Marvel Strike Force Black Bolt Guide - Theria Games

Introduction
Black Bolt is a Legendary character in Marvel Strike Force and the revered king of the Inhumans, known for his extraordinary combat abilities and strategic importance in battle. As a powerful Blaster, he stands out for his impressive offensive capabilities, designed to deal immense damage and eliminate enemies with incredible speed.
His attacks are not only strong but also highly efficient, allowing him to strike down opponents before they have an opportunity to retaliate or take any countermeasures. This makes him a game-changer in many situations, capable of altering the course of any match with just a few well-placed hits. For players looking to maximize his potential, a Marvel Strike Force Black Bolt Guide can be a helpful resource in understanding how to utilize his abilities best and optimize his performance in battle.
When unlocked and properly invested in, Black Bolt can significantly boost your gameplay, enabling you to outpace and overwhelm your enemies. His presence on the battlefield brings a unique advantage, allowing you to control the flow of battle and deal decisive blows that leave little room for your enemies to recover. As a Blaster, Black Bolt excels in offensive scenarios, easily taking down key targets and creating opportunities for your other teammates to follow up with their attacks.
Players who add Black Bolt to their roster often find themselves in a dominant position, especially when facing teams that rely on reviving or healing characters, such as Ultron or Minerva. His powerful abilities can quickly dismantle these strategies, preventing these characters from regaining their strength and turning the tide in your favor. Whether you’re playing against teams with heavy regeneration or those with strong tanks, Black Bolt’s raw power ensures that your enemies’ attempts to recover or revive are thwarted, solidifying his role as a top-tier character in Marvel Strike Force. His combination of high damage output, speed, and countering abilities makes him a crucial addition for any player looking to elevate their roster and dominate in battles.
Unlocking Black Bolt
Black Bolt is unlocked through the legendary event Unite the Kingdoms, which requires players to have a 5-star Asgardian team to participate. To unlock Black Bolt, players must have all five Asgardian characters at 5-yellow stars: Hela, Loki, Thor, Sif, and Heimdall. Each of these characters can be farmed or purchased through specific sources. Hela can be farmed from Villain Campaign node 7-6, while Loki can be farmed from Mystic Campaign node 3-6. Thor can be purchased from the Raid Store or farmed from Hero Campaign node 7-3. Sif is available for purchase from the War Store, and Heimdall can be purchased from the Arena Store.
Unite the Kingdoms is a recurring event, but it is not available permanently, so players need to ensure they participate when it returns. Newer and mid-game players are strongly encouraged to unlock Black Bolt during this event as he is considered one of the most valuable Legendary characters, significantly improving a player’s roster and overall gameplay. Black Bolt is often regarded as the best Legendary character for these players due to his powerful offensive abilities and his capacity to change the tide of battle.
There are several ways players can maximize their chances of unlocking Black Bolt during the event. First, there is a 7-day login calendar that offers Asgardian shards, allowing players to gather shards for the required characters. Additionally, the day before the event begins, there is usually a double drop event for campaign farmable characters, which enables players to earn double the shards for Asgardians that can be farmed from Campaign nodes. Lastly, players who complete event tiers are rewarded with two Mega Orbs, which they can use in hopes of obtaining more Asgardian shards. These strategies can significantly assist players in preparing for the event and unlocking Black Bolt.
Black Bolt’s Abilities
Black Bolt is one of the most offensively gifted characters in Marvel Strike Force, and most players recommend maximizing all of his abilities to leverage his high damage output fully.
Royal Strike
Level: 1
Damage: 100
Minus Level Level Up!Staggering Voice
Level: 1
Damage: 150
Minus Level Level Up!Sonic Scream
Level: 1
Damage: 100
Minus Level Level Up!King of Attilan
Level: 1
Damage: 150
Minus Level Level Up!His basic ability, Royal Strike, attacks the primary target for 350% damage and clears one positive effect. If the target is slowed, Black Bolt will flip one negative effect on himself. This basic ability is one of the few in the game that flips negative effects, providing a strategic advantage. Players who level this ability to Level 7 will see the damage increase to 400% and the ability to clear two positive effects instead of one.
Black Bolt’s special ability, Staggering Voice, attacks a single target for 500% damage and is unavoidable, meaning it will land even if Black Bolt is blinded or the target has dodge. This makes it a highly reliable attack, and players who maximize the ability can increase its damage to 600%, making it even more potent.
His ultimate ability, Sonic Scream, is one of the most powerful in the game. It attacks all enemies for 380% damage, and at Level 7, this ability deals a massive 500% damage to all enemies. Sonic Scream is widely considered to be one of the highest-damaging attacks in the game, making Black Bolt a top-tier damage dealer.
