Screenshot by Destructoid
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Prepare to assimilate. The rogue AI known as Ultron is primed to join the Marvel Rivals roster next week, and he’s tougher than ever.
As part of the ongoing Marvel Rivals story, the evil Ultron has stolen Cerebro and evolved into the mega X-Tron as part of the game. According to NetEase, Ultron introduces “an all-new shooting experience” as a Strategist who can provide “consistent healing” to his team.
Oh, and he can fly, too. Yeah, this robot guy is looking like a good bit of fun, especially on a new map called Arakko, Krakoa’s sister island that has been transformed by Ultron into an ugly, mechanical world.
In an new Dev Vision update highlighting Ultron, NetEase has announced a slew of new updates coming to Marvel Rivals in the new update next week, including an emoji system, hero proficiency avatars on the hero select wheel, and other minor quality of life updates. But there’s some big stuff, too.
Season 2.5 will bring about a big balancing pass, tweaking several “overbearing” heroes to shake up the meta that settled in for “exhausting” matches in season two. NetEase says it will be nerfing Groot, Emma Frost, and Captain America, while buffing Magneto and Doctor Strange for Vanguards. For Duelists, Iron Fist, Human Torch, and Psylocke will get nerfs while Punisher, Squirrel Girl, and Storm will get buffed. Luna Snow will get rebalanced to nerf her Ultimate but make her more viable elsewhere, and Jeff is getting a “partial adjustment,” too.
Marvel Rivals will also be updating team-ups yet again, adding six new abilities while removing four, as the meta continues to evolve, including nerfs for powerful team-ups like Hulk and Namor. One of the new team-up abilities, Jeffnado, combines the Land Shark with Storm to create a shark tornado for some hilarity.
A new limited-time mode, Ultron’s Battle Matrix Protocol, will kick off on June 6 and introduce unique hero builds and traits in what looks like quite a departure from the base Marvel Rivals experience, on top of the normal fare you’d expect from an update like this.
And in case you needed a refresher, here’s what Ultron’s abilities look like, according to leaks:
| Ability | Description | Button input |
|---|---|---|
| Encephalo-Ray | Unleash a burning energy beam. | LMB |
| Imperative: Firewall | Summon drones to grant bonus health to allies within range, centered on himself and the ally marked by Imperative: Patch. | RMB |
| Imperative: Patch | Command a giant drone to follow an ally, constantly healing allies in its radius, with additional healing for the designated ally. | E |
| Dynamic Flight | Fly quickly in the direction of movement and then enter a free-flight mode. | Shift |
| Rage of Ultron (Ultimate) |
Summon Ultron Drones to fire Encephalo-Rays, damaging enemies or healing allies. | Q |
| Algorithm Correction (Passive) |
Hold space to fall slowly. | Space |
We’ll know more ahead of the midseason update in Marvel Rivals next week, which is looking to be a sizable update to the existing experience when it drops on May 30.
Published: May 22, 2025 10:09 am