Marvel Strike Force Forge Guide - Theria Games

Introduction

Forge, the mutant inventor, has made his debut in Marvel Strike Force, bringing a wealth of utility to the X-Treme X-Men team. As a versatile support character, Forge plays a vital role by crafting inventions that provide essential buffs, healing, and revives, making him indispensable in any X-Treme X-Men lineup. His abilities enhance the team’s effectiveness, particularly in Incursion Raids, where their synergies excel at clearing mutant nodes with ease. With his ability to offer a wide array of positive effects, including safeguard, Forge stands out as a key asset to his squad. This Marvel Strike Force Forge Guide will delve deeper into his strengths and strategies, ensuring you maximize his potential within the game.

This guide serves to provide an in-depth look at Forge’s abilities, T4 upgrade priorities, ISO-8 class, and his role within the X-Treme X-Men team. By understanding how these elements work together, players can fully harness Forge’s potential and improve performance across multiple game modes, especially in raids. The guide will explore Forge’s unique abilities and their impact, key T4 upgrade priorities to maximize his effectiveness, the most suitable ISO-8 class for Forge to optimize his performance, his synergy with the X-Treme X-Men team, and a detailed process on how to unlock Forge.

Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your strategy, this guide will provide the tools and knowledge to elevate your X-Treme X-Men team and make Forge an irreplaceable part of your roster.

Forge Details

Forge is a support character and a key member of the X-Treme X-Men team in Marvel Strike Force. As a mutant inventor and engineer, he has the ability to create, manipulate, and control technological devices, making him a valuable asset for his team. Forge’s traits include being a Hero, Global, Mutant, Support, and X-Treme X-Men character, with a speed of 98, positioning him as a capable support character in the game.

Forge is available through special offers and orbs, and can also be unlocked as a 100-shard character through a combination of the Sonic Judgment and Mechanical Marvel month-long events. To unlock him, players can reach Milestone 16 in the Sonic Judgment event, which grants 65 Forge shards, while the remaining 35 shards can be earned through the Mechanical Marvel event.

Primarily designed as a raid character, Forge excels when working alongside his X-Treme X-Men teammates, making him especially valuable in Incursion Raids. His abilities provide sustain, buffs, and other essential effects that enhance his team’s performance, solidifying his role as a crucial support character in any X-Treme X-Men squad.

Forge Abilities

Forge’s abilities make him an exceptionally versatile support character, offering a mix of offense, defense, and utility to his X-Treme X-Men team. His unique invention mechanic, combined with his healing, reviving, and buffing capabilities, make him a crucial asset in any battle. Here is a detailed breakdown of his abilities:

Crafted Shot

Level: 1

Damage: 100

Boot N’ Shoot

Level: 1

Damage: 160

Engineering Support

Level: 1

Piercing: 200

Improvised Inventions

Level: 1

Gain Armor: 30

Forge’s Basic Ability – Crafted Shot attacks the primary target for 220% damage and applies Deflect and Regeneration to himself and all X-Men allies. This ability is also used during his ISO attack, ensuring consistent buffs across the team.

His Special Ability – Boot N’ Shoot has a 5-turn cooldown. It attacks the primary target for 400% damage, copies one positive effect (excluding Taunt), and chains to an adjacent target for another 400% damage while copying another positive effect. This ability spreads all positive effects from Forge to all X-Men allies (excluding Taunt), clears Heal Block from himself and his team, and heals both himself and all X-Men allies for 20% of his max health. If Forge is Charged, he applies Immunity to himself and his allies, then loses 1 Charged. This ability is especially valuable for clearing Heal Block before healing, ensuring your team stays at full strength.

Forge’s Ultimate Ability – Engineering Support has a 10-turn cooldown and is one of his most powerful support tools. It attacks the primary and adjacent targets for 500% piercing damage and clears all positive effects from them. It also clears all negative effects from Forge and all X-Men allies, heals everyone for 30% of his max health, and prolongs the duration of all positive effects on X-Men allies by 1, up to a maximum of 2.

