/mhg/ FAQ

FAQ

>>BASIC INFO

>What is it?
	A Free-to-Play AARPG (think Diablo) MMO where you play as Marvel heroes.

>What kind of free-to-play?
	The game allows almost all content (except for some exclusive costumes, and inventory space) to be gotten through drops in-game. You can play through the game and get every hero and nearly all costumes, as well as complete every mission without needing to spend money.
	But if you wanted to cut through the potential wait, all heroes, most costumes, and various convenience items are sold for real world cash.

>How do I play?
	You can download the client straight from the site here: https://marvelheroes.com/download or you can download it through Steam.
	You also need to register for an account here: https://login.marvelheroes.com/registration.php?pcode=


>>HERO LIST
>What heroes can I play as?
	The following 12 characters are considered the starting heroes:
		Rocket Raccoon
		Storm
		Cyclops
		Luke Cage
		Colossus
		Punisher
		Hulk
		Hawkeye
		Black Widow
		Captain America
		Thor
		Black Panther

	In total, there are currently 49 heroes, with the number increasing every two to three months. Each hero can be played to Level 10 to try them out, and you have the ability to uncap a single hero from the roster to play to the full extent (Level 60). You can purchase all of the above and the following heroes with in-game drops (Eternity Splinters) or real money:
		Ant-Man
		Cable
		Daredevil
		Deadpool
		Dr. Doom
		Doctor Strange
		Emma Frost
		Gambit
		Ghost Rider
		Human Torch
		Iceman
		Invisible Woman
		Iron Man
		Jean Grey
		Juggernaut
		Loki
		Magneto
		Moon Knight
  		Mr. Fantastic
		Ms. Marvel
		Nightcrawler
		Nova
		Psylocke
		Rogue
		Scarlet Witch
		She-Hulk
		Silver Surfer
 		Spider-Man
		Squirrel Girl
 		Star-Lord
		Taskmaster
		Thing
		Venom
		Vision
		Winter Soldier
		Wolverine
		X-23

	Heroes tend to be released once a month, but they have dropped a character in without advance notice on a couple occasions. Announced upcoming heroes:
		War Machine
		Kitty Pryde & Lockheed
		Blade
		Iron Fist
		Black Cat
		Sunspot
		Nick Fury


>>HEROES, COSTUMES, DROPS, AND THE CASH SHOP

>How do I get heroes?
	You first start the game with a selection of one of 12 heroes that you can choose one from (see above). You can play all 49 characters up to a level 10 cap, and thereafter given the ability to uncap one of the 49 as your actual starter hero. This uncapped hero will be given its default costume and you can play this character to its fullest extent like a standard character unlock.
	You can purchase heroes with Eternity Splinters at the Eternity Splinter vendor. You should find one in every hub. Eternity Splinters drop from enemies approximately every 8 minutes as long as you stay active. You also get 100ES for completing the tutorial for the first time (this only works once and can not be repeated). Sometimes events give out a bunch of Eternity Splinters or even a free hero (e.g. Thor was free when his new movie came out). A recent addition was a one-time 400ES given after your second log into the game through Daily Login Rewards (explained further below).
	Specific heroes cost 200ES (e.g. Black Widow), 400ES (e.g. Captain America) or 600ES (e.g. Iron Man, Ghost Rider). The preferred method for real muggas is purchasing a Random Hero Box for 175ES, which can contain any hero on the roster regardless of price, even the one you already own. If you get a dupe you can use it to upgrade your hero's Ultimate Power.

>Which character should I pick?
	What hero you choose to use is up to your preference of playstyle, or simply which hero interests you the most, which can greatly influence how much fun you have with your character. Be warned that some heroes start off with more trouble than others, often due to their lack in defensive capabilities.
	If you care more about practicality over preference for a hero, the best pick would be: Cyclops. His synergy (explained below) grants 10% bonus XP, which is good for future heroes, and he is very strong and capable in endgame content. His only drawback is that optimal gearing is somewhat difficult.
	If you want to see the most popular build for a given hero, go to http://marvelheroes.info/builds/ for more information.

>Any tips for planning my hero?
	You can visit the specific hero's sub-forum off the main forums or the following site to see other people's builds as well as plan your own: http://marvelheroes.info/builds/
	With recent changes to the game, you can freely reset your character's skill point allocation and play with various builds or powers as you see fit. You are also able to have two skill builds set in place that you can thereafter switch during pauses in combat.