Black Bolt’s passive ability, King of Attilan, is packed with powerful effects that enhance his offensive capabilities. One of the most notable features is that any character killed by Black Bolt cannot be revived, making him a valuable counter to characters with revive abilities like Ultron, Minerva, and Anti-Venom. Additionally, when an enemy drops below 25% health, Black Bolt will attack that enemy for 200% damage. If the enemy is Villain Tech, the attack deals 400% damage, which makes Black Bolt an especially strong counter to Ultron, a Villain Tech character.
This passive also applies Disrupt and clears positive effects on enemy summons and the summoner, making Black Bolt an effective counter to characters who utilize summons, such as Ultron and Hela. At T4, the damage of this passive increases to 300% for regular enemies and 600% for Villain Tech enemies. Furthermore, Black Bolt gains Max Health, and Inhuman allies receive 50% Max Health at T4, significantly boosting Black Bolt’s survivability and enhancing the strength of Inhuman teams. This combination of abilities makes Black Bolt an incredibly powerful and versatile character, capable of changing the course of any battle.
Black Bolt’s Uses
Black Bolt is widely regarded as one of the best offensive characters in Marvel Strike Force. Many players consider him a top 5 character for Arena, primarily due to his unique ability to permanently eliminate enemies, making him a potent threat. He is one of the few characters in the game with a mechanic that cannot be replicated by anyone else, particularly his ability to prevent revives. This makes him extremely strong against teams that rely on characters with revive abilities, such as Ultron, Minerva, or Anti-Venom. One player mentions that they like to use Black Bolt against teams with Nebula, as she cannot revive characters that he has already eliminated.
Black Bolt is considered a hard counter to Ultron and is frequently used in Arena and Raids to deal with him quickly. Players use Black Bolt to apply Disrupt to Ultron, clear his buffs, and prevent him from using his revive abilities. His passive also makes him highly effective against Ultron’s summons, as it applies Disrupt and clears buffs from both the summons and Ultron himself.
Players also make use of Black Bolt in Raids and War due to his high damage output, allowing him to eliminate key targets with ease. Although some players have tried using Black Bolt in Dark Dimension, his effectiveness in this game mode is debated. Due to the high health pools of enemies in Dark Dimension, Black Bolt’s passive ability does not activate as frequently, which can reduce his overall usefulness in these modes. One player shares that they had more success with characters like Doctor Octopus, Phoenix, and Ebony Maw in Dark Dimension 3 and 4, while another player continues to use Black Bolt there, claiming he is their strongest character.
In addition to his role in regular gameplay, Black Bolt is required to unlock the Legendary character Ebony Maw. To unlock Ebony Maw, players must have Black Bolt on their team, making him an essential character to obtain, especially since Ebony Maw is considered by many to be one of the best Legendary characters in the game.
While Black Bolt is undeniably a strong offensive powerhouse, some players report that his passive ability can be unreliable. One player humorously suggests that the developers might need to add the word “sometimes” to his passive ability description, as it does not always activate as expected, adding a layer of unpredictability to his performance.
Team Composition
Black Bolt is most often used with a team of Inhumans, and Yo-Yo is a particularly important character to pair with him. Her passive ability allows her to apply Offense Down to enemies when she attacks, but this effect is only triggered if there is no other Protector on the team. Since Black Bolt is a Blaster and does not have the Protector tag, Yo-Yo becomes the sole Protector on the team, ensuring that her passive is always active. This synergy between Black Bolt and Yo-Yo boosts the team’s overall effectiveness, as it reduces the damage output of enemies, giving Black Bolt and the rest of the Inhumans a significant advantage in battle.
To complete the Inhuman team around Black Bolt, players can choose from several key characters, including Crystal, Karnak, Ms. Marvel, and Quake. The choice of which characters to include depends on the specific game mode and the enemy team composition, as each character brings unique benefits. Crystal can provide utility with her abilities to control enemies, while Karnak offers strong damage output and utility through his debuffs. Ms. Marvel brings versatility and can apply helpful buffs to the team, while Quake can control the battlefield with her crowd control abilities.
Before Black Bolt was released, the Inhuman team was not particularly strong, but with his addition, the team becomes much more powerful and viable in modes like Arena, Raids, War, and Blitz. The synergy between Black Bolt and the other Inhumans allows for a cohesive strategy that can take down opponents quickly and efficiently.
