Release Date and First Gameplay Reveal for Blade in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals Players Going Wild for Blade

Okay, so everyone’s been on edge for what feels like forever, waiting for Marvel’s own vampire hunter to make his big entrance in Marvel Rivals. Like, seriously, the anticipation was basically a spectator sport. And guess what? The big day is Aug. 8. Blade’s finally cutting his way in, literally and figuratively. I caught a sneak peek of his gameplay footage, and honestly, maybe waiting all that time was kind of worth it. Or at least, that’s what it feels like right now.

Shocker alert, not really, Blade’s rolling in as a Duelist. Think close-to-mid-range combat, wielding a mean sword and a shotgun that probably makes a mess out of anything that dares to inch too close. Oh, and he can block damage for a bit. Fast as lightning, too. One moment he’s here, the next – he’s there. Like he’s channeling Punisher and Psylocke. And his ultimate ability? Dracula vibes. He’s just slicing through enemies, even those airborne ones. There’s this epic clip of him facing off against Iron Man and Storm – spoiler alert, he wrecks them. And yep, per the universal rule of looking cool, he does that “don’t look at explosions” thing after.

People are buzzing. Like, if you thought the hype couldn’t get higher, think again. Everyone’s claiming Blade as their next main. Seeing him revealed was kind of a spectacle, way more stylish than some others, let’s be real.

“Oh wow, the soundtrack, pure fire! Made it bam! 100x better,” some YouTuber excitedly comments. “He went from snoozing in Wakanda to collecting auras,” — great imagery, whoever you are.

Blade isn’t making this entrance solo. There’s a bunch of updates rolling out with him: new maps, a fresh mode. Some heroes are bidding adieu to their current team-ups, preparing to welcome new folks. Blade’s teaming up with Lunar Force — Cloak and Dagger team up magic letting heroes go all invisible for a bit. Right, so here’s the rundown on adjustments straight from NetEase (they’re the bosses behind this whole thing, after all):

Apparently, we’re saying goodbye to Guardian Revival (looking at you, Adam Warlock and Mantis/Star-Lord) and Atlas Bond (Iron Fist and Luna Snow). Loki’s packing his bags from Ragnarok Rebirth (say “bye” to Hela-Thor/Loki). But two new team-ups are manifesting outta thin air: Duality Dance (Adam Warlock and Luna Snow) and Vibrant Vitality (Mantis and Groot/Loki). Iron Fist heads to Chilling Assault instead, Star-Lord’s joining Rocket Network, and yup, Blade’s gearing up with the Lunar Force posse. What a whirlwind, huh?

Oh, multiplayer’s getting some tweaks too. NetEase is all about improving the experience. They’ve got a thing for screening in-game voice chat now — could get flagged for a human to review, so watch yourselves. And anyone who’s ghosting the match early? Yep, stricter penalties awaiting, longer bans, bigger deductions. Angels who play nice, you’ll actually get rewarded at the end now rather than just, poof, disappearing.

“If an unavoidable system glitch pulls someone out? Don’t worry, we’ll check it out and handle the penalties fairly,” NetEase assures. Also, they’re cranking up the speed on those mistaken ban appeals. Feels like they’ve thought of everything — or trying to, at least. Wild ride ahead!