Marvel Rivals' Galacta's Gift Event Makes Ranking Up Even Easier

There has been no shortage of criticism for Marvel Rivals' ranked competitive system since the game's launch in December. Players earn far more rank points from a win than they lose from a loss, leading players with sub-50% win rates to climb the ladder to Diamond or Grandmaster -- and in some people's eyes, the rank distribution has lost much of its meaning and prestige.
Now, Marvel Rivals' latest event risks further muddling the skill divisions of the competitive mode when it launches on May 15. The Galacta's Gift event pass will include eight consumable Chrono Shield Cards, which will prevent players from losing rank points after a competitive match loss.
Read More: Marvel Rivals Season 2: The 6 Best Heroes to Start Learning Now
The decision to add further safeguards to the Marvel Rivals' ranked experience is puzzling. But it might be another way to retain high player engagement, especially as support players have gone on strike during Season 2.
Steam player counts are a flawed metric to measure a game's success, as player count naturally picks up and drops depending on what is going on in-game, and these charts account only for a subset of PC players among the broad console-inclusive playerbase. Even so, Marvel Rivals reportedly had more players at the end of Season 1 than at the beginning of Season 2. This event could be a quick way to scrape back some of those lapsed players, even if it harms the game's competitive integrity.
Whether the Chrono Shield Cards will be detrimental to the game's competitive environment, they're here to stay. Here's how to get them -- among the other rewards included in the new Galacta's Gift event.
Chrono Shield Cards are the new consumable items that protect your ranked points.
NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET
Chrono Shield Cards will protect your rank points
Completing event challenges during the Galacta's Gift event will level up a free event pass, containing seven tiers with different rewards.
At tiers two and four, players will earn separate bundles of four Chrono Shield Cards. That means you're able to earn eight total Chrono Shield Cards during the item's debut.
Once you activate a Chrono Shield Card, it will remain active until you lose a competitive match. Upon that loss, your Chrono Shield Card will be consumed -- but you won't lose any rank points for that defeat.
You can have up to 20 Chrono Shield Cards at a time, and they are cleared from your inventory at the end of the season. This seems to suggest that the consumables will be plentiful enough for you to stack up on, though we don't yet know how players will be able to earn more outside of this event. Regardless, it's healthy to be skeptical about the new addition to the game -- especially if these items are moved into paid bundles sometime in the future.
Chrono Shield Cards will not remove the existing Chrono Shield system for Bronze, Silver and Gold players, which charges as they lose ranked games. After enough losses, lower-ranked players gain a Chrono Shield -- protecting them from a rank demotion for a single game. Since this system protects ranked points in the lowest ranks, I'd recommend saving your Chrono Shield Cards until you reach at least Platinum rank on the competitive ladder.
The costume coins are used to unlock premium skins for launch characters -- including Jeff's Incognito Dolphin skin.
NetEase Games
How to get a free costume during the Galacta's Gift event
The Chrono Shield Cards are likely going to be the most controversial event rewards in Marvel Rivals to date, but the juiciest prize in the new event is the costume coin on the final tier.
This special currency has only been obtainable during one other event -- the paid Hyper Orange Venom Pick Up Bundle. If you have a costume coin, you're able to trade it in for a premium skin from the costume shop.
Many of these skins cost 1,600 units, the standard premium currency in Marvel Rivals, which is roughly equivalent to $16. Spending $3 to earn the costume coin in the Pick Up Bundle was a very good deal. Being able to earn a costume coin for free during the new event is even better.
There are a number of caveats to the costume coin exchange, however. Only costumes for Season 0 heroes are available -- that means you can get a costume for a hero that was available at launch. That means costumes for the members of the Fantastic Four and Emma Frost will not be available in the costume coin exchange.
Once you have your costume coin, you can trade it in by navigating to the Exchange tab located under the Store menu. I highly recommend you nab the Incognito Dolphin skin for Jeff the Shark, so you can look cute and cuddly while you harass the enemy backline.
Want to get your hands on more free costumes? We have a guide for every current (and previous) free skin in Marvel Rivals.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Time Business News

