists Luna Snow and Loki get nerfs.

Marvel Rivals season 4 is about to begin, bringing a one-winged angel of vengeance to the free-to-play game’s roster of playable heroes. No, we’re not talking about Sephiroth: The next vanguard is Angela, the former Image Comics angelic bounty hunter and current Marvel Comics Asgardian goddess.

While the radiant new tank is the centerpiece of the season 4 update, a new map, hero balance changes, cosmetics and live events will also shake up how the game plays over the next two months.

If you’ve been following the character leaks, you might be bummed out that a certain horned Defender isn’t making his appearance quite yet. Rest assured that the melee fighter Daredevil has been revealed as the next playable character for Marvel Rivals season 4.5, though it’s unclear what his role or abilities will be.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

When does season 4 start?

Marvel Rivals season 4 starts on Friday, Sept. 12. Expect servers to go down for a couple hours around midnight PT before being turned back on in the early morning. When the servers come back online, you can download and play the newest seasonal content.

Angela’s abilities in Marvel Rivals

Angela joins the roster as another vanguard — the first new tank since Emma Frost was added to the game in season 2. The Asgardian angel is the first flying tank, which means the pressure is no longer on Doctor Strange to use his levitation spell to take the fight to the skies. Angela has a strong mix of tools that let her deal damage, block enemy attacks and displace opponents who have wandered too far from their team as a mobile but close-range attacker.

The new tank quickly rotates her arsenal depending on the situation at hand. On the ground, she wields powerful dual axes that hack and slash chunks of enemy health bars away.

When Angela takes to the skies with her third ability, however, she uses a lance that does powerful burst damage — enemies that are struck by this weapon are skewered, and Angela can carry them a short distance before they’re released.

Angela can also summon a 250-health point shield that protects her from attacks — it reminds me of Captain America’s personal shield rather than Doctor Strange’s team-protecting arcane ward.

Once players have dealt enough damage to the enemy team, they can unleash Angela’s ultimate ability. The Hand of Heven throws down a battle banner, damaging enemies and binding them to a single location. The banner can be destroyed, but it won’t be easy to do once Angela swings her blades at her trapped opponents. This ability is a strong crowd control tool, and is fairly reminiscent of Groot’s ultimate, though it seems to be usable from the air, which will grant it more impressive range.

It’s not immediately clear to me if Angela will fit into brawl team compositions, where players smash into one another on the frontline, or dive team compositions, where players try to end the fight before it even starts by removing key enemy heroes from the backline. She seems like a Swiss army knife of a tank, with a kit of abilities that lets her do a little bit of everything. Only time will tell if she excels in any of her niches.

Big balance changes inbound for vanguards and strategists

In the Dev Vision Vol. 9 video, Marvel Rivals developers explained which heroes are receiving changes in season 4 and why. The full numerical breakdown of every hero change is included in NetEase’s detailed patch notes.

Individual hero changes keep different roles feeling impactful

The game balance of Marvel Rivals season 3 turned most vanguard heroes into punching bags. These tanky characters (such as the Thing, Hulk and Thor) are supposed to soak up damage to protect their teammates while creating advantages by pushing further into the battlefield, but strong long-ranged damage dealers such as Hela and Phoenix quickly struck them down.

In season 4, many tanks are getting buffed in order to compensate for their lack of shield. Peni Parker and Thor are getting their ultimate abilities buffed. While ultimates are supposed to be game-changing moments that players activate back and forth to change the flow of battle, Peni and Thor’s ultimates made them sitting ducks, having to expose themselves for very little advantage. The patch makes their ultimates stronger, hopefully making picking these characters feel like a more impactful choice.

Doctor Strange is also receiving a buff to his offensive power, increasing the power of his dark magic, while dominant tanks Emma Frost and Captain America will be nerfed to bring them more in line with the rest of the cast.

Whereas vanguards have been getting bullied, we saw strategists potentially having their most impactful season yet. These healers defined the flow of the game in season 3, with powerful abilities essentially shutting down fights by making players nigh-on invincible for their duration.

The must-pick strategists, Luna Snow and Loki, are also getting nerfs in season 4 — they’ve long outperformed the other heroes in the same role and are getting dialed back. On the other hand, Ultron, Jeff the Shark and Invisible Woman are getting buffs to their ultimate abilities to make them more viable in high-level play.

