Top 10: Marvel: Avenger's Alliance

The Avengers went to Blu-Ray a few weeks ago, and I finally got to see it. Of course, now owned by Disney, the feature had to showcase a few previews first. Before I could manage to skip them, I noticed one for Avenger's Alliance, the Facebook game I had joined a while ago. Naturally, I couldn't resist another peek into the game after the film, and I found I did actually enjoy it. Even for a Facebook game, it's not half-bad and doesn't even require many friends to play. Huzzah!

So, I devised my Top 10 tips. Most of them are for new players, as more experienced players will have long since leveled beyond the need for my OCD. Nevertheless, here are T's Top 10 for Marvel: Avenger's Alliance.

Technically, it is, but there's a hitch. With the armory, every player can slot items for a stat boost during Player-Versus-Player matches. The best items, though, cost gold, which costs real money. Plus, the matching system doesn't include these boosts, so your level 7 Agent might battle a Level 6 Agent who has more than triple your health, stamina, and attack. If you try PvP, prepare to pay or prepare to lose.

Available for a limited time, Special Ops promise an exclusive, powerful character to anyone who completes just 25 tasks. It's not that simple, though. For one, these missions are difficult, especially for new players who lack proper equipment. For another, the Unstable Iso-8 required for each fight/deploy tends to deplete long before completing all 25 tasks. The real killer, the final few tasks tend to require upper-tier characters some players lack. Of course, all these tasks can be "accomplished" for a paltry 10-25 gold. You can earn the character; you just have to pay for it.

When buying items, look to heals first, buffs second, and debuffs and damages last. Regardless of the battle, heals can help, so buy them. For certain battles, buffs can save you, whether applying a helpful edge or removing a nasty penalty from your hero. Items that apply debuffs or damage are least important because the debuffs don't last long enough and the damage is rarely significant.

Flights are the ideal way to acquire silver. As you'll notice, you can select different flight paths, each with a different time limit and silver/xp reward. Like most Facebook games, the shorter the duration, the better the time-to-reward ratio, so when you know you'll be on Facebook for a while, run the shorter flights. Only run the longer ones when you know you won't be back to set another run.

Research should always take priority to acquiring gear. That said, there's no need to panic and spend gold on hurrying research. Plan your research around your downtime, so that the next time you start the game you'll be selecting another research. Also, research Iso-8 and Class Gear before other options.

Initially, you'll blow through your levels. After selecting your free character (either Iron Fist or She-Hulk, I recommend) for defeating MODOK in 1.4, I suggest a different approach. Instead of completing each mission and moving to the next, focus on a specific mission. Return to 1.1 and get all five stars. Not only does the difficulty scale reasonably, you'll earn more command points to spend towards your heroes.

For the first few fights, the Agent might be a force of nature. That won't last, though. Soon, the Agent's gear just lacks the impact your heroes possess, and the Agent's stats will never match those of the heroes. It might be disappointing for some, but it's not lethal. Allow the Agent to fill a support role, becoming either a Bruiser, Infiltrator, or Generalist and focus on keeping the other two characters healed and buffed. Besides, if he dies, your heroes lose access to the inventory.

Most Heroes have alternate costumes to choose that provide better combat bonuses and alternate classes. Don't be seduced, though. Sure, buying a new costume/class for an already powerful hero gives you flexibility with that hero, but that's not enough. Two blasters are better than one character who can be a blaster or a tactician. And don't be fooled with the "limited time" costumes, because Marvel will have them available again. Once you recruit two of each class, then look to heroes needed for Epic Bosses.

There's actually a lot of strategy into choosing the ideal Classes for a given fight. Above all else, play defense. Don't give your enemy an edge. I love the Tactician's second action ability for attacking a Blaster, but I won't use a Tactician when I'm fighting two Infiltrators and a Blaster. Look for a Class that gives you an advantage and denies your enemy an advantage. Fighting a Bruiser, Tactician, and Scrapper? Use a Bruiser to bully the Scrapper and deny advantages to the Tactician and Bruiser. Play Defense.

When all else fails, check the Wikia. I'm eager to offer my opinions and insight, but every player can benefit from solid facts and data. Plus, the site has plenty of other players, most more experienced, that are quite willing to share their knowledge.