When Will Blade Be Added to Marvel Rivals?
Blade’s been a long time coming, but he’s finally playable soon. NetEase just confirmed Blade’s official release into Marvel Rivals lands on August 8, 2025, as part of the big Season 3.5 update. For a while, Blade was just hanging in the background—first appeared back in Season 1, not as a selectable character, just part of the world.
That changes now. August 8, you’ll get to play as Blade, slicing with his katana, blasting with a shotgun, and for his ultimate? The Sword of Dracula, which lets him mow down enemy teams in style.
@RivalsAssembled reveals the first look at Blade's in-game appearance in Marvel Rivals. RivalsAssembled confirms Blade will join as a duelist character on August 8th.
Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Release Date
Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Release Date is August 8, 2025, the same as Blade’s debut. Marvel Rivals has had a pretty fast update cadence lately. Season 3 dropped July 11 (with Phoenix hitting the roster), and now, less than a month later, we get a mid-season “3.5” drop—the new content model for the game. The “mid-season refresh” is their way to keep things rolling, with hero releases and extra modes every few weeks, instead of only big seasonal launches.
@CultureCrave announces that Blade is officially joining the Marvel Rivals roster, also confirms he will be playable starting August 8 in Season 3.5.
@mmmmmmmmiller shares a moderation update under "Operation: Shield the Community" for in-game voice chats and adds that starting August 8, players can set custom word filters for text chat in Season 3.5.
Who is Blade on Marvel Rivals?
Blade, real name Eric Brooks, is more than just a comic book legend in Marvel Rivals. The devs are leaning into his lore this season:
- Half human, half vampire, born from tragedy when his pregnant mother was bitten during childbirth. That’s how you end up with a Daywalker—a vampire hunter with the powers of a vampire, but none of their weaknesses. Super speed, crazy regeneration, legendary sword skills. He’s the only one who had the guts to stand up to Dracula when the vampire took New York.
For Marvel Rivals, Blade is a Duelist:
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Primary weapon: Shotgun, for mid/close range bursts.
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Katana: Fast combos, rewards aggressive play.
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Ultimate: Sword of Dracula—expect wide sweeps and team-melting potential.
Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals launched late 2024 and quickly pulled a devoted player base, much of it drawn from Marvel fans and hero shooter diehards. It’s a free-to-play, 6v6 team-based PVP shooter set in a sprawling multiverse mash-up, tossing characters from Avengers, X-Men, Guardians—pretty much every big name—into maps that are both destructible and highly interactive. You build a squad, pick heroes with unique powers, and combine abilities for dramatic “team-up” moves.
Each hero has a clear role—Duelist, Vanguard, Support, or Strategist—so you need coordination for wins. Frequent updates (every 5-7 weeks lately) keep things fresh; as of this month, there are over 40 playable heroes, and the roster keeps growing.
Marvel Rivals rolls deep with post-launch support: new maps, modes, and a battle pass system. The developers riff on Overwatch but add more environmental destruction, multiverse chaos in the story, and a bigger emphasis on Marvel-style hero synergy. If you’re new or just thinking about jumping in, you’ll find cross-play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and a community that’s pretty welcoming to both casuals and competitive types.
