Marvel Rivals Season 2 release date, Emma Frost, and upcoming changes

Cloak & Dagger, Star Lord, Emma Frost, Rocket, Ultron and Black Panther pose at an extravagant gala
(Image credit: Marvel Games)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 arrives later this month, adding Emma Frost as a brand new Vanguard. There are also interesting changes coming to Team Ups, with some like Magneto and Scarlet Witch's Metallic Chaos ability being removed, while new ones between Captain America and Winter Soldier are being added. By the looks of things, this season will shake up the meta quite a bit.

I'm still absolutely loving Marvel Rivals, having reviewed it back at launch. Since then, The Fantastic Four have been added, and I've spent a considerable time gaining Sue Storm, using the push ability to send enemies flying. By having a good cadence of adding new heroes, Marvel Rivals remains highly ranked in TechRadar Gaming's best crossplay games page. If Season 2 continues to bring new maps, modes, and heroes at a decent pace, I can't see myself being torn away from Marvel Rivals anytime soon.

NetEase has now revealed the main details surrounding Marvel Rivals Season 2. There's a new Hero to try out, and an evolving story set around an opulent gala on Krakoa. Here's when Marvel Rivals Season 2 launches, as well as some info on upcoming changes to the balance of the game. As we near launch day, I'll update this page with all of the latest news.

Marvel Rivals Season 2 release date

Season 2: Hellfire Gala Official Trailer | Krakoa Welcomes You April 11! | Marvel Rivals - YouTube Season 2: Hellfire Gala Official Trailer | Krakoa Welcomes You April 11! | Marvel Rivals - YouTube
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Marvel Rivals Season 2 will arrive on April 11 UTC. This means that it'll launch at the following time according to your timezone:

  • April 10 at 5PM PST: West Coast US
  • April 10 at 8PM ET: East Coast US
  • April 11 at 1AM BST: United Kingdom
  • April 11 at 2AM CET: Central Europe
  • April 11 at 9AM JST: Japan

Based on previous seasons, expect Marvel Rivals to go offline for a few hours before the launch of the second season. Keep on eye on the official Marvel Rivals website for more info.

I'll be sure to update this section with any news of expected downtime once it's revealed.

Marvel Rivals Emma Frost release date

Emma Frost poses in front of a blue background overlaid with the words "Vanguard" and "Emma Frost"

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals will add Emma Frost on April 11 UTC. She's a new Vanguard, operating on the front line of battle by utilizing telekinetic abilities and sheer brawling firepower. -NetEase has fully detailed the character in the video below, which shows off each of her abilities. It appears that she'll have a decent bit of range, as well as the ability to apply her diamond skin and move in for close-quarters combat. She has an ultimate that damages multiple enemies at once with telekinetic beams while pulling them toward her.

There are some interesting details to Emma Frost's kit that are worth diving into. Firstly, her dash and choke slam ability ends with a sweep kick which knocks enemies back. This can be used to throw an opponent off of an edge for a quick kill. Emma Frost can also place diamond shields, using them to block Ultimates like Iron Man's. This works similarly to Groot's shield walls, in that there's a fair bit of range to where you can place them.

Emma Frost joins Hulk, Doctor Strange, Venom, Captain America, The Thing, Groot, and Magneto as a Vanguard. Primarily, she will be used to tank damage on the frontline, though she clearly has a lot of potential as a brawler, and some support elements in her shielding abilities.

Emma Frost: The White Queen | Character Reveal | Marvel Rivals - YouTube Emma Frost: The White Queen | Character Reveal | Marvel Rivals - YouTube
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Emma Frost joins Hulk, Doctor Strange, Venom, Captain America, The Thing, Groot, and Magneto as a Vanguard. Primarily, she will be used to tank damage on the frontline, though she clearly has a lot of potential as a brawler, and some support elements in her shielding abilities.

I'm a Venom main in Marvel Rivals, so I primarily tend to go with Vanguards over the other two classes, so I'll definitely be giving Emma Frost a go when she launches. We'll have to wait and see how her Team Up with Magneto and Psylocke plays out, but having a 2-tank team with Emma Frost and Magneto could be a good place to start in terms of working out a new meta.

Marvel Rivals Ultron

Ultron stands with his back to hundreds of Ultron bots

(Image credit: NetEase)

Now for Ultron, who won't launch until Season 2.5. If we look at the release schedule for the previous season, I expect Ultron to arrive sometime in May. We haven't seen much from this upcoming character just yet, only a brief tease in the Season 2 reveal trailer. It's clear that he's set to be the villain of the season but in terms of how he'll play? Well, that's yet to be seen.

Marvel Rivals Season 2 Team Up Changes

The Teamups for Marvel Rivals Season 2, arranged in a table

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 will bring in a bunch of new Team Ups, while removing existing ones. The first new one sees Emma Frost as the anchor Hero, with an ability called Mental Projection. This gives Magneto and Psylocke illusory projections, making it more difficult for the enemy to hit them. Next up is Arcane Order, which sees Doctor Strange sharing his magic abilities with Scarlet Witch, enhancing her attacks. Then, Stars Aligned allows Winter Soldier to leap towards allies at critical moments.

Here are the key points on the changes coming to Team Ups in Marvel Rivals Season 2:

  • Mental Projection: Emma Frost, Magneto, Scarlet Witch (NEW)
  • Arcane Order: Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch (NEW)
  • Stars Aligned: Captain America, Winter Soldier (NEW)
  • Gamma Charge: Hulk, Namor, Iron-Man (Doctor Strange removed, Namor added)
  • Ammo Overload: Rocket, Punisher (Winter Soldier removed)
  • Dimensional Shortcut: Magik, Black Panther (Psylocke removed)
  • Chilling Charisma: Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark (Namor removed)
  • Voltaic Union: Thor, Storm, Captain America (Removed entirely)
  • Metallic Chaos: Magneto, Scarlet Witch (Removed entirely)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 balancing changes

Season 2 Hellfire Gala | Dev Vision Vol. 05 | Marvel Rivals - YouTube Season 2 Hellfire Gala | Dev Vision Vol. 05 | Marvel Rivals - YouTube
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In the Developer Vision video you can view above, some general balance updates are outlined for the future of Marvel Rivals. We've collected the key points in the list below:

  • Hero balancing (buffs): Black Widow, Mister Fantastic, Scarlet Witch, Jeff the Land Shark, Peni Parker, Moon Knight, and Rocket Raccoon
  • Hero Balancing (nerfs): Doctor Strange, Adam Warlock, Loki
  • New Hero schedule: One per month from Season 3 onwards
  • Maps: Map rotation will be in effect from Season 2 onwards (ranked), Hellfire: Gala (new map)
  • Modes: New limited-time modes will be added over time
  • Competitive: Map rotation, Bans added to Gold III, each player drops 9 divisions at the start at Season 2, minimum level requirement now 15, One Above All and Eternity ranks only allow duo queuing, Increasing the rate of individual performance vs match outcome.

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Jake Green

Jake is a freelance writer who currently works regularly with TRG. Hailing from the overcast shores of Brighton in the United Kingdom, Jake can be found covering everything from features to guides content around the latest game releases. As seen on NME.com, Eurogamer.net, and VG247.com, Jake specializes in breaking games down into approachable pieces for guides, and providing SEO advice to websites looking to expand their audiences.

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