Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Video Game Talk
Reload this Page >

Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Video Game Talk The Place to talk about and trade Video & PC Games

Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Old 04-21-14, 10:37 AM
  #101  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 43,930
Received 1,867 Likes on 1,444 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I don't think the level of the enemies in PvE is based on level, it's somehow based on other people hitting them, which is why later in the matches you see these level 100+ beasts. Your bracket is also somehow based on when you enter, and then there's this complicated points system where if you wait 12 hours, the points reset. I've only read through a few explanations and not very closely, so if someone who knows what the heck all this stuff is and heck, how rubberbanding really works (before they change it again) that would probably help the group a ton.
Old 04-21-14, 10:40 AM
  #102  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
fumanstan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 55,349
Received 26 Likes on 14 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I always wondered why and how the rounds get harder later on, but are easy right when they start. I never thought about the entire group you're in affecting the level, that makes some sense.
Old 04-21-14, 11:22 AM
  #103  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
DaveNinja's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Sacramento (The City of a Beer)
Posts: 7,504
Received 68 Likes on 50 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

random guy wasnt me.

I played a bunch of the Hot Shot round last night. i wanted to hit 600 to get the OBW healing power, but as soon as i got to 500, i only had a selection of opponents with characters that were like 40 levels higher than mine. then about 5 minutes later i was attacked like ten times and knocked back down to 390, haha. Today when i got standard recruit tickets, one of them ended up being the OBW healing power!
Old 04-21-14, 12:31 PM
  #104  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 43,930
Received 1,867 Likes on 1,444 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

So DaveNinja, are you going to send us a request to join (or do we need an open slot for even the request to come)?
Old 04-21-14, 03:08 PM
  #105  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
Deftones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Arizona
Posts: 80,942
Received 1,352 Likes on 917 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

fyi, on the hotshot one, i hadn't touched it in days. i was around 90 points. about 2 hours before the event, i started playing, got up over 600 and finished in the top 50.
Old 04-21-14, 03:15 PM
  #106  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 43,930
Received 1,867 Likes on 1,444 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Deftones
fyi, on the hotshot one, i hadn't touched it in days. i was around 90 points. about 2 hours before the event, i started playing, got up over 600 and finished in the top 50.
Yeah, there are a couple of things here. One, for the PvE stuff, there's something called rubberbanding where you also get increased points if you're lower ranked, to help people catch up. On PvP, like the hotshot one, there's incentive to rank up late because part of the points calculation is how many points your opponent has... early on, this may all be high level teams, but as lower level teams rank up, you can kill the same guy later on and get more points. Plus there's less chance of retaliation the later it is. The last factor for this particular tournament is that the upper level reward for this one was Punisher, and a lot of high leveled people already maxed him out.

Even these PvE ones, I can see some people sitting it out, since you can get the two star recruit pretty low level, with the only difference being Hero Points and purple stuff unless you ram your way up to the very top.
Old 04-21-14, 04:25 PM
  #107  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
Deftones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Arizona
Posts: 80,942
Received 1,352 Likes on 917 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

i wanted the punisher one since i max out the red. his 40% instant kill is ridiculous. i may have to build him up better now.
Old 04-21-14, 11:25 PM
  #108  
Moderator
 
TheBigDave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 12,415
Received 499 Likes on 360 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I noticed right around Midnight (about 20 mins ago), all my enemies in The Hunt: Alaska/Florida jumped up about 30-40 levels. They were around 40-60, and now they're around 80-100.
Old 04-22-14, 08:57 AM
  #109  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Gooter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Soldier Field
Posts: 2,451
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Started playing this after the forum effect here. I've completed all of the missions in the Prologue and have unlocked 21 / 25 rewards in it.

I have 5 characters (roster maxed): Thor (Lv 6; 1,0,1), Iron Man (Lv3; 2,2,1), Storm (Lv2; 1,0,1), Black Widow (Lv1; 3,0), Venom (Lv1; 1,0,0)

I have two Hawkeye covers to claim but no available roster spots. I don't want to spend any real money on this game. Well, maybe I will break down and spend like $5 but that is it.

