Marvel’s Avengers Pro Tips: Hulk
Want
some tips and tricks for taking down those puny AIM bots? Crystal Dynamics’
Scott Walters shares some techniques on how to help Hulk Smash more
effectively.
Wednesday October 21, 2020 21:30
By Scott
Walters
Tags: Marvel's Avengers,Marvel’s Avengers
Hello - this is Scott
Walters, Combat Designer at Crystal Dynamics. Today, I want to share some of my
own tips and tricks about one of the most incredible Avengers of all - Hulk.
As you’d expect, Hulk’s
combat style is aggressive and straight to the point, making him the ideal
choice for players who just want to rush in and start smashing stuff.
Although Hulk was
designed to be straightforward and easy to pick up, there’s a ton of depth to
his skills. Understanding how his various abilities work together - is vital,
as is maximizing his use of Rage.
Read on and I’ll share some thoughts on some of his most valuable skills, provide some guidance on heroics, and list some super-fun combos that you should try out.
Melee Skills
- Battering Ram (Sprint + Light) is an excellent combo starter.
It lets Hulk rush in and stagger foes from the outset of the battle.
- Monstrous Swipe (Dodge + Light) lifts those puny AIM robots up to
the perfect height for Hulk to juggle. Not only does this do more damage,
it also stops them from fighting back.
- Practice Hulk's golf swing with Hammer Strike (Light > Light > Light > Light >
Heavy) and see just how far he can send enemies flying.
- Of course, Hulk is best known for his Smash! Use
the Smash (hold Heavy) ability to knock down nearby foes
and break enemy shields.
- Use Aftershock (Heavy)
and Tectonic
Fury (Heavy up to 5 times)
after Smash to deal incredible amounts of damage. Every impact sends out
hulking shockwaves that damage enemies close to Hulk.
- Bludgeon (hold Light) is an excellent example of why it’s
unwise to try and punch the Hulk. Grab a foe and use them as a melee
weapon, dealing increased damage with each hit and smashing through enemy
shields!
- Hulk has access to a whole series of upgrades, which
let him grab multiple enemies or smash them in creative ways. Ionic Overflow is the best by far though. It turns your
opponents into elemental weapons for Hulk to use - grab and enemy and use
it to build status damage against other foes.
Ranged Skills
- Who needs Repulsor gauntlets or pistols when you can
just rip chunks of debris out of the ground to throw at enemies? Cannonball breaks through enemy shields and send foes
tumbling along the ground.
- Hulk can also turn those chunks of debris into melee
weapons, increasing the damage and impact to enemies.
- Use Meteor to
rip up a huge piece of debris that’s capable of flattening multiple foes
when thrown. The damage dealt is much higher than standard ranged attacks,
and it adds lots of stun status too!
- Shatter Spin (attack while holding a giant throwable item)
turns that giant boulder into a melee weapon, giving Hulk unique light and
heavy attacks both on the ground and in the air. Use it for crowd control
or to set up some impressive aerial combos.
Intrinsic Ability
- Both taking damage and dishing it out builds
Hulk's Rage, which he can use to increase his damage and defensive
abilities. Make sure to keep his meter as full as possible to deal the
most damage.
- Attacking enemies while Rage is active will heal Hulk. Parrying an attack by activating Rage just before the incoming strike connects will instantly trigger the healing effect as well as sound out a shockwave to stagger nearby foes. Hulk excels when you play aggressively!
Heroic Abilities
- Boneshaker is perfect for drawing the enemy’s attention,
bringing them in close so you can smash away. It’s great when the team has
objectives to complete - by making Hulk the center of attention, he can
give his allies some breathing room to destroy static targets or break
open Inhuman cages.
- Boneshaker can be upgraded to gain bonuses from the
defeated enemies. For example, Boneshaker Regeneration will give Hulk a full heal when he smashes five
enemies, while Boneshaker’s
Rage refills Hulk’s intrinsic
energy instead. Once the specializations are unlocked, you can switch
between them at any time, so experiment and find one that fits your
playstyle!
