Spider-Man is back, and he brought reinforcement. Featuring both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 expands on Insomniac Games’ previous two superhero games in almost every way. But double the superheroes also means double the trouble the web slingers have to face – and much more complexity for you to wrap your head around.
The open-world map of New York is bigger, the number of side quests and activities has increased, and there are a lot more enemies to defeat. That can be quite overwhelming at first – but fret not. With this handy starter’s guide, you’ll learn the best tips and tricks to enhance your experience and enjoy your superhero adventures from the get-go.
Tips and Tricks for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Tweak the Settings to Customize Your Experience
When booting up the game, you’ll probably want to jump in headfirst. But before you do, take a quick peek at the settings. Insomniac Games has put great effort into the gameplay settings and accessibility features that allow you to customize your experience.
For instance, the game features various difficulty levels, which can be fine-tuned with the “Difficulty Modifiers.” You can adjust aspects such as enemy health and damage, simplify puzzles, and make chases easier.
Not only that, but you can also assign shortcuts to your D-Pad. For example, you can use it to launch the photo mode, reduce the game speed, or even execute a certain move in combat. You can play around with these settings and tweak them to your liking at any point in the game.
Don’t Rush Through the Main Story
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a story-driven single-player experience with a gripping narrative. It can, therefore, be very tempting to mainline the game and jump from one main mission to the next to keep the story going.
However, that is not the best way to experience the game in all its glory. Instead, take your time. Side quests will gradually appear on the map as the story unfolds, and they are well worth your time.
Both the story-based side quests and the collectibles have wholesome narratives at their core that flesh out characters, the plot, and the world around you. Many feature intriguing secrets, compelling cutscenes, and surprising Easter Eggs, so make sure you don’t miss out.
Aim to keep a balance by alternating between main story missions and side quests. That way, you can take a breather in between big story beats, keep things fresh, and dive deeper into the neighborhood and community you’re protecting.
Explore the Open World and Collect Resources
If you want to rid New York of the big baddies without getting squished, you’ll need to upgrade your gear. Resources for upgrades are scattered across the open world and can be earned by completing collectibles and side missions.
Take advantage of the game’s fantastic traversal system and swing, jump, and glide through town to find them. Keep pressing R3 to illuminate collectibles and activities in your vicinity, as these will not show up automatically.
Look for blue-lit, beeping crates that are filled with Tech Parts, and keep an eye and ear out for Spider-Bots. These emit circular pink prisms, give off a resonant signal, and dole out valuable resources.
To earn resources quickly, stop the crimes that pop up as you travel. They usually don’t take long and will reward you with valuable Tech Parts and Tokens to upgrade your gear.
Upgrade Your Focus Suit Tech First
With the vast number of suits available, it can be very tempting to go on a suit shopping spree immediately and don the snazziest outfit. However, resist this temptation early on. Suits are purely cosmetic this time around, so it’s wiser to spend your resources on Suit Tech upgrades first.
These enhance your combat and traversal capabilities in various ways. There are four different avenues: Health, Damage, Traversal, and the most important one, Focus. Put your resources into your Focus capabilities first. These upgrades will add to your Focus bar, which you need to heal yourself and execute Finishers during combat.
Don’t Forget Your Spider Gadgets
You also have command over several handy Spider Gadgets that can prove invaluable in combat. With the large arsenal of abilities, moves, and Suit Tech at your disposal, they can be easy to forget. However, they can be very powerful, so make sure to use some of your resources on gadget upgrades as well.
Tools such as the Web-Shooters and Web Grabber work best when used in conjunction with Spider-Man’s other abilities. For instance, you can glue an enemy to the wall or the ground by shooting webs at them, while the Web Grabber can help make area-of-effect attacks more effective.
Choose the Skills for Both Spider-Men Wisely
As you progress through the story and side missions, you’ll earn XP and level up. Each time you do, you’ll get one or two skill points, which you can invest in a total of three skill trees: one for Peter, one for Miles, and one shared tree for both Spider-Men.
Focus on the shared skill tree first, as both Spider-Men will benefit from these. However, Peter and Miles also wield powerful special abilities, so make sure to unlock at least the first skill on both heroes’ individual skill trees as well to add another powerful attack to your arsenal.
Perfect the Parry and Dodge Early On
Insomniac Games introduced a new mechanic in their latest single-player game: the parry. By pressing L1 at just the right moment, you can block incoming attacks and briefly stun your enemy, weakening them for a counterattack.
This new mechanic also comes with a new set of visual cues. You can parry or dodge an attack when your Spidey-Sense circle turns from white to red. Be aware of yellow warning signs. These heavy attacks cannot be dodged and need to be parried. Blue warning signs on the other hand signal a “Crush Attack.” They are as brutal as they sound and cannot be parried but need to be dodged.
Familiarize yourself with the visual cues and move sets early on. It’s best to practice with weaker enemies at the start of the game, as powerful bosses will hurl these attacks at you relentlessly in later stages.
With these tips and tricks, you’re well-equipped to start your web-slinging adventures with more ease. And if you’re looking for more useful tips during your playthrough, make sure to check out our other guides as well.
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