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Marvel Rivals season 2 live coverage: new season out now, all the latest on Emma Frost, and my live reaction to new features
Live coverage of the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 2, which adds a new Hero, as well as a bunch of changes to the game's meta.
Marvel Rivals Season 2 is now just hours away, with downtime expected to last 2-3 hours once it kicks in. As such, players will get to try out Emma Frost very soon indeed, adding a new Vanguard into the mix, and shaking up the game's meta once again. I'll be covering the launch of Season 2 as it happens, from the lead up to maintenance, the two hours or so of downtime, and some impressions of the new season once it all goes live.
Over the last week or so, Developer NetEase has lifted the lid on the next season of Marvel Rivals. There's been a lot to digest, especially when looking into the changes coming to Competitive Mode. As an avid Marvel Rivals player, and one that's looking to main a new character in Season 2, I've been digging into the full patch notes, trying to predict who will rise above the rest in the coming weeks and months. It's regular changes to the game's meta that have kept Marvel Rivals ranked highly in our best PC games list, and make me particularly excited for the launch of a new season.
If things go well, we could be looking at the best Marvel Rivals season yet, especially as far as ranked play is concerned. After sinking over a hundred hours into Marvel Rivals since the start of the first season, I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into some new maps, and trying out some DPS Heroes, as I've tended to favor Vanguard up to this point. Still, I won't be abandoning my tank duties completely, as I'll definitely be giving Emma Frost a whirl for my first few matches.
Join me as I keep you up to date with all of the latest news and happenings in the lead-up to Season 2, and into the launch itself. I'll be providing live coverage that highlights the best details revealed so far, as well as some predictions for where Marvel Rivals could be headed with its ongoing focus on new Heroes and its new mutant-themed narrative. Here's what you need to know about Marvel Rivals Season 2, now that we're just hours away from scheduled downtime.
Marvel Rivals Season 2 - cut to the chase
Only have time for the basics? Here are the most important things to know about Marvel Rivals Season 2:
- Start time: Marvel Rivals will go offline on April 11 at 2AM PDT / 5AM / 10AM BST / 11AM CET / 6PM JST for 2-3 hours. Season 2 will then begin.
- New Hero: Emma Frost (Vanguard)
- New map: Hellfire Gala - Krakoa
- Map Rotation: Hellfire Gala: Krakoa will enter the Competitive pool, while Yggsgard: Royal Palace and Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya will be retired from ranked play.
- New Battle Pass
- Season event: Cerebro Database
- Mission system revamp
- Rank Reset: All players demoted 9 divisions
- New Rank Rewards
Marvel Rivals Season 2 start time
Marvel Rivals Season 2's start time is April 11 at 1AM PDT / 4AM / 9AM BST / 10AM CET / 5PM JST. Hold your horses, however, as scheduled downtime will start an hour later, and it'll last 2-3 hours according to this Tweet. As such, I've estimated the Marvel Rivals Season 2 start time to be the following depending on your timezone:
- April 11 at 5AM PT: West Coast US
- April 11 at 8AM ET: East Coast US
- April 11 at 1PM BST: United Kingdom
- April 11 at 2PM CET: Central Europe
- April 11 at 9PM JST: Japan
As of 1:15 AM PDT / 4:15 AM / 9:15 AM BST / 10:15 AM CET / 5:15 PM JST (April 11), nothing has changed in Marvel Rivals. It's likely that the start time provided by NetEase was just an estimate, as maintenance is still expected to kick in later on.
Marvel Rivals Emma Frost
The headline for Marvel Rivals Season 2 is that Emma Frost is joining as a new Hero. She's a Vanguard with telekinetic abilities and diamond skin. From the developer breakdown (which you can view above), she certainly looks formidable, with an Ultimate that causes enemies to walk towards her. This is great for environmental kills as opponents walk straight off of edges and into pits. Emma Frost will launch alongside the new season, so players will be able to try her out right away.
Marvel Rivals patch notes for Season 2
For those looking to dive deep on everything coming to Marvel Rivals in Season 2, you're in luck! NetEase has release the full patch notes for the Season 2 update, which includes some detailed information on the buffs and nerfs coming to certain Heroes. You can read them here.
Marvel Rivals skins for Season 2
Now that NetEase has revealed the trailer for the Flower of Krakoa Battle Pass that's set to arrive in Marvel Rivals Season 2, we have a good look at some new skins coming to the game. There are 10 new costumes to unlock, including skins for Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Black Panther, Cloak and Dagger, Hulk, and Rocket. I'm personally looking forward to the classic X-Men skins for Psylocke and Magik, which feature that iconic blue and yellow costume we all know and love. It's consistent updates like these that have earned Marvel Rivals a place in our best free games list.
Marvel Rivals new map for Season 2
Marvel Rivals is getting a brand new map as part of Season 2. It's called Hellfire Gala: Krakoa, and you can check out a full breakdown in the video embedded above.
Marvel Rivals ranked changes for Season 2
As someone who mainly plays Competitive Mode in Marvel Rivals, it's exciting to see just how many changes are coming to ranked play this season. Firstly, there's a rank reset for everyone, kicking players down by nine tiers. Then, there are new ranked rewards to earn, including an Emma Frost skin for reaching Gold tier by the end of the season.
Map rotation comes into play in Marvel Rivals Season 2 as well, initially removing the Yggsgard and Tokyo 2099 maps, and adding the new Hellfire Gala: Krakoa Domination map. Bans will be available at Gold tier now, allowing players to remove certain Heroes from their opponents' pools. Lastly, your performance per game, and the number of points you gain or lose, will now be more weighted towards individual performance rather than match outcome.
Marvel Rivals Season 2 - Live coverage
Welcome to TechRadar Gaming's Marvel Rivals Season 2 live coverage
With less than 24 hours to go before the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 2, I'm kicking off my live coverage leading up to the new update.
I'll be keeping you up to date with everything you need to know about Marvel Rivals Season 2, including all of the latest news as it happens. This means keeping track of the scheduled downtime, diving into the upcoming changes to ranked play, and breaking down the Season's new Hero, Emma Frost! Having played over a hundred hours of Marvel Rivals since launch, I’m particularly excited to dive in and try out some of the newly buffed Heroes. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a new main moving forward?
There's still plenty of time to get acquainted with all of the new changes set to arrive in Marvel Rivals. For now, check out the official story trailer for this season, which sees our Heroes meeting for the Hellfire Gala, an extravagant event hosted on the mutant paradise of Krakoa.
Let’s kick things off with a look at when you’ll actually be able to jump into Season 2 and try out Emma Frost for yourself. Things are a bit complicated, but expect downtime to start on April 11 at 2AM PDT / 5AM / 10AM BST / 11AM CET / 6PM JST.
The latest patch notes - version 20250411 - are here! Get ready to explore the exciting new content and captivating surprises in S2.0. Find all the details here >> https://t.co/5XYrfI26rN
