Marvel’s Avengers combat and microtransactions revealed in War Table presentation

Things have been pretty silent on the Marvel’s Avengers front, especially after announcing a delay. After a brief gameplay trailer a few months back, fans still had many questions regarding combat, progression, and even outfits. Well, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics finally opened up to the audience today during a War Table presentation. The team detailed some of the combat mechanics, specifically focusing on character progression and customization. And yes, Marvel’s Avengers will have some microtransactions.

Must-have outfits

It looks like every character in Marvel’s Avengers will have a number of outfits to choose from. These aren’t just plucked from any era of the comics, though. In the presentation, Crystal Dynamics’ Casey Lynch detailed that you can unlock these through story missions. Some are specific to a story arc in Marvel history.

For example, you can unlock Iron Man’s suit from the 2014 Original Sin storyline, as well as the Stark Tech inspired by the Bleeding Edge armor from 2010’s Invincible Iron Man. The team promises “dozens” for each character and various arcs in their long comic history.

Upgrades and customization

One of the standout features from the presentation focused on character customization. In Marvel’s Avengers, the customization isn’t merely cosmetic. Instead, you can make your Hulk, Iron Man, or Thor play in the way you feel most comfortable. So, if you want Hulk to have more of an aerial focus and stronger support, you can do that. As a result, your Hulk probably won’t play like your buddy’s Hulk. Instead, it will be more in-tune with your playstyle, and you can craft him into whatever role you choose. This is done through obtaining gear, artifacts, and character progression.

To accompany the combat style, you’ll also find modifiers and heroic moves. Each character will have three types of heroic moves that you charge with combat in Marvel’s Avengers. These three types are Assault, Ultimate, and Support.

For example, Thor has a Warrior’s Fury support Heroic to charge his Odin’s Force. This, in turn, brings down a fury of lightning but also buffs nearby characters with an electric charge. This is meant to encourage co-op buffs and teamplay as it gives your teammates brief moments of invulnerability. Meanwhile, Thor’s Bifrost Ultimate leaves behind pockets of electricity to shock enemies while still breaking down heavy enemy shields.

Adding modifiers to moves, like in the case of Iron Man during the demo, will even show the change in his attacks. The example shown indicated a Gamma modifier, thus turning his laser sweep beam to green.

Marvel’s Avengers releases on September 4.