Greetings,

I’m Michael Mayhem, member of the design team on Marvel Heroes. It’s my pleasure to discuss our newest feature: Dynamic Combat Scaling! This feature will be included with Marvel Heroes in the next update.

Overview

Simply put, Dynamic Combat Scaling adjusts the difficulty and rewards of the game to each player. If you’re a level 30 hero fighting in a level 15 zone, you'll be exchanging damage as if the baddies were level 30 - and receive gear at that level! You'll still have all of your powers and gear of your current level, so you'll still feel much more effective than you were at level 15.

Instead of level bands, zones* have a minimum level that enemies will be tuned to. For example, a level 5 player entering a minimum level 50 zone will be in deep trouble! But there will also be some zones with a level 1 minimum - which means anyone can play together seamlessly. This is a “backend” system - it works its magic under the hood, behind the scenes, in order to create a better experience for everyone.

*So far, this is only implemented for Story Mode, Midtown Patrol, X-Defense, and Holo-Sim. Terminals, One-Shots, Industry City Patrol, and Hightown Patrol will receive this treatment soon.

Details

This is designed to solve a number of problems the game currently suffers:

I can't play with my friend because he's a different level!

DCS allows players of a higher level to join in a party with lower level players, and have an enjoyable, balanced experience together. The game automatically adjusts and tunes accordingly, so a level 60 player can play through the story with his level 1 friend if he so chooses.

A high level hero is one-shotting everything! We can't complete our missions!

A level 60 player in Hell's Kitchen will now be at a reasonable power level, fighting at a similar pace. The level 60 won't be one-shotting everything in sight, which is historically a problem for both new players experiencing the game in areas like Story mode, or in patrol zones such as Midtown where a player can remain overleveled in the "wrong band" and create an unfun experience for the rest of the patrollers.

This game is too easy while leveling up, there's no challenge!

While we do intentionally tune the game relatively low for casual players who are new to the genre, a large bulk of the complaints we receive in this department are due to level being so dominant in the combat formula. Unless you are fighting an enemy exactly of your level, the game will feel too easy. Between XP Boost events and login rewards, it's very easy to outlevel the content, trivializing the experience. DCS solves this by keeping the game at the intended challenge.

I got separated from my group because we're in different level bands now!

You will now *rarely ever see that dreaded "not the right level for this zone" for content. Some special modes, like Raids, remain 60-only content experiences, but with the level minimum system, you’ll be able to join your friends in just about any zone.

*Again, this isn’t fully implemented across the entire game yet, but it will be soon.

Bonus Round: FAQ

Q: How will this affect me, a hardcore end-game player?

A: Tuning and rewards for all end-game modes is the same as before. For example, level 60 only content such as Raids and Cosmic Patrols/Terminals will have the exact same difficulty and rewards as before. However, if you wish to go back to Story Mode and complete missing quests, you will now receive the proper XP and loot drops (including eternity splinters) from defeating enemies who are tuned to your level.

Q: How has XP changed? Has it been reduced?

A: In Story Mode, XP has been increased for players choosing to level from 1 to 60 by completing all Story Mode content. Mission XP is now always granted based on your level, so all missions can be completed at any level and still reward a noticeable amount of experience.

Q: Can I finally complete the full story, including Chapter 10, before hitting level 60?

A: Yes! Chapter 10 was previously level 60 only. That restriction has been removed, and you can begin Chapter 10 as soon as you finish Chapter 9. The last 2 quests in Chapter 10 are currently level 60 only due to technical reasons, but we have plans for those to be accessible before level 60 as well.

Q: I can’t find the Cosmic Trial doorway in Midtown, where did it go?

A: The Cosmic Trial is now on the Waypoint menu for level 60 characters

Enjoy!

This new system sets the table nicely for an upcoming system update: Personal Difficulty Settings. With that system, you’ll be able to tailor the game’s difficulty (and rewards) to your preference! You can expect more of these kinds of blogs, as we unveil more of the big system updates we’re hard at work on. Our next blog will tentatively come at the end of August (subject to change), so stay tuned for our next announcement.

We hope you and your friends enjoy playing together with the new Dynamic Combat Scaling system!