Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is coming on March 30 with Version 20250530, and developers at NetEase Games have revealed the balance changes for characters and abilities already.
To start with, let’s look at the new character coming, Ultron. He’s a flying Strategist who can heal and deal damage with a new shooting mechanic. However, that’s all NetEase has given fans about his kit.
Next up are all the character nerfs and buffs, starting with Vanguards:
- Captain America: base health decreased (600 to 575), increased delay in shield recovery from Living Legend (2 seconds to 4 seconds), and increased energy cost for Freedom Charge (2800 to 3100)
- Doctor Strange: adjusted the damage falloff of Daggers of Denak from 62.5% by 20m to 80% at 20m and removed the ranged damage falloff of Maelstrom of Madness
- Emma Frost: increased range of Telepathic Pulse (15.5m to 18m), decreased the shield from Mind’s Aegis (500 to 400), increased the cooldown on Carbon Crush (5s to 6s), and decreased the damage of Crystal Kick (50 to 40 regularly, 100 to 90 when hit into a wall)
- Groot: decreased Vine Strike’s damage per hit (70 to 65) and increased the cooldown of Ironwood Wall (8s to 12s)
- Magneto: increased the charging speed of rings (4s/stack to 3s/stack)
Thor is getting a bit more of a complex adjustment. His Hammer Throw ability effect is becoming a standard ability, so there’s no Thorforce cost or universal cooldown. The ability will get a six-second cooldown, and Thor will get one Thorforce every time Hammer Throw hits an enemy. However, the damage is decreased from 70 to 45, and the return damage is decreased from 30 to 20.
As for Duelists, the changes are as follows:
- Hawkeye: increased the base damage of arrow (32 to 34), increased his maximum focus (70 to 75), and increased charging speed when aiming down sights (100/s to 108/s) and charge falloff speed (30/s to 32/s)
- Hela: increased Nightsword Thorn’s charge capacity (8 to 10)
- Human Torch: reduced Fire Cluster’s damage (7/hit to 6/hit), increased Blazing Blast charge speed (2s to 3s), and decreased the shield from Flaming Meteor (75 to 50) and increased its cooldown (15s to 20s)
- Iron Fist: decreased Dragon’s Defense damaged blocked (bonus health conversion rate 1.5 to 1.3), decreased the maximum bonus health converted from damage blocked (200 to 175), decreased Yat Jee Chung Kuen’s dash distance when there’s no target on the z-axis, and reduced Dragon’s Defense cooldown reduction from Jeet Kune Do hits (1.5s to 1s)
- Iron Man: decreased the damage of the third Repulsor Blast (50 to 45), decreased Spell Field Damage (60 to 55), and reduced Armor Overdrive max bonus health (100 to 50)
- Namor: increased Blessing of the Deep’s cooldown (15s to 20s), expanded the inner circle radius (3m to 3.5m) and outer circle radius (8m to 9m) for Horn of Proteus with decreased outer circle damage (200 to 180), and adjusted the falloff damage from Monstro Spawn to start at 20m and reducing to 50% at 40m
- Psylocke: decreased the damage from retrieving Wing Shurikens (14 to 12 per hit) and decreased Psychic Stealth’s invisibility duration (3s to 2s)
- Squirrel Girl: increased Burst Acorn’s capacity (10 to 12), decreased Mammal Bond’s cooldown (12s to 10s), and optimized the player experience for Squirrel Blockade, Tail Bounce, and Unbeatable Squirrel Tsunami
- Star-Lord: increased Galactic Legend’s energy cost (3100 to 3400) and extended its range (30m to 40m) and adjusted its damage falloff to reducing to 75% at 40m
- Storm: increased Omega Hurricane’s damage (150/s to 160/s)
- The Punisher: reduced Final Judgement’s movement slow rate (20% to 10% when not firing, 40% to 30% when firing) and increased Adjudication’s magazine size (30 to 40), single hit damage (18 to 19), and reduced the bullet spread
And, last but not least, are the Strategists:
- Luna Snow: increased Light and Dark Ice healing and damage (20/round to 22/round), added an effect to Absolute Zero that grants 50 bonus health/enemy hit, and increased Gate of both Worlds’ energy cost (4500 to 5000)
- Rocket Raccoon: reduced healing of Repair Mode (55 to 50)
Jeff the Land Shark is getting a rework that should let him heal and hit harder, but puts him at a higher risk. Joyful Splash has a new effect that deals damage to enemies (70/s) and will heal allies through other allies. Its damage falloff begins at 20m and goes to 65% at 40m (healing is reduced from 150 to 100).
Aqua Burst’s charge ability now has a maximum of three charges at 3s/charge, and it also has a new effect — direct hits will throw enemies up. It’s also getting increased spell field damage (40 to 45).
Hide and Seek is getting a new effect. It will have an energy cap up to 120 that drains by 20 a second when he’s submerged and restores 12 a second when he’s not. Healing while being submerged has been reduced from 35/s to 15/s.
His ultimate, It’s Jeff!, will give Jeff bonus health from swallowing allies, up to 150 at 45/s. Also, Jeff will take 70% less damage from critical hits.
Characters aren’t the only things changing with Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 — Team-Up Abilities are as well. The following have been removed: Allied Agents (Hawkeye/Black Widow), Ammo Overload (Rocket Raccoon/The Punisher), Chilling Charisma (Luna Snow/Jeff the Land Shark) and Symbiote Bond (Venom/Peni Parker/Spider-Man).
Additionally, Iron Man has been removed from the Gamma Charge Team-Up Ability with Hulk and Namor).
Several Team-Up Abilities are being adjusted:
- Atlas Bond (Iron Fist/Luna Snow): decreased the damage boost proportion (15% to 10%)
- Fantastic Four (Invisible Woman/Human Torch/Mister Fantastic/The Thing): increased cooldown for Storm Siblings, Wedded Harmony, and Cooperative Comrades (20s to 25s)
- Gamma Charge (Hulk/Namor): increased Gamma Monstro cooldown (15s to 20s)
- Mental Projection (Emma Frost/Psylocke/Magneto): reduced the proportion of damage from Magnetic Resonance and Soul Resurgance illusions (30% to 20%)
However, among the removals and changes are several new Team-Up Abilities:
- Chilling Assault (Luna Snow/Hawkeye): Luna gets 15% increase in healing and Hawkeye gets an Ice Arrow ability
- Jeff-nado (Storm/Jeff the Land Shark): Storm gets Shark Surge ability and Jeff gains Jeff-nado! ability
- Operation: Microchip (The Punisher/Black Widow): Punisher gets 25 maximum health increase and 5% additional damage and Black Widow gets Pulse Rifle ability
- Rocket Network (Rocket Raccoon/Peni Parker): Rocket Raccoon gets 5% increased healing and his BRB is a Web Beacon while Peni Parker gets Armoured Spider-Nest ability
- Stark Protocol (Iron Man/Ultron): Iron Man gets 5% additional damage and Ultron gets Nano-Ray ability
- Symbiote Shenanigans (Venom/Jeff the Land Shark): Venom gets 150 maximum health increase and Jeff the Land Shark gets Healing Tendrils ability
There are also events coming with season 2.5. For example, a solo tactical game mode of auto-chess will be available (though nothing may beat the hilarious Giant Head event from last month). There will also be new hero proficiency avatars and a mood and emoji update.
Starting with Season 2.5, each new season will only be two months long.
For a visual look at all of the new teamups and some of the Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 changes, check out the Dev Vision below:
