Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is available now, which means Switch owners are button mashing their way through the Marvel Universe's greatest villains in a quest to reclaim the Infinity Stones for the good guys. In order to harness the full power of their roster, players are going to need to learn how to take advantage of the synergy attacks available within their squad.

Synergy attacks are nothing new to the Ultimate Alliance franchise and have been a staple of the games in one way or another since the X-Men Legends days. The idea is to use the special abilities of two heroes at the same time and, ideally, do bonus damage to any enemies who get in the way of your team. Mastering synergy attacks makes the story mode missions a lot easier, but it is also essential for earning three stars in many Infinity Trials challenges, which is necessary for unlocking all costumes and characters.

Keep in mind that triggering synergy attacks plays out differently depending on whether you are going through the game solo or in co-op mode. We'll break down how it works for each game mode...

marvel ultimate alliance 3 group

Synergy Attacks In Solo Mode

So, how do you use a synergy attack when you're playing solo? It's actually easier than when playing with friends, because you don't need to time things with anyone but yourself. To trigger a Synergy Attack in solo mode, players just need to hold ZR and press either Y, X, A, or B based on which of your character’s skills you want to trigger the synergy with.

Keep in mind that proximity does matter here. Some players want to be right next to each other to perform a synergy attack, while others need some space. We recommend heading into a low level Infinity Trial Wave to practice this out and master the synergies for your team build.

Synergy Attacks in Co-Op

Using synergy attacks in co-op with a friend requires a bit more precise timing. There are two methods for triggering the special synergies. First, you'll want to stand right next to whichever player you’d like to use synergy with. For one method, both players can activate their abilities at the same time, by pressing R and then whichever button is mapped to the appropriate ability. The game also tries to help out a bit by offering a shortcut. If you are standing near a co-op player who is using an ability that is synergistic with one of yours, an A will flash over your character portrait and you can just click A instead of selecting the ability off of your powers menu. This is helpful, the timing is still key.

Don’t forget that there will be even more characters on the way, with new synergies to take advantage of, when we get a little closer to the release of the Expansion Pass content. Just keep in mind that Expansion Pass content is all or nothing, so players will need to drop about $20 to unlock the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Marvel Knights additions.

Be sure to check back in the coming hours for more Ultimate Alliance 3 guides, news, and updates as we continue to tear through the new game. Until then, good luck out there, True Believers…

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is available now exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.