Marvel Rivals Season 3 update live: our coverage of the new season’s launch in the build up to downtime

Downtime triggers in one hour

Marvel Rivals will go offline in one hour, as downtime kicks in. This should last for around two hours, but I’ll keep you updated on exactly when the game is back online.

Venom gets a buff in Season 3

Venom is getting a buff for Season 3, and as a Lord rank Venom, I’m very excited to see how he performs. It’s his Cellular Corrosion attack that’s getting upgraded, and now deals 10 percent more slowing after a dive. This could really improve his initial attack, and will ensure enemies stay close to him and receive the extra damage once the ability wears off.

Season 3.5 will arrive on August 8

Thanks to the Season 3 roadmap provided by NetEase yesterday (July 10), we know that Season 3.5 will launch on August 8. This should be when we get Blade as a new Hero, and he’s rumored to be a Duelist.

How I’ll be spending the final hours of Season 2.5

Now that there’s just two hours left of Season 2.5, I’m going to be working on unlocking the Dance Partner skin for Cloak and Dagger. This means prioritizing Weekly Missions and any challenges I have left, earning as many Chrono Tokens as I can.

There’s still time to unlock Battle Pass rewards

While Battle Passes can be accessed between seasons, you can still make sure you’ve completed your Weekly Missions, and spent the rewards on the Battle Pass to get any rewards before you need to focus on the new one. The free Lattice rewards are well worth prioritizing so you can have more for the new skins that’ll be dropping in the store.

Downtime is just two hours away

Marvel Rivals downtime is triggering very soon indeed. Here’s when Marvel Rivals will go offline in your timezone:

• 2am PDT
• 5am EDT
• 10pm BST
• 11pm CEST
• 6pm JST
• 7pm AEST

And we’re back!

Happy Season 3 release day. I’m back covering the launch live, and we’re getting closer to downtime. Once Marvel Rivals goes down, I’ll be monitoring the server status for when things go back online, and from there we’ll be checking out the new season.

That’s all for now

That wraps up today’s live Marvel Rivals coverage. I’ll be back on at 2AM ET / 11AM PT / 7AM BST in the lead up to downtime. We’ll likely have even more news from NetEase then, too. Goodbye for now!

Season 3 roadmap revealed

NetEase just revealed the full roadmap for Season 3. The Thing is getting a new Team Up with Human Torch, there’s Fantastic Four: The First Steps content in July, and the Summer Party starts next week.

Venom’s Bubble Pop ends soon

Venom’s Bubble Pop will end with Season 2.5, so make sure to complete quests and claim rewards. On the free track, there’s a Future Foundation Human Torch skin, and on the Premium track there’s a baby pink Venom.

The Thing can now take down flying enemies

The Thing gets a brand new ability in Season 3 called Battle Blitz. He leaps toward enemies, gaining 25% Damage Reduction, while grounding targets. Leap targeting distance to enemies is 20 meters. This should bring the Hero back into the fight, as he was somewhat outmatched in Season 2.5’s flying-dominited meta.

Accessories arrive

Accessories are brand new for Season 3. They can be unlocked using Accessory Points, which are earned via Quick Match or Competitive Mode. There’s a Deadpool Plush to grab, and a Jeff Handbag, which I’m personally very excited about.

New Team Ups for Spider-Man, Wolverine, Squirrel Girl, and Hela

There are new Team Ups for Season 3, including Primal Flame, which sees Phoenix and Wolverine joining forces. Squirrel Girl has been added to Stark Protocol, unlocking a homing shot attack, and Spider-Man now has a flame web courtesy of the Human Torch. Hela also gets a slowing effect to her Orb ability, joining Jeff and Venom for Symbiote Shenanigans.

Make sure you’ve reached Gold rank before Season 3 drops

Reach Gold Rank before the end of Season 2.5 to earn the Golden Ultron skin once the new season launches. You don’t have to stay in Gold, just make sure to get there at least once. You’ll be de-ranked by seven levels tomorrow, so climb as high as you can to give yourself a head start in Season 3.

Klyntar: Celestial Husk joins the map rotation

There’s a new Domination map arriving tomorrow (July 11). Klyntar: Celestial Husk is where Knull has been hiding all of this time, and it’s appropriately covered in all kinds of weird symbiote structures. It’s a fun addition, one that really encourages Duelists to flank and find off-angles.

Earn a free Storm skin in Season 3

There’s a symbiote Storm skin that can be earned for free in Marvel Rivals Season 3. It’s the main reward for the new limited-time event, and it looks absolutely awesome.

Battle Pass skins revealed!

NetEase has now revealed the Battle Pass skins for Season 3, and they’re glorious. There are symbiote skins for Jeff, Squirrel Girl, Groot, and Spider-Man, and even a golden Black Panther skin. It’s definitely my favorite Battle Pass so far, and I can’t wait to unlock the final reward.

Phoenix enters the battle

Phoenix is the new Hero being added this season. She’s a Duelist who excels at range. In my testing, I’ve found her to be very powerful indeed, functioning similarly to Hela, but with lots more movement abilities. Her Ultimate is particularly good at clearing space around an objective, as it destroys support passives like spider mines and Loki clones.

There’s still time to make the most of Season 2.5

Given that Season 3 is still a day away, you can jump into Marvel Rivals now and clear up any remaining missions, event quests, and Battle Pass rewards while you wait. The Venom’s Bubble Pop event is still live, and it’s well worth working through. Be sure to check the event rewards tab to earn items before they expire.

What’s the plan for tomorrow’s update?

Let’s kick things off by running through tomorrow’s planned release schedule for Season 3. Downtime will kick in at the following time, and I expect it to last around two hours based on the last couple of seasonal updates.

• 1am PDT
• 4am EDT
• 9am BST
• 10am CEST
• 5pm JST
• 6pm AEST

A bit about me

I’m Jake Green, a freelance writer specializing in live service titles like Marvel Rivals. Since the launch of Season 0, I’ve played hundreds of hours of the game, mostly maining Venom, Mr Fantastic, Mantis, and Magneto. With the arrival of Phoenix, I’ve managed to get early access to Season 3 and have been busy testing out the new Hero.

And we’re live!

Hello and welcome to TechRadar Gaming’s live coverage of Marvel Rivals Season 3. The new major update launches tomorrow (July 11), and until then, I’ll be leading you through the process of the end of the current season, as we approach downtime.