Additionally, Hela and Loki synergize well with Black Bolt. Both characters are required to unlock Black Bolt, meaning players will likely already have them on their roster. Hela’s area-of-effect (AOE) attack can apply Bleed to multiple targets, which allows Black Bolt’s passive to trigger and eliminate enemies quickly. Loki’s ability to apply Disrupt also complements Black Bolt’s passive, particularly against summoned enemies, as Black Bolt’s passive applies Disrupt to them, preventing their buffs from being useful. These synergies make Black Bolt even more potent when paired with characters like Hela and Loki, enhancing his already impressive offensive capabilities.
ISO-8 Class
The recommended ISO-8 class for Black Bolt is Striker, and for good reason. As an offensive powerhouse, Black Bolt’s primary strength lies in his exceptionally high damage output, and the Striker class significantly enhances this by amplifying his already devastating attacks. The Striker class applies Vulnerable to the primary target, which increases the damage the target takes from all sources.
This effect allows Black Bolt to deal even more overwhelming damage, making him a formidable presence on the battlefield. Additionally, the Striker class boosts Black Bolt’s base damage and Max Health, which not only increases his ability to eliminate enemies quickly but also makes him more resilient in longer battles. This combination of offensive power and survivability makes him an even more dangerous asset in all game modes.
While some players may eventually take Black Bolt to ISO-8 Level 5 to further increase his effectiveness, it is generally considered more important to maintain a well-rounded and diverse ISO-8 roster. A balanced roster allows players to adapt to different team compositions and scenarios, ensuring that they have the flexibility to tackle a variety of challenges.
Prioritizing diversity in ISO-8 investment can help players optimize their overall gameplay, rather than focusing all resources on maxing out a single character. However, using the Striker class on Black Bolt remains one of the best ways to maximize his potential, especially considering his role as a powerful damage dealer. With the Striker class, Black Bolt becomes even more efficient and lethal, making him a key character for any player looking to improve their roster and dominate in both offense and survivability.
Gear Tier and Red Stars
It is highly recommended that players take Black Bolt to at least Gear Tier 12, as this is required to unlock Ebony Maw. Many players choose to take Black Bolt to higher Gear Tiers, with some reaching Gear Tier 13 or 14 to maximize his effectiveness. A few players even report having Black Bolt at Gear Tier 15, further enhancing his survivability and damage output. The investment in higher Gear Tiers is beneficial, as it allows Black Bolt to reach his full potential and perform at his best in various game modes.
Players are also advised to invest Red Stars in Black Bolt when they have the opportunity. Black Bolt truly thrives at high Red Star levels, where his damage output and passive abilities are significantly boosted. One player unlocked Black Bolt at 5 Red Stars and found it to be very effective, while another pulled him at 2 Red Stars but managed to promote him to 6 Red Stars using promotion credits.
Some players even get fortunate enough to pull Black Bolt at 7 Red Stars, further enhancing his capabilities. While players debate whether it’s worth investing resources solely based on a character’s Red Star level, Black Bolt’s high Red Star levels make a substantial difference in his performance, especially in terms of his damage and passive effects, making the investment worthwhile.
Conclusion
Black Bolt is a top-tier Legendary character in Marvel Strike Force who can significantly enhance a player’s roster, offering unmatched value to any team. His powerful offensive abilities, including his devastating damage output, and his unique passive make him an indispensable asset in a wide range of game modes. Black Bolt’s ability to permanently eliminate enemies, especially those with revival mechanics, makes him particularly effective against teams that rely on reviving characters or summons, such as those featuring Ultron, Minerva, or Anti-Venom. His ability to disrupt these strategies with his passive, which prevents enemies from being revived, positions him as one of the best counters to meta teams.
Players are strongly encouraged to prioritize unlocking and investing in Black Bolt when his legendary event, Unite the Kingdoms, becomes available. His high damage output and versatile abilities allow him to deal with many different enemy compositions, making him a valuable character in a variety of scenarios. Whether you are tackling Arena, Raids, War, or Blitz, Black Bolt can make a significant difference in your ability to win matches. His ability to neutralize key enemy threats, apply Disrupt to summons, and deal massive damage makes him an asset in virtually every game mode.
Investing in Black Bolt is a wise decision for any player looking to elevate their roster and increase their effectiveness in combat. With his potential for high damage, synergy with other Inhumans, and ability to counter powerful characters, Black Bolt stands out as one of the most valuable Legendary characters in the game. Adding him to your roster not only boosts your offensive capabilities but also strengthens your team’s ability to take on even the toughest foes, making him a must-have for serious players aiming for success.