Marvel Rivals fans, mark your calendars: the highly anticipated Season 3.5 update launches August 8, and with it comes the brand-new event “Queen’s Codex”. Packed with a fresh slew of content, this event continues NetEase’s tradition of dishing out exciting cosmetics — both free and premium tier — and brings some well-earned rewards for the community’s patience.
The Symbiote Thing is free
Let’s be honest: who doesn’t love free skins? As part of the Queen’s Codex event, Marvel Rivals gives players the chance to unlock a free Symbiote Thing skin just by playing through the event’s progression tiers. No money, no strings: just complete event objectives and you’ll be able to suit up Ben Grimm in his gooey black best.
This skin arrives amid a wave of symbiote-themed content that’s been dominating Marvel Rivals lately, supplementing the Season 3 battle pass which already brought fan-favourites like Jeff the Land Shark and Squirrel Girl in slick symbiote designs.
Premium Codex? Even more drip
If you’ve got your eye on some bonus skins and don’t mind shelling out a bit, the Premium Codex version of the event opens the gates to two more exclusive outfits:
- Black Widow – Phoenix Skin: Reflecting fiery rebirth and cosmic power.
- Hela – Queen of Black Skin: A menacing final unlock, fitting for the Asgardian goddess of death.
There’s also a new dynamic spray included with the Premium Codex, which offers some extra flair for those who like to make an entrance. And here’s the kicker – once you snag the premium pass, the event becomes permanently unlocked, so there’s zero pressure to burn through objectives on a deadline. Play at your own pace, style at your own pace.
Those summer vibes keep coming
The Queen’s Codex event isn’t the only reason to log in this month. Season 3 also featured the Marvel Rivals Summer Special running through August 15, and it came with its own showstopper: the Sunshine Thing. Yes, that’s your favourite rocky brute rocking a swimsuit and Hawaiian lei. It’s vacation time in the Multiverse, and The Thing looks ready for the beach.
Again, the Summer Special pass is a premium purchase, but it, too, becomes permanently available upon buying. That means you’ve got until well after August 15 to clean up those unlocks, provided you’ve paid your way in.
August 8: Blade, new map, and more
Skin drops aside, August 8 is going to be huge for Marvel Rivals. Alongside the Queen’s Codex and Season 3.5 rollout, here’s what else is hitting:
- Blade joins the roster as a new playable character: vampire hunting has officially entered the arena.
- A new map, “Throne of Knull,” expands the battlefield and likely deepens the symbiote story threads.
- Resource Rumble game mode becomes available in Quick Match starting August 22, giving players the chance to beta test the mode before it lands in competitive matchmaking.
- Team-up adjustments, balance tweaks, and other back-end updates will also arrive as part of the overall patch.
Sweet redemption for Hela mains
If you’ve been maining Hela and felt burned by the recent character bug — we see you — this update is your comeback. The July 31 patch officially resolved the lingering Hela glitch, just in time for her to receive some love in the form of that elegant “Queen in Black” skin.
Honestly, it feels like a bit of an apology robe, and a gorgeous one at that.
Suit up or miss out
Between the free Symbiote Thing skin, loads of thematic cosmetics, new heroes, fresh maps, and experimental matchmaking modes, Season 3.5 is easily shaping up to be Marvel Rivals’ most packed update yet. Whether you’re a casual costume collector or a ride-or-die main grinding comp, the Queen’s Codex has something to dangle in front of you.
And with permanent unlocks on premium events, the grind never really goes away: it just waits for you to catch up.