- Stranglehold uses the unstoppable force of the Hulk to smash
through his foes. Performing this heroic on larger enemies like the
Adaptoid or Monotronic Exo will instantly trigger a Takedown, dealing
massive amounts of damage.
- Thunderclap is Hulk’s Ultimate Heroic, and is a great way to
create some space when he’s surrounded by foes. An entire room of AIM
soldiers will be sent reeling by the massive shockwave of destructive
force that Hulk produces with this heroic.
- Specializations change the properties of Thunderclap in
some significant ways. For a support playstyle, Ground Zero can be used to create a Gamma hazard zone that
will inflict damage to enemies while healing Hulk and his teammates.
Alternatively, for a more aggressive build, Fault Line narrows the area of effect, but dramatically
increases damage and stun.
Basic Combos
Here are some basic
combos for Hulk. These are simple to pull off and can be worked into your basic
combat flow.
- Heavy > Light > Light
> Light > Light - a
great combo for juggling standard enemies, or enemies that have just been
parried.
- Jump > Hold Heavy (Earth
Smasher) > Heavy > Heavy > Heavy > Heavy > Heavy (Tectonic
Fury) > Heavy (Aftershock) -
leap into a group of enemies and deal large amounts of AOE damage.
Intermediate Combos
The following combos are
a bit trickier to execute, but are very effective when utilized properly.
- Aim to pick up a rock
(Cannonball) > Heavy > Hold Light to grab the enemy (Bludgeon) >
Heavy > Heavy > Heavy-
this is excellent against enemies with shields like the Riotbots. Grabbing
the rock first will break the shield and deal a good chunk of damage, then
grabbing the enemy will keep them from being able to recover. Afterwards,
they can be used to smash through groups of other enemies nearby.
- Trigger Intrinsic Energy just
before attack (Parry) > Heavy > Heavy > Sprint + Light (Battering
Ram) > Light > Light > Light > Heavy (Hammer Strike) - opens up any type of enemy and deals large
amounts of damage.
Advanced Combos
Finally, I’ve put together
some more complex combos. They require a solid understanding of the character
to pull off, but they’re worth it because they really dish out the pain to AIM.
- Trigger Intrinsic Energy just
before attack (Parry) > Dodge + Light (Monstrous Swipe) > Hold Light
to grab enemy (Bludgeon) > Light > Light > Hold Light to grab a
second enemy (Smackdown) > Heavy > Heavy > Heavy - this is good for mobs of grunt enemies like
Synthoids, Keepers, and Riotbots where multiple enemies can be grabbed.
Use them to break through the defenses of others and keep chaining
together attacks - and make sure to tap the defense button to trigger Rage
and parry any incoming attacks to prevent any interruptions to the combo.
- Stranglehold Heroic > Hold
Heavy (Smash) > Heavy > Heavy > Heavy (three hits of Tectonic
Fury), Aim + Throw to pick up a large piece of debris (Meteor) > Jump
> Heavy (Shatter & Spin) -
This combo let’s Hulk smash with style. Stranglehold is a perfect opening
move to use on larger enemies like the Adaptoids or Monotronic Exos,
triggering a takedown at the start of the fight and leaving them open to
attack while they recover.
*Note: Some enemies can't be grabbed and others have a chance to
evade if you haven't parried or knocked them into a hit reaction first. Use Mastery
skills like Enhanced Grab to reduce their chances of dodging and Vice Grip to
ensure you keep a hold of them for your combos.
As you can see, Hulk is
a wrecking ball in Marvel’s Avengers, capable of unleashing massive amounts of destruction to a lot of
enemies incredibly quickly. While he may not be the flashiest character on the
roster, we worked hard to bring to life the brutal, straightforward style that
is iconic to the Hulk and ensure it felt immensely satisfying to smash the bad
guys.
To read more tips and tricks, check out my other guides:
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