Hello, heroes, and welcome back to Rivalsector.com. This is Elias, and you better believe I have cleared my schedule. Why? Because Marvel Rivals Season 5 is live right now! The “Love is a Battlefield” season has officially dropped today, November 14, and it is a massive content injection for the game. We have the Ragin’ Cajun himself, Gambit, joining the roster, a huge new Battle Pass, and of course, a brand new ranked ladder to climb.
As your resident competitive expert, I immediately dove into the ranked rewards screen to see what we are all fighting for this season. And I have to say, NetEase has truly outdone itself. The new rewards are not only high-quality, but they are also part of a brilliant, cohesive “chess” theme that ties directly into the new seasonal events.
So, grab a coffee, log in, and let’s start planning our climb. This is my complete, in-depth guide to every single ranked reward available in Marvel Rivals Season 5.
The Main Prize: Gambit’s “Sacrificial Pawn” Skin
Let’s start with the one everyone is going to be grinding for. The marquee reward for Season 5.0 is the “Sacrificial Pawn” costume for Gambit.
You can see this skin in all its glory in the ranked menu, and it is absolutely stunning. It features Gambit with his signature blue hair, a high-tech armored undersuit, and a striking white and black trench coat. The bottom of the coat features a bold checkerboard pattern, which perfectly links to the season’s chess theme. The name “Sacrificial Pawn” is just a fantastic, flavorful touch for a character who is always playing his own angles.
Here is the best part: this skin is the reward for reaching Gold tier.
I cannot overstate how much I love this decision. NetEase is continuing its player-friendly model of placing the most desirable skin at a rank that is challenging but realistically achievable for the vast majority of the dedicated player base. This is not some impossible dream locked behind a 0.1% rank. This is a clear, attainable goal. It respects the time of average players and gives everyone a powerful incentive to jump into the ranked queue. This is how you build a healthy, populated competitive ecosystem.
Just remember one crucial rule: this is a half-season reward. To get the “Sacrificial Pawn” skin, you must complete your 10 placement matches and reach a rank of Gold or higher before the mid-season split (Season 5.5, when Rogue is set to drop). So, do not wait until the end of the season. The grind starts now.
The New Climb: Understanding the Full Season 5 Rank Structure
Before we get to the rest of the bling, we need to understand the ladder we are climbing. The images in the ranked menu lay out the full path, and it is a long way to the top.
The standard ranks are all here, each with three tiers (for example, Platinum III, Platinum II, and Platinum I):
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Grandmaster
- Celestial
Above all of those, however, are the two more prestige tiers: Eternity and One Above All.
These are not your normal ranks, these are “(RACK UP POINTS)” tiers. This means once you ascend past Celestial I, you are no longer climbing simple tiers. You enter the Eternity rank, which is a pure, point-based leaderboard. You are now competing directly against every other top-tier player, and your rank is a raw number.
One Above All is the final summit. This is not a rank you can just “hit.” It is a title reserved for only the Top 500 players who are currently in the Eternity rank. This is the ultimate, exclusive status for the best of the best. This structure is brilliant, as it gives 99% of players a clear progression path while giving that top 1% a near-infinite grind for glory.
Flaunting Your Status: Crests and Nameplates
This is where the long-term “show-off” potential comes in. These are the “Settlement Rewards” of Marvel Rivals Season 5 you receive at the end of the season based on the highest rank you achieved. And the chess theme continues in spectacular fashion.
Crests of Honor (Season 5)
These are the prestigious badges that will adorn your name card, letting everyone in the pre-game lobby know exactly who they are dealing with. The central icon for all of them is a Queen, the most powerful piece on the chessboard.
- Grandmaster Crest of Honor (Season 5): This is your entry into the elite crests. It is a clean, metallic silver-and-white crest featuring the white Queen icon. It is sharp, and it immediately signifies you are in the upper echelon of players.
- Celestial Crest of Honor (Season 5): This is a visible step up. The crest becomes a vibrant, glowing cyan or ice-blue, and the Queen icon has a cool digital, “glitch” effect. It is a beautiful badge that shows you have gone even further.
- Eternity Crest of Honor (Season 5): This is the crest shown for the “Eternity” rank. This is a gold-and-yellow crest, setting you apart from the Celestial players and showing you are on the pure leaderboard.
- Top 500 Crest of Honor (Season 5): This is the ultimate status symbol. This is the crest for players who achieve the “One Above All” rank. It is an unmistakable, brilliant gold-and-red crest. This badge proves that you were one of the 500 best players in your region at the end of the season.
Season 5 Nameplate Frames
Knightly Procession: This is the prestigious accolade for Platinum rank players of Season 5. The name itself, “Knightly,” directly references the Knight chess piece.
Royal Stroll: This is the next step up, bestowed upon Diamond rank players. This frame is a visible upgrade, representing the “Royal” pieces. It features the same great art but adds a golden Rook (castle) chess piece to the left side.
How to Get Your Loot: The Season 5 Rules
So, you are hyped and ready to grind. Let’s do a quick recap of the how, because the rules are important.
- Do Your Placements: Season 5 introduces a new 10-match Placement System. You must complete these 10 games to get your starting rank. Your performance in these matches matters, so play your best.
- Grind for Gold (Now): The “Sacrificial Pawn” Gambit skin is a half-season reward for Season 5.0. You must complete your 10 placements and finish at Gold rank or higher before the mid-season update (5.5) to get it. Do not wait.
- Secure Your Peak: The Nameplate Frames and Crests of Honor are “Settlement Rewards,” which are given out at the very end of Season 5. These rewards are based on the highest rank you achieve during the season, so even if you drop, you are still rewarded for your peak performance.
Final Thoughts
Season 5 of Marvel Rivals has come out swinging. The “Sacrificial Pawn” Gambit skin is a top-tier, accessible ranked reward, and the cohesive chess theme across all the crests and nameplates is a design home run. NetEase is showing a clear understanding of what motivates a competitive player base, giving both casual grinders and hardcore pros distinct, valuable, and exciting goals to chase.
I am already in queue for my placement matches. That Gambit skin has my name on it.
What rank are you aiming for this season? And what do you think of the new “Eternity” and “One Above All” system? Let me know your game plan in the comments.
And for more launch day coverage, hero guides, and patch note breakdowns, be sure to check out our full Marvel Rivals category right here on Rivals Sector!