>What do costumes do?
	Costumes are primarily just cosmetic changes to a character to help you differentiate and customize your hero. By leveling up crafters, you can add and remove boosts to stats onto your costumes, which is greatly necessary for endgame content.

>What are enhanced costumes, variant costumes, and chase costumes?
	Enhanced costumes differ from regular costumes in that they do more to alter your character's appearance. They can alter your character's voice & dialogues, as well as appearance of their powers. Just like regular costumes however, they are purely cosmetic.
	Variant costumes are a recent addition that are slightly altered versions of existing costumes, usually recently released, that are offered for a limited duration. Like the other costumes, they are purely cosmetic, and simply serve as a way of bragging rights.
	Chase costumes are another form of limited availability, and only appear in the shop during special events or times of the year. They are also available as dropped loot, but as with all costumes, they are incredibly rare and unlikely to be found this way.

>How do I get costumes?
	Most costumes can be obtained from drops from mobs/bosses or purchased directly in the store. Costume drops are incredibly rare.
	Some costumes are limited to fortune cards (randomized item packs). The first version of the cards can be brought using Cube Shards gotten through end game grinding, but the newer versions (each of which offer at least two costumes) must be purchased from the in-game store. Exclusive costumes from the first cards are:
		Captain America - The Captain
		Deadpool - Unmasked
		Iron Man - Stealth Armor
		Thor - Destroyer
		Wolverine - Days of Future Past
	Certain costumes can also be unlocked through the Achievement system (explained below), and are generally slight variations of existing costumes, but are not considered Variant costumes.

>How do I specifically get Costumes and Characters to drop?
	Characters only dropped near launch, and have not been possible since the Eternity Splinter system was introduced. If you want to find Costumes, stack a ton of Special Item Find and pray - odds are not in your favor.


>>MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS

>When does the timer for terminal and one-shot bosses reset for cube shards?
	The timer resets after 20 hours you first defeat them, and is tracked in the terminal window. So killing Shocker at 5pm on Monday will require you to wait until 1pm on Tuesday the next day to earn more Cube Shards.

>What's the difference between Rare Item Find and Special Item Find?
	Rare Items are basic gear slots - Uniques, Cosmics, Rings, Artifacts, and Uru-Forged.
	Special Items are Relics, Runes, Costumes, Eternity Splinters, Fortune Cards, Gift Buffs, Runes, and everything else.

>How do I buy stuff from the store?
	You will need to buy Gs from MarvelHeroes.com. You can then buy whatever you'd like from store in-game. If you run this game through Steam you can buy Gs with your Steam wallet.

>What's the conversion of $ to Gs?
	$1.00 = 100Gs
	Larger G packs come with bonus G. (ie. $20 for 2100G)

>How much do things cost?
	Prices vary on everything, with what's perceived by devs as more popular, costing higher.
	Characters range from 450g to 1350g. See: http://marvelheroes.info/items/heroes/
	Costumes range from 450g to 1450g.

>That all seems pretty expensive. Is there any other way to get the hero I want?
	Besides waiting for ES to drop and the occasional code giveaway, buying heroes is the only way. If you wanted to save money through multiple character bundles, store.marvelheroes.com offers a number of options at $60, giving 4 characters, extra costumes, character-specific inventory, and Fortune Cards:
		X-Force Pack (also on Steam) - Cable, Wolverine, Deadpool, Colossus
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/x-force-team-pack.html, http://store.steampowered.com/app/265293/
		Avengers Assemble Pack (also on Steam) - Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Ms. Marvel
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/avengers-assemble-team-pack.html, http://store.steampowered.com/app/265292/
		Avengers: Age of Ultron Pack - Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye
			http://store.steampowered.com/app/347181
		Guardians of the Galaxy Team Pack - Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, 3 Team Ups (Groot, Gamora, Drax)
			http://store.steampowered.com/app/320200/
		Marvel Knights - Spider-Man, Wolverine, Punisher, Black Panther
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/marvel-knights-team-pack.html
		Uncanny X-Men - Wolverine, Colossus, Cyclops, Jean Grey
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/uncanny-x-men-team-pack.html
		Marvel NOW! - Jean Grey, Cyclops, Thor, Rocket Raccoon
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/marvel-now-team-pack-484.html
		Heroic Trio - Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, Jean Grey - one less character, offset slightly by extra Fortune Cards
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/heroic-trio-team-pack.html
		2015 Wave 2 Presale Pack - She-Hulk, Vision, Dr. Doom - one less character, offset by slightly decreased price
			https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/2015-wave-2-pack.html

	If you want everything, they offer a pack of all characters released in 2013 and 2014 for $200 - https://store.marvelheroes.com/wsstore_en_us/mega-pack-mk-iii.html

>My inventory is too small?
	Inventory and stash space is the only thing you have to buy with real money. If you don't plan on buying stash you should never hoard items that can be easily reaquired (like crafting items). You should hoard Uniques and Runes. You can also stash Artifacts on characters you don't use, since you can unbind them again, although remember that Artifacts have minimum level requirements to wear.
	If you're buying inventory, note that you can store Insignias and Any-Hero Uniques in hero-specific tabs, and Runes/Costume Cores in Crafting tabs - both of which are cheaper options than the general tabs.

