- [Morty’s Debut]: The patch officially scheduled Morty Smith as the game’s first “Plumbus-wielding” fighter for an August 23, 2022, release.
- [Progression Buffs]: Battle Pass XP rewards were significantly increased, doubling the base win reward from 5 to 10 XP to reduce the initial “grind” complaints.
- [Balance Pivot]: This update introduced the first major nerf to Taz’s Tornado—adding a 7-second cooldown—and began the long-term process of adding “whiff recovery” to dominant fighters like Bugs Bunny and Finn.
For veterans of the MultiVersus arena, the summer of 2022 remains a nostalgic period of rapid evolution and experimental balance. Looking back from 2026, the MultiVersus Update 1.03 – Patch Notes on August 16, 2022, represent more than just a list of number tweaks; they mark the exact moment Player First Games began to surgically dismantle the “spam meta” that dominated the early Open Beta. While the game has since migrated to Unreal Engine 5 and undergone a total mechanical overhaul, this specific patch was the foundation for the competitive integrity players expect today.
This update arrived in a staggered rollout, with the core changes landing on August 15, followed by the highly anticipated arrival of Morty Smith. It was a time when the community was still reeling from the dominance of Taz’s horizontal movement and Bugs Bunny’s seemingly infinite safety. Following shortly after the MultiVersus Update 1.01, this 1.03 cycle was the developer’s first major attempt to address “whiffing”—the concept that missing an attack should actually leave a fighter vulnerable.
Meta Systems: Easing the Progression Grind
One of the most critical, yet often forgotten, changes in Update 1.03 was the overhaul of the Battle Pass economy. Early players found the climb to Tier 50 agonizing. The developers responded by doubling match rewards. Additionally, the team recognized that forcing players into specific character classes for missions was creating friction, leading to the temporary removal of most class-based Battle Pass missions.
2026 Historical Note: The “Gold” currency mentioned in these 2022 notes was completely phased out following the 2024 relaunch. Modern players now interact with Perk and Fighter currencies, but this patch was the origin of the “Player-First” economy philosophy.
The Great Nerf: Taz, Bugs, and Finn
In the 2022 meta, Taz’s “Tornado” (Side Special) was the primary source of frustration for newcomers. It was a high-priority move with no cooldown. Update 1.03 changed the landscape of the game by transforming the Tornado into a cooldown-based move. This forced Taz players to manage their resources rather than simply spinning across the stage for a cheap ringout.
Similarly, Bugs Bunny and Finn the Human received significant “whiff recovery” increases. Before this patch, Bugs could miss a Side Air attack and immediately transition into a Neutral Air without any window for punishment. By adding 4 to 5 frames of recovery, the developers finally allowed characters like Arya Stark—who was simultaneously buffed in this patch for better combo consistency—to find openings. This era of balance mirrored other high-profile fighter updates of the time, such as the Tekken 7 Update 5.00, which also focused on tightening frame data to reward precision.
Technical Archeology: Outdated Stats in the Modern Build
It is important for researchers to note that many of the values in these 1.03 patch notes are now considered “Legacy Data.” For example, the notes cite Wonder Woman’s weight increasing to 76. In the current 2026 build of MultiVersus, character weights and knockback physics have been entirely recalibrated to suit the Unreal Engine 5 environment. Similarly, Velma’s kit—which here shows a reduction in ammo from 4 to 3—has undergone two complete re-imaginings since 2022.
| Fighter | Primary Change (1.03) | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Arya Stark | Up Special Angle Fix | Increased combo reliability at low skill levels. |
| Finn | Reduced Backpack Vacuum | Prevented early-kill “shredding” from high-percent backpack hits. |
| Iron Giant | Bolts Gray Health Nerf | Reduced the character’s “tankiness” in 2v2 scenarios. |
While the game’s roster has expanded massively since the original official patch notes were published, the DNA of the modern competitive scene was written during this August 2022 window. The focus on “intentionality” over “button-mashing” remains the guiding light for the balance team, even as we look toward the next generation of crossovers in the years to come.
