{"id":146623,"date":"2019-08-13T17:57:34","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T17:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=146623"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:35:07","slug":"leveling-marvel-ultimate-alliance-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/leveling-marvel-ultimate-alliance-3\/","title":{"rendered":"6 leveling tips for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-146679\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/Marvel_Ultimate_Alliance_3_lfpieb.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendo.com\/games\/detail\/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-the-black-order-switch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3<\/a> has been out for less than a month and there are already <strong>over 35 characters available.<\/strong> That&#8217;s a lot of spandex and emotes to keep track of, especially if you&#8217;re trying to keep your whole cast around the same level. That&#8217;s not even getting into the upcoming DLC (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/unlock-every-character-marvel-ultimate-alliance-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the first of which drops August 30<\/a> and will be adding X-Men Colossus and Cyclops) and Season Pass which will include three more packs of characters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/image\/upload\/v1565718911\/ant_man_marvel_ultimate_192_jxb6qo.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">How to unlock every character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/unlock-every-character-marvel-ultimate-alliance-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">read now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/unlock-every-character-marvel-ultimate-alliance-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>MUA 3 might be as grueling or gritty as <a href=\"https:\/\/dark-souls-3.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dark Souls<\/a> or the <a href=\"https:\/\/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Witcher<\/a>, but it&#8217;s still designed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.koeitecmoamerica.com\/teamninja\/uk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Team Ninja<\/a>, a company infamous for making challenging games. This one is no exception, and a team of low-level characters, no matter how well-balanced they are, can still get pummeled in later chapters or higher difficulties. Keeping your team at a respectable level is the easiest way to get through unscathed, so we&#8217;ve put together <strong>six tips to do just that<\/strong>. First, however, it&#8217;s time to answer an age-old question:<\/p>\n<h3>Is it better to stick with one team, or play as everybody equally?<\/h3>\n<p>The adventure kicks off with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and if they&#8217;re your favorite Marvel crew, you may be wondering why you&#8217;d ever want to switch to anybody else. Or maybe you found a team of high-level characters later in your playthrough and you&#8217;ve formed a super-team that&#8217;s way more adept at handling baddies than your sadly under-leveled starter teams. Have they seen the last of their useful days?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146625\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146625\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146625\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/UA3Psylocke.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Psylocke\" width=\"700\" height=\"377\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146625\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Psylocke comes in around mid-game. Use her and Nightcrawler to boost up your low-level characters!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of course not! Variety is the spice of life, and swapping teammates in and out is what this game series is all about. It&#8217;s not just for the sake of keeping the game fresh, either; certain characters (and character combinations) provide you with <strong>very different bonuses and perks<\/strong> than others. Depending on what you&#8217;re up against you may find your usual team of four is struggling, even if they are a higher level.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/image\/upload\/v1565647272\/marvel_iron_man_ultimate_alliance_192_me92hm.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">10 beginner tips for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-beginners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">read now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-beginners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>Mastery vs. Strength<\/h3>\n<p>In the end, your success is dependent not on how hard your team can hit, but what it is they&#8217;re hitting <em>with<\/em>. If you find you&#8217;re not doing enough damage with a team comprised of Hulk, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, and Elektra it might be time to <strong>go for a team that&#8217;s less strength-heavy<\/strong>. Try something like Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Elsa Bloodstone, and Scarlet Witch. You may find that Mastery-based characters (plus the nice 10% Mastery team bonus they get) will make your job way easier.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146626\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146626\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146626\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/BalancedTeam.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 hero select\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146626\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This team&#8217;s got a good blend of Mastery and Strength-based attacks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Likewise, if you find you&#8217;re dying really quickly try and up your <strong>Resilience<\/strong> (if you&#8217;re up against energy or magic) or <strong>Durability<\/strong> (if you&#8217;re up against bruisers or bullets). In the end it&#8217;s combining damage types and defenses, and stacking them with appropriate bonuses and ISO-8 that makes a formidable team. So how do you level this team up?<\/p>\n<h3>1. Play Rift Challenges<\/h3>\n<p>The best place to level up is Rift Challenges. They&#8217;re tough, they&#8217;re grindy, and they can be outright frustrating, but the rewards are well worth it. Don&#8217;t be afraid to try Rifts that are a little above your level; it may take you a few tries, but <strong>you&#8217;ll be rewarded extra XP for taking down opponents with a higher level<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146627\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146627\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146627\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/RiftChallenge.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Gamma Rift Spider-Man challenge\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146627\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Don&#8217;t forget that you&#8217;ll only keep your new level if you beat the challenge!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We&#8217;ve found the best mission for farming XP is the <strong>level 25 Rush challenge<\/strong> in the Psi Rift: You&#8217;ll deal (and receive!) extra damage as the timer counts down, which means that as long as you&#8217;re good at dodging you&#8217;ll be able to clean house even if the bad guys have a ton of health.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Use XP cubes<\/h3>\n<p>The game rewards you with all those XP cubes for a reason &#8211; sometimes a character just falls behind, even if you play as them frequently. If you want a character to join you but they&#8217;re just too low-level to fight by your side, you might want to spend a few XP cubes on them to get them on par with the rest of you.