To level or not to level: the five star dilemma…

Marvel Puzzle Quest MPQ Tips and Guides Roster and Level Help
1

I know this topic has been partially discussed in other threads, but I wanted to obtain some additional advice from people who have faced a similar predicament to me. I had the (mis) fortune of obtaining my first Phoenix cover last week, which I have not yet rostered.

I already have a rostered Silver Surfer with three covers, and from what I understand, once you roster your second five star character, the levels for PvE enemies begin to increase dramatically. My general question is this: after I roster Phoenix, what effect will there be on my PvE enemies if I also decide to level my three star characters in an attempt to equalize my roster?

My roster currently has the level 255 Silver Surfer, a level 166 X-Force and twenty seven three star characters who are all at level 135. Out of my three star characters, almost all of them are fully covered, and ready to be taken to level 166. Other than X-Force, all of my other four star characters have five covers or less, and are useless other than when they are one of the required characters for a given event.

I currently have enough isos to level nine of my three star characters to 166. I was going to wait until I had enough isos to level between 15 and 20 characters to 166 all at one time, but the Phoenix cover might end up changing my game plan.

Knowing that PvE will become dramatically more difficult after I roster Phoenix, would it be beneficial or detrimental to level nine three star characters to 166? Will leveling these nine characters cause another big bump in enemy levels, or will it have a minimal effect on the level of the enemies, and provide me with some higher level characters to battle through the damage Phoenix will cause?

I know there are a lot of theories on what exactly determines enemy level. If it’s based upon the average level of your top three characters, which would be a 255 Silver Surfer, 255 Phoenix and 166 X-Force, then leveling the rest of my roster to 166 should have little to no effect on enemy level.

I also know that the Devs have stated that some type of fix is in the works regarding the effect that rostering a five star character has on PvE enemies. However, the fix might be several months away. I know my roster isn’t anywhere close to five start territory; however, I don’t want to sell one of the best prizes in the game. I would appreciate any advice!

2

Not sure if this helps, #1 in my PVE bracket for the Ghost Rider release has 10 max 166’s and 2 1-2 cover 5*s..

So it seems, possible it may make things easier. I do know when i maxed Hulkbuster to 270, with no-one else above 172.. the next event was hard.. when i brought my 2nd up… it got loads easier. Heroics are still rough, but they always have been.. so take that for what it is.

3

Let me use myself as an example. For this current GR event, my highest three characters are 271 xf (normally level 181 w/ a 50% boost in level), 255 SS, 255 OML. Since scaling will factor in the highest 3 character levels on your roster, my average level for scaling determination is 260.

How did my scaling go in Heart of Darkness? Starting out, the highest level I saw in all three subs was around 240. So ~90% of my roster level. But that was only one node. Trivials were as low as mid 30s to 90s. Essentials were 140-190s. In other words, VERY beatable.

If you have a strong core of characters (166s), having a second 5* wouldn’t wreck the pve event for you (unless you’re talking heroic, in which case it depends on what characters are usable).

Just my two cents as a player in the running for 3 GR covers currently.

4

I haven’t seen a huge bump since I added my second 5 star.png
character but I already had 10+ 3 star.png
at 166. You might feel a little pain if you hit a week where none of your 3*s are boosted but that will be temporary as you flesh out the rest of your roster.