In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, players have a team of powerful heroes that are capable of some extraordinary abilities. These abilities can be combined to form even more powerful attacks called Synergy Attacks. This combo of abilities can have some impressive results that wreck devastation and destruction on the battlefield.
While all Synergy Attacks are useful and have a place in the game, some are more helpful than others when it comes to saving the world. Some are better against bosses, some are better against groups, and some just pale in comparison to other Synergy Attacks no matter the situation.
10 Powerful: Crash
The Crash Synergy Attack is the result of heroes combining a barrage style attack with an Area Assault. This combo results in a shockwave that pulses out randomly to stun and damage enemies.
The ability to stun enemies is incredibly useful when dealing with foes that have powerful attacks like bosses or when facing large numbers of foes. Because the shockwaves are intermittent, it can be complicated at times to coordinate attacks when foes are stunned, but, because there are more than one, odds are you’ll be able to take advantage of one of the shockwaves.
9 Weakest: Surge
Surge is an interesting attack in that it throws enemies up into the area, causing some damage and stunning them. Initially, this sounds incredibly helpful, but the damage is low compared to other attacks, and the stun could be better.
To perform a Surge, you need two heroes who both have Launch capabilities and perform them at the same time. You’ll know you did it right when you see the bodies fly up after the attack. It can be handy, but it could be a lot stronger.
8
Rapid Fire attacks by themselves are strong moves that can pepper enemies with projectiles to whittle down their health or take down a group of foes. But, if you have two heroes with Rapid-Fire attacks coordinate their efforts, you get a Scatter Shot that makes those projectiles explode on impact.
This is a devastating ability against groups and can take chunks out of spongier foes. Having a barrage of projectiles detonate in your enemies’ faces will quickly clear the field and give your heroes some breathing room to launch the next attack.
7 Weakest: Mega Blast
Admittedly, this was a rough placement on the list given how much damage potential Mega Blast has when well placed. But it has such a small area of damage that it needs to be done with pinpoint precision, which can be difficult when facing multiple enemies or dodging boss attacks.
The Mega Blast is a cluster of explosions that result when a hero with a Slam attack coordinates with a hero with an Explosive attack. This move is great against bosses but struggles a bit in groups or when fighting multiple spongey enemies.
6 Powerful: Reflect
Reflect is powerful because it takes a singular Beam attack and splits the beam to splay across the screen and strike multiple enemies. This allows your heroes to be adaptable, as a powerful Beam-based hero can target bosses while Reflecting that beam can make the hero useful against groups.
The Reflect Synergy Attack is performed by having a hero with a Beam attack coordinate with a hero that has either a Safeguard or Area Assault attack. Simply perform the move and watch the horde of enemies melt when the beam strikes them.
5 Weakest: Elemental Barrage
It sounds like a really cool move, but, in reality, all it does is create a tornado that twirls around and damages enemies. Depending on the heroes that perform the move, it’s also capable of dealing elemental slashes, but even that’s not all that much of an improvement.
Performing the move requires having a hero with either Barrage or an Area Assault attack coordinate with a hero that has either Whirlwind or Burn. Perhaps the one benefit to this move is that it can be done with four different attacks, so odds are you’ll have a team with this ability without even trying. Though, don’t waste the Synergy Attack if you have something stronger.
4 Powerful: Resonant Blast
The Resonant Blast creates a large sphere of energy that damages any enemy caught inside of it. This is great for when your hero is getting swarmed and needs to quickly eliminate those in their immediate vicinity.
The Resonant Blast is performed by two heroes that can do Beam attacks coordinating with each other. If successfully performed, you’ll see a large bubble of energy expand out from the point of attack, and your enemies will start sizzling if caught inside the bubble.
3 Weakest: Catalyst
Catalyst has its uses and can deliver a powerful elemental based attack your hero may not be capable of otherwise. But, honestly, it’s more of a fail-safe for those players who didn’t plan their teams well and are scrambling for a Synergy Attack they can use.
Catalyst is a result of a hero using a Bash attack coordinating with a hero that has an Elemental Trait like Burn. It results in the range of the attack getting larger. It's good for the occasional boss fight or hard to hit enemies, but those problems only arise if you haven’t planned well.
2 Powerful: Tremor
Perhaps the most useful Synergy Attack in the entire game. Tremor is great for obliterating large groups or for stunning and dealing heavy damage to anyone else. When two heroes with Slam attacks combine their efforts, it will stagger every enemy on the screen and deals massive damage at the center of the attack.
This is vital for many boss fights, and many players get a kick out of watching gargantuan bosses wobble and teeter as they struggle to maintain their balance after a Tremor is performed. It’s powerful and it’s fun to watch.
1 Weakest: Coalesce
Arguably considered the weakest Synergy Attack by the fanbase, Coalesce should never be your priority when putting your team together. It’s the result of a hero with an elemental trait, like freeze, coordinating with a hero that can perform a Whirlwind attack.
The result is a whirlwind that has the elemental ability the hero had. As much as a fiery tornado or a freezing whirlwind sounds, it’s honestly not that useful and hard to target foes with. There are much better attacks and in terms of raw DPS, it’s not worth the effort. Really, there isn’t a single encounter or event in the entire game where a Coalesce move would be a better choice than any other Synergy Attack.