Marvel’s Spider Man 2 best skills, gadgets, suit tech and abilities are something to consider as early as possible, as the mix of skill points, tokens and tech you have to invest can keep you constantly guessing which of the game’s many skill trees and progression paths are optimal.

As somebody who’s played Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 all the way to the end and gotten every skill and ability along the way to max out both Peter and Miles, I’ll show you all the best gadgets, tech, skills, abilities and more besides in Spider-Man 2.

Warning: this guide has some minor spoilers in the final “abilities” section, but is spoiler-free until that point.

Best skills in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Skill points are unlocked simply by levelling up, and with a lot of skills across three different trees, we recommend investing in the shared tree before anything else – specifically, the following skills.

• Web Whip. This disarming power allows you to rip a weapon out of an enemy’s hands and hit them with it – a great option if you find yourself constantly dodging bullets.
• Fired Up. The higher your combo, the more Focus you get – a massive advantage when you’re on a roll, as Focus is both a way to instantly take down a foe, or heal yourself.
• Perfect Dodge Recharge. Landing a perfect dodge recharges your more powerful abilities, and while getting a perfect dodge isn’t necessarily easy, the amount of times you dodge attacks in a single fight means that this really builds over time.

Best gadgets in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

There’s less Gadgets in Spider-Man 2 than there were in the first game, but they’re no less potent than they were. You’ll need various tech and tokens depending on what you’re upgrading, and while they all have their uses, there’s two standouts that we feel are worth working through first.

• Web Shooters. Your default web shooters are used so often that there’s no reason not to put something towards them, especially as the final upgrade can allow you to take out a standard enemy all on its own – and unlike your other gadgets, they rapidly refill.
• Ricochet Web. The Ricochet is quick to use, requires virtually no thought, and can ensnare and even defeat half a dozen enemies in a single use – and if they’re not beaten, a single swing-kick into a wall will end them a moment later.

Best suit tech in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Suits and abilities are longer tied to specific costumes, so players can invest in whatever they want, while wearing whatever tights they please. Like gadgets, you’ll need a wide variety of resources to work through these skill trees, and also like gadgets, there’s a couple of standouts.

• Focus. Focus skills cover literally everything – stealth, combat, damage and healing, and the speed at which you gain focus can determine whether you win or lose a fight.
• Damage. Enemies have a habit of getting pretty spongey in the latter half of the game, and you’ll want to reinforce your fists a little more or else risk whaling on them for hours. 

Best abilities in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Minor spoilers to follow, but there’s no way around it: a little later in the game both Miles and Peter start gaining new abilities to replace their standard Venom Blasts and Robotic Spider Arms – namely Evolved Venom and the Symbiote Powers respectively. 

This means you can swap between them to some degree, as well as gain more abilities through their specific skill trees. Here’s our preferred picks for the best loadout, simply based on which abilities I found more powerful in general use:

• Miles Morales
  • Venom Punch (Square)
  • Thunder Burst (Triangle)
  • Reverse Flux (Circle)
  • Galvanise (X)
• Peter Parker
  • Venom Punch (Square)
  • Spider Rush (Triangle)
  • Venom Blast (Circle)
  • Venom Tempest (X)

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