Additionally, Forge applies Counter, Deathproof, and Deflect to himself and all X-Men allies. In raids, he applies Evade and Safeguard to his team, ensuring their survival. He also provides a crucial revival ability by reviving one dead X-Treme X-Men ally with 100% health or gaining 3 ability energy if no ally is dead to revive. This ultimate ability is a game-changer, especially for its Safeguard and Evade effects in raids.

Forge’s Passive Ability – Improvised Inventions is a core part of his kit. Upon spawn, he applies Defense Up to himself and all X-Men allies. Each turn, he crafts a random invention that he doesn’t already have, providing different bonuses: Rifle Upgrade applies +1 Vulnerable on attack, Shoulder Cannon attacks the lowest health enemy for 200% piercing damage at the end of any X-Men ally’s turn, and Targeting Reticle grants +25% crit chance to himself and all X-Men allies.

Eventually, Forge will have all three inventions, providing his team with valuable buffs. Additionally, on any turn, Forge heals the most injured X-Men ally for 5% of his max health. When any X-Men ally or Forge himself drops below 50% health, he applies a barrier to all X-Men allies for 10% of his max health and fills his speed bar by 15%. Forge also gains +30% armor and +30% resistance for himself and his team, with an additional +60% armor and +60% resistance for X-Treme X-Men allies in raids.

Forge’s abilities are specifically designed to support his X-Treme X-Men teammates, particularly in raids. His passive invention mechanic ensures he is always contributing, while his ultimate and special abilities provide significant healing, buffs, and utility, making him a must-have support character for any X-Treme X-Men squad.

Forge T4 (Tier 4) Ability Upgrade Priority

Forge’s T4 upgrades are crucial for maximizing his effectiveness, particularly in raids, where his role as a support character becomes even more vital. The recommended priority for upgrading his abilities is focused on his Ultimate, Special, and Passive abilities, with his Basic ability being a lower priority.

The Ultimate Ability – Engineering Support should be the top priority for T4 upgrades. This upgrade is essential because it applies Safeguard to all X-Treme X-Men allies in raids, preventing buffs from being removed from the team. Additionally, it applies Evade to himself and all X-Treme X-Men allies, further enhancing his utility and making this upgrade a game-changer in raid scenarios. It is considered a must-have upgrade for Forge’s kit.

Next in priority is the Special Ability – Boot N’ Shoot, which also warrants a T4 upgrade. This upgrade is crucial because it ensures that Heal Block is cleared before any healing is applied, making the healing effect more effective. Clearing Heal Block before healing ensures that Forge’s healing ability isn’t wasted, making him even more valuable during extended battles, particularly in tougher encounters.

Upgrading Forge’s Passive Ability – Improvised Inventions is also important. This upgrade applies Defense Up to himself and all X-Men allies upon spawn, which provides crucial early survivability, especially in longer battles like those in Dark Dimension. This upgrade is also considered essential for maximizing Forge’s support role and ensuring his team can endure through the early stages of a fight.

The Basic Ability – Crafted Shot T4 upgrade, while helpful, is considered a lower priority and can be skipped for now. This upgrade improves the basic attack to apply Deflect and Regeneration to all X-Men allies, rather than just the four most injured. While this is a useful upgrade, it is not seen as essential compared to the others.

In summary, focus on upgrading Forge’s Ultimate first, followed by his Special, and then his Passive. The Basic ability upgrade is useful but not critical and can be prioritized later if you have the resources to spare.

ISO-8 Class

When choosing the best ISO-8 class for Forge, two options stand out: Striker and Healer. The preferred choice is Striker, but the decision depends on how you intend to utilize Forge in your squad.

The Striker class is the most commonly recommended for Forge. As a Striker, Forge’s basic and ISO attacks apply Deflect and Regeneration to all X-Men allies, greatly enhancing the team’s survivability by providing continuous healing and protection. Additionally, when Forge has the Rifle Upgrade from his passive, he applies Vulnerable with his attacks, which synergizes well with the Striker class, adding bonus damage. The added damage from the follow-up attack, combined with his healing and defensive capabilities, makes Striker an excellent fit for Forge, especially in raids. Some players even consider this a strong option for him outside of raids due to the consistent utility it provides.