Damage-dealing duelists also received key balance changes in this patch, though I suspect they won’t impact the meta as much as the vanguard and strategist tweaks. Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch and Blade will be on the receiving end of buffs this season.

Squirrel Girl’s long range damage is getting nerfed, since she had too much potential to control low-rank matches. Black Panther is losing some health points and Psylocke is losing burst damage, which means players will have more time to react to and defeat these backline threats in high-rank matches.

Team ups shake up as Angela joins the roster

In addition to balance changes for individual heroes, Marvel Rivals is balanced around powerful synergetic «team up» abilities that can only be activated when specific groups of heroes are on the same team. These offer a range of perks, from extra abilities that can be activated in a fight to passive improvements that make heroes even deadlier if they have the right teammates.

In season 4, certain existing team ups are being removed or tweaked, while a new team up is being added for Angela. Here are all of the changes.

New — Divine Armory: Angela anchors a new team up for Thor, allowing him to throw thunderous spears at his opponents, restoring ability-generating Thorforce charges on hit. Thor is able to jump to the location where the spear landed, which will enable him to become an integral part of dive team compositions.
Updated — Gamma Charge: Black Panther joins the existing Hulk and Namor team up. If Hulk is on the team, Black Panther gains a gamma shield that protects him from damage after dropping below the threshold of 100 health points.
Updated — Arcane Order: Magik joins the existing Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch team up. If Doctor Strange is on the team, Magik gains the ability to throw a magical chain that binds two enemies together, slowing their movement if they try to split up.
Removed — Dimensional Shortcut: Black Panther can no longer use Magik’s Limbo dimension to rewind his position and gain temporary health.

What else does NetEase have in store for Marvel Rivals players in season 4?

Season 4 is shifting the fight away from the planet Klyntar and back to Earth. That means there will be a new map for players to fight across. Players will be able to dive into the Eighth City of K’un-Lun as Daredevil and Angela fight over the fate of the city’s newest prisoner.

More casual players will likely be happier about the new Arcade Hub. Previously limited-time game modes like Giant-Size Brain Blast and Clone Rumble will become permanent fixtures in this menu, alongside Conquest, Doom Match and Free Fight game modes.

Free-to-earn accessory cosmetics, which were introduced in season 3, are getting expanded upon in season 4. Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Luna Snow and Cloak and Dagger players will all be able to earn new wearable accessories for their favorite hero.

Another cosmetic change applies to legendary costumes. If a player is using a skin that changes the visual effects of an ultimate ability, other people are now able to see those effects as well (with the option to toggle the visual effects off in the settings menu).

A long-awaited competitive change isn’t arriving in season 4, but we finally got an update on it alongside the new info. Placement matches are being worked on and will come to Marvel Rivals’ ranked mode at a later date.

When placement matches are implemented, new accounts will need to play a series of games to decide their true rank — players won’t have to fight their way up from bronze if their true skill lies much higher on the ranked ladder. It’s promising to hear that this is being worked on, and it gives me some hope that Marvel Rivals’ matchmaking — one of the weakest aspects of the game — will hopefully be improved in the near future.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 20, #392

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 20, No. 392.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has a category for all the Windy City residents out there. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Deep-dish pizza, anyone?

Green group hint: Duke it out.

Blue group hint: College division.

Purple group hint: «Go to your ____!»

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Chicago teams.

Green group: With «weight,» combat sport divisions.

Blue group: American Conference teams.

Purple group: ____ room.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is Chicago teams. The four answers are Bears, Bulls, Cubs and Sky.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is with «weight,» combat sport divisions. The four answers are bantam, feather, fly and heavy.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is American Conference teams. The four answers are Blazers, Chanticleers, Green Wave and Pirates.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ room. The four answers are dressing, film, green and locker.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 20, #862

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Oct. 20, No. 862.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a tricky purple category, but that almost always goes without saying. If you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: What’s the matter?

Green group hint: Stars at night.

Blue group hint: Science info.

Purple group hint: On the cob.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Affliction.

Green group: Represented by constellations.

Blue group: Periodic table symbols.

