Marvel Rivals season 2.5 launch live build-up: all the latest information on the new major update, as well as our predictions on Ultron
A new Strategist joins the game tomorrow
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is now just hours away, and is set to add Ultron as a brand new Strategist. It's looking like this new season - or half-season - could be one for the books, given the planned changes to a number of Heroes, the addition of new Team Ups, and even a new map to play on.
I'll be covering the build-up to Season 2.5's launch over the next 24 hours, leading up to downtime and then sharing my thoughts once it's all live.
NetEase has been busy teasing the next season of Marvel Rivals over the last week or so, having now revealed Ultron's kit, as well as a deep dive into the upcoming patch notes and balance changes. There's a new map to look at, too, which looks to be the dark and mysterious lair of the villainous X-Tron. If my early impressions are correct, Season 2.5 will seriously shake up the meta in Competitive Mode, and could even shift some Heroes around on my Marvel Rivals tier list.
Having covered last season's launch live, I'm looking forward to seeing how things pan out this time. Since launch, I've been playing hundreds of hours of Marvel Rivals, predominantly in Competitive Mode. Lately, I've been focusing on Luna Snow and Magneto as my mains, but will absolutely be giving Ultron a try on launch day to see whether or not he measures up.
Join me as I keep you updated on the launch of Season 2.5 as it happens, with info on how long downtime is expected to last, a look at the nerfs and buffs coming to each Hero, and some of my impressions of the new season once it all goes live. For now, let's take a look at what's been announced and what's changing in Marvel Rivals in the coming hours.
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 - cut to the chase
Looking for a quick overview? Here are the most important changes to know about coming to Marvel Rivals as part of Season 2.5.
- Start time: May 30 at 5AM EDT / 2AM PDT / 10AM BST
- New Hero: Ultron
- New map: Hellfire Gala - Arakko
- Season event: Cerebro Database II
- Hero balancing
- New Rank Rewards: Golden Ultron
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 start date and time
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 launches May 30 at 5AM EDT / 2AM PDT / 10AM BST.
Servers will then go down for "2-3 hours" before the new season is available to all players. As such, I estimate Season 2.5 to be playable at the following times:
- May 30 at 5AM PT: West Coast US
- May 30 at 8AM ET: East Coast US
- May 30 at 1PM BST: United Kingdom
- May 30 at 2PM CET: Central Europe
- May 30 at 9PM JST: Japan
Marvel Rivals Ultron
The main update in Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is Ultron, who joins the game as a new Strategist. He's a flying character with a laser beam attack that has unlimited range. His abilities allow him to shield teammates, add drones to them to give further shield, and his Ultimate fires a series of blasts that heal teammates and damage enemies at the same time.
It looks like Ultron will have great synergy with other flying characters, and has a new Team Up with Iron-Man. We'll have to wait and see whether he'll be a viable pick alongside the likes of Luna Snow and Invisible Woman, but early signs are looking promising.
Marvel Rivals season 2.5 patch notes
NetEase has now released the full patch notes for Marvel Rivals Season 2.5. It outlines loads of bug fixes for Heroes like Black Panther and Emma Frost, while also giving some information on the new features coming to UI and customization. You can read the full patch notes here.
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 new map
Hellfire Gala: Arakko is being added as a new map in Season 2.5. It's the lair of the villainous X-Tron, and features plenty of wicked machinery and robotic contraptions embedded in harsh, cold stone.
As you'd expect, it's a dark, cavernous place, with glowing red lights and a harsh, rock-led soundtrack. It'll be interesting to see how Arakko performs as a map in Competitive Mode, joining Krakoa as this season's new additions.
NetEase has released a new trailer for Arakko, which you can view above.
Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 ranked changes
There aren't too many changes to ranked play in Season 2.5, though there will be a new set of ranked rewards to earn, and a new Convoy map in Arakko.
The reward for reaching Gold Tier 3 by the end of the season is the Ultron - Golden Ultron skin, which we've yet to see. There's all-new Crests of Honor for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and Top 500 to earn as well. At present, there has been no announcement of a rank reset, though this is subject to change as we get closer to launch day.
As a freelance games writer, it's my job to stay up to date with the latest games, especially live service titles like Marvel Rivals. I've put hundreds of hours into Rivals since launch, primarily gaining Venom, who I now have a Lord rank. Generally, I play Competitive Mode with a regular squad, hovering around the top of the Platinum tier. So far, I've mostly stuck to the Vanguard and Strategist Roles, so I'm definitely excited to get my hands on Ultron. There's going to be buffs to Magneto and Doctor Strange as well, two characters I absolutely love to play as.