>Team-Up Heroes
	Team-Ups are minions that you can choose to either have follow you permanently, temporarily with stronger abilities, or not at all but giving you passive buffs and procs. Like heroes, these can be purchased either with Eternity Splinters (at 200, 400, or 600) or Gs. They are accessed through a tab on your hero-selection panel, and have a small bit of inventory space of their own that you can use regardless of whether you have a Team-Up or not, although it is shared across like your standard inventory.
	Each Team-Up hero has their own equipment that can enhance their abilities and the hero using them. Each Team-Up also has their own passive abilities, with some being applicable for multiple heroes (e.g. Domino) and some aiding specific heroes (e.g. Wasp). Following the creation of Team-Up 2.0, these sidekicks now can offer a sizable increase in DPS for all heroes, and can reach a max of level 60 like standard heroes. This level and what skills you assign your Team-Up will carry over across heroes, and will scale down to match your hero's level. As with your own hero's powers, you can reset and reorganize your Team-Up's skill allocation whenever not in combat.

>Pets, Cybernetics, and the Cybernetic Vacuum
	Although previously serving solely as a cosmetic, all pets now have the ability to unlock five Cybernetic Bonuses tied to each tier of geared items, i.e. Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Cosmic, and Unique. Items can either be manually donated by being dragged onto the pet or by clicking Alt+Right Click, or through the Cybernetic Vacuum key (defaulted to "J"). Each bonus requires a different number of donations: 600 for Uncommon, 900 for Rare, 1,800 for Epic, 180 for Cosmic, and 8 for Unique. An Auto-Loot function was added that can be adjusted in the Gameplay tab under the Options menu, which will automatically vacuum gear into the pet as set.
	The bonus unlocked by fully donating the number of gear required is randomly selected within a set list (see the Useful Links for the list of Cybernetic Bonuses), and can be reset using a recipe under the Gear tab of the Crafter. As you level the Crafter, higher tiers of the Cybernetic Reset will be unlocked. Every pet has the same available Cybernetic Bonuses, but each pet is donated towards individually. Pets can be transferred between characters and will carry the same number of donated items and unlocked Bonuses.
	If a bonus is unlocked and an item is donated to that tier, it will feed into the locked bonus immediately beneath it (e.g. Cosmic to Epic, Epic to Rare, Rare to Uncommon, etc.). If all Cybernetic Bonuses are unlocked, or if a pet is not equipped, the Cybernetic Vacuum will destroy the item and give the player a small fraction of the item's credit value.


>>END GAME

>How do I level up vendors/crafters?
	Alt-Right Click an item you don't want while talking to a vendor or crafter to give them XP towards raising their level. Don't sell items for credits, donate them all instead.
	These levels remain across all heroes on your account. Generally you should level up your crafter first, then your enchanter and then the others.

>What do levels on a vendor/crafter do?
	For vendors, higher levels mean that they sell better gear.
	For crafters, higher levels give you more options for crafting items or upgrading/downgrading equipment.
	For enchanters, higher levels mean more enchantment options, runwords, and blessings become available.

>How do I reset skill points?
	In the bottom left corner of the Power Skills menu (default "P"), there is a reset button that can be activated at any time outside of combat, even when in an instance.

>How do I reset missions?
	In every base, there is is an NPC that will allow you to jump to previously completed chapters, allowing you to revisit missions with new and old characters.

>What is Multi-Spec?
	A recent addition to Marvel Heroes is Multi-Spec, which allows players the ability to build, for free, two different builds for their character. Every player starts with the ability to build two and can purchase three other slots for builds. This allows players to play two different styles. Given that there is no cost to resetting your build, there is little to no reason to ever purchase the locked builds for usage.