<\/p>\n<p>Though it may be tempting to hoard your cubes, it&#8217;s better that you don&#8217;t; <strong>less powerful cubes won&#8217;t be as useful once your characters hit higher levels<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146628\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146628\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146628\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/MUA3XPCubes.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 XP cubes\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146628\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Don&#8217;t be shy about using cubes on heroes who need it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That&#8217;s another reason we like the aforementioned level 25 Ruch Challenge; each time you complete it <strong>you&#8217;re rewarded with small XP cubes<\/strong>. So really you&#8217;re leveling up characters <i>and\u00a0<\/i>gaining cubes to be used on leveling further.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Return to old ground<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re tired of grinding in the Rifts you might still be able to squeeze a few levels out of the game&#8217;s campaign. Boss fights and tough encounters will reward a decent amount of XP, and if you missed a hidden box earlier on you can break it on your return trip for some free XP cubes.<\/p>\n<p>Replaying easier missions but <strong>cranking up the game&#8217;s general difficulty<\/strong> can also be a good way to fine-tune your comfort level.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/gamora-192.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">How well do you know the MCU?<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/marvel-movies-quiz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Take the quiz \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/marvel-movies-quiz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>4. Mix your teammates&#8217; levels<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re trying to raise your old characters to match the level of your new high-level characters, intuitively you&#8217;ll want to avoid playing with your higher-level characters. Otherwise, they&#8217;ll stay at too high a level, right?<\/p>\n<p>Wrong!<\/p>\n<p><strong>XP is not distributed evenly between your high and low characters<\/strong>. Instead, it favors teammates at lower levels. The best way to use this to your advantage is to bring a low-level character with a team of two or three high-level characters. Now take that team to higher-level areas and your weaker characters will reap the benefits of the increased XP that harder enemies grant.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Max out the blue section of the Alliance Enhancement tree<\/h3>\n<p>This tip will take you a little longer, but it&#8217;s one of the most efficient ways to globally speed up how fast <i>all\u00a0<\/i>of your characters gain levels. The Alliance Enhancement chart can be a bit daunting at first (SO MANY NODES TO CHOOSE!), but the one you&#8217;ll want to complete first is the <strong>set of blue nodes on the top left<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146629\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146629\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146629\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/BlueSectionBonus.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 blue section\" width=\"700\" height=\"388\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146629\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fill out the blue section for a permanent +10% XP gain bonus!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When you complete a whole section of the Alliance Enhancement network you&#8217;ll gain a global bonus specific to that section. Purchasing all nodes in the blue section will <strong>reward a universal +10% XP gain<\/strong>. The earlier you get it, the more it&#8217;ll help.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Equip XP-boosting ISO-8<\/h3>\n<p>Lastly, there are a couple ISO-8 crystals that can help you gain XP quicker. They&#8217;re quite rare, but definitely worth farming or looking for if you&#8217;re trying to maximize a particular character&#8217;s XP gain. Upgrade them and slap two or three on one character and they&#8217;ll be cruising in no time.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146630\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146630\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146630\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2021\/05\/BlueAACrystal.jpg\" alt=\"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 AA blue ISO-8 XP\" width=\"700\" height=\"368\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146630\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enjoy a gift from Odin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The most reliable location to get ISO-8 that boosts XP is in the fifth chapter of Asgard. Progress to this point (or start at this checkpoint via the Chapter Select screen) and break down the door that&#8217;s guarded by HYDRA soldiers. Clear out the next room and <strong>peek behind the big statue of Odin<\/strong>. This box should contain a rare blue XP crystal. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RlWXC0H7H4E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check out this more detailed video walkthrough<\/a> if you&#8217;re having trouble finding it.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the level 61 Wakanda Rush and level 65 Wakanda Wave Rift challenges are excellent places to farm XP once you reach higher levels, as well as gain more rare ISO-8 in general. This rift also has a higher frequency of white crystals, which can boost XP further.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hopefully, this guide helps you level your characters and create a more balanced team. Let us know in the comments below if you found these strategies helpful, and stick with Softonic for more Ultimate Alliance tips and tricks!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-related-articles-white\">\r\n<p class=\"sc-related-articles-white__title\">More about movies and games<\/p>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"Top 10 Spider-Man games \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/top-10-spider-man-games\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/spider-man-2.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>Top 10 Spider-Man games \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"Upcoming Marvel\u2019s Avengers game paints a world without Captain America \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/marvels-avengers-game-trailer\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/image\/upload\/q_auto:eco\/v1560982427\/avengers_game_hinyab.webp)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>Upcoming Marvel\u2019s Avengers game paints a world without Captain America \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"Why movie tie-in games disappeared \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/why-movie-tie-in-games-disappeared\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/image\/upload\/q_auto:eco\/v1560982427\/frozen_game_dggr8b.webp)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>Why movie tie-in games disappeared \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"When will video gaming reach Ready Player One status? 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