It feels like we’ve been waiting for Blade to make his appearance in this game since the moment it came out. And while it’s been cool, sometimes it felt like it was dragging on too long. But the Marvel Rivals 3.5 update arrives August 8th to end the long wait.

Marvel rivals Patch Notes

Blade is a duelist, the game’s version of a DPS. While I’m sure players will find the addition of another duelist annoying, it fits for him. From the Marvel Rivals website:

“Blade will wield two different weapons. His primary weapon is a Dracula Sword, which is obviously a melee weapon, likely capable of dealing high burst damage. His secondary weapon is a Hunting Gun, providing some flexibility to handle threats at medium range”.

Team-Up Changes in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

Season 3.5 introduces significant changes to the team-up system, featuring several removals and additions.

Removed Team-Ups in Season 3.5

Two team-ups are being completely removed from the game:

• Guardian Revival
• Atlas Bond

Team-Up Adjustments

Loki is being removed from the Ragnarok Rebirth team-up.

New Team-Ups in Season 3.5

Two brand new team-up abilities are being added:

• Duality Dance (Luna Snow and Adam Warlock)
• Vibrant Vitality (Mantis, Loki, and Groot)

Competitive Play Improvements

The update addresses one of the most significant problems in competitive play: players leaving matches.

• Increased Penalties for Leavers: Season 3.5 increases punishments for players who quit competitive matches. Quitters will face longer bans and bigger competitive point deductions.
• Compensation for Remaining Players: Players who stay in matches with leavers will receive point compensation at the end of the match.
• Fair Penalty System: The developers are improving their penalty review process. They will handle penalties fairly when players disconnect due to system issues and speed up the appeals process for mistaken bans.

“A completely new game mode called Resource Rumble will arrive on August 22nd. This mode will feature a new map called Throne of Knull. The developers plan to launch Resource Rumble in quick match first. More details about the gameplay mechanics will be shared in an upcoming deep dive”.

NetEase is doing a commendable job of keeping the game smooth on consoles, but PC players may beg to differ. But adding Blade was enough to get me to check back in. Just make sure we get an alternative that resembles Wesley Snipes’ version.