Marvel Rivals season 2.5 patch notes: Ultron, hero buffs and nerfs, more

NetEase Games released the 13-minute Dev Vision Vol. 06 earlier in May 2025, revealing the majority of the details, but now the full Marvel Rivals season 2.5 patch notes are out.

Ultron is the new Strategist added to the roster, along with a bunch of buffs and nerfs for several heroes. With this update, we also get to see certain Team-up Abilities removed to make space for some new ones.

When does Marvel Rivals season 2.5 release?

Marvel Rivals season 2.5 was released on May 30, 2025, on all platforms. Let’s now take a look at all the additions and changes that came with it.

Marvel Rivals season 2.5 patch notes

Ultron (new Strategist hero)

Ultron is the new Strategist joining the game with the mid-season update. He can fly (which means you will have new ways of aerial lineups), summon drones, and use devastating energy beams to both deal damage and heal allies.

Arakko (new map)

Arakko is the new map in season 2.5.

All hero buffs in Marvel Rivals season 2.5

As per the Dev Vision Vol. 06, these heroes will be buffed in Marvel Rivals season 2.5:

• Vanguard
  • Dr. Strange
  • Magneto
• Duelist
  • Punisher
  • Squirrel Girl
  • Storm
• Strategist
  • Jeff the Land Shark
  • Luna Snow

All hero nerfs

The following Heroes will be nerfed in the mid-season update:

• Vanguard
  • Captain America
  • Emma Frost
  • Groot
• Duelist
  • Human Torch
  • Iron Fist
  • Psylocke
• Strategist
  • Luna Snow (ultimate charge)

New Team-Up Abilities

• Ice Arrow
  • Luna Snow and Hawkeye
    • Hawkeye gets an ice arrow that can penetrate through cover.
• Jeff-nado
  • Storm and Jeff the Land Shark
    • Storm and Jeff’s ultimate abilities combine to deal damage over time, devour enemies, and then launch them.
• Microchip
  • The Punisher and Black Widow
    • Black Widow’s rifle can pierce enemies.
• Rocket Network
  • Rocket Raccoon and Peni Parker
    • An additional spider nest for Peni that can be placed alongside her normal one. Rocket’s B.R.B. spawns cyber webs and mines.
• Stark Protocol
  • Iron Man and Ultron
    • Ultron gets a Uni-Beam laser that penetrates to deal damage to enemies and heal allies.
• Symbiote Shenanigans
  • Venom and Jeff the Land Shark
    • Jeff will get symbiote tendrils that can heal nearby allies.

Removed Team-Up Abilities

• Allied Agents
  • Hawkeye and Black Widow
• Ammo Overload
  • Rocket Raccoon and The Punisher
• Chilling Charisma
  • Luna Snow and Jeff the Land Shark
• Symbiote Bond
  • Venom, Spider-Man, and Peni Parker

Changed Team-Up Abilities

• Gamma Charge
  • Iron Man removed

Season Event: Cerebro Database II

Complete the event to earn the free costume, Hawkeye – Binary Arrow. The event will run from May 30 to June 27 at 4am CT / 9am UTC.

Twitch drops

As Season 2.5 kicks off, get ready for a new round of Twitch Drops. Simply accumulate the required viewing time to claim your rewards.

This round’s drops include the Emma Frost – Will of Galacta costume along with related bundle content. You can get them from May 30 to June 27 at 4am CT / 9am UTC.

New additions and adjustments

• Introducing the Mood System: Add an icon to your Nameplate to let everyone know your current vibe.
• New Emoji System: Express yourself with bubble emojis during combat and on the PLAY interface.
• To ensure you never miss vital info, the devs have added a Recommendation feature in the team lobby.
• Revamped the layout of the information on Nameplates for better clarity and style.
• The Hero Selection Wheel now displays Lord avatars.
• The Career System now supports showcasing more custom content and stats.
• New rank rewards are in! A shining new costume for reaching Gold — Ultron – Golden Ultron, along with all-new Crests of Honor for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and Top 500.

New in Store

• New Costume: Groot – Yggroot Bundle
• New Costume: Ultron – X-Tron Bundle
• New Costume: Ultron – Mechanical Phantom
• New Mood Icons: Chibi Jeff Bundle

Combat Chest

• Combat Chest is live for a limited time.
• Earn experience by participating in matches and level up your Combat Chest to unlock level milestone rewards.
• The Combat Chest is packed with costumes and related content, Emojis, Mood icons, and more rare treasures.
• Activate the Premium Combat Chest to enjoy even more rewards. Once activated, the chest will be permanently available, allowing players to claim rewards at their own pace.

