Although Peter Parker and Miles Morales have each been doing their part to keep the streets of New York safe for two complete games already, their newest adventure starts the heroes off at level one with not two but three skill trees to fill out among them. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has multiple skill paths to go down and you might ask yourself just which ones should take priority. I’m here to give you some tips on just which ones will give you the best bang for your buck early on.
Unlocking skill points in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 in the first place will come naturally to players as they swing through the suburbs and bustling cityscapes of Manhattan and beyond. Each and every activity and mission the two spectacular Spider-Man pull off will reward players with experience towards their next level and skill points to match. With the level cap set at 60 and the Superior level-ups from the previous games not an upgrade option, players will find themselves with just enough skill points to unlock every skill by the time they hit the level cap.
Slingshot Launch
This is the first skill unlocked in the third shared skill tree for both Peter and Miles. While it feels like a gimme to include it at the top of the list, it just so happens to be one of the best ways to gain momentum from a standing start. By holding down L2 and X at the same time while on the ground (or perched on a wall), Spider-Man will charge up potential energy that releases into an explosive burst of speed and distance. Combine this with the winged suits and players can easily have the capability to sail across great distances without any loss of momentum.
Combo Resupply
This is another skill that comes from the shared skill tree that both Peter and Miles can take advantage of. With it unlocked, each time Spider-Man pulls off a four-hit ground combo (hit square four times in a row), the ability adds a chance to gain a free use of any unlocked gadget for a limited amount of time. These gadgets can be incredibly helpful for crowd control and distraction. Any time you can use the Web Grabber to pull enemies into proximity and finish up with Miles’ signature Venom Punch (or Venom Smash), you can make quick work of enemy grunts.
KO Recharge
Continuing down the shared tree for Spider-Man, this ability is unlocked just after Combo Resupply and the subsequent Perfect Dodge Recharge. With KO Recharge, enemy knock-outs, finishing moves, and stealth takedowns all provide additional recharge to those signature combat moves completed by L1+face button once they’re unlocked in Spider-Man’s respective skill trees. As the flow of combat goes on, you’ll find yourself sometimes using abilities and the good old web shooter (tap R1) more often than the standard melee combos to deal damage, so being able to use your abilities more than once in a single encounter will trivialize most brawls against low-ranking goons in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Spider Rush (Peter)/Venom Rush (Miles)
Both of these signature moves are the first moves unlocked for the L1+Triangle slot for each hero in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Both of these abilities function as ways to close the gap between Spider-Man and the enemy by dashing towards them and dealing damage along the way. Peter Parker’s Spider Rush is the second ability unlocked in his skill tree, while Venom Rush is the first for Miles Morales. Peter’s also functions a bit differently as the next ability unlocked, Spider Rush: Tornado, adds in a gravity effect that pulls nearby enemies into the area of attack versus just the single opponent the non-upgraded skill targets.
Bio-Siphon (Miles Morales)
Assuming you’ve unlocked all of the prerequisites working your way down Miles’ skill tree, Bio-Siphon will be the seventh skill unlocked and available once you have all four abilities unlocked (L1+face button). With it, hitting an enemy that’s already affected by Venom Stun will recharge Miles’ abilities at a faster rate. And how do you apply Venom Stun? By hitting an enemy with an ability in the first place. This cycle will help keep Miles’ abilities topped off and you can continue chaining his electricity-powered abilities one after another in a single fight.
Spider Shock (Peter)
Once Spider Rush is unlocked for Peter Parker’s skill tree, players will have the option to choose either Spider Rush: Tornado or Spider Shock as the third upgrade in the skill tree. While I do prefer upgrading Spider Rush as an aggressive move to close the distance to the next closest enemy, Spider Shock works better as a crowd control attack. With it, Spider-Man will shoot out a web taster and shock multiple enemies at once. This will leave them open to a massive counterattack all at once, especially if there’s a nearby object you can grab and swing into the crowd.
Because skill points are earned at each level up, players will have to ration out and decide on the best bang for their buck. These were the skills that I found to be most beneficial during the first few hours of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the rest will easily become part of Spider-Man’s arsenal as he levels up throughout the story.
