Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 live: Blade release time, downtime, and our preview impressions leading up to launch

Date:
Thu, 07 Aug 2025 14:04:34 +0000

Description:
Here's our live coverage of the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. This includes info on start time, downtime, and Blade. Here's what you need to know.

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Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 is now less than 24 hours away. Blade will be added alongside a massive update that refreshes ranked play and tweaks Hero balancing. Here's TechRadar Gaming's live coverage of the launch, including info on the build up to downtime. Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 key info Start
time
Downtime
Blade info
Hero Balancing
Ranked Changes

Now that NetEase has revealed the full details for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5, we know that there's not long to wait before we get a whole host of new additions to the game. There's even a full roadmap for Season 3.5, detailing upcoming events, skins, and new maps and modes. It's regular updates like these that have kept Marvel Rivals ranked highly in our best PC games list since it launched.

I've now played hundreds of hours of Marvel Rivals and even got early access to the upcoming season. As such, I've played as Blade, testing out his unique abilities at the Practice Range. He's a powerful Duelist, and I could see him becoming a true contender in the coming days.

Here's everything you need to know about the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. I'll detail what's been announced as we move towards downtime. After that, you can follow my live impressions of the new season once Marvel Rivals is back online. Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 start time (Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 will arrive after downtime expected to last 2-3 hours. As such, I've estimated the season's start time below: East Coast
(US): 7AM ET (August 8) West Coast (US): 4AM PT (August 8) United Kingdom: 12AM BST (August 8) Europe (Central): 1PM CEST (August 8) Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST (August 8) Australia (Sydney): 9PM AEST (August 8) Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 downtime (Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 downtime kicks off at the times below: East Coast (US): 5AM ET (August 8) West Coast (US): 2AM PT (August 8) United Kingdom: 10AM BST (August 8) Europe (Central): 11AM CEST (August 8) Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST (August 8) Australia (Sydney): 7PM AEST (August 8)

Downtime is estimated to be 2-3 hours according to NetEase, and the last two seasons have followed that guidance. Hopefully, things go according to plan, though I'll be updating this page live on the day with any news of potential delays. Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Blade (Image credit: NetEase)

Blade will release on August 8, 2025, in Marvel Rivals . He's the new Hero that's being added as part of Season 3.5. As a new Duelist, Blade primarily focuses on damage output. He has a block that reduces incoming damage, a dash strike ability, a shotgun ranged attack, and a katana for close range.

Interestingly, Blade is able to unleash his Ultimate using Dracula's Sword. This deals massive damage to foes in a small area, and can even be used on flying enemies. Blade is also being added to the Moon Knight and Cloak & Dagger Team, so he will be able to cloak himself and reposition while staying invisible to opponents. Marvel Rivals Hero balancing (Image credit: NetEase)

A bunch of Heroes are being tweaked for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. Below, you'll find a summary of who's being nerfed and who's receiving a buff. For the full details on each character, head to this Marvel Rivals blog post . Hero balancing (buffs): Star Lord, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Dr Strange, Groot, Thor, Adam Warlock, Hero Balancing (nerfs): Black Panther, Wolverine,
Magneto, Mantis, Cloak & Dagger Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 ranked changes
(Image credit: NetEase)

Ranked Mode is changing quite a bit for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. Here are
the key points: New Rewards: Blade- Emerald Blade costume (Gold), new frames for Diamond and Platinum, Crests (Grandmaster, Eternal, Celestial, Top 500) Matchmaking: Players in Bronze, Silver, and Gold can queue for Competitive in any team size except 5-player teams. Players in Platinum, Diamond, and Grandmaster can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 3 players. Players in Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 2 players Surrender Trigger: In the first round, if a player
disconnects and does not reconnect within 90 seconds, their team may vote to surrender. The required votes pass with 1 less than the current team members. (E.g., if 4 remain, 3 votes are needed.) Disconnect Penalty and Compensation: If any player disconnects during loading, ban/pick phase, hero select, or within the first 70 seconds of a match, the match is deemed invalid. Point adjustments and compensations vary depending on the situation. See the table above. Misc: Rank reward Nameplate Frames can now be displayed in more areas Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 live coverage as it happens Hello and welcome!
(Image credit: NetEase)

Were now just under 24 hours away from the launch of Marvel Rivals Season
3.5. Well get a whole new Duelist to try out, as well as a new event that features skins for Hela, The Thing and Black Widow as rewards. Join me as I break down the new season in the live build up to downtime. When does
downtime start?

Lets kick things off by taking a look at when Marvel Rivals will be taken offline for maintenance. Downtime begins in Marvel Rivals at the following times: East Coast (US): 5AM ET (August 8) West Coast (US): 2AM PT (August 8) United Kingdom: 10AM BST (August 8) Europe (Central): 11AM CEST (August 8) Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST (August 8) Australia (Sydney): 7PM AEST (August 8) The Queens Codex event launches with the new season (Image credit: NetEase)

The Queens Codex event will arrive with Season 3.5, and theres free and premium rewards to earn. Over on the free side, The Thing finally gets a symbiote skin. Youll need to purchase the Premium Pass to get the Queen in Black skin for Hela, and theres an awesome Phoenix-themed Black Widow skin too. New skins in the store (Image credit: NetEase)

The following skins will be available to purchase in the store once the new season launches: Blade - Polarity Edge Bundle Blade - Emoji Bundle Blade Dynamic Mood Bundle



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/live/marvel-rivals-season-3-5-live-blade-releas e-time-downtime

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