If you are anything like me, you have probably been counting down the minutes until Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 finally hit. After putting hundreds of hours into this game, mostly in Competitive Mode, I am always excited to see what NetEase brings next. This mid-season update feels like a really big deal, not just because of the new hero, but because of all the changes coming to our favorite characters and how we play the game. It is going to be interesting to see how things shake out now that it is live.
This update adds Ultron as a brand new Strategist, and let me tell you, he looks like he will seriously change how teams play. But it is not just about him. We are getting new events, more ways to customize our profiles, and a whole lot of balance changes for the existing roster. I have mostly been playing Luna Snow and Magneto lately. I am looking forward to seeing how these changes affect them and where Ultron fits into the overall strategy. Let us break down what just happened and what is new in Marvel Rivals.
Ultron's Arrival and How This New Strategist Changes Everything For Marvel Rivals
Get Ready to Learn a New Way to Play With Ultron's Unique Skills
The main new addition in Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is Ultron. He joins the game as a Strategist. He is a flying character, which already makes him a unique choice. He has a laser beam attack that seems to have endless range. His abilities allow him to shield his teammates, add drones to them for even more shielding, and his Ultimate power shoots out a series of blasts that heal allies and hurt enemies at the same time. This sounds pretty wild, right?
From what I have seen, Ultron looks like he will work really well with other flying characters. He even has a new Team Up ability with Iron Man called Stark Protocol. I just tried this out in the Practice Range. Ultron’s powerful uni-beam attacks can pierce through both enemies and allies. Enemies take serious damage, while teammates get healed. It is a serious upgrade to Ultron’s normal abilities. So yes, having an Iron Man on your team will likely be a good idea with Ultron around. We will have to see if he becomes a top choice alongside characters like Luna Snow and Invisible Woman, but things are looking good for him early on.
Breaking Down All the Big Balance Changes and Hero Reworks in Season 2.5
Who Got Stronger and Who Will Need to Adapt to the Latest Character Updates
NetEase has released the full patch notes for Marvel Rivals Season 2.5. They include many bug fixes for characters like Black Panther and Emma Frost. They also have information on new UI features and customization options. But the really important stuff is the hero changes. It looks like the developers are making all the right calls to balance things out.
Some characters got hit hard. Captain America, for example, has less base health and his Freedom Charge Ultimate costs more energy. His shield recovery also takes longer. Groot is another one. His Vine Strike damage is down, and his Ironwood Wall cooldown is much longer. To be fair, Groot was often banned in Competitive Mode, so maybe he needed a little toning down. Psylocke’s Shuriken attacks now do less damage, and her Invisibility only lasts two seconds instead of three. This means players will need to be more careful when trying to get away after a kill. These nerfs seem aimed at characters who were too strong or defined too many team setups.
On the other hand, some characters got some nice buffs. Hawkeye’s arrows do more damage, and his Blast Arrow projectile damage is up. He also has a new Team Up with Luna Snow that gives him an Ice Arrow which can slow or stun enemies. Thor got a rework that makes his Hammer Throw no longer cost Thorforce. This means you can use it more often. It also restores Thorforce on hit, which lets you stay in Awakening Rune longer when chained with Mjolnir Bash. Jeff the Land Shark also got a rework. His primary fire now heals allies and hurts enemies at the same time. You can shoot through a friend to heal them while hitting an enemy in the same shot. His secondary fire now has a cooldown. Jeff’s ability to deal damage has been reduced a bit, but he should be a much better healer now. His new Team Up with Storm, called Jeff-nado, also sounds like a lot of fun to pull off.
Storm herself received a buff. Her Ultimate now does more damage per second. If Storm and Jeff use their Ultimates near each other, they combine. This draws in enemies and causes damage over time. Jeff can then swallow enemies, spit them out, or hold onto them. These reworks and buffs suggest that the game is moving away from the "dive" style of play that was popular in Season 2. This will give players more choices for how they build their teams.
New Maps, Events, and What Else Season 2.5 Brings to the Table For Players
Beyond Character Tweaks: Exploring Fresh Content and Rewards in the New Season
It is not just about the heroes, though. Season 2.5 adds a new map called Hellfire Gala: Arakko. This place is the lair of the villainous X-Tron. It looks appropriately scary, with lots of wicked machinery and robotic contraptions built into harsh stone. It is a dark, cavernous place with glowing red lights and a rock-heavy soundtrack. This will be an interesting map to play in Competitive Mode. It joins Krakoa as one of this season’s new additions. There is also a new Convoy map being added to ranked play.
For those who love earning rewards, there are two new events starting with Season 2.5. Cerebro Database II will let you earn an awesome Hawkeye skin. You will likely need to complete a set of challenges for it. There is also a Combat Chest event. This has a free track that gives rewards like Sprays, and a Premium track that features new skins for characters like Magneto, Storm, and Mr. Fantastic. As someone who plays Magneto a lot, I am very excited about those.
The game also introduced new ways to customize your appearance. There are new Moods, which are like emoticons that appear on your Nameplate. You can buy Jeff-themed Moods in the Store or unlock a Galacta set in the Combat Chest. The current Battle Pass will carry over into Season 2.5, which is good news. This means you will still have time to earn its rewards. However, some events, like Hellfire Gala: Moments, did end once the downtime for the update started. It is always smart to check your event rewards before a big update like this.
What This Update Means For Your Competitive Play And How To Adjust Your Strategies
Adapting To The New Meta And Finding Your Place In The Ever-Changing Game
I have gotten some early access time with Season 2.5. I have mostly spent my time with Ultron, Thor, and Jeff. Thor’s hammer now feels much more useful as an attack. Jeff’s primary attack now damages opponents as well as heals. I have also jumped into some matches with Ultron. He is extremely effective as a third Strategist in teams with three Strategists. This could be a new strong team setup.
If you are struggling with characters like Iron Fist and Spider-Man who were very strong in Season 2, the changes might help. Spider-Man was almost always banned in ranked games. Hopefully, the buffs to Vanguard characters and changes to how useful DPS characters are will balance things out. Given that Ultron is being picked in most matches right now, and Iron Man is often with him, Hela is a good counter pick. She can take down flying characters like Ultron, Storm, and Human Torch pretty easily since they move relatively slowly.
I recommend checking out the Combat Chest and Cerebro Database II events as soon as you log in. You can then pick the right heroes to clear challenges and earn Chrono Tokens. There are some free skins available, so make the most of your first few hours. The show continues to feel fresh and exciting with these updates. It shows that the developers are listening to feedback and trying to keep the game fun for everyone.
All in all, Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is here, and it is a big one. It brings in new characters, shakes up the existing ones, and gives us new places to fight. I am looking forward to seeing how the meta develops and what new team compositions players come up with. It feels like the game is still getting better, and that is what we all want to see from a live-service title. Good luck in your first few games of the new season!