Marvel Rival Season 2.5 debuts Ultron and new features. Read on to learn more about the upcoming new playable hero and what fans can expect from Season 2.5.
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 Updates
The Rise of Ultron
Marvel Rivals' upcoming update for Season 2.5 will introduce players to a new playable hero, Ultron. In a Twitter (X) post on May 23, NetEase Games announced that Ultron will be available on May 30 after the Season 2.5 maintenance.
Based on Marvel Rivals’ Dev Vision Vol. 06, Ultron is a Strategist who can provide consistent healing to his allies. With his unique primary weapon and being the only Strategist capable of flight, he can open up new possibilities for aerial lineups. His near-infinite range on his basic attacks provides three low-damage bursts, capped off with a high-damage attack.
Meanwhile, his healing happens when he attaches a drone to his allies, and his other skills can overheal the attached hero and nearby allies. Lastly, his Ultimate ability deals damage and heals allies in his targeted area.
This update will also introduce Ultron’s X-Tron skin, which is based on him taking over Cerebro and gaining more power, and Groot’s Norse Mythology-themed skin, Yggroot. These skins will be available after Season 2.5’s maintenance update. As of writing, NetEase has yet to reveal how much these costumes cost and if they will be included in a bundle.
Season 2.5 Coming on May 30
Marvel Rivals will premiere its Season 2.5 on May 30, following a maintenance update that will take approximately 2-3 hours. The update will begin on May 30 at 2 AM PDT / 9 AM UTC. You can check out the timetable below to find out what time the update starts in your region:
| Region | Local Release Time |
|---|---|
| United States (ET) | Friday, May 30, 2025, 5:00 a.m. |
| United States (PT) | Friday, May 30, 2025, 2:00 a.m. |
| United Kingdom | Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 a.m. |
| Central Europe | Friday, May 30, 2025, 11:00 a.m. |
| New Zealand | Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 p.m. |
| Australian East Coast | Friday, May 30, 2025, 7:00 p.m. |
| Australian West Coast | Friday, May 30, 2025, 5:00 p.m. |
| Japan | Friday, May 30, 2025, 6:00 p.m. |
| Philippines | Friday, May 30, 2025, 5:00 p.m. |
| South Africa | Friday, May 30, 2025, 11:00 a.m. |
| Brazil | Friday, May 30, 2025, 6:00 a.m. |
| Universal Time (UTC) | Friday, May 30, 2025, 9:00 a.m. |
The update also comes with several balancing adjustments for numerous heroes, such as Captain America having lower health, Doctor Strange receiving a slight boost in damage, an increase in Emma Frost’s range, and more. This balance update will address the current "dive meta" where players use aggressive heroes such as Iron Fist and Psylocke to quickly close distances and eliminate key enemy targets such as Strategists and Duelists.
Moreover, following the Hellfire Gala Krakoa map, Season 2.5 will feature the new map of Arrako, the once sister-island of Krakoa. After Ultron’s attack in Hellfire Gala, he retreated to his stronghold in Arrako. The heroes will now regroup and join forces with the living island Krakoa to save Arrako.
Additionally, there will be another Cerebro Database season event where players can earn the free Hawkeye – Binary Arrow costume. The event will begin on May 30 at 9:00 AM UTC to June 27. Similar to its previous iteration, Cerebro Database II will have players accomplish various missions to receive different rewards.
Team-Up Adjustments, New Experimental Mode, and More!
In the upcoming Season 2.5 update, Marvel Rivals will add 6 new team-ups, remove 4, and make other adjustments. The new additions include Rocket Network by Rocket Raccoon and Peni Parker, Stark Protocol by Iron Man and Ultron, and, by popular demand, the return of Jeff-Nado by Jeff and Storm.
According to Creative Director Guangguang, more than 50% of the Team-Up abilities have changed from Season 0, and he would like to hear more suggestions from the community.
There will also be a new limited-time experimental mode called "Ultron’s Battle Matrix Protocol," which comes out on June 6. Guangguang stated, "In this mode, six players can choose their own hero lineups, craft unique builds, and enhance their heroes’ traits. Then, engage in battle against other players for the chance to claim victory."
Based on the video and explanation, this mode has similar characteristics to auto-chess game modes like Teamfight Tactics from League of Legends and Hearthstone Battlegrounds, as Guangguang described it as a "streamlined, strategic, numerical-based solo tactical play."
Furthermore, NetEase reiterated that starting from Season 3 onwards, Marvel Rivals will shorten the duration of its season from 3 months to 2, which they previously announced during their Dev. Vision Vol. 05 on April 4. This will also see new hero releases monthly instead of their original plan of 2 heroes per season.
Marvel Rivals continues to expand its growing roster with Ultron and refine its game with a plethora of balance adjustments. NetEase also looks to gain more reach with the addition of its new experimental mode.
Marvel Rivals is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about Marvel Rivals, check out our article below!
Source:
Marvel Rivals Twitter (X) post on Ultron
Marvel Rivals Twitter (X) post on New Ultron and Groot Skins
Marvel Rivals Version 20250530 Patch Notes
Marvel Rivals Version 20250530 Balance Post
