So, you’ve just started Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The world is your oyster! There’s so much to see and do – and so many bad guys to fight. Where do you start? While your first steps in the game can feel overwhelming, with an array of soaring plots, side quests, and mini-map tokens to explore, it’s best to take a breath before you leap in, and then prepare to be hauled along an impressive, cinematic storyline filled with many worthy tangents.
Read: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Review – Swing, Swing
If you’re looking to get started on the best possible foot, read on for the GamesHub guide to enjoying Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as best you can – and all the tips and tricks you’ll need to tackle the journey.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Guide: Beginner Tips and Tricks
How to find all the Spider-Bots
As you explore in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, you’ll be tasked with collecting an array of futuristic Spider-Bots, each themed after a famous Spider-Man character. Like every in-game collectible, they’re well worth making time for – but it should be noted that they’re the most challenging collectible of the entire game, as they don’t appear on the mini-map.
The only way to find Spider-Bots is to encounter them as you travel. They emit a large pink-green halo of static that makes them fairly easy to spot when you’re nearby, so you’ll usually find a handful of Spider-Bots as you web-swing through each location.
But if you’re looking to nab every Spider-Bot in the game, you’ll need to be more meticulous in your approach. Our advice is to leave the Spider-Bots till last, as you’ll likely find a bunch of them over the course of the main story. When it comes time to hunt them down individually, you should focus on each individual area of the game’s map, and then go ‘city block by city block’ to find them.
As you’re swinging, the Spider-Bots will appear as pink spiders on your mini-map, showing up as long as you pass nearby. Going up and down streets lengthways, and then crisscrossing, prioritising web wing traversal for stability, will help you spot them all. Failing that, you should also try perching on tall buildings, and gazing out across the city to find those green-pink orbs of static.
Focus on shared Spider-Man abilities first
There are three separate skill trees in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: one for Peter Parker, one for Miles Morales, and one shared abilities tree. To start with, you’ll want to pour skill points into the shared tree, as these improvements will apply to both Peter and Miles, and you’ll be swapping between both characters frequently as you play.
The majority of these skills focus on traversal and speed, and make exploring New York much easier, and more enjoyable. There are also essential combat abilities included within this tree, improving enemy takedowns and Focus in battle. At least spend time unlocking the first few rows on the shared ability tree before focusing individually on Peter and Miles.
Unlock parry and symbiote abilities early
As mentioned, the shared abilities tree is a great place to start building out the skills of your Spider-Men. For the most impactful changes to combat, you’ll want to focus on the Parry chain of the shared skill tree first, as these abilities will allow you to build your defences, and become a more effective fighter.
For more effective traversal, unlock the Loop de Loop ability, and head down the ability chain for more speed and air tricks. Once you’re happy with how traversal feels, you’ll want to pursue Peter’s symbiote ability tree, as it comes in handy on multiple occasions throughout the plot.
Don’t forget the Suit Tech and Gadget skill trees
Beyond individual abilities, you can also unlock special Suit Tech and Gadget skills in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – and you absolutely shouldn’t forget these upgrades. They’re unlocked with a variety of collectibles that can be found within the game’s world – Hero Tokens, City Tokens, Tech Parts, and Rare Tech Parts. Make sure you’re collecting these by completing side missions as you travel.
While separate from the main skill tree, both the Suit Tech and Gadget trees are essential. Pumping resources into these avenues will unlock more damage for your attacks, a better health bar, and the most important combat feature – additions to the Focus bar. You’ll want to unlock these first, so you can make a better impact on the battlefield.
Read: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Accessibility features include time slow down
Under the Traversal branch in Suit Tech, there is also a very handy ability that lets you see Tech and Rare Tech Parts on the mini-map – so make sure you grab that to maximise the upgrades you can obtain.
Complete every side mission
It feels strange to insist that players actually play the full breadth of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but it’s worth saying for a couple of reasons. The main story of the game is incredibly compelling, to the point where you’ll likely be running breathlessly from cutscene to cutscene, ignoring the map collectibles and side quests to find out exactly what happens next.
But it’s worth slowing down and taking the time to complete every mission, and grab every collectible as you travel. Each story-based quest adds a greater sense of heart to the game, illuminating character motivations and plots. Each collectible actually hides great secrets, including cutscenes, movie nods, and boss fights.
You can certainly breeze through the entire game only making time for the main story beats, and still have an excellent time, but if you’re looking for the entire story, grab everything. Travel everywhere. Tick off every box. There’s a great reward waiting for those who nab it all.
There’s also another quirk to this journey: the main plot of the game assumes time has passed between certain missions – so take that time, and spend it wisely.
Learn when to parry, and when to dodge
Combat in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 requires quick thinking and reflexes, with multiple options for the Spider-Men to dodge, parry, and attack as enemies crowd in. You should learn the intricacies of this combat system early, as dodges and parries have their own unique benefits.
The first thing you should grapple with is the difference between a dodge and a parry – particularly when it comes to ranged and melee combat. In any combat situation, attacks that can be dodged or parried will show up first as a white ring, then a red ring. Ranged attacks can only be dodged. Melee attacks can be dodged or parried.
In a melee situation, it’s usually best to parry your opponent’s attacks when the Spider-Sense circle turns red – as this adds to your Focus bar, and also unleashes an attack that knocks enemies back. For heavier enemies, it can also be the only way to disrupt their defence. So make sure you learn the differences early, and put parries into your moveset ASAP.
Also important to note is that attacks with a yellow Spider-Sense warning can only be parried, and attacks with a blue warning need to be dodged. Practice makes perfect, but learning all your cues early will help you in the later stages of the game.
Don’t worry too much about unlocking fast travel
As you complete missions and find collectibles in each locale of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, you’ll progress along a track that eventually unlocks fast travel for the region – easy and near-instantaneous load-in. But while the fast travel system is genuinely mind-boggling, it’s best to ignore it entirely.
Traversal in the game is just so darn fun. The map of the game is fairly large, but not so large that you’ll ever get bored travelling tip-to-tip. Web swinging and web winging is a real blast.
You may actually miss out on some collectibles – notably, Spider-Bots – by deferring to Fast Travel, so it’s not really a system that is overly recommended. Instead, it’s best to take your time, explore widely, and enjoy the rush of breezing through New York at your own speed.
With these handy tips, your entry to the world of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 should be smooth sailing. We wish you luck on your upcoming adventure.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches for PS5 on 20 October 2023.
