Season 8.5 of Marvel Rivals is live, and NetEase has tucked a free epic Groot Ironwood Serpent costume into the new Shenloong Tournament event. No premium pass purchase required. You earn every reward, including the skin, just by playing matches and climbing through 12 tiers before the event closes on July 10, 2026.
What is the Shenloong Tournament?
The Shenloong Tournament is a free event pass that launched with the Season 8.5 mid-season update on June 12, 2026. It runs until July 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC, giving you roughly four weeks to finish it. The event ties directly into the new K'un-Lun: Shenloong Arena map and its Bounty Annihilation mode, an 18v18 format that arrives alongside the update.
Unlike a standard battle pass, there is no premium tier to buy. Every single reward in the event is free for all players. You progress by earning XP through playing matches, and each tier you clear drops a new cosmetic.
How do you unlock the Groot Ironwood Serpent skin?
The Groot Ironwood Serpent Costume sits at Tier 12, the final reward in the pass. To get it, you work through all 11 preceding tiers by earning event XP from matches. Since the pass has no paid track, nothing is locked behind a paywall. Every player who puts in the time walks away with the skin.
The most direct path is simply playing matches consistently across the four-week window. There is no indication in the source material that specific mission types award bonus XP, so regular match play is the confirmed method.
Shenloong Tournament tier list
All 12 free rewards in the Shenloong Tournament
The entire event reward track is Groot-focused, with a few bonus cosmetics for other characters mixed in. Here is every reward in order:
The Cyclops Spray at Tier 5 and Galacta Spray at Tier 9 are worth noting since both characters are tied to Season 8.5 content. Even if Groot is not your main, the early tiers hand you cosmetics for other heroes before you hit the costume at the end.
Early Ironwood Serpent rewards
Is the Groot Ironwood Serpent skin worth grinding for?
For regular Groot players, yes, without question. The Ironwood Serpent theme is a full bundle treatment: nameplate, animated spray, emote, emoji bundle, mood bundle, MVP animation, and the costume itself. That is seven dedicated Groot cosmetics for zero dollars, which is a better return than most limited events offer.
Even if you only play Groot occasionally, the MVP animation and emote alone would cost real money in the shop. Getting them free by playing normally over four weeks is straightforward value.
For players less interested in Groot, Tiers 5 and 9 still deliver sprays for Cyclops and Galacta, plus gallery cards for Apocalypse and two generic slots. Not a reason to grind on its own, but a decent bonus if you are already logging matches.
NetEase has been consistent about running free event passes like this alongside major updates. If you have been tracking other seasonal freebies, the pattern holds: play regularly, clear tiers, collect the skin. For more free cosmetics available right now, the Marvel Rivals guides collection has full breakdowns of every active and upcoming giveaway.
Other free skins available in Marvel Rivals right now
The Shenloong Tournament is not the only way to add free cosmetics to your collection this season. NetEase has been running parallel giveaways through partner programs and separate events.
The free Emma Frost Gala Glam skin is available through the Season 7.5 Hellfire Gala event if you have not claimed it yet. There is also a free Star-Lord Ignite costume via Twitch Drops tied to the Mid-Season Finals broadcast. Both have separate deadlines, so check those guides for exact expiry dates.
If you are working through the Season 7 Battle Pass at the same time, the full Season 7 Battle Pass reward breakdown covers every skin, emote, and currency reward so you know exactly what you are grinding toward.