Welcome to Marvel Heroics, my look at the superhero exploits of Marvel Heroes! Just about half of Massively OP has gotten hooked on this title, so it felt right to devote some space to talking about this OARPG. And what better place to begin than grappling with the leveling game?
While dealing with around 50 heroes, legendary items, omega levels, and prestiging (re-level those characters for added benefits), there is no shortage of leveling to be done here. It might seem like a herculean task at the start — even with one character — but the game is designed to accelerate the process so that subsequent trips up the level ladder go faster and faster.
Here are six tips that I’ve discovered and others have shared with me to make the most of my efforts in leveling my roster of comic book wonders!
1. Put off the story mode — at least until later
Probably the biggest mistake that I made in Marvel Heroes for my initial few months was exclusively dabbling in the story mode with my first character. Now don’t get me wrong: There’s nothing wrong with story mode. It’s a great tour through many of the iconic Marvel locations and a decent tale in and of itself, not to mention that the rewards (including power points and useful buffs) are worth going through it on all three difficulty levels.
But if you’re looking at the game through the lens of pure leveling, then story mode is the slowest path you could take. I’ve since found that by putting off story mode until I had leveled my character up, I ended up enjoying myself a lot more. There’s no rush to doing the story, other than getting those power points, and no reason you can’t enjoy some of the other modes that offer faster leveling.
2. Legendary quests are your best friends
The community seems to strongly agree on this. Once you hit level 20 and unlock them, legendary quests are your biggest ally in the leveling war. Personally, I love them to pieces for so many reasons.
The game will assign you a random legendary quest that can take place in your story mode, a terminal, or one of the challenges (such as Midtown or Industry City). None of them is too difficult to do, and once you finish up, you get huge globes of XP and Odin Marks (which are needed for your legendary item purchases). The best part is that for a small chunk of credits, you can reroll the current active legendary quest if you don’t like the current one.
Once I got onto the legendary quest train, I’ve been doing them almost non-stop when I’m playing. They really do give you a substantial boost in your leveling, because you’re getting bonus XP on top of what you’d normally get for participating in those activities.
3. Assemble your roster!
Probably the most important thing that I came to understand about Marvel Heroes is that the game isn’t about one of your characters, but all of them combined. Your account is your main, and only by utilizing as much of it as possible will you find that heroes end up helping each other level more quickly.
First of all, realize that every character you get to certain level milestones will contribute to an account-wide XP boost. Level 30 adds 1%, level 50 adds 3%, and level 60 adds a percentage based on how many heroes you’ve gotten to the cap (the first hero is 30%, the second 20%, and down to a steady 5% for the fifth on). The cap for your account is 200% XP gain, although that is on top of other forms of bonus XP (potions, etc.).
I also want to mention Cyclops here because he’s an invaluable tool for leveling others. At level 50, Scott activates a 10% XP bonus synergy that any other hero can activate (and that is separate from the bonus synergy pool). Once I found that out, I made it a priority to get Cyclops in my roster and leveled up ASAP. I do not regret doing so.
4. Don’t be afraid to use your potions
Like most experienced RPG gamers, I’ve always been reluctant to use potions and instead have consistently squirreled them away for a rainy day that usually never comes. I had to break out of this hoarding habit in Marvel Heroes because potions are very much meant to be used, especially if you desire added wind to your back when leveling.
Getting more potions isn’t terribly difficult, either. I’ve gathered a majority of mine from story missions, buying fortune cards from Clea (which usually turn into pots), from the daily login gift, and from special event presents. And when I get them, I use them.
Pro-tip: When you’re in one of the hubs, such as the Avenger’s Tower, the timer on your buffs stops ticking. That makes heading back to base for inventory management and the like a good strategy to save as much time for when you’ll be pulling in XP.
5. Grab a couple key runewords
Don’t be throwing out runes when you find them! Those weird objects may just be your ticket to a faster leveling path.
The enchanter, especially when leveled up, gives you the option to equip “runewords” onto your character. Two of these, Seer’s Brilliance and Brigand’s Fortune, offer bonus XP per kill. It’s not a huge amount, granted, but I firmly believe that every little bit helps. Many thanks to Blutspitze and his extensive video guide for this tip!
6. Keep tabs on the current events
I’ve always loved the feeling of accomplishing more than one task at a time, especially if I don’t have to spend any extra effort. Marvel Heroes is my kind of game because a smart strategizer can take advantage of overlapping goals and synergies to great effect.
I seriously recommend paying attention to whatever big event is going on in the game at the time. That’s where bonus loot and often bonus XP will be found, which makes it a no-brainer to play. Now, stack on top of that legendary quests that take place around that event (and remember, you can reroll until you get the one you want), potion buffs, and shared quests, and you could find yourself in the fast lane to the level cap instead of puttering along.
Doing this means that you have to stay flexible and go where the action is, adjusting your play session accordingly. I think it’s worth it, unless the activity is either beyond your reach or too grating.
Anyway, those six tips have served me quite well so far. What others would you recommend to newer players?