Availability: 2025/5/30, 09:00:00 ~ 2025/7/11, 09:00:00 (UTC)

Tournament Rooms and Custom Games

• We’ve added new room name and password copy functions.
• Added a new “Host Only” Move Permissions setting. After selecting this, only the host can rearrange player spots.
• During the ban/pick phase for Tournament Mode (Basic or Advanced), a small icon will now mark the Captain responsible for choosing on both sides. The captain can right-click teammates to delegate banning duties.
• For matches launched from Tournament Rooms, the host now has an “Immediately End Match” option in the ESC menu. After confirming via a double-check prompt, the match will be terminated instantly.
• Added a new Auto-Select server node feature in Tournament Rooms. When enabled, the system will automatically choose the best node based on the network conditions of both teams. Note: This feature is still experimental and may not always work best.

Spectator system

• Added new toggle options for specific visual effects. Spectators can now control the visibility of character outlines, health bars, and names in the spectator settings.
• Free-cam spectator view now includes a collision toggle. When enabled, the camera obeys collision rules and won’t clip through scene geometry.

PC

• An all-new Performance Test feature is now live! Access it through Display – Settings to run a stress test on your GPU, CPU, and other hardware and quickly identify performance bottlenecks.

Console

• In the pre-match hero selection screen, the cursor now benefits from enhanced snapping effects. Note that this function must be manually activated.

Fixes and Optimizations

All Platforms

General

• Fixed an issue where pressing shortcut keys for spray/emotes didn’t work on first launch. Previously, players had to open the selection wheel once before these shortcuts activated.

Maps and Modes

• Fixed several terrain issues that could cause characters to sometimes become stuck or clip into strange areas.
• Resolved various problems with broken collisions, floating objects, etc.
• Addressed multiple map sound effect issues.

Heroes

• Flux Frequencies: Fixed a bug where Emma Frost’s Telepathic Pulse could not be maintained and failed to gain energy when striking Groot’s walls. Now, her attack hits with tree-mend-ous power!
• Webbed Wonders: Resolved an issue with the speed and effectiveness of multiple Peni Parker’s overlayed webs stacking, which converted overflow healing into Bonus Health beyond expectations. No more unexpected health from this “web of deceit”!
• Loki’s Layered Lunacy: Fixed an issue in Loki’s Regeneration Domain where those of his self and his illusions could continuously stack healing beyond expectations. The only thing stacking now is Loki’s charm, not his healing. Mischief managed!
• Strange’s Portal Puzzle: Fixed a glitch causing Doctor Strange’s portals to sometimes send heroes to unexpected locations. No more sudden detours into unexpected side quests!
• Punisher’s Phantom Focus: Resolved a bug in the Warrior Falls spawn room where The Punisher’s passive skill could inadvertently reveal enemy outlines. Justice now strikes without unnecessary spoilers!
• Tangled Webs: Fixed an issue at the Frozen Airfield where webs from Peni Parker’s Ultimate Ability would sometimes drop beneath the terrain when the stage started to move. Her arsenal of tech and web now stays on target.
• Vibranium Velocity: Fixed a bug with Black Panther’s Spirit Rend where, after using it to down Winter Soldier in mid-Trooper’s Fist, subsequent Spirit Rend uses could behave erratically. T’Challa’s pounce now hits with the unwavering precision of a Wakandan king, swift and relentless!
• Panther’s Stealthy Surge: Addressed a rare issue where, under poor network conditions, if Black Panther unleashed his Ultimate Ability immediately after ending wall-climbing, it occasionally faltered while still consuming energy. His attack now as smooth and unstoppable as a panther’s prowl through the night.
• Cosmic Character Conundrum: Fixed a deceptive exploit in Doom Match where Adam Warlock could switch characters post-respawn using a special maneuver. His cosmic transformations now stick strictly to the realms of destiny and stellar justice!

PC

• Fixed issues with the experimental “Switch Shader Compilation Mode” where screen distortions or unprepared materials appeared black under certain conditions.

Console

• Fixed an issue on PS5 where the selection wheel button mapping couldn’t be remapped.
• Fixed a minor area in the hero list interface where the right analog stick didn’t scroll as intended.