Dr. Doom Preview
Only a few short weeks ago Marvel Heroes and Gazillion Entertainment were in full Avengers: Age of Ultron mode. With the release of Ultron mode, Scarlet Witch’s “52 review”, Quicksilver as a team up, and a host of new movie related costumes and treats, it would seem Gazillion was throwing their full weight behind this event. We veterans of Marvel Heroes knew all too well that as impressive as this was it was but a precursor to one of the most commonly revered days in all of gaming. The Marvel Heroes two year anniversary celebration which is being spearheaded by the Lord of Latveria… Dr. Doom. Possibly the most anticipated character ever! When the Herald of Galactus, Silver Surfer, released on last years anniversary he was the first hero to not use spirit as a resource but instead drew from the power cosmic itself, now Gazillion is upping the ante with Doom as he comes with several first time character features. If the Silver Surfer signified a big step forward in terms of character design, than Dr. Doom is a quantum leap forward in character mechanics, design and implementation. Dr. Doom’s default costume is his white future foundation regalia which puts me into the mindset of Doom after his inversion during the Axis event (Axis reference: see issue #9)! Very magnanimous, reflective and willing to become a true servant to the people of Latveria. His additional costume which is part of his pre-order package is the iconic green garb for which we all have come to know him in. Donning the green costume infuses me with the sovereign responsibility of becoming Doom God (Secret Wars reference see issue #2). Speaking of his pre-order pack, it contains the standard compliments of five varied fortune cards, Doom’s character stash, and the aforementioned costumes.
As it could only be with Dr. Doom everything is grandeur and more robust. While everyone else has one to two signature power(s), Dr. Doom sports three. While other heroes have one resource pool to use the doomed one has two. Dr. Doom is also the only hero to have 3 specializations (Energy, Mental, and Physical). This means that Doom offers several great builds simply because Doom wills it! He can be played with a build that focuses on his “Tech” skill tree which features all of his cool gadgetry and weapons like “Technical Tyrant” that allows him to fire lasers from his fingertips, as well a few powerful up close and personal physical attacks like “Crumble Fools” that allows him to beat the ground from beneath your feet literally! His next skill tree is “Sorcery” which is a focus on his considerable powerful mystical magic . He has an array of spells, some that play mind tricks like the “Unthinkable” or the “Conjured Barrage” powers that waylays anything in the path of Dr. Dooms crushing will. His last skill tree is simply titled “Latervia”, which allows the full force of his sovereign land to be brought to bear and allows him to be played as a summoner and a pretty powerful one at that. He can call in the Latverian Blockade (that does what it sounds like and shields him from damage) to the hellish Latverian inferno which calls in a Cinderbot to incinerate any and everything Doom tags as unworthy of his love. It seems the perfect legendary item for Dr. Doom is the Power Cosmic which can be obtained from Moon Dragon in the Avengers Tower. What makes this legendary weapon so great is that Doom will be able to activate all of the weapons multiple “procs” and take advantage of each and every buff. Needless to say I started my Doom S.T.A.S.H. (bank) a few months ago and have a Power Cosmic awaiting his glorious arrival. If you don’t want to wait to acquire the power cosmic I would suggest going with the Cosmic Control Rod or the tried and true Gungir. Lastly is Doom’s Ultimate Power titled simply as “Doomsday”, which must be seen to be believed and that’s all I’ll say about it other than its classic Von Doom!
From the first time I took control of the Doctor on test center, controlling him felt different than any other character I had played before. I felt omnipotent! I felt like I deserved to be worshiped and adored! I alone deserved to define the destiny of Latveria! Alas… I came to the realization that I had no Doombot army backing me up and my fingertips did not shoot green lasers I like. You must enjoy Doom the only way you can and the only way he would sanction. Inside Marvel Heroes 2015!