Here are a lot of my questions if someone will be so kind to answer. Maybe it will help other noobs too.

1. You spend ISO to raise hero levels and covers to raise power levels?
2. Earn ISO by playing missions, mission/event rewards, replaying old missions?
3. Earn covers as mission/event rewards or buying in the store?
4. How do you earn the gold coins? I currently have 150.
5. Should I spend the gold coins to add another roster spot so Hawkeye can join my roster? Or is he not a good hero?
6. If I have ISO to burn then I assume I should be raising my heroes levels?
7. Focus on 3 heroes at first? Which of my 3 make the best team?
8. I tried an event, the Falcon one, and the level difficulty said impossible or something like that. What level are these events typically?
9. I get the match part of the game. Each gem has a hero icon on it. Hammer for Thor, Widow hourglass for Black Widow, etc. I notice when I match gems with the hammer, Thor does the damage and moves to the front. Is there any other purpose or strategy when choosing what icons to match first?
10. Finally, how did some of you get 15+ heroes in your roster?

Thanks all!
Old 04-22-14, 09:10 AM
  #110  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I have 28 heroes on my roster and have never paid a dime. At this point the only 1 star hero I have is Iron Man, because I have never gotten the Model 40cover. I am on day 182 of the resupply, and played quite a bit before that feature was added.
Old 04-22-14, 09:22 AM
  #111  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
Deftones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Arizona
Posts: 80,942
Received 1,352 Likes on 917 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Gooter

1. You spend ISO to raise hero levels and covers to raise power levels? YES
2. Earn ISO by playing missions, mission/event rewards, replaying old missions?YES
3. Earn covers as mission/event rewards or buying in the store?BOTH
4. How do you earn the gold coins? I currently have 150.COMPLETING MISSIONS, EARNING CERTAIN RANKINGS IN EVENTS
5. Should I spend the gold coins to add another roster spot so Hawkeye can join my roster? Or is he not a good hero?DEPENDS
6. If I have ISO to burn then I assume I should be raising my heroes levels?YES
7. Focus on 3 heroes at first? Which of my 3 make the best team?NO SET ANSWER, BUT STORM AND BLACK WIDOW ARE GOOD SUGGESTIONS
8. I tried an event, the Falcon one, and the level difficulty said impossible or something like that. What level are these events typically?THEY RANGE FROM EASY TO IMPOSSIBLE
9. I get the match part of the game. Each gem has a hero icon on it. Hammer for Thor, Widow hourglass for Black Widow, etc. I notice when I match gems with the hammer, Thor does the damage and moves to the front. Is there any other purpose or strategy when choosing what icons to match first?I MATCH THE COLOR FOR WHICH SKILL I WANT TO USE FIRST
10. Finally, how did some of you get 15+ heroes in your roster? PLAY A LOT

Thanks all!
Old 04-22-14, 09:33 AM
  #112  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 8,053
Received 205 Likes on 124 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Gooter
Started playing this after the forum effect here. I've completed all of the missions in the Prologue and have unlocked 21 / 25 rewards in it.

I have 5 characters (roster maxed): Thor (Lv 6; 1,0,1), Iron Man (Lv3; 2,2,1), Storm (Lv2; 1,0,1), Black Widow (Lv1; 3,0), Venom (Lv1; 1,0,0)

I have two Hawkeye covers to claim but no available roster spots. I don't want to spend any real money on this game. Well, maybe I will break down and spend like $5 but that is it.

Here are a lot of my questions if someone will be so kind to answer. Maybe it will help other noobs too.

Thanks all!
1. You spend ISO to raise hero levels and covers to raise power levels?
Yes, though once you have at least one cover for a power, you can also raise it with hero points (gold coins), but those are better saved for unlocking extra roster spots.

2. Earn ISO by playing missions, mission/event rewards, replaying old missions?
Yep. You also get it by connecting with other players on Facebook.

3. Earn covers as mission/event rewards or buying in the store?
Earn them, especially considering you don't want to drop real money on this.

