Give Steve Back His Smile Stream-A-Thon | Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3

Today we’ll stream to give back and support Steve Sale’s GoFundMe.

If you feel like supporting during the stream head on over to:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/give-steve-back-his-smile

I’ve met Steve a couple of times in Walkabout Mini Golf and know he’s a stand up guy who could really use our help right now. Now, let’s play! Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 – The Black Order on Nintendo Switch!

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📖 GAMEPLAY TIPS FOR THIS STAGE IN THE GAME

It sounds like you’ve hit a common difficulty spike in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order—the enemies in Hel (Chapter 9) are notoriously tough and tanky.¹

The final boss of this chapter is Surtur, and beating him, or even just the mobs leading up to him, requires a change in strategy.

Here is a breakdown of how to beat the regular enemies and the Surtur boss fight:

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🛡️ General Tips for Hel Mobs

The regular enemies in Hel, including the Viking Souls you are currently fighting, have increased HP, Defense, and Resistance, making them feel like they “tank so much damage”.

1. Exploit the Environment (Knockback): The best strategy for the challenging mobs in Hel is to use knockback abilities to launch enemies off the ledges for instant kills.²
   • Characters like Psylocke, Elsa Bloodstone, and Venom have excellent knockback attacks.³
   • Captain America’s Shield Throw can also knock them off ledges.⁴
2. Avoid Toxic Pools: Be extremely careful around the toxic pools that erupt slime, especially when the camera zooms out. These pools can quickly defeat your characters.
3. Run Past If Possible: If you are struggling, you can rush through or “bamf your way past” any fights you don’t absolutely need to win.⁵ The difficulty spike often lessens in the latter half of the chapter, Asgard.
4. Boost Your Alliance Enhancements: Make sure you are spending your currency in The Lab on Alliance Enhancements. These permanent, global upgrades add up over time and are critical for late-game difficulty.

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🔥 Surtur Boss Fight Strategy

Surtur is a challenging boss who regenerates when he spawns adds, so the key is focusing on his Stagger Gauge.⁶

1. Focus on Stagger Damage (The Must-Do):
   • You must stagger Surtur to deal real damage to him.⁷
   • Use heroes with stagger-break abilities or “charge moves” to deplete his stagger gauge as quickly as possible.
   • Ignore the adds (the smaller enemies he summons) and hammer away at Surtur to keep his stagger gauge down.⁸
2. Dodge His Sword Attacks:
   • Watch for Surtur to surround himself with flame geysers; this means a heat shockwave is coming.⁹
   • To avoid the shockwave, jump into the air and perform an air dash.
   • When he slams his sword into the ground, you may get a brief window for a grapple attack.
3. Recommended Team Composition:
   • A team built around high synergy damage and stagger is highly effective.
   • Captain America and Thor are a great core duo because they stagger well and are tanky.¹⁰
   • Characters like Magneto (great for CC and grouping enemies), Wasp (for her Sting and Tiny Tornado abilities), and Miles Morales (for electric webs that synergize well) are all excellent choices.
   • Ensure your team has a good mix of Stagger Damage, Health Damage, Trash Clear, and Crowd Control (CC).

PRO TIP: If you are struggling with the Surtur fight, changing your party to a team focused on high Stagger damage will be your best solution.