>What are Ultimate Powers? Signature Powers?
	Ultimate Powers were originally unlocked at level 30, but as characters have been getting revised, heroes now unlock them at level 52. They can be improved by getting a hero token of the same character (Cyclops character tokens to boost Cyclops' ultimate power) or through a Runeword, offered on the Enchanter NPC.
	Signature Powers have replaced this specialized skill power and unlock at level 30, often symbolizing as a well recognized technique or skill unique to the character that's been used throughout the comics or other media.

>What is the Omega System?
	The Omega Program is system designed to reward the players who have reached level 60, acquired the highest level of gear and artifacts, fully leveled their Legendary Weapon, and met essentially grinded as much as they could for loot. Unlocked for usage at level 30, the Omega system uses a pool of Omega Points that is gained through experience and affected and attainable at all levels and prestige. The number of points accrued is accumulated through all the characters on an account, but is able to be assigned individually per character. There are currently 9 divisions (skill trees) available for point assignment, with skills granting various bonuses at varied prices.
	Just like a character's skill points, it is possible to reset how you've allocated the Omega Points for that character.

>What is the Hero Synergy System?
	This system rewards a player for having multiple heroes on the same account. Every hero provides two passive traits, a synergy, one at level 25 and one at level 50. Often the trait is related to the character's own skills or playstyle. This system allows each hero to utilize up to 10 hero's synergy effects.
	In addition to providing two passive synergies, each hero allows future heroes to attain XP at an increased percentage upon reaching level 30, level 50, and level 60. The first four heroes at level 60 are unique, and will grant future heroes: a 30% bonus, 50% bonus, 65% bonus, and then 75% bonus. The fifth and subsequent heroes at level 60 will give a bonus of 5% XP in addition to the 75% bonus. Each hero at level 30 will grant 1% bonus XP, and each hero at level 50 will grant 3% bonus XP. The -max bonus XP attainable through hero synergy is 200%, or twenty-nine (29) heroes at level 60.

>What are Daily Login Rewards?
	Daily Login Rewards is a system that rewards players simply for logging in, which does NOT need to be consecutive. Rewards are automatically given upon logging in, and rewards are currently listed for every day up until day 200. Days beyond that are currently undetermined aside from days 300, 365, 400, 500, 900, 1,200, and 1,500.
	New players should take note that the Day 2 Login Reward is 400ES, enough to purchase two Random Hero Boxes at 175ES each, two 200ES heroes, or a single 400ES hero. In addition to the 100ES obtained from completing the tutorial, 500ES can be quickly obtained.

>What are Shared Quests/Daily Quests?
	Listed under the Shared Quests tab in the Mission Log, and as one of the tabs in the Mission Tracker are the Shared Quests for the day. Each Shared Quest is tied to the account and to one of the end game challenge modes: Midtown Patrol, Industrial City Patrol, Terminals, Holo-Sim, and X-Defense. There is always one Terminals Shared Quest per day, one Midtown or Industrial City Patrol Shared Quest per day, and one Holo-Sim or X-Defense Shared Quest per day for a total of three Shared Quests per day.
	A Shared Quest is generally a list of objectives that must be completed for an extra reward, which includes experience and loot. Note that the Terminals Shared Quest often includes bosses from the One-Shot Stories, and that Shared Quests can be completed solo or in a group.
	A bonus reward is given for the first time each Shared Quest is completed that day, which is connected to the server's PST timezone and can be seen under the Mission Log's Shared Quests tab. The chest will be yellow versus the usual purple, and will have increased chances at better loot.

>What are Daily Missions?
	Separate from Shared Quests but also tied to the account are Daily Missions, which is the method by which the player can obtain Cube Shards. Each boss at the end of a Green and Red Terminal can be defeated for a reward, and the first time they are defeated per cycle will reward a Cube Shard. This is applicable to One-Shot Stories, except these bosses will reward Eyes and Hearts of the Demonfire. If a Daily Mission has not been completed, a blue shard will be present beside the name of the boss or zone. If the mission has been completed, the blue shard will instead be blackened. Unlike Shared Quests, the cycles are independent of the server and will instead reset every 20 hours.

>What are Odin Marks, Legendaries, and Blessings?
	Odin Marks are loot obtained through Shared Quests, Legendary Quests, and other special drops. They accrue in your Currency Tab under your Character Profile screen and are used for two purchases: Legendaries, and Blessings.
	Legendaries are special gear that can be worn at any level and can increase in effectiveness through accumulation of XP. Each Legendary has five levels that can be obtained with some focus towards some type of build, each Legendary having a different purpose. Most Legendaries can be purchased in Chapter 9's Asgard hub at the west side of the map, costing 300 Odin Marks. Some Legendaries can only be purchased during events through special event vendors, such as The Power Cosmic Legendary from Moondragon.
	Blessings are enchantments that can be placed on artifacts, unlocked by increasing the Enchanter NPC's level and purchased at the cost of 100 Odin Marks. At the moment, most characters turn towards Hela's Blessing as the only viable Blessing, and Blessings also serve as a trade resource in exchange for items, as Blessings can be reverted back to 100 Odin Marks at the Crafter.