4. How do you earn the gold coins? I currently have 150.
I think you occasionally get some as a reward for certain missions or as daily resupply bonuses, but mainly as rewards for placing or hitting milestones in events.

5. Should I spend the gold coins to add another roster spot so Hawkeye can join my roster? Or is he not a good hero?
You might as well. You'll want the spot eventually and can always sell his cover to free up space.

6. If I have ISO to burn then I assume I should be raising my heroes levels?
Yep.

7. Focus on 3 heroes at first? Which of my 3 make the best team?
Of what you have, I'd focus on Iron Man & Black Widow for sure. Probably Thor, assuming you have Storm Modern and not Storm Classic. Thor overlaps red & yellow with Iron Man, but you'll probably want to have him leveled up as you progress.

8. I tried an event, the Falcon one, and the level difficulty said impossible or something like that. What level are these events typically?
I didn't start the events until I'd pretty much exhausted all the prologue stuff, so I already had an ok roster going. I believe the difficulty on events scales up and down based on your roster, but starting out, it's so low that you might not have much luck with events for a while.

9. I get the match part of the game. Each gem has a hero icon on it. Hammer for Thor, Widow hourglass for Black Widow, etc. I notice when I match gems with the hammer, Thor does the damage and moves to the front. Is there any other purpose or strategy when choosing what icons to match first?
Yep, it's all about the characters special moves and figuring out which ones you want to use. For example, with a powered up Thor, you'd likely want to go for red first. When you use that special move, it generates extra yellow. Then the yellow move generates extra green. Then the green special move damages all 3 opponents. Definitely read the descriptions of the characters moves and experiment with them.

10. Finally, how did some of you get 15+ heroes in your roster?
I'm at 27 now. I dropped $20 on Hero Points in the app to open up an extra spot when we started an Alliance, telling myself I'd played and will continue to play it as much as a 3DS or Vita game costing the same. I used about $15 of that to open up 6 or 7 new spots on my roster. The rest is just from earning stuff through playing. Once you get to the point that you can do ok in events, you get small chunks of Hero Points pretty regularly.

Also, if you're open to spending a little money on the game, I'd recommend joining our Alliance and then adding a spot. You might not do well in events yet, but the Alliance rankings for them are aggregate based, so you won't drag us down and will get the rewards for how we do, which ought to be pretty valuable starting out.
Old 04-22-14, 10:52 AM
  #113  
Moderator
 
TheBigDave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 12,415
Received 499 Likes on 360 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Gooter
7. Focus on 3 heroes at first? Which of my 3 make the best team?
I think that Iron Man, Storm and Black Widow make an excellent team. They balance each other out well. All the colored gems are used. I just played those 3 characters and got them up to Level 30 pretty quickly. It's easy because you get their covers so frequently when you start out.

Iron Man uses Red/Yellow/Blue and has really powerful attacks. Good for finishing off a tough enemy with one strong blast.

Storm uses Black/Green/Red. Her attacks don't look powerful, but they are impressive once you level up. I love the Black attack which hammers the opponents each round.

Black Widow uses Blue/Purple. She's a great defensive player. Stealing gems from opponents and freezing them for 5 turns.

Last edited by TheBigDave; 04-22-14 at 11:15 AM.
Old 04-22-14, 11:01 AM
  #114  
Moderator
 
TheBigDave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 12,415
Received 499 Likes on 360 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by maxfisher
Also, if you're open to spending a little money on the game, I'd recommend joining our Alliance and then adding a spot. You might not do well in events yet, but the Alliance rankings for them are aggregate based, so you won't drag us down and will get the rewards for how we do, which ought to be pretty valuable starting out.
+1

I just joined the alliance a few days ago. It's a great way to get tons of rewards. I think we'll each get 6 covers and a couple hundred ISO today because the two events are ending. If you join the alliance, you'll level up very quickly.
Old 04-22-14, 11:10 AM
  #115  
Moderator
 
Groucho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posts: 71,383
Received 122 Likes on 84 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Gooter
9. I get the match part of the game. Each gem has a hero icon on it. Hammer for Thor, Widow hourglass for Black Widow, etc. I notice when I match gems with the hammer, Thor does the damage and moves to the front. Is there any other purpose or strategy when choosing what icons to match first?
Others have indicated that you want to build up AP towards skills, but there's other considerations as well.

