Marvel Heroes Adds Human Torch and More in Major Update

Less than two months after release, Marvel Heroes has received a major update introducing sweeping changes across the board.

Among the most significant of the changes is the addition of what are called Eternity Splinters. These are a new form of currency which replace the existing hero token drops and Cosmic Keys, the latter of which will be converted into Splinters upon their removal from the game on August 2.

Rather than unlocking them through rare, random drops, additional heroes can now be purchased in any order players wish with Splinters.

According to the official update notes, drops of Splinters are affected by players' Special Item Find stat. They are intended to dropped at a rate which will "make Marvel Heroes slightly faster than other free-to-play games in terms of getting free heroes." New heroes are currently the primary thing that can be purchased with Splinters, but there are plans to add more options in the future.

Other additions in today's update include the Midtown Patrol zone and the Human Torch, who is now a playable character. As with other heroes, he can either be purchased with real-world money or Eternity Splinters. Alongside the Human Torch on the in-game store are other new items for purchase, such as costumes for Iron Man and Wolverine.

Changes to items, tooltips, the user interface, missions, enemies, and almost all of the game's heroes have been implemented as well, as have small, but nonetheless welcome tweaks, like the ability to use movement powers while in hubs.

New player-versus-player modes remain in development, but are unfortunately not included in this patch. The Test Center will see the release of the new Fire and Ice map before the end of August, and players can now see Valkyrie, who will sell things in exchange for the Golden Crowns that will be added once the PvP mode is updated.

Marvel Heroes was deemed far from perfect in IGN's review. Among the problems were the slow rate at which new heroes could be unlocked and the lack of any way to dictate which heroes you obtained through drops. It sounds as if the new update may at least partially address those concerns with its Eternity Splinters, but it remains to be seen whether this update will be enough to help the game fulfill its potential.

Chris Pereira is a freelance writer (not Batman) who spends his spare time agonizing over the final seasons of The X-Files. Check out what he's saying on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

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