2 hours ago

• Time Business News

Dominate Every Match with VersaciBoosts: Your Trusted Game Boosting Partner

If you're tired of endless grinding, losing streaks, or being stuck in lower ranks despite your potential— has the solution. VersaciBoosts is a premium game boosting service designed for competitive gamers who want results, not frustration. With a team of verified pro players, instant order processing, 24/7 support, and unbeatable security, it's no surprise that thousands of gamers trust VersaciBoosts to elevate their gameplay experience. In this blog, we'll walk you through exactly what VersaciBoosts offers, why it's different, and how it can help you succeed in top titles like Marvel Rivals , Apex Legends , The Finals , and many more. VersaciBoosts is a modern and fully secure boosting platform designed for gamers who want to improve their in-game rank, stats, or performance—without putting in hundreds of hours of repetitive grind. It offers boosting services for over a dozen of today's most popular games, including: Apex Legends Marvel Rivals Fortnite League of Legends Overwatch Valorant CS:GO Rocket League Call of Duty (Black Ops 6) And more are added regularly! Each boost is handled by verified top-tier players, and every order comes with live progress tracking, customer support, and guaranteed privacy. Unlike many generic or shady boosting services, VersaciBoosts emphasizes transparency, safety, and player satisfaction: ✅ 0% Ban Rate: No cheats, no bots—just skilled boosters. No cheats, no bots—just skilled boosters. ✅ Real-Time Tracking: Monitor your boost through a live dashboard. Monitor your boost through a live dashboard. ✅ Private & Safe: All account data is deleted after delivery. All account data is deleted after delivery. ✅ Refund Guarantee: If your order hasn't started in 3 days, you get your money back. If your order hasn't started in 3 days, you get your money back. ✅ Direct Chat with Boosters: Stay in touch and track your goals. Stay in touch and track your goals. ✅ 24/7 Support: Someone is always available to answer your questions. These are just a few reasons why VersaciBoosts has earned a 5-star reputation in the game boosting world. Marvel Rivals is exploding in popularity, and climbing the competitive ranks can be a serious challenge. Luckily, VersaciBoosts' Marvel Rivals Boosting service helps you skip the grind. You can choose from: Rank Boosting: Let our professionals push you to the next level. Let our professionals push you to the next level. Hero Proficiency Boosting: Focus on mastering specific Marvel characters. Focus on mastering specific Marvel characters. Turbo Boosts: For players who want results fast . Every Marvel Rivals boost comes with: Instant order activation (within 15 minutes) Live progress bar and ETA Private dashboard to chat with your booster Transparent pricing and no hidden fees Whether you're struggling in Ranked or want to play with better teammates, VersaciBoosts can help you dominate in Marvel Rivals in no time. Apex Legends is one of the most competitive battle royale games on the market. VersaciBoosts' Apex Boosting service is tailored to help you reach any goal in the game—fast, safely, and stress-free. Available services include: Rank Boosting: From Bronze to Predator. From Bronze to Predator. Badge Boosting: Unlock rare achievements (e.g., 20 Kill Badge, 4K Damage Badge). Unlock rare achievements (e.g., 20 Kill Badge, 4K Damage Badge). Kills/Wins Boosts: Improve your stats for better teammates. Improve your stats for better teammates. Weapon Leveling: Skip the grind and use your favorite loadouts. Skip the grind and use your favorite loadouts. Coaching: One-on-one sessions with professional players. Each order includes: Real-time tracking Live chat with your assigned booster Option to play with the booster ( duo mode ) ) GDPR-compliant data deletion after completion And yes, boosters are real Predators—no bots or cheats. Choose Your Game & Boost Type Pick from a list of supported games and specific services like rank boosting, kill farming, or hero mastery. Customize Your Order Set your current stats, desired goals, and delivery speed (standard or turbo). Secure Checkout Pay using secure methods like PayPal or credit card. Orders are processed instantly. Track & Communicate You'll get a private dashboard to chat with your booster, check live progress, and get real-time ETAs. Order Completed Once your goal is reached, all data is deleted from the system to maintain privacy. VersaciBoosts takes your privacy seriously. All boosters are thoroughly vetted, and the site uses: Encrypted communication Anonymous login processes Automatic IP and order data deletion No third-party involvement—only in-house boosters Plus, you're never left in the dark. You'll always know who's working on your account and can communicate in real time via the client dashboard. VersaciBoosts has served thousands of satisfied gamers. Here's what players love about the service: 'Reached Master rank in Apex within 24 hours. Booster was polite and professional.' 'Tried Marvel Rivals boosting for the first time—surprised how smooth the process was.' 'Highly recommend for anyone who doesn't have time to grind every day.' You can read verified reviews directly on the homepage and on Trustpilot. Whether you're aiming to climb the ranks in Apex Legends, master characters in Marvel Rivals, or boost your stats in multiple games, VersaciBoosts delivers reliable, fast, and secure game boosting services tailored to your needs. 👉 Visit to get started today. 👉 Or go straight to your game of choice: Marvel Rivals Boosting | Apex Legends Boosting No more grind. No more frustration. Just results. TIME BUSINESS NEWS

CNET

20 hours ago

• CNET

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answer and Help for June 22 #476- CNET

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles. Today's NYT Strands puzzle is kind of a stinker. Yep, that's a hint. If you need more hints and the answers, read on. I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET's NYT puzzle hints page. Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far Hint for today's Strands puzzle Today's Strands theme is: Fragrant abuse. If that doesn't help you, here's a clue: Hold your nose. Clue words to unlock in-game hints Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle's theme. If you're stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work: REEK, KING, SLUNK, LUNK, STAR, TUNE, SKINT, SLAT, SLATS, GENT Answers for today's Strands puzzle These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: REEKING, FOUL, RANK, SMELLY, PUNGENT, MALODOROUS Today's Strands spangram The completed NYT Strands puzzle for June 22, 2025, #476. NYT/Screenshot by CNET Today's Strands spangram is THATSTINKS. To find it, start with the T that's five letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind up.

Engadget

a day ago

• Engadget

Chinese company Netease is making an AAA action-adventure game called 'Blood Message'

NetEase, the Chinese video game company that published Marvel Rivals and Bungie's Destiny: Rising , has announced its first single-player AAA game. It's a story-driven third-person action-adventure game called Blood Message , and as Polygon notes, it's in the vein of Uncharted and Assassin's Creed. The story is set in the final years of the Tang Dynasty, which ruled imperial China from 618 to 907. In Blood Message , players take control of a nameless messenger and his son "to deliver a message that holds the fate of their war-torn homeland." Players will have to journey through desolate deserts and the vast wilderness of East and Central Asia. The trailer shows the messenger and his son fighting enemies in the desert, surviving avalanches, working with mysterious characters and discovering ancient artifacts. It also shows the game's cinematic cutscenes, stealth and survival mechanics, as well as the landscapes players can expect to see. "We are ushering players into a new generation of high adventure with Blood Message," said Zhipeng Hu, the Lead Producer and NetEase Executive Vice President. "As our first completely single-player focused experience from NetEase Games, after two decades of deep dedication to the gaming industry, we are prepared to deliver a truly epic and cinematic experience for players around the world." NetEase has yet to announce a release date, but Blood Message will be available for consoles and the PC. The game's announcement shows that Chinese developers are increasingly making more inroads into the AAA space. Black Myth: Wukong , which is widely considered as the first AAA game from China, was originally released last year and will be available on the Xbox in August.