Purple group: ____ corn.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is affliction. The four answers are bugbear, complex, demon and hang-up.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is represented by constellations. The four answers are big bear, centaur, hunter and lyre.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is periodic table symbols. The four answers are AS, BE, I and K.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ corn. The four answers are a, capri, pop and uni. (Acorn, Capricorn, popcorn and unicorn.)

Technologies

AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4: Should You Upgrade?

Not only do the entry-level version of Apple’s AirPods 4 offer feature and performance upgrades over the AirPods 3, but the step-up AirPods 4 with ANC feature active noise canceling. We compare all three models.

Editor’s note Oct. 18: We updated this article to reflect the release of the AirPods Pro 3.

Apple’s fourth generation of its original true-wireless earbuds follows the same design language as their predecessors but adds a bunch of new features — some borrowed straight from the more expensive AirPods Pro 2, which have now been succeeded by the AirPods Pro 3. The AirPods 4 remain Apple’s only earbuds to launch in two variants: a $129 entry-level model and a $179 AirPods 4 with ANC, both of which are often discounted on Amazon.

I’ve been using the step-up $179 version, and I’m surprised by how good the ANC is for an open-ear design, agreeing with CNET audio expert David Carnoy, who called it «the best noise canceling I’ve experienced with a set of open earbuds» in his full review of the AirPod 4 with Active Noise Canceling. If you’re an AirPods 3 user and wondering how the AirPods 4 stack up against your current model, read on as I explore the key differences between these two earbuds. And for those considering upgrading from the AirPods Pro 2 to the AirPods Pro 3, we have an article that compares those two models and offers some buying advice.

Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2025

AirPods 4 feature an improved design

The AirPods 4 are slightly smaller than the AirPods 3 but larger than the AirPods 2. Each earbud weighs the same 4.3 grams, so any added or upgraded tech doesn’t translate into extra bulk on your ears. While all ears are shaped differently, Apple hopes the new design is a better fit for a wider range of people.

They fit me better than the AirPods 3, but I couldn’t get them to fit as well as silicone tip earbuds. However, if an open-ear design has worked better for you in the past, these should fit just fine — or even better. I have friends who’ve upgraded to the AirPods 4, and they say the new product fits them better.

The AirPods 3 are IPX4-rated for sweat and splash resistance. In comparison, the AirPods 4 are more durable. They are rated for dust resistance alongside sweat and splash resistance, with an IP54 rating.

The two AirPods 4 models have noticeable differences among themselves, too. The $179 variant supports charging with a Qi charging pad and the Apple Watch charging puck. So, if you have an Apple Watch and prefer your AirPods to charge with the same puck, you’ll need to spend $50 more than the base asking price. If you do, you also get a speaker in the case — like the AirPods Pro 2, so you can track them with sound using Find My.

Unlike the AirPods 3, there’s no physical button on the AirPods 4 charging case anymore. If you want to pair them to non-Apple devices, you need to double-tap on the front of the case near the LED to initiate pairing (that’s also the case for the AirPods Pro 3). Similarly, a reset can be initiated by three double-taps.

Upgraded H2 chip offers better sound quality

Apple’s new upgrades are threefold to improve the sound quality on the AirPods 4. First, they feature an upgraded H2 chip with Bluetooth 5.3, compared to the H1 chip with Bluetooth 5.0 found on the AirPods 3. Second, they have a new acoustic architecture and amp. Third, the drivers are positioned at a new angle to point into your ears.

When compared, the AirPods 4 have slightly improved treble and bass over the AirPods 3. They sound a little cleaner, and there’s more depth and fullness across genres. It’s not AirPods Pro 2 quality, but it’s better than before. The sound quality gap between non-Pro and Pro models has shrunk.

There is no ANC on AirPods 3, but the $179 AirPods 4 with ANC adds the active noise cancelation feature to Apple’s most affordable earbuds lineup. They have the same number of microphones as the AirPods Pro 2 to enable ANC and a few other features.

In his AirPods 4 review, David Carnoy was «really impressed with the noise canceling. The reality is that it’s not that great compared with what you get with the AirPods Pro 2 [and now the AirPods Pro 3] … but that it works at all and is reasonably effective is kind of wild.»