Marvel Rivals live coverage
That’s all for today
And that concludes my Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 live blog for the day. Expect me back online at 3AM ET / 12AM PT / 8AM BST to continue things. I’ll be discussing the new update in the hours before downtime kicks in, and giving my advice on how to make the best use of Ultron.
Psylocke takes a hit
Psylocke is getting a nerf to her Shuriken attacks, which will now do 12 damage per hit (down from 14) upon retrieval. Her Invisibility ability now only lasts 2 seconds instead of 3. This will have an impact on how careful players will need to be when going in for the kill, as there's less time for a cloaked escape.
When does Marvel Rivals Season 2 end?
Marvel Rivals Season 2 ends on May 30 UTC. This is listed on NetEase socials as 5AM ET / 2AM PT / 10AM BST. At this point, servers will go down and you won’t be able to play the game. The good news is that the main Battle Pass carries over, so you’ll still have plenty of time to earn its rewards.
New skins for Magneto, Mr Fantastic, and more
An event called Combat Chest will go live with Season 2.5. It has a free track that’ll grant rewards like Sprays, and a Premium track that features new skins for characters like Magneto and Mr Fantastic. As a main of both, I’m very excited indeed.
And I’m back
Now that I’m back from my break, let’s take a closer look at Ultron. He’s part of a new Team Up called Stark Protocol with, you guessed it, Iron Man. Ultron is able to fire powerful uni-beam attacks that pierce through enemies and teammates. Enemies will take serious damage, while allies will be healed. I just tested this out in the Practice Range and it's a serious upgrade to Ultron's standard kit. Probably worth having an Iron Man with you, then.
A brief break for me
I’m heading off now for a break. I’ll be back at 12PM ET / 9AM PT / 5PM BST to continue my coverage of Season 2.5’s launch. By that time, I'll have gotten some early access time with Ultron in the Practice Range. Stay tuned for my first impressions!
Character reveal trailer for Ultron
There’s a full character reveal trailer available for Ultron, showing off his abilities and playstyle. Interestingly, it looks like he puts out some serious damage at range.
Cap is getting a nerf
Captain America leads Season 2.5’s nerfs, with hits to his survivability. His base health is going from 600 to 575, while an increase to the energy cost of Freedom Charge (Ultimate Ability) from 2800 to 3100 will apply. Finally, there will be an increase for the delay of shield recovery from 2s to 4s after unleashing Living Legend.
A new event will launch alongside the new season
Cerebro Database II is the new event that’ll go live with Season 2.5. It’ll allow you to earn an awesome Hawkeye skin, though you’ll likely need to complete a set of challenges to get it.
Big changes to Team Ups incoming
There’s a whole host of Team Ups being removed from Marvel Rivals as part of Season 2.5. Chilling Charisma (Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark), Symbiote Bond (Venom, Spider-Man, Peni Parker), Ammo Overload (The Punisher, Rocket Raccoon), and Allied Agents (Hawkeye, Black Widow) are all being taken out, to make room for new Team Ups. More on those later.
Looking back at Season 2
Like many, I’ve struggled a bit this season, ending up unable to climb out of Platinum rank. Dive characters have gotten extremely difficult to counter, especially Iron Fist and Spider-Man. It’s no wonder that the latter is banned in basically every ranked game you play these days. Hopefully, buffs to Vanguards, and a rework of DPS viability will balance things out. From the looks of the upcoming changes, the developers are making all the right calls.
Downtime will last “2-3 hours”
🛠️ Patch 20250530 is on the way, Rivals! Check out all the details and tweaks we’re implementing as we head into Season 2.5 >> https://t.co/BuoVLCEI81 🕑 The patch will be implemented on May 30 at 2 AM PDT, and maintenance is expected to take approximately 2–3 hours. - Please… pic.twitter.com/YPbkqdcRY6May 23, 2025
As you can see in the Tweet above, downtime will last “2-3 hours” before Season 2.5 goes live. During downtime, you won’t be able to access the game, but worry not, I’ll be keeping this blog going, digging deep into upcoming Hero changes.
Ultron joins the roster
Ultron is the new Hero for Season 2.5, filling the role of Strategist. He’s the first new Strategist since Invisible Woman, and looks set to be a very different kind of character. He can fly, for one, meaning he’s going to be difficult for certain dive characters, like Captain America, to attack. He can boost up into the air when cornered, and even attack at distance with a laser beam.
And we’re off!
Welcome to TechRadar Gaming’s live coverage of Marvel Rivals Season 2.5. The major update is set to go live May 30, with downtime beginning at 5AM EDT / 2AM PDT / 10AM BST. I’ll be detailing all of the biggest changes coming to the game, including the addition of Ultron as a new Strategist. Let’s get started.