Unlike other superhero games, Marvel's Avengers has a more action-packed take on the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Moreover, this title features the Avengers fighting some of their most popular villains with a Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics twist. In this Marvel title, the Avengers not only show their might with their abilities but also possess unique RPG elements.
As such, aside from progressive skill tress, heroes also have access to unique Gear they can level up that gives them unique benefits in battle. Moreover, Gear possesses Gear Perks that further diversify a hero's playstyle and skillset. Which Gear Perks should players take note of and avoid throughout the game?
10 Get: Expert Explosion
Who doesn't love a good boom after a well-placed shot? Thanks to Expert Explosion, players get a chance of triggering a damage explosion when they perform critical hits with a ranged attack. In essence, this Perk becomes useful against packs of opponents, which just calls for a good AOE burst.
Interestingly, players can use this Perk to help create a more offensive Captain America build. Thanks to this Perk, his ranged attacks have better potential of scattering enemy formation due to crit-based explosions. Moreover, ranged DPS specialists such as Black Widow can get a much-needed damage boost with Expert Explosion to eliminate enemies faster.
9 Avoid: Aerial Blessing
Damage dealers love doing critical hits as they deal massive damage — and this applies to all games. However, in Marvel's Avengers, some Perks that boost crit chance might not exactly serve as the most beneficial Perk out there. For instance, Aerial Blessing increases the chance for melee attacks in mid-air to get critical hits. At first glance, this Perk seems to be a great addition to any DPS arsenal.
However, players also have to consider that this essentially means they need to spam mid-air combos to proc this effect. Granted, some players actually specialize dishing out combos — and this Perk will serve them well. However, those who want to focus on moving around the battlefield might not see much use with this Perk.
8 Get: Gamma Capacitors
With Gamma Capacitors, Light Combo Finishers can proc Gamma radiation, which hits enemies with damage-over-time (DOT). Thanks to Gamma radiation, enemies essentially get poisoned and can be easily eliminated with other attacks. In essence, tanks in missions can continue pumping attacks with Gamma Capacitors, while melee DPS can juggle opponents while dealing DOT.
Interestingly, this Perk works well when giving Iron Man a melee makeover. Players can pair Gamma Capacitors with Lightweight Blitz, which boosts damage from Light Combo Finishers. Moreover, Faultless Spark can help Tony get a Heroic Charge Burst for all Heroic skills on a melee critical attack. Gamma Capacitors, in tandem with these other Perks, easily creates a stable melee build for Iron Man users.
7 Avoid: Reflexive Spark
Dodging and parrying attacks feel awesome, especially if characters pull off sweet moves while doing so. In Marvel's Avengers, all heroes have innate dodging and parrying maneuvers that enable them to deftly avoid attacks towards them. Moreover, Reflexive Spark gives Iron Man a chance to get all his Heroics buffed with Heroic Charged Burst whenever he parries an attack.
As such, in theory, the game rewards Iron Man players for choosing to deftly parry incoming attacks. Thing is, despite the usefulness of the Perk, it motivates players to be more reactive than proactive. As such, players need to actively think about parrying attacks to proc this benefit instead of using other Perks to actively be on the offensive.
6 Get: Brazen Invulnerability
Anyone who hits the Hulk doesn't hurt him — it just makes him angrier. Unfortunately, an angry Hulk becomes a deadlier Hulk. Funnily enough, Marvel's Avengers reflects this well with Brazen Invulnerability. Thanks to this Perk, Hulk players can gain an Invulnerability Buff on a melee critical hit.
Granted, players don't trigger Brazen Invulnerability all the time. However, crit-focused builds on the Hulk can boost the chances of triggering this Perk. Moreover, this Perk alone can make Hulk into a melee powerhouse. Additionally, Brazen Invulnerability works well with other Perks such as Heavyweight Inspiration (Willpower Burst from Heavy Combo Finishers), Heavyweight Quake (Heavy Combo Finishers increase stun damage), and Nimble Buff (Perfect Evading gives a damage buff).
5 Avoid: Targeted Invulnerability Buff
With Targeted Invulnerability Buff, players may get an Invulnerability Buff when defeating enemies with ranged critical attacks. Granted, ranged DPS users would love quite a Perk that grants them Invulnerability when hitting enemies from afar. However, this Perk may not hold as much use in hindsight.
For instance, melee juggernauts like the Hulk wouldn't find as much use with Targeted Invulnerability Buff, as his focus would likely soak damage in melee. Moreover, ranged-focus characters won't benefit much from the Invulnerability Buff either, given they're too far to get hit when producing this effect, anyway.
4 Get: Reactive Explosion
Bosses and PVP players hate tanks in most games not just because they soak damage. Rather, some tank skills may even punish assailants with penalties and other effects. In Marvel's Avengers, tanks get some of these benefits. With Reactive Explosion, damage to players can trigger a damage explosion — which can be bad news to any enemy squad.
Interestingly, Reactive Explosion doesn't seem as helpful to heroes as the damage explosion becomes useless if heroes get downed anyway. However, Ms. Marvel works well with Reactive Explosion thanks to her tanky nature. For instance, her regeneration complements Reactive Explosion's trigger. Moreover, Perks such as Heavyweight Protection (Heavy Combo Finishers can give a Defense buff) and Heavyweight Inspiration (Heavy Combo Finishers grant Willpower burst) transforms Kamala into a juggernaut.
3 Avoid: Status Effect Resistance
Thanks to Status Effects, both heroes and enemies can inflict specialized forms of damage to opponents. Moreover, the game gives heroes the opportunity to equip special Perks specifically to mitigate certain Status Effects. In theory, these Perks can greatly boost their defenses against debilitating effects. For instance, Gamma DOT does siphon much-needed health.
However, this Perk might not serve as the most useful defensive Perks. For instance, players might find more use out of dodge-based or parry-based Perks. After all, players unconsciously dodge and parry attacks, giving effects an opportunity to proc.
2 Get: Pym Parabellum Ammo
Unlike other heroes in Marvel's Avengers, Black Widow doesn't have special powers. However, she does have unique gadgets and special weapons. Moreover, the game emphasizes her specialist role by letting her equip specialized Perks that enable players to make flexible builds for her. Thanks to Pym Parabellum Ammo, ranged attacks with the Pistol Shot now deal Particle damage to opponents.
Interestingly, much of Black Widow's specialized Perks actually take advantage of her ranged DPS potential. In this case, Pym Parabellum Ammo enables her to go for a ranged support role against tankier enemies that Particle damage can shrink. Moreover, Black Widow gets boosted lethality if she combines this with Gamma AE Bullets (High-Caliber Shots deal Gamma DOT), and Adept Spark (weak point attacks proc Heroic Charge Burst on Heroics).
1 Avoid: Vital Spark
Thanks to a handy revive mechanic, players in co-op can easily help teammates return to the battle when knocked out. Moreover, some Perks actually provide revival benefits to newly-returned heroes. For instance, Vital Protection gives an opportunity to grant a Defense Buff to the revived teammate. Another one, Vital Spark, gives heroes a chance to get a Heroic Charge Burst to all Heroic skills once revived.
Unfortunately, the latter Perk doesn't seem to be extremely useful compared to the former, as well as other potential replacement Perks. Granted, Vital Spark ensures returning players can dish out damage quickly when they return to the fight. However, it's more useful for players to slowly regain momentum to know how exactly they want to pull off their combat tactics.