Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Update: New Hero, Map, Mode, and Key Balance Changes Revealed

Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Update (Image Credit: Netease)

Marvel Rivals is gearing up for a major mid-season shake-up with the arrival of its Season 3.5 update, which officially goes live on August 8, 2025.

The patch will introduce a new Duelist hero—Blade, add a brand-new map and game mode, implement notable adjustments to team-up abilities, and bring improvements to player communication and competitive integrity.

This mid-season update follows the launch of Season 3 on July 11, which introduced two new Domination maps, Phoenix as a playable character, and reworked a large portion of the game’s balancing. With 3.5, NetEase is doubling down on that momentum and promising even more variety, depth, and polish to the superhero team shooter.

Blade Enters the Roster as a Duelist

The highlight of Season 3.5 is undoubtedly Blade, the legendary vampire hunter and Marvel anti-hero, now entering the battlefield as a Duelist. Described as a close-quarters powerhouse, Blade is equipped with a shotgun for mid-to-close range pressure and a set of powerful vampire-themed abilities that let him manipulate healing and slice through enemies with supernatural ferocity.

NetEase creative director Guangguang described Blade as “a true duelist” whose Dhampir lineage and combat mastery allow him to dominate fights. His skillset includes:

• Reducing enemy healing with precise shotgun shots

• Unleashing his Ancestral Sword to awaken his vampire bloodline

• Activating the legendary Sword of Dracula, allowing him to dash through enemies and leave a deadly trail behind

Blade with shotgun and sword in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Update (Image Credit: Netease)

This marks Blade’s first appearance in Marvel Rivals and adds a darker edge to the roster, complementing Phoenix’s cosmic power introduced earlier in Season 3.

New Team-Up Abilities and Reworks

Season 3.5 will also revamp the Team-Up Ability system with both removals and new additions:

• Removed Team-Ups: Guardian Revival and Atlas Bond

• New Team-Ups:

  • Duality Dance: Adam Warlock enhances Luna Snow’s offensive output

  • Vibrant Vitality: Loki strengthens his allies’ damage and improves Groot’s wall durability with Mantis’s help

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Update new team up (Image Credit: Netease)

Adjusted members include:

• Iron Fist joining the Chilling Assault Team-Up

• Star-Lord becoming part of Rocket Network

• Blade launching with Lunar Force

These shifts aim to refresh strategy combinations and open new team dynamics in both casual and competitive matches.

New Game Mode: Resource Rumble + Map: Throne of Kull

Another big addition is the launch of Resource Rumble, a new game mode arriving on August 22, alongside the Throne of Kull map. While details are still limited, the developers confirmed the map will debut in Quick Match for testing before it's added to Ranked Play.

The early release strategy is part of NetEase’s effort to collect player feedback and refine the map before full integration.

Communication and Anti-Toxicity Upgrades

In a major step toward making Marvel Rivals more welcoming, voice chat will now be auto-screened by an AI system with human review, as of July 24. This means players using inappropriate or toxic language will be more easily identified and penalized.

Additionally, a new customizable text chat filter is being introduced. Players can mute specific words, and NetEase will monitor common filter terms to update its global ban list. These systems aim to provide a more tailored and positive in-game experience.

Competitive Quitting Penalties Get Tougher

One of the most frustrating issues in ranked matches—teammates quitting mid-game—is being addressed in Season 3.5. According to NetEase:

• Quitters will face longer bans and higher point deductions

• Remaining teammates will receive point compensation

• Surrender votes will now need one fewer vote than the number of players remaining

This change is meant to protect the integrity of competitive play and reward those who stay in matches despite being at a disadvantage.

Performance Boosts for PC Players

PC players can also expect better performance thanks to a full overhaul of the shader system. Shaders will now load in the background during the lobby screen, cutting down on compile times and memory usage—helping players jump into matches faster.

Marvel Rivals Midseason Finals Incoming

In the esports arena, the Marvel Rivals Ignite Midseason Finals will be held from August 6 to 10 in Guangzhou, China, featuring 10 factions battling for the top spot. More details are expected to be shared via the game’s official channels.