Marvel’s Avengersis developer Crystal Dynamics' take on the team-based looter action RPG genre. As playersprogress through the gameand upgrade their characters' gear and abilities, they can build their heroes to fit specific roles, such as a tanky Hulk, crowd control-oriented Thor, or Black Widow ranged DPS build. The roles that each character can take largely depends on their Heroic abilities, which are game-changing, rechargeable moves unique to each character.
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Afternearly a month with the game, players have started to get a sense for which abilities are worth building around, and which abilities leave more wanting.
18Iron Man (Assault): Unibeam
Iron Man can unleash a deadly energy beam from his arc reactor-powered RT node using his Unibeam Assault Heroic ability. Unibeam takes the bottom spot due to its relatively underwhelming DPS along with its clunkiness to use on multiple targets due to its unforgiving turn radius.
17Black Widow (Assault): Widow’s Bite
Black Widow’s Assault Heroic, Widow’s Bite, is an electric projectile that can be shot at enemies and deal damage over time in a small radius. With the right spam build, Widow’s Bite can be a powerful tool in Black Widow’s arsenal, but as a standalone ability, it lacks a large enough AOE to make a meaningful impact.
16Hulk (Assault): Stranglehold
When used as a crowd control ability to disperse a tightly grouped swarm of enemies, Hulk’s Assault Heroic, Stranglehold, can be a powerful tool at the player’s disposal. However, it’s awkward to use, difficult to line up properly and doesn’t do as much damage as other Heroic abilities.
15Ms. Marvel (Assault): High Five
Essentially an easier-to-use Stranglehold that can deal more damage to multiple targets at a higher range, Ms. Marvel’s High Five Heroic has her stretching her arm to smack any enemies unfortunate enough to be standing in front of her.
14Captain America (Assault): Steamroller
Once fully upgraded, Captain America’s Steamroller Assault Heroic can knock out a small army of enemies with a single throw of his iconic shield. Cap’s Assault Heroic is one of the best-in-class, but Assault Heroics as a whole are weak compared to Support and Ultimate abilities, which have a more meaningful impact in team fights.
13Iron Man (Support): Arc Overload
Iron Man’s Arc Overload deals Shock damage to nearby enemies and stuns them, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. In addition, Iron Man’s suit becomes Overcharged, thus enhancing his other abilities.
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Unlike other Support Heroic abilities, Arc Overload doesn’t affect nearby teammates and thus doesn’t have as big of an impact in a squad-based multiplayer game likeMarvel’s Avengers.
12Hulk (Support): Boneshaker
Hulk can unleash his Boneshaker Support Heroic to smash his fists into the ground and yell out a monstrous roar to taunt nearby enemies, thus taking their attention away from allies. This letsHulk act as a tankwith increased defense to enemy attacks, making this an impactful and flavorful ability to build around.
11Thor (Assault): God Blast
Thor’s God Blast ability is the best Assault Heroic in the game due to its high damage output over a large AOE. Its intrinsic Shock damage also leaves enemies more vulnerable to follow-up attacks due to increased damage and a higher chance for critical attacks.
10Thor (Ultimate): Bifrost
While still very powerful in the right situation, Thor’s Bifrost Ultimate Heroic is the most underwhelming ability in its class due to its relatively small impact on the battlefield.Basically Doomfist’s Meteor StrikefromOverwatch, Bifrost has Thor launching himself into the heavens, which can be used to get out of a pinch in a heated fight, and crash back to earth to unleash a devastating beam of energy in a small area.
9Ms. Marvel (Support): Healing Spirit
The best and only true healing ability in the game, Ms. Marvel’s aptly named Healing Spirit is essential in hectic firefights when all team members are taking a beating thanks to its AOE instant Willpower regeneration. There’s no feeling quite like seeing a sliver of health left on screen and suddenly being boosted back near full healththanks to Ms. Marvel.