For example, four and five gem matches are almost always the right move. Four in a row clears out the row/column, and five gives you an extra turn plus a critical tile.

You mentioned that the matching hero will jump to the front of the stack. This is important too, because this will be the enemy's prime target on the next turn. So if you have a hero in dire straights, it may be advantageous to match in a way that brings another hero to the front.

You've probably noticed this already, but speaking of primary targets you can also choose which enemy your heroes target by tapping on them. Using this correctly can make or break an encounter (for example, if there's a healer in the enemy group).

One other thing I didn't immediately notice when I started...using a special power does not end your turn. So use the powers you need, and then match.
Old 04-22-14, 11:17 AM
  #116  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Gooter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Soldier Field
Posts: 2,451
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Thanks for the great tips! I've been spending my ISO on my heroes. Iron Man is up to 10 and Storm 6. I spend coins on the xtra spot and added Hawkeye. Moved on to the Juggernaut missions. Played one game in the Arena (and won!).

I did notice that sometimes you can't level your hero unless you level your powers first? For the longest time I couldn't level Storm Modern past 1 until I received a cover and trained a power. Now, I could level her to 6.

How do I join the alliance?

Thanks
Old 04-22-14, 11:30 AM
  #117  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
DaveNinja's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Sacramento (The City of a Beer)
Posts: 7,504
Received 68 Likes on 50 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by fujishig
So DaveNinja, are you going to send us a request to join (or do we need an open slot for even the request to come)?
I'm currently in a small alliance with a couple active players. is the DVDtalk alliance getting covers and as daily rewards? I dont have any Hero Points, so i wouldnt be able to pay to unlock a new spot. would that be a problem?

of the starters, Hawkeye was my favorite. i used a group of him, widow and iron man until i started getting good 2 or 3 stars to higher levels. Hawkeye's purple power is great for levels where there are bad enemy count down tiles
Old 04-22-14, 11:35 AM
  #118  
Video Game Talk Reviewer
 
Canis Firebrand's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Formerly known as "Vryce"/Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 13,856
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I have the Marvel Now version of Thor. I don't have any power for him in yellow. I have 2 in red and 2 in green. I haven't gotten any other covers for him lately.

The game really wants me to have Venom. Every day I get at least one cover from him from the standard recruit tokens I get from playing or through other rewards via alliance or friends.
Old 04-22-14, 12:27 PM
  #119  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 43,930
Received 1,867 Likes on 1,444 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I'll agree that Widow, Storm, and Iron Man (all 1*) make a good team at that point. Widow is kinda odd in that her powers don't really scale with her level and yet are really, really good. But the key is protecting her, and to a lesser extent, Storm. How you do this is always make sure Iron Man is at least one level above Storm and several above Widow; you want him to do the most damage with most of the colors, that way he will be in the front most of the time and can absorb damage. I would say even as you go to 2*s, Storm and Widow have their uses (Storm because she can clear the board with her green, Widow because of stun). Hawkeye is another one who's powers don't really scale with level, you can basically just keep him at level 1 if you want.

The other 1* I used a lot early on is Juggernaut. He has a power where he sacrifices a large chunk of his life but can do some pretty good damage. This is good if you want to play a quick match and can wait for him to heal, and especially on defense; other players of similar levels may choose to avoid Juggernaut teams because he can do a chunk of damage and force you to use a health pack. Also he, like Venom and BW, only has two powers and thus maxes out at level 40.

Thor is actually a decent 2* and is one of the most readily available ones in the game. He can eventually replace Iron Man for you. However, I would caution against sinking money into him unless he's a featured character until you have more covers. The higher the *s the higher the level they can go up to if you have enough covers, but they may be weaker than the rest of your roster and/or prohibitively expensive to level at higher levels.