The Healer class is another viable choice for Forge. This class boosts his healing abilities, which can be beneficial if your team needs additional sustain. Forge already has multiple healing abilities, including two active healing moves and healing from his passive on any turn. If you’re facing content that demands more healing, such as higher-level battles, the Healer ISO-8 class can increase his output and ensure his team stays in top shape.

While Skirmisher and Raider are secondary options, they are generally not as effective as Striker or Healer. The Skirmisher class enhances Forge’s focus, which can help him clear positive effects from enemies using his ultimate. However, since Forge does not apply many debuffs to enemies, this class is less optimal. Similarly, Raider increases critical hit chances, which is useful due to his Targeting Reticle invention granting a 25% crit chance to his allies. While this benefits other characters on his team, particularly those like Gambit, it’s not as effective for Forge, as he doesn’t attack enough targets to fully capitalize on the Raider class.

In conclusion, while Healer is a good choice if you need extra healing, the Striker ISO-8 class is the most recommended for Forge. It enhances his ability to provide constant Deflect and Regeneration to the team, making him an even more valuable support character in both raids and other content.

Best Forge Team Composition

Forge is a vital support character for the X-Treme X-Men team, and his synergy with this group makes him irreplaceable, particularly in raids like Incursion Raids. His primary role is to provide essential healing, buffs, and revives, keeping the team in fighting shape. With his passive ability, which involves crafting inventions, Forge stays actively engaged throughout the battle. His ultimate ability is key for applying Safeguard, which prevents buffs from being removed in raids, further solidifying his importance.

The ideal team composition for Forge revolves around characters that complement his support role while bringing damage and utility to the table. Nightcrawler stands out as a damage dealer and speed manipulator. His ability to provide a speed boost at the start of battle and chain attacks to multiple targets, regardless of their position, makes him an essential part of the team. Additionally, he applies Evade on spawn, giving the team extra survivability.

Cyclops serves as the team’s leader and focus provider. He can expose enemies with low health and counterattack when allies are attacked. His ultimate ability gains extra Charged from Forge’s support, further boosting his damage potential. Gambit, known for his high crit chance and crit damage, adds another layer of offense. He applies Evade when landing a critical hit and increases the crit chance and damage for the entire team. Sunspot rounds out the team as a blaster and energy battery.

He provides a significant amount of ability energy at the start of each battle, boosts damage output for himself and his allies, and prevents enemies from gaining taunt when paired with at least three other X-Treme X-Men allies.

This team is designed for maximum synergy, with each character contributing critical buffs, debuffs, and offensive power. Their combined abilities make them incredibly effective at clearing raid nodes, with added utility for other game modes such as war and crucible. In terms of positioning, it’s recommended to place Forge in the corner to protect him as the healer, with Sunspot in the opposite corner. Cyclops should be placed in the middle, while Nightcrawler and Gambit should be positioned on either side of him. The ideal turn order starts with Nightcrawler, followed by Sunspot, Cyclops, Gambit, and finally Forge.

For ISO-8 classes, Striker is a good choice for Forge, while Sunspot works well as a Striker, Gambit as a Raider, Cyclops as a Raider, and Nightcrawler can be either a Raider or Striker. The team’s synergies and well-rounded abilities make them capable of consistently clearing Incursion II Raid nodes with ease. While Forge can be used in other teams, his full potential is truly realized within the X-Treme X-Men team, ensuring he can maximize his abilities and contribute to the team’s success in raids.

Team Placement and Turn Order

For the X-Treme X-Men team, optimizing team placement and turn order can significantly improve performance, especially in raids.

Team Placement should prioritize protecting key characters and optimizing synergies. Forge, being the healer and primary support, should be placed in a corner to minimize exposure to enemy attacks, ensuring his survival is prioritized for team sustainability. Sunspot should be placed in the opposite corner to Forge. As the team’s leader and a high-priority character, Cyclops should be placed in the center, where he can easily interact with the other team members while staying protected. Nightcrawler and Gambit are best placed to the left and right of Cyclops, ensuring they are in optimal positions for both offense and defense.

Turn Order is crucial for maximizing the team’s speed and effectiveness. Nightcrawler should take the first turn, thanks to his passive ability, which grants a speed boost at the start of the battle. In raids, his speed bar fills by 25%, giving the team a significant advantage in acting before most enemies. His special ability further boosts the team’s speed by 20% (or 40% in raids), allowing for even greater control over the pace of battle.

