Honestly, if you thought Season 2 was chaotic, the Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 patch notes just dropped a digital bomb on the meta. We aren't just talking about a few number tweaks here and there. This update—which officially went live back in May 2025 and is still dictating how we play in 2026—basically flipped the table on how Team-Ups work.
Ultron is here. He isn't just a boss; he’s a playable Strategist, and frankly, he’s kind of a jerk to play against.
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The Age of Ultron (Literally)
NetEase didn't just add a new character; they added a flying, drone-summoning headache. Ultron joins the Strategist roster, but don't let the "support" label fool you. He’s designed for high-damage energy beams and constant verticality.
His kit centers around his drones. He can deploy them to heal his team while simultaneously melting yours. His ultimate, Rage of Ultron, is basically a "delete the objective" button where a swarm of drones takes over the immediate area. If you see him hovering over the new Hellfire Gala: Arakko map, just know that your cover probably won't save you.
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 Patch Notes: The Big Winners and Losers
The balance changes in this patch are brutal. Some fan favorites got hit with the nerf bat so hard they might not recover for a few months.
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The Nerf List (Ouch)
- Captain America: The First Avenger was feeling a bit too "immortal." His base health dropped from 600 to 575, and his shield recovery delay was doubled from 2s to 4s. You can't just spam Living Legend and hope for the best anymore.
- Emma Frost: The White Queen took hits to her Diamond Form. Crystal Kick damage is down, and her Mind’s Aegis shield was lowered from 500 to 400. Basically, she's less of a tanky duelist and more of a glass cannon now.
- Human Torch: Johnny Storm is cooling off. Longer cooldowns on Flaming Meteor and less shield gain mean he has to be much more careful about diving.
The Buff Club
- Magneto: Finally. His rings now charge every 3 seconds instead of 4. It sounds small, but in a fast-paced team fight, that’s an eternity of extra damage.
- The Punisher: Frank is actually getting some love. His Adjudication magazine size went up to 40, and the spread was reduced. He’s a laser now.
- Doctor Strange: They adjusted his damage falloff for Daggers of Denak. He’s way more threatening at mid-range than he used to be.
The "Jeff and Thor" Reworks
If you main the Land Shark or the God of Thunder, you've basically had to relearn the game. Jeff the Land Shark’s Joyful Splash now deals damage to enemies (70/s) but heals allies less. His Aqua Burst is now a charge-based ability, which honestly feels a lot smoother once you get the timing down.
Thor is a different beast now. Hammer Throw is a standard ability with no Thorforce cost. This is huge. It has a 6s cooldown, and you actually gain Thorforce for hitting people. The trade-off? His total bonus health from consuming that Thorforce was capped at 150 (down from 200). He's more active, but less of an unkillable sponge.
Team-Up Shakeups: Who Survived?
The devs deleted four old Team-Ups and added six new ones. It’s a lot to keep track of.
| New Team-Up | Heroes Involved | The "Vibe" |
|---|---|---|
| Stark Protocol | Iron Man & Ultron | Ultron fires penetrating lasers that heal allies. Absolute madness. |
| Jeff-Nado | Jeff & Storm | A literal shark-tornado ultimate. Need I say more? |
| Operation: Microchip | Punisher & Black Widow | Widow gets a piercing pulse rifle beam. |
| Symbiote Shenanigans | Venom & Jeff | Venom shares power so Jeff can use tendrils to heal. |
| Chilling Assault | Luna Snow & Hawkeye | Hawkeye gets ice arrows that stun from a distance. |
| Rocket Network | Peni Parker & Rocket | Rocket's beacon becomes a "Web Beacon." |
The "Symbiote Bond" between Venom and Spider-Man is gone. Same with the "Gamma Charge" between Hulk and Iron Man. If those were your bread and butter, it's time to find a new duo.
Map and Mode Updates
The Hellfire Gala: Arakko map is a mechanical nightmare—in a good way. It’s a Convoy map with intense verticality. Since Ultron "mechanized" it, expect lots of cold, metallic corridors and very few places to hide from aerial attacks.
There's also a limited-time mode called Ultron’s Battle Matrix Protocol. It’s essentially an auto-chess variant using Marvel Rivals characters. It’s a nice break from the sweat-fest of ranked, especially since there are no leaderboards to stress over.
System Fixes You’ll Actually Care About
- Spectator Mode: You can finally toggle off health bars and outlines for those clean cinematic clips.
- Performance Test: A new stress test in the settings helps you figure out why your FPS drops during a 12-man ultimate dump.
- Hero Snapping: The cursor in character select now "snaps" to heroes. You have to turn this on in settings, but it’s a godsend for controller players.
How to Win in Season 2.5
The meta has shifted toward "Sustainable Aggression." With Ultron’s ability to heal while flying and provide high DPS, the double-Strategist meta is stronger than ever. If you aren't running someone who can contest the skies (like a buffed Iron Man or a high-focus Hawkeye), you’re going to get picked apart.
Stop relying on the old "shield and sit" strategy with Captain America. He's too squishy now. Instead, look at Thor or the newly adjusted Magneto to provide frontline pressure.
Pro Tip: If you're playing Hawkeye, abuse the new Chilling Assault team-up with Luna Snow. Those ice arrows can shoot through cover. It’s basically legal wall-hacking.
Your Next Steps:
- Update your settings: Enable the new cursor snapping for faster character picks.
- Run a Performance Test: If you haven't played since the Arakko map dropped, your old GPU settings might struggle with the new mechanical assets.
- Practice Ultron's Flight: Jump into the Training Room and get a feel for the Encephalo-Ray's travel time before taking him into Ranked.