The Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 update landed on May 30, shaking up the game with a fresh hero, new map, and a bunch of hero buffs and nerfs that might change your battle plans. Plus, there’s an incredible new mood system and Twitch Drops to snag some exclusive gear. Let’s break down what you need to know.
NetEase has unleashed Ultron, the new villain, ready to cause chaos. Alongside him, the Hellfire Gala: Arakko map debuts in Convoy mode, and the Cerebro Database II event kicks off, offering the Hawkeye – Binary Arrow costume for free. Twitch Drops are back too, with the Emma Frost – Will of Galacta costume up for grabs.
Patch Notes: Hero Buffs & Nerfs
Vanguard Changes
- Captain America: Health down from 600 to 575; shield recovery delay doubled post-ultimate; ultimate energy cost increased.
- Doctor Strange: Improved damage falloff on Daggers of Denak; removed damage falloff on Maelstrom of Madness.
- Emma Frost: Telepathic Pulse range increased; shield value and some damage reduced; cooldown of Carbon Crush increased.
- Groot: Vine Strike damage lowered; Ironwood Wall cooldown longer.
- Magneto: Faster ring charge speed.
- Thor: Hammer Throw adjusted to standard ability with reduced damage and cooldown; shield and bonus health from Thorforce consumption decreased.
Duelists Changes
- Hawkeye: Base arrow damage and focus stats boosted; improved charging speed.
- Hela: Nightsword Thorn charge capacity increased.
- Human Torch: Fire Cluster damage reduced; Blazing Blast charge time slower; Flaming Meteor shield value cut and cooldown extended.
- Iron Fist: Reduced damage block conversion rates and cooldown reduction; dash distance slightly shortened.
- Iron Man: Removed Gamma Overdrive from Gamma Charge Team-Up; damage on some attacks reduced; Armor Overdrive max bonus health halved.
- Namor: Longer cooldown on Blessing of the Deep; ultimate radius increased with damage reduced; improved damage falloff on Monstro Spawn.
- Psylocke: Wing Shuriken retrieval damage and invisibility duration decreased.
- Squirrel Girl: Burst Acorn capacity and Mammal Bond cooldown improved; user experience optimizations on several abilities.
- Star-Lord: Ultimate energy cost increased; target range extended with adjusted damage falloff.
- Storm: Ultimate damage increased.
- The Punisher: Reduced movement slow on ultimate; increased magazine size and hit damage; firing spread slightly improved.
Strategist Changes
- Jeff the Land Shark: Joyful Splash now damages enemies and heals allies differently; Aqua Burst changed to charge ability; Healing Bubble switched to healing over time; Hide and Seek energy cap added; ultimate overflow healing grants bonus health; very important hit damage reduction increased.
- Luna Snow: Healing and damage buffs on Light & Dark Ice; Absolute Zero grants bonus health; ultimate energy cost increased.
- Rocket Raccoon: Team-Up changes and reduced Repair Mode healing.
Team-Up Ability Tweaks
- Atlas Bond: Damage boost reduced from 15% to 10%.
- Fantastic Four: Cooldowns increased on several abilities.
- Gamma Charge: Increased cooldown on Gamma Monstro.
- Mental Projection: Damage from illusions lowered.
New Features and Content
Across All Platforms
- New Hero: Ultron arrives.
- New Map: Hellfire Gala: Arakko.
- Season Event: Cerebro Database II with free Hawkeye – Binary Arrow costume (May 30 to June 27 UTC).
- Twitch Drops: Emma Frost – Will of Galacta costume and bundle (May 30 to June 27 UTC).
- Mood System: Show your vibe with new icons on your nameplate.
- Emoji System: Bubble emojis during combat and in menus.
- Recommendation Feature: Added in team lobby.
- Nameplate Layout: Improved clarity and style.
- Hero Selection Wheel: Now shows Lord avatars.
- Career System: Support for more custom content and stats.
- Rank Rewards: New Gold costume (Ultron – Golden Ultron) and new Crests of Honor for top tiers.
In-Store Additions
- Groot – Yggroot Bundle costume.
- Ultron – X-Tron Bundle costume.
- Ultron – Mechanical Phantom costume.
- Chibi Jeff Mood Icons bundle.
Combat Chest Event
- Limited-time Combat Chest with rewards for match participation.
- Includes costumes, emojis, mood icons, and rare items.
- Premium Combat Chest unlocks permanent access for slower reward claiming.
- Event runs May 30 to July 11 UTC.
Tournament & Custom Game Updates
- New room name and password copy features.
- “Host Only” move permission added.
- Captain icons and delegation options in ban/pick phase.
- Match can be ended immediately by host with confirmation.
- Auto-select server node feature added (experimental).
Spectator System Improvements
- Toggle visibility for outlines, health bars, and names.
- Collision toggle added for free-cam view to prevent clipping.
PC-Specific
- New Performance Test feature to check hardware capabilities.
Console-Specific
- Improved cursor snapping in hero selection (manual activation needed).
Fixes and Optimizations
All Platforms
- Shortcut keys for sprays/emotes now work immediately on launch.
- Fixed terrain and collision issues causing characters to get stuck.
- Resolved map sound effect problems.
- Bug fixes for several hero abilities, including Emma Frost, Peni Parker, Loki, Doctor Strange, The Punisher, Black Panther, and Adam Warlock.
PC
- Fixed screen distortions caused by experimental shader compilation mode.
Console
- PS5 selection wheel button remapping fixed.
- Improved right analog stick scrolling in hero list.
