Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy: How Combat Works

Guardians of the Galaxy does a lot to help you enter your adventure from the beginning, but there is still a lot to face when it comes to fighting as Star-Lord and the rest of the Guardians. Now that I’ve played the entire game, here’s everything you need to know about how combat works in Guardians of the Galaxy, from how to get the most out of Guardians in battle, and what perks to focus on.

Whether you’re facing deadly jelly cubes or facing the wild beasts of Seknarf Nine, you’ll soon get used to holding down the bumper to activate Guardians Mode when your teammates are with you. Although Star-Lord is a capable fighter, even superheroes don’t abandon their team in the name of a solo victory. Guardians Mode is Star-Lord’s way of directing the other Guardians while making the most of their abilities. Some previous fights can be conquered alone, but neglecting Guardians Mode will only result in defeat during the toughest fights, as Star-lord quickly becomes overwhelmed, especially since, when left to their own devices, the rest of the attacks vanilla. Guardians deal little damage. .

Each guardian has 4 special abilities, each of which operates on a cooldown. Depending on the setting, Star-lord is accompanied by one or two more, but most of the time all four join him in battle. As such, Guardians of the Galaxy requires a good balance between attacking yourself and using Guardians Mode to make the most of your allies’ special abilities. Teamwork is essential, so use Entangle, Groot’s crowd control ability, to immobilize a large group of enemies, before unleashing Rocket Raccoon’s Cluster Flark bomb, which deals decent damage to everything in the area. of impact. Then you can finish the job with Peter Quill’s iconic blasters, eliminating the rest.

As you become more skilled at fighting and handing out attack commands, you can experiment with combos to become a more efficient killing machine. Doing so will increase your team’s Momentum gauge, which is a bit like Devil May Cry’s fancy rank system. The more combos you throw in, the higher the increase. Similarly, using your gear to its full potential helps build momentum faster. On the other hand, repeat the same attack over and over again and it will subside.

Maximize momentum and you have a small window to perform a call-to-action attack. These special attacks treat much damage, but can only be used on certain tougher enemies, and only for a limited period of time. So if you need to get the upper hand on a particularly tricky bad guy, add some variety to his moves and you just might be rewarded. You are ranked based on your performance, from Fantastic to Amazing, and gain bonus XP that is used to unlock new abilities for your Guardians.

Some enemies even have a stagger bar under their health – fill it with certain attacks and special abilities to stun them, after which any attacks, including those against which they are resistant, are significantly enhanced for a few seconds. If you’re having a hard time staggering an enemy, put Drax’s muscles to good use. His basic ability, Destroy, deals high staggered damage. Or if you’re looking to build Momentum, combine Drax’s fighting style with Star-Lord’s ‘Charged Shot’ to deal staggered and physical damage at the same time.

As satisfying as it is to attack enemies with Star-Lord’s signature element weapons, getting up close and personal with melee attacks can be rewarding. Crushing a Nova Corp grunt with a solid one-two combo, while risky, yields more health benefits than usual, and could be worth it if your opponent is vulnerable to close combat. Remember to mix it up too, and combining Star-Lord’s running ability to avoid an attack before swooping in for a jet-assisted melee finish will always make you smile.

If the odds are against you and the momentum is on the ground, use Star-Lord’s Huddle to boost the team. This powerful weapon can turn the tide of a battle; sometimes all it takes is a few words of encouragement. Like Momentum, you build the Huddle Bar by working as a team and achieving special abilities. Once full, pressing both bumpers will time is over, at which point the Guardians huddle together for a pep talk. But this is where it gets interesting: the current mood of the team dictates the necessary actions, so if they are too arrogant, you need to refocus their attention on the fight. Are you worried they won’t make it? Boost their confidence and motivate them. You are offered clues as to your team’s mood before choosing the answer, and while choosing the ‘wrong’ mood isn’t the end of the world, it will only boost Star-lord rather than the entire team. , it certainly won. I won’t get you out of a hole.

Preparing for the upcoming battles is just as important as the battles themselves, which is where the perk system comes into play. These upgrades are exclusive to Star-Lord and can be unlocked at the workbench inside the Milano or at specific locations during the adventure. However, they are not cheap and require two types of crafting components. Fortunately, these are scattered on all levels, sometimes hidden and sometimes outdoors. There’s even a bonus, the Component Locator, that makes it easy to find these valuable resources.

Other perks include Air Glide, which activates Star-Lord’s jet boots for a limited time, allowing him to quickly pass enemies with ease, and Perfect Dodge, which momentarily slows down time if you dodge an enemy attack in the last second. . Better yet, there is no limit to the number of perks active at the same time, as long as you have the resources to unlock them. One perk worth unlocking early on is Tactical Scan. Activated by pressing the right stick, it scans nearby enemies to reveal their weaknesses so you can change your tactics accordingly. For example, some enemies are susceptible to elemental attacks, and knowing which one to equip makes life a lot easier.

Element Shots are an alternative firing mode to Star-Lord’s already deadly duel-blasters. There are four in total, with the ice shot being the first unlocked. It’s perfect for freezing fast-moving enemies, allowing you to get up close and tear them apart with a melee attack. But you can’t freeze everyone, and using Element Shots decreases your Element Gauge over time, after which you’ll have to wait for it to regenerate or collect ammo dropped by dead enemies.

Jesse Gomez is a video producer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.