Marvel Rivals ESU Open Day

The Marvel Rivals ESU Open Day is a limited-time event pass launched in Season 7.5, running from April 17 to June 12, 2026. The premise is that Empire State University: yes, Spider-Man's alma mater: has flung open its doors and invited the entire roster of gods, war criminals, and raccoon-adjacent demolition experts to experience campus life. Charming. Totally normal. Completely fine.

Twenty-four rewards. Two paths. One free. One costs you actual money. The event doesn't care which you choose, but it will judge you silently either way. You level up by playing matches, accumulating XP at a pace calibrated to feel just slightly slower than you'd like. This is intentional. This is always intentional.

Important The event kicked off today: April 17, 2026. You have until June 12 to finish it. That is 56 days. You will still feel rushed at day 50. This is a universal law.

Context: Season 7.5

This event arrives as part of the Marvel Rivals Season 7.5 event update, which is primarily headlined by the addition of Black Cat to the roster: a character whose entire identity is "flirtatious thief with bad luck powers," which is either compelling or exhausting depending on your tolerance. The update went live April 17, 2026, and the ESU Open Day event launched alongside it.

Season 7.5 also brings the Spider-Man Peter Parker: The Photographer bundle (limited to May 15), Twitch Drops for people who enjoy watching other people play rather than playing themselves, and the return of the Season 2 Battle Pass for a brief window. It is, by any measure, a generous update. NetEase is being suspiciously nice and you should be at least a little concerned.

The Free Path

Let's talk about the free Mantis skin Marvel Rivals situation, because this is why most of you are here and there's no shame in that. The Mantis Black and Gold costume is unlocked at Tier 18 of the event pass. No premium purchase required. You grind matches, you accumulate XP, you hit Tier 18, you receive a Mantis skin that makes her look like she's attending a very expensive funeral. Beautiful.

Along with the costume, the free track also includes the Mantis Black and Gold Nameplate, Emote, and Animated Spray: meaning you get a full cosmetic set for that specific character without spending a single Lattice. The additional free rewards are scattered across the remaining tiers. The full list is in the table below, because reading it here would waste space we could use to criticize your decision-making.

Free Tier 18 Target Mantis Black and Gold Costume. That's the prize. Play your matches. Hit the tier. Do not, under any circumstances, buy the premium pass solely for Mantis: she's free, and you will feel righteous about this forever.

The Premium Pass

The Marvel Rivals premium VIP pass costs 690 Lattice, which converts to roughly $7 depending on your regional pricing and whatever promotional bundle you were tricked into buying previously. What do you get for that? Mostly Psylocke and Squirrel Girl content, which are the two characters the event has clearly decided are worth monetizing this cycle.

The premium track adds the Psylocke Chouko Takahashi skin: "The Prodigy": which comes with its own unique ultimate animation, making it a Legendary-tier costume in all but name. It also adds the Psylocke Prodigy MVP Animation and Animated Nameplate. If you play Psylocke and have any self-respect, this is where your money goes.

The Squirrel Girl Programmer costume: officially "Maureen Allene: The Programmer": rounds out the premium exclusives, bundled with an MVP Animation and Nameplate. The character concept of Squirrel Girl as a programmer is either the most on-brand casting in the game's history or a personal attack on software engineers. Possibly both.

All 24 Rewards: Full List

The complete ESU Open Day rewards list across all 24 tiers, sorted free-to-premium. Memorize it, screenshot it, tattoo it somewhere regrettable:

The Marvel Rivals event pass guide reality is this: you play matches, you get XP, the pass levels up, you receive rewards. There are no special event missions listed, no exotic modifiers, no puzzles. You play the game you were already playing. NetEase extracts value simply by reminding you that the game exists and that you haven't played it in three days. It works. You know it works. Here you are.

The free track is available to everyone. The premium track requires purchasing the VIP pass for 690 Lattice event pass price. Both tracks level up identically: buying premium does not grant faster XP accumulation. It only unlocks the premium-tier cosmetics as you hit those levels. If you buy it midway through, you retroactively unlock all premium rewards you've already passed. This is the one genuinely consumer-friendly design choice in the event. Enjoy it.

• Play any matches: Competitive, Quick Play, or other available modes: to earn XP
• Tier 18 is the Mantis free skin target. Grind directly toward it if that's all you want
• Premium pass can be purchased at any point in the event window and unlocks retroactively
• Event runs until June 12, 2026 at 9 AM UTC: do not rediscover this guide on June 11
• All rewards are permanent cosmetics: they do not expire after the event ends

Should You Buy Premium

Honest answer, because nobody else will give you one: buy the Marvel Rivals Black Cat Season 7.5 update premium pass if and only if you play Psylocke or Squirrel Girl. The Psylocke Chouko Takahashi Prodigy skin is Legendary quality with a custom ultimate animation, which means it's the kind of cosmetic that would retail for 1,800+ Lattice in the direct store. At 690 Lattice for the entire pass, that's a reasonable deal if Psylocke is in your regular rotation.

If you don't play either of those heroes, the free track is perfectly complete on its own. Mantis gets a full cosmetic set. Psylocke and Blade get free items too. The premium rewards are cosmetically significant but roster-specific. Buy for characters, not for completionism. The completionism hole has no floor and you already know this about yourself.

Buy / Skip Guide Main Psylocke or Squirrel Girl: Buy it. Everyone else: Take the free Mantis set and leave with your money and your dignity marginally intact.