>What are Runes and Runewords?
	Runes are a type of loot that can be found at all levels and from every enemy throughout the game. There are currently 44 Runes in the game, with some appearing more frequently than others, some dropping at a higher rate on specific days, and some dropping only to specific enemies. Runes can be used in two ways: as enchantment on gear, or as runewords on Uru-Forged.
	Not all runes are used in runewords and not all runes are used in enchantments. If applicable, runes can either be used as enchantments in Slot 1 and 5 gear or Slot 2, 3, and 4 gear. Runewords are recipes that require multiple runes and can grant effects like increased brutal and critical rating, increased levels to skills, or various types of procs. Some recipes and enchantments are unlocked by upgrading the Enchanter NPC, but some recipes are rare drops from bosses, such as the God of Mischief runeword dropped by Loki.

>What are raids?
	Taken from the MMO aspect of Marvel Heroes, raids are end game challenges akin to those seen in other MMOs, though they are not nearly as long in length or coordination. At the moment, raids function as DPS checks, which is what dictates the community's rankings for the various heroes in the game, and is limited to level 60 heroes. A raid party consists of 10 players, and can vary in its length depending on the level of skill.
	There are currently two raids, the first being the Musphelheim Raid, which comes in two tiers: Green and Red. The Musphelheim Raid consists of five stages featuring various mechanics and bosses, with the difficulty increasing tremendously from Green to Red tier. Each defeated boss supplies ample experience and loot, including Hero's and Protector's Commendations depending on the raid tier. These Commendations are currencies that can be used to purchase specific recipes at Hogun in Odin's Palace to better improve your character.
	The second raid available is the Genosha, or AXIS, Raid, which currently only comes in Green tier. It is considered the more difficult raid and is higher in difficulty than the Red Musphelheim Raid. The Genosha Raid consists of three stages with varying mechanics and bosses, and similar to the previous raid, each stage will drop suitable amounts of loot, as well as Protector's Commendations to fit the difficulty.
	For a more in depth explanation, consult the forums, the thread, or Youtube for guides and explanations.

>What is prestige?
	Added as a way to further enjoy the same character (or to simply stroke your ego), to prestige a character is simply to reset their mission and level progress back to its base, returning the character to level 1. Mission rewards cannot be re-obtained, with previous rewards earned simply transferring, and Legendaries maintain their earned experience. To prestige a character, speak with Clea and purchase the Ancient Gourd of Prestige for 10 Cube Shards.
	A hero can proceed through six prestige levels, with the first five (5) prestige levels requiring the normal amount of experience. The sixth prestige level is known as Cosmic Prestige, and decreases the amount of XP earned to 1/25th its normal amounts. Each increase in prestige level rewards the player with a duplicate of their default costume and a change in the color of their name as follows: green, blue, purple, orange, red, and then yellow.
	WARNING: Do NOT make the mistake of underestimating Cosmic Prestige. It is encouraged that you only attempt to reach Cosmic level 60 once you've obtained 200% bonus XP hero synergy and have truly considered the length and effort it will required.

>I finished the story, what should I do now?
	Do Legendary Quests to level up your character, play Midtown Manhattan Patrol during Monday for special loot drops, run Industrial City Patrol throughout the week for better chance at gearing your hero, or take a run through Holo-Sim or X-Defense. Legendary Quests also give you Odin marks which you need to enhance your gear and to buy a Legendary Weapon. Legendary Quests send you to story areas, terminals, Midtown, and Industrial City, so be sure to read the description of the Quest and go to the right place. Some LQs take longer than others, if you don't like to do one specific quest you can reroll it buy paying a certain amount of credits (your level*250).
	See here for more guides on endgame content and the different game modes: http://pastebin.com/RZQRavrE

>Is there a /co/ guild?
	/co/ has a supergroup called MuggasWithAttitude, though it tends to change occasionally (view the thread OP for the current name). If you leave your in-game name in the thread, someone will shoot you an invite.
	There is also a Steam Group you can join too:
		http://steamcommunity.com/groups/MARVELco