From our very first presentation of Marvel’s Avengers at E3 2019, we’ve made clear that reassembling the Avengers is just the start of our story; we also committed that future playable updates – such as new characters, story content, missions, and regions – will be available at no additional cost to players.  

To put this content into context, Hawkeye will have his own unique in-depth story mission chain which can be played either co-op or solo. He’ll also bring a new villain with him, and like the core six heroes, he (and all future characters) will have custom move sets and combos, Skills, Gear, Heroics, and an assortment of free unlockable Outfits, Emotes, and Nameplates. By releasing all this new content for free, we prevent content gating and guarantee that you and your friends can experience these exciting additions together – taking on emerging threats as a team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.  

We’ve also committed that content purchasable with real money in Marvel’s Avengers will be aesthetic-only additions, which will ensure we can keep the game fresh for years to come. The fight against AIM is only just beginning, there is much more story and many more heroes on the horizon.     

Our in-game economy is built on a player-first approach where you can earn outfits, emotes, nameplates, and amazing gear through play, as well as tailor your style with store cosmetics purchased using Credits obtained by exchanging real-world currency. In the spirit of transparency with our community, here is a breakdown of how it all works!  

What are Cosmetics?  

Cosmetic items come in four different varieties:     

• Outfits: Outfits are aesthetic only – they do not influence gameplay. This was an intentional decision to avoid pay-to-win play scenarios.   
• Emotes: Character-specific Emotes bring out the personality of each Super Hero, and let you express yourself to your teammates – AI or otherwise!    
• Takedowns: Takedowns are flashy finishers that show off each hero’s signature style on the battlefield!   
• Nameplates: Nameplates show off your hero’s stats and are drawn from iconic art in Marvel history.     

There are several ways to earn, craft, or purchase cosmetics, which are outlined below!  

How do Vendors Work?   

Vendors are narrative-based store operators who can be found in multiple locations in our game world. They sell Cosmetics, Gear, and Rare Resources in exchange for Units and common Resources.       

• Resources: Resources come in Common (ex: Fragments), Rare (ex: Plasma), and Exotic varieties (ex: Uru) – and are traded with Vendors or used to upgrade gear. Resources can be found in Resource Crates, dropped by enemies, gained through dismantling Artifacts, received as Faction assignment rewards, and via Hero Challenge Cards (more on those in a bit!).  
• Patterns: Patterns are earned through high-level crates, activities, Faction Missions, and increasing your Faction level. They can be used at Fabrication Machines to create an Outfit or Nameplate.  
• Units: Units are our soft-currency – in-game digital currency with no real-world value – which can be spent with Vendors. Units can be found in strongboxes or earned as rewards for increasing your Faction Level.     

Gear Vendors  

  

Gear Vendors will sell you character-specific Gear and Resources in exchange for Fragments gained through play. Collecting and dismantling Gear will fill you full of Fragments and other resources, which is why it is worth picking everything up and dismantling unneeded items for resources to exchange or reinvest! Gear rotates daily and weekly.  

Cosmetic Vendors  

  

Cosmetic Vendors accept Units gained through play to purchase Outfits, Emotes, and Nameplates. Legendary Outfits rotate weekly, while Nameplates, Emotes, and Epic & Rare Outfits rotate daily.  

How Does the Marketplace Work?  

  

In addition to all the content you can earn or buy with Units from Vendors, Marvel’s Avengers also features a Marketplace.   

The Marketplace exists outside the game’s narrative and is accessible via the main or cosmetic menu. It is a place for us to feature purchasable cosmetics in the form of Outfits, Emotes, Takedowns, and Nameplates. The Marketplace’s Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary items rotate weekly, and can be purchased with Credits.    

• Credits: Credits are our hard currency – in-game currency purchased with real money that can be spent in the Marketplace on cosmetic items. A 500 credit pack is $5.00. Credits come in packs of 500, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 with bonus credits for bigger packs.    

What are Hero Challenge Cards?  

  

  

Hero Challenge Cards allow players to earn Resources, Units, Credits, and Cosmetics for completing in-game challenges – essentially, do cool things to earn cool rewards.   

Each Hero Challenge Card has 40 tiers of free and premium rewards. Rewards are earned via Challenge Points by completing daily and weekly challenges. Hero Challenge Card rewards include:      

• Rare Resource Bundle: Nanotubes, Nanites, Plasma, Catalyst  
• Resource Bundle: Fragments & Upgrade Modules  
• Upgrade Module Bundles: Upgrade Modules  
• Exotic Resource Bundle: Polychoron & Uru  
• Units  
• Credits 
• Hero Nameplates  
• Team Nameplates  
• Emotes  
• Takedowns  
• Outfits    

We’ve activated the premium Hero Challenge Card rewards for all 6 starting heroes at launch, so you can earn and enjoy all content across the 40 tiers for free. When we introduce new Hero Challenge Cards for post-launch heroes, the cost to activate the premium rewards will be 1,000 Credits.   

We want to reward players for their time, so once you activate the premium rewards of a Hero Challenge Card for 1,000 Credits, you can earn everything on that card, including more Credits! If you complete all challenges on your Hero Challenge Card, not only will you earn back your 1,000 Credit activation cost, all the content you’ll earn has a value of over 12,500 Credits. Remember, these rewards deliver fun in-game cosmetic enhancements and effects, but they do not provide a gameplay advantage.  

Hero Challenge Cards do not rotate and won’t be retired, so once you’ve activated premium rewards, there is no time limit or risk in spreading your focus between heroes. That being said, If you‘re in a hurry, you can buy “skips” to get through tiers faster.      

Did you catch our other Everything you Need to Know blogs this week?    

• Everything You Need to Know about Marvel’s Avengers: Day One   
• Everything You Need to Know about Marvel’s Avengers: Accessibility Features   
• Everything You Need to Know about Marvel’s Avengers: Co-op Play   

Tomorrow, we’ll run through our learnings from the Marvel’s Avengers Beta and expected updates for launch, followed by an overview of the weekly gameplay ritual on Sunday!