Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 Vanguard, Duelist and Strategist Nerfs and Buffs

Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 is here, and it's shaking things up with a slew of buffs, nerfs, and reworks across the Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist roles. Whether you're a frontline brawler, a precision striker, or a tactical mastermind, there's something in this patch for you. Let's dive into the details and see how your favorite heroes have been affected.

Vanguard Adjustments

Captain America

The First Avenger takes a slight hit to his durability and ultimate frequency:

• Base health reduced from 600 to 575.

• Shield recovery delay after using Living Legend increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.

• Freedom Charge (Ultimate Ability) energy cost increased from 2800 to 3100.

Doctor Strange

The Sorcerer Supreme gets a boost to his ranged capabilities:

• Daggers of Denak's damage falloff adjusted to start at 10 meters, reducing to 80% at 20 meters (previously 62.5%).

• Maelstrom of Madness no longer has range damage falloff.

Groot

Our favorite tree sees some cooldown and damage adjustments:

• Vine Strike damage per hit decreased from 70 to 65.

• Ironwood Wall cooldown increased from 8 seconds to 12 seconds.

Thor

The God of Thunder experiences a shift in playstyle:

• Hammer Throw no longer consumes Thorforce but also doesn't regenerate shield, altering sustain dynamics.

• Damage adjustments to abilities push Thor towards a mid-range DPS role. 

 

 

Duelist Tweaks

Iron Fist

The martial artist's defensive capabilities are toned down:

• Dragon’s Defense bonus health conversion rate reduced from 1.5 to 1.3.

• Maximum bonus health from blocked damage decreased from 200 to 175.

• Yat Jee Chung Kuen's dash distance slightly reduced in the z-axis when no target is present.

• Cooldown reduction from Jeet Kune Do hits decreased from 1.5 seconds to 1 second.

Iron Man

Tony Stark's arsenal sees some damage and durability reductions:

• Third Repulsor Blast projectile damage decreased from 50 to 45.

• Spell Field damage reduced from 60 to 55.

• Armor Overdrive's maximum bonus health lowered from 100 to 50.

Human Torch

Johnny Storm's fiery attacks are slightly tempered:

• Fire Cluster damage per hit reduced from 7 to 6.

• Blazing Blast charge time increased from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.

• Flaming Meteor's shield value decreased from 75 to 50; cooldown increased from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.

Namor

The Sub-Mariner's abilities receive range and damage adjustments:

• Blessing of the Deep cooldown increased from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.

• Horn of Proteus (Ultimate Ability) inner circle radius expanded from 3 meters to 3.5 meters; outer circle from 8 meters to 9 meters.

• Outer circle hit damage decreased from 200 to 180.

• Monstro Spawn damage falloff adjusted to reduce to 50% at 40 meters (previously 30%).

Psylocke

The psychic ninja sees reductions in stealth and retrieval damage:

• Wing Shurikens retrieval damage decreased from 14 to 12 per hit.

• Psychic Stealth invisibility duration reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.

Star-Lord

Peter Quill's ultimate gets a cost and range tweak:

• Galactic Legend (Ultimate Ability) energy cost increased from 3100 to 3400.

• Maximum target range extended from 30 meters to 40 meters.

• Damage falloff adjusted to reduce to 75% at 40 meters (previously 60%).

 

Strategist Updates

Jeff the Land Shark

Jeff undergoes a significant rework, enhancing support capabilities at the expense of survivability:

• Joyful Splash now deals 70 damage per second to enemies and can heal allies through other allies and enemies.

• Healing per second reduced from 150 to 130.

• Damage falloff starts at 20 meters, reducing to 65% at 40 meters.

• Aqua Burst transformed into a charge ability with a maximum of 3 charges, each taking 3 seconds to recharge.

• Direct hits with Aqua Burst now launch enemies upward.

• Spell field damage increased from 40 to 45.

Rocket Raccoon

The tech-savvy raccoon sees a slight nerf to his healing:

• Repair Mode's direct hit healing amount reduced from 55 to 50.

 

 

Team-Up Ability Nerfs and Buffs – What Changed?

Season 2.5 doesn’t just focus on individual heroes — it also tweaks how your Team-Up Abilities work, keeping the battlefield dynamic and balanced. Here’s what’s new:

Nerfs

• Psylocke & Magneto
  Their combo's invisibility duration was reduced from 3 seconds to 2 seconds, trimming down the window for stealthy plays.

• Human Torch & Storm
  The shield value of their combined ability has been decreased from 75 to 50, making it slightly riskier to dive in.

Buffs

• Star-Lord & Rocket Raccoon
  The range of their explosive team-up has been extended, with damage falloff now reducing to 75% at 40 meters instead of 60%. You can now reach out and blast someone from farther away.

 

Season 2.5 brings a mix of balance changes aimed at refining gameplay and encouraging diverse strategies. Whether you're adapting to nerfs or capitalizing on buffs, it's a great time to explore new tactics and team compositions. Stay sharp, and see you on the battlefield!