March is going to be an exciting month for all things Marvel, but particularly for Marvel Heroes. Gaz’s Ryan ‘Ryolnir’ Collins recently took to the forums to tease us with what players can expect in the next major game update coming in early March, and we’re excited even by what little we know so far. Let’s dig in!
Green Goblin
Green Goblin was my pick in the original fan poll for the next Marvel Heroes character and even though he lost out on the poll, I was delighted to learn he’d made the shortlist for this year’s Advance Pack. What I did not expect is that we’d be getting the Goblin so soon! Indeed, Green Goblin will be the first newly announced character to be released in 2016, and he’s sure to bring his trademark madness to the game when he makes his debut next month.
We were recently treated to a brief preview of the Goblin’s skillset and it’s hitting all the right notes for me so far. One tree will focus on some of the Goblin’s more basic tools, such as his Razor Bats and Goblin Blast, while another highlights his endless Bag o’ Tricks, featuring a bevy of different bombs, both well known and obscure. Goblin’s third and final tree focuses on all things Goblin Glider: we’re talking everything from machine guns and flame spitters to protruding blades. Honestly, I couldn’t be more excited. Goblin’s alternate costume was also revealed to be his Marvel Knights suit, which is an excellent choice.
Omega Update
The Omega system was an excellent idea with a not-so-excellent implementation. Alternate advancement is great for giving players a long-term goal, but the system and the acquisition of points just weren’t balanced. Omegas often gate players from participating in some of the later endgame content, and the current layout didn’t offer much reason to leverage the many different nodes to achieve any sense of build diversity. That all changes (hopefully) in March as Gazillion seeks to revamp the entire system.
The most important issue, the speed of Omega point acquisition, will be addressed by curving the experience needed to earn points. Simply put, players will earn Omega points faster early on, while later points will require more experience. This will allow newer players to get up to speed with usable Omega builds sooner, while still preserving the long term goal aspect that is core to the system. These changes will apply retroactively, so you may log in after the update with more Omega points available than you had previously. It’s important to note that the total experience required to hit 7500 points will remain the same, however. Oh, and the cap is being raised from 7500 to 10000, so there’s that as well!
Archangel, Emma Frost, Ghost Rider, and Cosmic Hightown
It’s been an agonizingly long wait, but Archangel (at least in team up form) will finally be coming to Marvel Heroes. I’m both excited and dreading his release. On the one hand, I’ll finally get to have the character in some form in Marvel Heroes. On the other, he’ll be a constant reminder of how fun he would be as a playable character. Unfortunately, the latest newsletter has what appears to be a Beast hint in it, so Hank may have won out over at Gaz for the final spot of Advance Pack 3. There’s always next year, I suppose! Seriously guys, it better be next year!
Ghost Rider and Emma Frost will also be receiving a QOL update of sorts next month. We were treated to a small preview of Emma's changes, but details on Ghost Rider's tweaks haven't appeared just yet. The Emma folks have been waiting a long time for both a visual update and QOL tweaks, so hopefully they get both. Ghost Rider has been underwhelming for a long time now, so any changes should be appreciated. For me, though? I want to hear about some sort of Magneto update. The Master of Magnetism has really been left behind and is in some desperate need of attention.
Oh, and we’re also getting a Cosmic version of Hightown Patrol. I was wondering if that was in the cards. Good to know!
Daredevil
Season 2 of Netflix’s Daredevil TV series is set for release on March 18 and Ryolnir teased some plans on Gaz’s side for that event. Could we see some Daredevil tweaks? Maybe Gaz acquired the rights to the series costume(s)? Or how about a surprise Elektra release? Who knows, but hopefully we find out soon!
What are you looking forward to most in Marvel Heroes next month? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