After Nightcrawler, Sunspot should go next, benefiting from the speed boost to act quickly and use his abilities early. Cyclops follows Sunspot, taking his turn to support the team with offense and focus. Gambit should be next in the turn order, providing additional damage and crit-based benefits. Finally, Forge takes his turn last as the team’s primary support character, using his abilities to heal, buff, and revive as needed.

By focusing on optimal placement and turn order, the X-Treme X-Men team can take advantage of their speed and synergy, enabling them to act before enemies, clear raid nodes with ease, and ensure key characters like Forge are well-protected.

Team Synergies

The X-Treme X-Men team is designed with strong synergies that enhance their performance, especially in Incursion II Raid mutant nodes. The team is built for both offensive and defensive strength, with members working together to control the battlefield, manipulate their speed bar, and provide support through healing, damage, and debuff clearing.

Nightcrawler is the primary speed manipulator for the team. His passive ability grants him a speed up at the start of battle, and in raids, he fills the team’s speed bar by 25%. His special ability boosts the team’s speed bar, and every critical hit he lands fills the speed bar by an additional 10%, ensuring the team can act before most enemies. This makes him essential for speeding up the team’s turns.

Sunspot excels at generating ability energy for the team. He provides a significant amount of energy at the start of each battle based on the number of Charged he has, and his special and ultimate abilities further generate energy. In addition to energy generation, Sunspot increases the team’s damage and prevents enemies from gaining taunt when at least three X-Treme X-Men allies are present.

Cyclops plays a key role in leadership and support. He provides focus for the team, exposes the most injured enemies, and counterattacks enemies who attack his allies. If any ally dies, Cyclops fills Forge’s speed bar by 100%, allowing Forge to revive the fallen ally. Forge’s ultimate also grants significant charged to Cyclops, boosting his damage output.

Gambit provides powerful damage through high crit chance and crit damage. He also applies evade to the team when landing critical hits and can passively target the enemy with the lowest health. Additionally, Gambit applies heal block to enemies, further adding to his value.

Forge is the team’s support and sustain character. He provides healing, revival, and protection through his ultimate ability, which grants safeguard and evade in raids. His basic attack applies deflect and regeneration to the team, and his passive grants him a random invention, providing additional buffs. Forge can also create a barrier when any X-Men ally’s health drops below 50%.

In terms of passive damage, three X-Treme X-Men members—Cyclops, Gambit, and Forge—passively attack enemies, contributing to the team’s overall damage output.

The team benefits from several key buffs: Gambit increases max health, crit chance, and crit damage for the team, Nightcrawler boosts max health, Sunspot adds significant damage bonuses, Forge enhances armor and resistance, and Cyclops increases focus. These buffs make the team highly resilient and powerful in combat.

Overall, the X-Treme X-Men team excels in both offense and defense, with strong synergies that allow them to control the battlefield, clear debuffs, and prevent substantial damage from enemies. Their ability to manipulate speed and provide support through healing and buffs makes them highly effective, particularly in high-level content like the Incursion Raid II Mutant nodes.

Game Mode Analysis

The X-Treme X-Men team, with Forge as a key support character, excels primarily in Alliance Raids, particularly in the Incursion II Raids on Mutant nodes. They are considered essential for successfully completing these nodes, with the team designed to consistently simulate the Mutant nodes in these raids.

Their speed manipulation from Nightcrawler, ability energy generation from Sunspot, and Forge’s healing and protection abilities make them highly effective in raid scenarios. Forge’s ultimate ability, which applies Safeguard to all X-Treme X-Men allies, is especially crucial for improving raid performance, while his passive ability provides defense up on spawn and his special clears heal block before healing, both vital for raid sustainability. With strong sustain and battlefield control, the team is well-suited to prevent enemies from using key abilities and withstand damage in raids.

In Dark Dimension, Forge is a valuable asset, especially when preparing for Dark Dimension 6, due to his defense up on spawn and his revival abilities. The team’s speed manipulation, survivability, and strong damage output make them viable for the challenging content, with Nightcrawler being a top choice for Global nodes and Gambit providing valuable counterattacks. However, the team can be vulnerable to disrupt, as they rely heavily on their buffs for survival. Forge’s revive ability can turn the tide if any team members fall during a mission.

