We’re halfway through the Hellfire Gala Season in Marvel Rivals, and that means it’s time for a new character. Just as Emma Frost shook up the tank meta, Ultron (Jim Meskimen, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6) arrives as the newest support character to join the roster, looking to change things up in his role as well.
Even though Ultron heals his allies, his kit overall leans more heavily on damage than other supports, making him a better second, or even third, support on a list. This gives Ultron a strikingly different tone than others in his role. Let’s dive into the details of his kit.
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Before we get into his attacks and specials, it’s important to note that Ultron is the game’s first flying support. If you are a support main like me and you want to play him, do yourself a favor and spend some time in the training mode getting used to flying. It can be tricky, and learning under fire doesn’t make it any easier.
Ultron’s movement type can be both a blessing and a curse. While being able to move in three dimensions can make him harder to pin down in open areas, anywhere more enclosed can be a death trap for the homicidal robot. Much of his kit doesn’t necessitate him being too close to his comrades, but there are times when being closer is better, and these situations can be punishing to navigate as Ultron.
Hit practice mode first with Ultron to understand the flying controls.
As we’re talking about his movement, let’s look at the first of Ultron’s specials: Dynamic Flight. When activated, Ultron shoots forward with a quick burst of speed. Afterwards, he maintains a noticeable movement increase for a few more seconds before returning to his standard speed.
The burst that starts this power can be difficult to judge. I often found myself fired in a direction that was close, but didn’t feel exactly like where I had been headed when I fired it off. This sometimes got me stuck on environmental elements, leading to untimely deaths. Again, try it out in practice mode a few times first.
Ultron’s primary attack is a short burst beam that spikes its damage just before it ends. This makes his output tricky at times. To maximize output with his primary, Ultron needs to hit his target and maintain contact for a second to get the full effect. The beam is a straight shot with no auto-lock, so making the most of this attack can take some getting used to.
His next two special abilities combine interestingly. The first, Imperative: Patch, assigns a drone to an ally. This drone heals over time both the target and all allies within a marked radius of them, with the targeted character receiving extra healing. This ability encourages grouping up to maximize the healing output of the drone.
Ultron is a healer in Marvel Rivals.
While you can just drop the drone on a target and leave it, good Ultron players will keep their eyes on the evolving situation, making sure that the drone is always at the forefront of the fight. If the tank you had targeted has fallen back after a fight, bounce the drone to whoever is currently engaged. As his primary source of healing, it’s imperative to get as much out of it as possible.
The second ability in this pairing is Imperative: Firewall. This ability creates bonus health for Ultron, allies within a certain range of you or the drone created by Imperative: Patch. The ability to gain the bonus health from two spots gives your team a needed degree of flexibility as they optimize their output.
With so many huge, flashy area-of-effect attacks, requiring an entire team to be huddled together to get Ultron’s buffs would be inviting team wipes. By allowing the team to be split, he can still help significant amounts of his team in the moment-to-moment battles while avoiding this danger.
Next, we have Ultron’s ultimate ability: Rage of Ultron. When triggered, several Ultron Drones appear, encircle their leader, and fire in unison with him. This amplified attack not only deals big damage to enemies, but also heals allies caught in the blasts. This gives the ability a ton of versatility.
The shots come out in short bursts, so getting used to the cadence of the fire is important, but doesn’t feel too difficult. There is travel time for the shots as well, so the further away you are, the more you need to lead, making the balance of safety and effectiveness crucial to judge.
Ultron’s team-up effect partners with Iron Man for a major attack.
The last element of Ultron’s kit is his current team-up effect: Nano Ray. When teamed up with Iron Man, you gain an additional mode to his primary attack. When activated, his primary fire turns into a continuous beam. This beam pierces through enemies as it damages them, as well as heals allies. The cooldown is significant, so use it wisely.
This ability can be a double-edged sword. Its power is noticeable, but in order to get a lot out of it, Ultron must frequently go closer to the ground and the fight than is often healthy for him. Judging when to dive in and when to break off will be crucial for hopeful support players. Trying to get greedy and line up the perfect shot could leave them vulnerable to any one of the fast-moving attackers the game features.
The latest entry in Marvel Rivals‘ growing roster does a lot of things differently from other supports. His movement style, the degree of damage he deals, and the unique way he must manage the spacing of his abilities create an experience that lets him stand out from other supports.
His limited heals make it so he won’t be taking any current top-level support jobs, but he can provide just enough extra healing that he may be able to tip a few team fights into his side’s favor. And maybe his damage output will encourage some players who are less inclined to play the support role to give it a try.
Marvel Rivals is available to play now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X.
