Marvel Rivals Adds Blade, New Mode in August

NetEase Games has unveiled Marvel Rivals Season 3.5, giving players their first glimpse of Blade and the array of new content arriving in August.

The developer provided a full rundown of the mid-season refresh today, detailing how players can utilize the legendary Daywalker’s abilities to slash through fresh challenges introduced in the August 8 update. Following the recent debut of Season 3: The Abyss Awakens—and the arrival of Jean Grey—this quick turnaround signals NetEase’s commitment to a packed content release calendar.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Introduces Blade and New Team-Ups Next Week

Blade’s arrival as a fully playable character in Marvel Rivals has been highly anticipated. The iconic vampire hunter debuted as an NPC in Season 1, remaining on the sidelines until now.

At last, players will get to take control of Blade, and NetEase has equipped him with a versatile kit. Joining the roster next week as a Duelist, he wields a shotgun for mid-to-close combat before finishing foes with his Ancestral Sword. His ultimate ability, Sword of Dracula, enables him to stylishly tear through entire enemy squads.

“Almost a century ago, Eric Brooks was born between two worlds: the warmth of his mother’s love and the darkness of the vampire who attacked her,” NetEase’s description reads. “Embracing his identity as a dhampir, he became the Daywalker—the ultimate vampire hunter, blending peerless combat skills with supernatural abilities.

“When Dracula seized control of New York City, Blade was the first to confront him. By then, however, it was too late. Having mastered the immense power of Chronovium, Dracula defeated the Daywalker and locked him within the castle dungeons.

“After Dracula’s defeat, Blade was sent to Wakanda to recover, but his journey was far from over. Now recruited by Shuri to help save all existence, Blade stands vigilant, ready to face the dark forces of Hela and Knull.”

Alongside Blade, Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 introduces changes to team-up abilities. Guardian Revival and Atlas Bond are being removed, and Loki is exiting the Ragnarök Rebirth lineup. In their place, two new team-ups arrive: Duality Dance, featuring Adam Warlock and Luna Snow, and Vibrant Vitality, which pairs Mantis with either Groot or Loki. Existing team-ups are also expanding: Iron Fist joins Chilling Assault, Star-Lord enters the Rocket Network, and Blade becomes part of Lunar Force.

NetEase Makes Waves With Marvel Rivals This August

Also arriving on August 8 are enhancements to help players maintain a positive in-game environment. Dubbed “Operation: Shield the Community,” the update adds a custom text chat filter, allowing users to mute specific words. NetEase will track frequently muted terms for potential addition to its official filter list, and notes that in-game voice chat has been fully monitored since July 24.

Season 3.5 also brings stricter penalties for players who leave Competitive matches mid-game. Offenders may face extended Competitive bans and heavier ranking point deductions, while remaining teammates receive compensation points. Penalties will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, with an expedited appeals process for banned players.

Later in the month, the August 22 update will launch the new Resource Rumble game mode and Throne of Knull map. NetEase has yet to detail how these differ from existing modes and maps but promises a full gameplay overview soon. Resource Rumble will debut in Quick Match before eventually joining the Competitive rotation.

Marvel Rivals continues to gain momentum as NetEase adheres to the two-month seasonal cadence announced in April. This ensures a steady flow of new heroes as the team integrates player feedback through regular updates.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 goes live next week. While awaiting the full patch notes, check out how the Fantastic Four: First Steps cast reacted to the Invisible Woman’s notorious Malice skin.