In Cosmic Crucible, the X-Treme X-Men can be effective, though they are typically used as a defense team. Forge’s ultimate ability, which grants a charge to all X-Men allies, benefits Gambit, while his ability to spread buffs and apply immunity with his special provides support to the team. Gambit’s passive ability, which fills the speed bar in Crucible, also adds value. Despite these strengths, Forge’s utility in Cosmic Crucible is considered secondary to Gambit’s.

In Alliance War, the X-Treme X-Men are generally not a priority, as they are not primarily designed for offense in this mode. However, they can still be effective as a defense team, offering decent sustain and counterattacks.

For Blitz and Real-Time Arena, the X-Treme X-Men can be used, though they are not tailored specifically for these modes. Their versatility allows them to perform in multiple game modes, but they are not optimized for either Blitz or Arena.

Outside of raids, Forge is less effective as a stand-alone character due to his slow speed and long cooldowns. However, within the X-Treme X-Men team, his support abilities remain valuable across other game modes, even though the team excels most in raids.

In conclusion, while the X-Treme X-Men team can be used across various game modes, their primary strength lies in raids, where they are essential, especially for the Mutant nodes in Incursion II Raids. Forge’s abilities to provide healing, revives, and Safeguard make him an irreplaceable support character for the team. Although the team can be effective in Dark Dimension and Cosmic Crucible, their role in raids is the most significant, and Forge is critical to their success in these high-level raid missions.

Building Forge

To build Forge effectively, focus on maximizing his potential as a support character for the X-Treme X-Men team. It is recommended to bring Forge to gear tier 15, with the possibility of advancing to gear tier 16 or 17 for added durability. Level 85 is a good starting point, and you may want to increase him to level 90 later on for additional strength. Ideally, aim to match Forge’s power level to that of Rescue for the current raid you’re running, especially if Rescue is at 7 stars, as you may need to compensate for Forge’s lower star level. Forge is considered a high-value character, making him well worth the investment in gear.

When selecting an ISO-8 class, Striker is the primary recommendation for Forge. As a Striker, his ISO attack will apply Deflect and Regeneration to all X-Men allies, which significantly boosts the team’s survivability. Healer is a secondary option and will increase Forge’s healing output, which can also be valuable. Skirmisher is another option, as it enables Forge to clear enemy buffs with his ultimate ability, though this is less of a priority since Forge’s main role is support. Raider is not an optimal choice for Forge. Initially, the Striker class is the best fit, but Healer may be more useful later on. Ultimately, the ISO class is not as crucial as the other aspects of his build.

For T4 abilities, start with the Ultimate ability as the highest priority. Upgrading this ability ensures Forge can apply Safeguard to all X-Treme X-Men allies in raids, which is essential for raid performance. The Special ability should be the second priority, as upgrading it will allow Forge to clear Heal Block before healing, an important function in raids. The Passive ability comes next, as upgrading it provides Defense Up to all X-Treme X-Men allies on spawn, enhancing their survivability. Finally, the Basic ability is a luxury pick; upgrading it will allow Forge to apply Deflect and Regeneration to all allies, but this is not as critical as the other upgrades.

Forge’s general build should focus on making him robust, with a high health stat to maximize his healing and barrier potential. His role as a revive character makes it essential for him to survive long enough to use his revival ability. Aim to increase his star level as much as possible, and prioritize red stars to further boost his strength.

In terms of team considerations, Forge is an essential member of the X-Treme X-Men team, which includes Nightcrawler, Sunspot, Cyclops, and Gambit. This team is designed for raids, and Forge’s support abilities make him irreplaceable for the team’s success, especially in Incursion II Raids. While Forge can be useful in other modes, his primary strength lies within the X-Treme X-Men team, and he is needed for long-term viability in this lineup.

In summary, to build Forge effectively, focus on reaching gear tier 15 or higher and level 85 or higher, using the Striker ISO-8 class, upgrading the Ultimate, Special, and Passive abilities in that order, focusing on his health to maximize his support role, integrating him into the X-Treme X-Men team, and prioritizing red stars when they become available.