Sell Yelena and Bagman Spiderman if you pull their covers. They are functionally useless. Someday they may pull a big surprise and make them useful, but trust me, if you really want them you'll have ample opportunity later. Otherwise they'll take up valuable roster space.

About leveling: More covers mean you can level up your characters more. This maxes out at 13. For two color characters, this means they max out at only 10, but for 3 color characters, this means you can't really max out your character with all colors, you'll have to make a choice. Early on, you should just grab whatever you can to max out levels as early as possible (exception may be Widow, since her level doesn't matter as much and the lower cost of purple at lower levels may be better), however as you start getting more you should carefully plan on which covers you want to use to make up your 13. For instance, Iron Man's Blue seems like it's pretty good, it definitely does a lot of damage, but it takes so long to build up that I think most people put 5 in red and yellow and just 3 in blue.

Last edited by fujishig; 04-22-14 at 12:33 PM.
Old 04-22-14, 12:32 PM
  #120  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
fumanstan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 55,349
Received 26 Likes on 14 Posts
I'm pissed every time I see bag man. Ugh.
Old 04-22-14, 12:33 PM
  #121  
Moderator
 
Groucho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posts: 71,383
Received 122 Likes on 84 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I thought Bagman was the worst hero in the game until I got Invisible Woman.
Old 04-22-14, 01:06 PM
  #122  
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
 
Deftones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Arizona
Posts: 80,942
Received 1,352 Likes on 917 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Groucho
I thought Bagman was the worst hero in the game until I got Invisible Woman.
fyi, a fully powered invisible woman is nearly unstoppable. she does that bubble lock skill. then, she explodes them. i've seen that skill take out one of my guys with over 3000 hp. insta kill. but yes, as a low level character, she's terrible.

ares used to be my favorite. i love, love his green skill. the only downside is it gives the opposition half the amount of green he used on his skill. so, the trick to him is either target the character w/ green they have first and take them out, so he doesn't fill that skill for them or only use him against teams that have no green skills.
Old 04-22-14, 01:08 PM
  #123  
Moderator
 
TheBigDave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 12,415
Received 499 Likes on 360 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by fujishig
About leveling: More covers mean you can level up your characters more. This maxes out at 13. For two color characters, this means they max out at only 10, but for 3 color characters, this means you can't really max out your character with all colors, you'll have to make a choice. Early on, you should just grab whatever you can to max out levels as early as possible (exception may be Widow, since her level doesn't matter as much and the lower cost of purple at lower levels may be better), however as you start getting more you should carefully plan on which covers you want to use to make up your 13. For instance, Iron Man's Blue seems like it's pretty good, it definitely does a lot of damage, but it takes so long to build up that I think most people put 5 in red and yellow and just 3 in blue.
If you already have 13 slots filled, and you get a 14th cover, you can cancel one of the other spots. You won't get points for the dropped cover. But at least you're not stuck with it. So you don't have to worry about saving that 13th slot. You can fill it now and delete it later when you need to free up space.
Old 04-22-14, 01:47 PM
  #124  
Moderator
 
Groucho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posts: 71,383
Received 122 Likes on 84 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by Deftones
fyi, a fully powered invisible woman is nearly unstoppable. she does that bubble lock skill. then, she explodes them. i've seen that skill take out one of my guys with over 3000 hp. insta kill. but yes, as a low level character, she's terrible.
Yeah, all I've got now is the bubble lock skill, so it's only mildly useful for delaying countdowns...and there are much better heroes for that (like original Black Widow).
Old 04-22-14, 02:34 PM
  #125  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 43,930
Received 1,867 Likes on 1,444 Posts
Re: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Originally Posted by TheBigDave
If you already have 13 slots filled, and you get a 14th cover, you can cancel one of the other spots. You won't get points for the dropped cover. But at least you're not stuck with it. So you don't have to worry about saving that 13th slot. You can fill it now and delete it later when you need to free up space.
Yeah, they changed that recently (thank goodness). What I was saying is gobble up covers in the beginning, but once you get your 14th you have to decide which power you want to drop down.

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.