Marvel Rivals Introduces Auto Battler Mode for Strategic Team Play

Marvel Rivals has revitalized the hero shooter genre by combining beloved comic book characters with fast-paced, chaotic third-person shooter action. Its latest innovation, launching in Season 2.5 on June 6, is Ultron's Battle Matrix Protocol — an experimental auto battler mode that shifts the gameplay from direct shooting to strategic team drafting and positioning.

Unlike the core shooter gameplay, this mode lets six players draft teams of heroes who then fight automatically, with players influencing the battle by supporting their AI-controlled squads. The new hero Ultron adds tactical depth by providing healing and damage boosts, enhancing the strategic layer of the mode.

At first glance, introducing an auto battler to a hero shooter might seem unexpected. However, the connection between hero shooters and MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas) reveals a natural progression. Both genres emphasize team synergy, positioning, and strategic composition, making the transition to an auto battler mode a logical extension.

Hero shooters like Marvel Rivals demand complex mechanical skills such as aiming, but they also require strategic team building. Marvel Rivals enhances this by featuring powerful team-up abilities that activate only when multiple heroes coordinate. The auto battler mode encourages players to experiment with unconventional team combinations that might not be viable in traditional matches, potentially reshaping community strategies.

Players can choose from balanced team setups, risky strategies reminiscent of Overwatch's GOATS meta, or triple support lineups enhanced by new upgrade cards that modify gameplay. These upgrades fine-tune team performance and introduce dynamic tactical choices.

Marvel Rivals’ auto battler mode also reflects a competitive response to Overwatch 2’s Stadium mode, which similarly introduces MOBA-like power scaling and ability augmentations. Ultron's Battle Matrix Protocol allows players to select passive buffs and powerful hero-specific upgrades, creating snowballing effects that make late-game battles thrilling and unpredictable.

Examples of these upgrades include Venom transforming into a hulking monster, Hela unleashing a deadly field of flying daggers, Psylocke moving at double speed within her ultimate’s area, and Namor summoning additional squid turrets. Such dramatic power-ups emphasize the chaotic and unrestrained nature of this mode.

This mode is more than a one-off experiment; the depth of upgrades and strategic options suggests a broader shift in how hero shooters might evolve to embrace more chaotic, strategy-driven gameplay while preserving each character’s unique power fantasy.

Ultron's Battle Matrix Protocol invites players to rethink hero shooter conventions by blending the thrill of fast-paced action with the cerebral challenge of auto battlers. This fusion could inspire new meta strategies and keep the Marvel Rivals community engaged with fresh, innovative gameplay.