Unlocking Forge

To unlock Forge, players need to participate in special events, spend resources wisely, and focus on key milestones. Forge was originally released through a combination of the Sonic Judgment event and the Mechanical Marvel month-long milestone event. During the Sonic Judgment event, players could earn Forge shards by completing various milestones. To get enough shards, reaching Milestone 16 in this event, which awarded 65 shards, was necessary. The remaining 35 shards could be obtained through the Mechanical Marvel event. It was possible to unlock Forge for free by participating in these events, with milestones and event participation providing the required shards.

Additionally, Forge could be available through special offers that allow players to unlock him earlier than through event participation. Forge shards might also appear in orbs, providing another method to collect his shards.

The Sonic Judgment event required players to spend incursion campaign energy and involved completing web milestones to earn points. Players could also gain points through Cosmic Crucible battles, with higher points rewarded when using Superior Six characters at specific star levels. Crucible Champion Orb Fragments were also valuable for this event. Reaching Milestone 13 was considered the bare minimum to complete the event, and reaching Milestone 16 was necessary to collect all Forge shards. Additionally, players could reach Milestone 15 with 50 core refreshes, and spending 100 cores per day boosted the points gained during the event.

The Mechanical Marvel event was a month-long event that provided the remaining shards needed to unlock Forge, complementing the shards earned through the Sonic Judgment event.

Forge is a 100 shard unlock character, initially available as a 3-star unlock. It is important to focus on collecting shards during these events, as Forge’s shards are not obtainable just by playing through the game’s regular modes. He is a crucial member of the X-Treme X-Men team, but it’s important to note that Forge’s full potential is realized when paired with the rest of the team, particularly Sunspot.

To maximize your chances of unlocking Forge, it is advisable to save power cores and other resources to use during events and offers. While the method of unlocking characters may change in the future, these events remain the primary way to unlock Forge.

In summary, unlocking Forge requires active participation in events, strategic energy spending, and prioritizing milestones. By focusing on key event milestones and managing resources, players can successfully unlock Forge and integrate him into their X-Treme X-Men team.

Conclusion

Forge is a crucial support character, primarily designed for the X-Treme X-Men team, and plays an essential role in succeeding in the Incursion II Raids, particularly on the Mutant nodes. While Forge and the X-Treme X-Men team can be useful in other game modes such as Dark Dimension and Cosmic Crucible, their primary value lies in Raids.

Forge excels in his support role, focusing on team sustain by providing healing, revives, buffs, and debuff clearing. His abilities are tailored to enhance the capabilities of the X-Treme X-Men team. However, Forge’s value is maximized when used as part of the team, and he is irreplaceable within it. As a standalone character, Forge is less effective, as his full potential is realized only when paired with all five members of the X-Treme X-Men team, including Sunspot.

When upgrading Forge, prioritizing his Ultimate ability is key, as it grants Safeguard to the team in Raids. The next priority should be his Special ability, which clears Heal Block before healing, followed by his Passive ability that applies Defense Up at the start of battle. Upgrading the Basic ability is considered a luxury. The Striker ISO-8 class is typically recommended for Forge, as it allows him to apply Regeneration and Deflect to the entire team, although Healer is a viable alternative to enhance his healing output.

Forge should be built with a focus on high health to maximize his healing and barrier potential. This is important to ensure his survival and allow him to use his revive ability effectively. Prioritizing Forge’s gold and red stars will further increase his effectiveness. Forge was available through a combination of events, including the Sonic Judgment and Mechanical Marvel events, which provided players with opportunities to unlock him for free. However, his long-term value is in his role as a key member of the X-Treme X-Men team, and he is essential for the team to function optimally.

In conclusion, Forge is a critical component of the X-Treme X-Men team, essential for tackling end-game raid content, especially the Incursion II Raids. While he can be useful in other game modes, his primary focus is supporting the X-Treme X-Men in raids. Investing in Forge’s gear, abilities, and ISO-8 class will significantly improve your raid performance and help you conquer difficult raid content. To fully unlock his potential, a strong X-Treme X-Men team is a must.