Marvel Rivals Season 8.5 was just released, and the latest patch is one of the biggest midseason updates the game has seen. Cyclops finally joins the roster, a brand-new map arrives for the 18v18 Bounty Annihilation mode, and there’s a free Groot skin up for grabs through a limited-time event.

Before diving into the details, don’t forget to check all the latest buffs and nerfs in Marvel Rivals. These haven’t been included in the official patch notes, yet they have drastically changed the hero shooter.

Everything new in Marvel Rivals Season 8.5

The highlight of the update is Scott Summers/Cyclops, a new Duelist. Cyclops brings a playstyle built around his optic blasts, and he also comes with a brand-new team-up with Wolverine. He is a two-star hero with a relatively simple yet powerful toolkit.

The new map, K’un-Lun: Shenloong Arena, is exclusive to the Bounty Annihilation mode. However, it’s important to note that the map is temporarily unavailable on Xbox Series S due to performance concerns. NetEase will release another map, Hellfire Bay Beach, on June 19. This will be a social map, similar to Times Square.

Marvel Rivals Season 8.5 patch notes also reveal the Shenloong Tournament event, which runs until July 10. The event includes Groot’s Ironwood Serpent costume as a free reward. At the same time, Storm’s Will of Galacta costume is available through Twitch Drops.

The 616 Vault is back for two weeks, bringing a collection of previously limited bundles including Breezy Butterfly (Psylocke), Robe of Relaxation (Loki), and several others. The vault runs until June 26 at 02:00 UTC, giving players a chance to grab these popular cosmetics for a limited time.

The latest Marvel Rivals update also includes a PC-only feature, as NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution is now live. Players can choose between Performance Mode for better frame rates or Quality Mode for sharper visuals. Those running GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs can also take advantage of DLSS Multi-Frame Generation, which supports even smoother gameplay.

Finally, the patch brings a couple of bug fixes, including a fix for Black Cat gaining multiple stacks of Fortune and Devin Dinosaur’s unintended speed boost.

NetEase has prepared lots of other content throughout the season, and the upcoming event will allow players to unlock 2,500 free Units. In the meantime, players can also unlock a few free cosmetics by checking out all the active Marvel Rivals codes.