[2020] As requested - Gear & Loot Overview!

Hi all,

Mega wall of text incoming! There were many requests for more insight into how the Gear & loot system in the game works. Hopefully the below helps to clarify many of your questions! :)

*Please note, the loot system is very likely to evolve over time in response to player feedback and content adjustments. When we make changes, we will ensure transparency through updates and patch notes.

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GEAR

Gear is at the heart of the loot system and are non-cosmetic upgrades unique to each Hero. When equipped, Gear influences a player’s Power Level and core competences.

Power Level: Your Power Level makes you stronger. Increasing your Power Level results in higher Melee, Ranged & Heroic damage. It also increases your Defense. Your Power Level is determined by the average of all the Gear you have equipped.

Core Hero Competences:

• Melee: Hand-to-hand contact
• Ranged: Combat from a distance
• Defense: Your Hero’s toughness as calculated by their Willpower (Health) & armor.
  
• Heroic: Your Hero’s special abilities that can be activated during combat.
  

GEAR ATTRIBUTES Each piece of Gear draws from a pool of attributes. Attribute values increase with Power Level.

Attributes

• Might: Influences melee damage, making you stronger in a brawl.
• Precision: Influences your ranged damage, improving your performance from afar.
  
• Proficiency: Influences your chance at getting extra damage (critical chance) and increases the likelihood that Perks on your Gear will trigger (Perk chance).
  
• Valor: Valor influences your Heroic ability effectiveness – be it increased damage or healing. It also influences your critical attack damage. There are two ways to score a critical attack. The first is through hitting the enemy in a weak spot/headshot, and the second is earned through high Proficiency (critical chance).
  
• Resolve: Influences the maximum amount of damage a hero can take before being downed, and the effectiveness of Willpower (health) recovery from any source, such as regen, healing orbs, skill-based healing, finishers, or reviving others.
  
• Resilience: Influences the amount of incoming damage that can be mitigated.
  
• Intensity: Influences the amount of stun/status damage (Gamma, Plasma, etc.) a Hero inflicts. Intensity also provides status resistance against being frozen (Cryo attacks).
  

GEAR PERKS Perks are random additions to Gear that provide benefits to combat or boosts to Hero abilities. The higher the Gear rarity, the more Perks they can potentially have. Perks can be hero-specific, or general for all characters. Some Perks synergize with a Hero’s skills to allow for some very fun and powerful effects.

The star rating on a piece of Gear affects the percentage value of most variables on a Perk. The higher the star rating, the higher the variable value.

GEAR RARITY Higher tier Gear has higher attributes, more Perk slots, and generally higher Perk ratings.

• Common (Grey): Common gear do not have Perks, and cannot be boosted
  
• Uncommon (Green): Uncommon Gear can drop with 0-1 Perks and can power boost up to 3 times.
• Rare (Blue): Rare Gear has 1-2 Perks and can power boost up to 5 times.
• Epic (Purple): Epic Gear has 2-3 Perks and can power boost up to 10 times.
• Legendary (Yellow): Legendary Gear has 2-3 Perks and can power boost up to 10 times.
  
• Exotic (Orange): Exotic Gear has 3 Perks, can power boost up to 10 times, and always drops with higher Attributes than Legendary Gear.
  

GEAR MANUFACTURERS Gear can also come in specific brands. Each brand draws from a pool of specific Attributes to encourage tailored playstyles.

• Hammer Industries (Melee): Might, Resolve, Proficiency, Resilience
  
• Pym Technologies (Heroic): Proficiency, Might, Intensity, Valor
  
• SHIELD: Attributes (Defense): Resilience, Resolve, Intensity, Valor
  
• Stark Industries (Ranged): Precision, Resolve, Proficiency, Resilience
  

ARTIFACTS Artifacts are special subset of Gear that enhance power and give unique gameplay Perks.

• Minor: Minor artifacts factor into the Power Level of the Hero you equip them to.
  
• Major: Major artifacts add their power to the average of the rest of your Gear and have unique Perks not found elsewhere. Once a Major artifact is found, it is granted to all Heroes, making them exceptionally valuable.
  

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OTHER LOOT
In addition to Gear, an assortment of other items can be found throughout the world.

Resources
Resources can be used to upgrade Gear/unlock Perks, or trade with Vendors for Gear in shops.

Common

• Fragments:These are the most common Resource and can be found in white resource crates throughout the world, or though dismantling Gear.

Rare Rare Resources can drop from enemies, but are most commonly found in the various colored resource crates around the world. The color of the crate matches the resource within. Rare Resources are used to power boost your Gear.

• Nanite: Found in the Utah Badlands
• Nanotube: Found in the Eastern Seaboard
  
• Catalyst: Found in the Pacific Northwest Wilderness
  
• Plasma: Found in the Snowy Tundra and Scandinavian Highlands
  
• Uru: Uru is a unique Rare Resource used to increase the Power Level of Minor Artifacts. It is found primarily in Strongboxes (Caches, DNA Strongboxes, etc.) or awarded directly at the end of select missions. Hives are a great place to find Uru.
  

Exotic

• Polychoron: An exotic resource used to increase the Power Level of Major Artifacts. Polychoron is rewarded for completing assignments and missions from Faction Coordinators, and the first completion of select late game activities.
  
• DNA Key: These are used to unlock DNA Strongboxes found in SHIELD Vault missions. You can get DNA keys from beating bosses, although they aren’t a guaranteed reward. If you are looking for an ensured DNA Key drop, you can get them on your first completion of daily Villain Sector missions.
  

Other

• Comics: Gained through weekly HARM Challenges and gold/vault strongboxes. Comics provide stat boosts.
  
• Patterns: These drop from a limited number of places. You can find them in DNA strongboxes, by upgrading your Faction rank, and as drops in late game activities – the first playthrough having the highest chance drop rate.
  
• Upgrade Modules: These are used to upgrade high-end Gear in order to move past the 120 Power Level. You can also use them to purchase high-rarity Gear at Vendors. Upgrade Modules can be found in various activities and Strongboxes. Large amounts are rewarded for the first completion of late game activities.

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GEAR & LOOT FAQ

Q: Where is the best place to look for Exotic drops?

A: Exotic artifacts are guaranteed rewards when completing the Reassemble campaign, completing your first Iconic Mission Chain, and finishing the Reigning Supreme Mission Chain in Avengers Initiative. Exotic Gear and additional Exotic Artifacts have a low drop chance to drop in late-game activities the first time they are completed each week, although they are not guaranteed each playthrough. These activities include:

• Elite Heroic Hives (Last Avenger Standing Mission Chain) Note: Elite Heroic Hives will soon be turning roster-based, which will make it a harder overall experience. In a future patch (post-1.3.0) we will make Exotic drops more common to reward players for the increased difficulty.
• Mega Hive
• AIM Secret Lab (Coming Soon)

Q: Where is the best place to look for Legendary drops?

A: You can get Legendary Gear drops the first time you play through the Elite Heroic Hive each week, and when they go live, the AIM Secret Lab and Mega Hive. Once you beat the AIM Secret Lab or Mega Hive each week, it will pull drops from a different loot table.

Q: Where can we look for hero-specific Legendary Gear?

A: The first completion of late game activities each week – Elite Heroic Hives, AIM Secret Lab, and Mega Hive) will guarantee Legendary Gear as will completion of the daily Villain Sector missions acquired from Faction Coordinators.

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