On most open earbuds, you can’t really hear a difference between ANC on and off modes. But the new AirPods 4 with ANC can muffle the ambient sound around you to a certain degree. Apple says their noise canceling matches that of the original AirPods Pro and is half as good as the AirPods Pro 2’s noise canceling (that means it’s only 25% as good as the AirPods Pro 3’s noise canceling, which is 2X as good as the AirPods Pro 2’s noise canceling, according to Apple). That said, it’s strong enough to help you hear your music better in noisy environments. It can drown out low frequencies like plane engine noise very well.

Added features and upgraded controls

The AirPods 4 with ANC add a bunch of new features for the same price as what the AirPods 3 once cost. The additional microphones not only enable ANC but also convenience features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness.

The latter works like Sony’s Speak-to-Chat feature; it pauses the music and enables transparency mode as soon as it detects that you’re speaking. If you like to sing along to songs, it’s better to keep it turned off. That said, it’s a neat feature that lets you have conversations without physically taking off your earbuds.

Both AirPods 3 and AirPods 4 (including the ANC variant) support personalized spatial audio (with head tracking) for music, quick pairing, auto-switching for Apple devices, and always-on Siri. The AirPods 4 can trigger Siri with both «Siri» and «Hey Siri» wake words, whereas AirPods 3 support only «Hey Siri.»

You can spend $50 less on the AirPods 4 and get several new features over the AirPods 3. Both AirPods 4 models have new force sensors in the stems with pinch controls to control playback. However, there’s no swipe gesture support yet.

Both of them also support Siri Interactions, where you can interact with Siri using gestures. For instance, when you receive a call, Siri will announce the caller’s name and ask if you want to answer the call. You can then nod your head for yes or shake it for no to answer or decline the call, respectively.

All of these features come with one slight compromise — battery life. The AirPods 3 are rated to deliver six hours of continuous listening on one charge, while the new AirPods 4 are rated to last up to five hours per charge. The case still delivers the same 30 hours of additional battery life, despite being smaller than before.

AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4: It’s time to upgrade

If you’re in the market for a new pair of open earbuds, the AirPods 4 are an excellent choice — even if you have the last-gen AirPods 3. You get better sound quality with the H2 chip, a smaller case, more features like Siri Interactions and dust resistance, all for $50 less than the AirPods 3’s $179 launch price. However, they leave off wireless charging and only top up via the USB-C port.

The $179 AirPods 4 with ANC currently offer the best noise cancellation in a pair of open earbuds. Plus, you get additional features like Qi wireless charging (you can also charge them on an Apple Watch charging puck), a speaker inside the case for Find My, Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio and more. Both AirPods 4 models are a good upgrade over the AirPods 3, despite the slightly lower battery life.

Read more: Best AirPods deals right now

AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4 spec comparison

	AirPods 3	AirPods 4	AirPods 4 with ANC
Weight (each earbud)	0.15 ounce (4.28 grams)	0.15 ounce (4.3 grams)	0.15 ounce (4.3 grams)
Weight (case)	1.34 ounces (37.91 grams)	1.14 ounces (32.3 grams)	1.22 ounces (34.7 grams)
Water resistant	IPX4	IP54	IP54
Sensors	Skin-detect sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor	Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor	Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone	Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone	Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone
Chip	H1	H2	H2
Conectivity	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Active Noise Cancelation, Transparency mode	No	No	Yes
Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio	No	No	Yes
Voice Isolation, Personalized volume	No	Yes	Yes
Battery life	Up to 6 hours +30 hours with case	Up to 5 hours +30 hours with case	Up to 5 hours +30 hours with case
Wire in box	Yes	No	No
Launch Price	$179	$129	$179

AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4: FAQs

Which AirPods are better, 3 or 4?

The AirPods 4 are better in terms of both sound quality and features. You get an upgraded H2 chip for cleaner sound, upgraded force touch controls, a new model with the best ANC on open earbuds, and features like Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio, etc. The AirPods 4 are objectively better than the AirPods 3.

Are the new AirPods 4 worth it?

If you’re looking for open earbuds, both the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC are easily among the top open earbuds. At their list prices, they’re a little pricey, but they go on sale fairly regularly on Amazon, where you can save $10 to $20 on them, sometimes a little more.

Which version of AirPods is best?

The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s current flagship model and are the best AirPods overall. They offer excellent sound quality and top-notch ANC performance for under $250. That said, if you don’t like having silicone ear tips jammed in yours, the AirPods 4 with ANC are your best bet right now. You can find more options in our Best AirPods for 2025 guide.