Summary

The Season 2.5 update for Marvel Rivals launches on May 30 with balance changes and new features.
Characters like Doctor Strange and Hawkeye have been buffed, while Thor and Jeff the Land Shark have been nerfed, sparking mixed reactions.
The new Cerebro Database 2 event introduces the free Binary Arrow costume for Hawkeye.

Marvel Rivals has released its patch notes for the upcoming Season 2.5 update, which is scheduled to launch on May 30. NetEase Games has also revealed that numerous balance changes will be launched with the new update, which has received mixed reactions from a large portion of the Marvel Rivals community.

Some characters, like Doctor Strange and others, will be seeing an increase in their damage potential. Meanwhile, several heroes will be getting nerfed. Some fans were particularly upset by nerfs coming to Thor and Jeff the Land Shark in Marvel Rivals, as a large portion of the community felt the characters were already balanced. As always, the developers seem to be tweaking and adjusting the game's heroes in an effort to keep the battlefield fair.

Marvel Rivals leak reveals the return of Galactic Fang and Galactic Talon bundles.

Marvel Rivals Leak Reveals Return of Ultra Rare Skins

A prominent Marvel Rivals leaker reveals that two ultra rare skins could be coming back to the store in NetEase Games' popular hero shooter.

Posts

By Matthew O’Dwyer

In a recent post on Twitter, NetEase Games shared the patch notes for Marvel Rivals' major Season 2.5 update, which will be launching on May 30. According to the post, servers will go down on May 30 at 2 AM PDT and remain offline for two or three hours while the update is implemented. It's possible that the expected downtime could change based on NetEase Games' progress launching Season 2.5. The upcoming update will introduce a wide variety of new features, cosmetics, and balance changes to the popular hero shooter. For instance, players will soon be able to engage in combat on the new Convoy map, Hellfire Gala: Arakko.

Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 Update Launches May 30

The update will also launch with the new Cerebro Database 2 event, which will give players the chance to earn the new Binary Arrow costume for Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals. The fresh skin shows off a version of Hawkeye that has been infected by Ultron with some kind of machine virus. It's a new look for the hero, as he can be seen sporting some high-tech gear and stark white hair. Hawkeye will also be receiving some slight buffs to the damage of his primary abilities, which should give him an overall performance boost.

Ultron will also be joining Marvel Rivals' ever-expanding roster as a flying Strategist, causing some players to worry about the growing number of flying characters in the game. Recent footage showed that Ultron's primary fire appears to be a beam that shoots from his right hand, which has the ability to both heal allies and harm enemies. He can also summon small drones to create forward-facing shields for himself and nearby allies, though they only appear for a short amount of time. With so much content to enjoy and even more on the way, many fans are feeling optimistic about the future of Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals Version 20250530 Patch Notes

All-New Content

All Platforms

New Hero

Ultron invades Marvel Rivals!

New Map

Explore an all-new Convoy map - Hellfire Gala: Arakko.

Season Event: Cerebro Database II

Complete the event to earn the free costume, Hawkeye – Binary Arrow!

Event Duration: 2025/5/30, 09:00:00 ~ 2025/6/27, 09:00:00 (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.

Drops Period: 2025/5/30, 12:00:00 ~ 2025/6/27, 09:00:00 (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, we've added a Recommendation feature in the team lobby.
We've 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 & 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 webs 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.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image