Marvel’s Avengers isn’t just a linear story — it’s also a Live Service Game in the vein of Destiny or The Division, and the online options expand greatly after you complete the main story. You’ll gain access to more complex systems, more missions, and more ways to play with friends in the end-game. There’s an entirely different leveling systems too; if you’ve played any Live Service Game, you’ll know all about Power Level / Gear Score.
For the entire game, you’ll “level up” by equipping gear. Each piece of gear has a Power Level, and to become more powerful, you need to increase your cumulative score, averaged from all the gear you’ve currently got equipped. The game world scales with you, so the higher your Power Level, the better the gear that drops — it can be confusing to players unfamiliar, so let’s break down exactly what it takes to reach 130+ PL and beyond.
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How To Reach 130+ PL | End-Game Guide
Power Level is a special level type that really comes into focus after completing the game — it’s integral to how you play the End-Game content. Power Level is calculated based on your current cumulative Gear Score — whatever level your gear is, that’s combined to create your Power Level. That determines how strong you are, and how much damage you do (or take) in missions.
The max Power Level appears to be 150 PL — which is only possible to reach by boosting gear. The softcap is 130 PL — that means enemies will stop dropping gear at PL 130. You can earn that simply by completing two specific types of challenges: Villain Sectors and HVTs (High Value Targets). Villains Sectors are the best way to boost your level and get better gear currently.
Villain Sectors are the toughest challenges to complete solo, but it is possible. Before going in, there’s a few things you should know about grinding Villain Sectors.
- Harm Rooms will only earn you XP. They don’t give you gear.
- Your AI teammates don’t need to be leveled up. They’ll automatically scale to fight at your level.
- Villain Sectors will give you +5 PL gear.
- If you get the Projectile Damage Modifier, just quit and try again. It’s the deadliest modifier by far.
As long as your chosen character is a good level — about Power Level 30 — you’ll be able to begin fighting Villain Squads. To reach this level, complete HARM Rooms below 10 PL, then jump on missions. Your goal is to complete an Iconic Mission before taking on the Villain Sectors.
Start by grinding missions available from vendors. Any side-missions will do. Anything that increases your main character’s Power Level. Get gear and equip it — and then complete your Iconic Mission. Once you finish an Iconic Mission, you should be able to take a shot at Villain Sectors.
- How To Reach 130+ PL | Quick Guide
- Below 10 PL, complete HARM Rooms.
- Play through missions and complete the Iconic Mission for your character to reach 30~ PL.
- Grind Villain Sectors for +5 PL per run.
- Don’t bother grinding your allies. You can leave them around 20~ PL and they’ll be fine — even at 130~ PL!
Villain Sectors pit you against a tough group of villains. These villains are always about +5 PL, so if you’re Power Level 25, they’ll be Power Level 30. That’s what makes them so good for grinding Power Level. They’re extremely tough, but completing them will almost guarantee some PL gains from higher level gear.
- TIP: To earn higher Power gear, play on Challenge 3 or Challenge 4. Or even higher! Whatever you can manage, it will help you — Gold Strongboxes will also spawn on Challenge Level 4 difficulty in vaults.
If you’re looking for another quick way to boost Gear Score / Power Level in the end game, just use the Boost mechanic. Boost allows you to upgrade gear and unlock additional perks. This also instantly increases the power level of the boosted gear, increasing your total cumulative score. This in turn causes better and better gear to drop.
You’ll always want to equip the best possible gear. The Power Level of loot drops are directly proportional to your current PL, so boosting it early is highly recommended so you’ll get even better gear drops, which lets you boost and get even better / higher gear drops. It’s a vicious cycle of improvement, and if you’re focused it is very possible to reach PL 130 fast.
