Marvel Strike Force has a sizeable roster of playable characters to deploy in battle. Initially, there weren’t many methods to customize them, but after late 2020, everything changed. The developers introduced the Iso-8 system, and now you can modify your characters as you see fit.
If you’re not sure how the Iso-8 mechanics work, you’re in luck. It’s not too hard to understand the system, though getting to where you want does take time. If you’re still intrigued, keep on reading.
What’s ISO-8?
Iso-8 is a progressive upgrade system. Here’s a bird’s eye view of the things you can do:
- Give characters new classes
- Boost Power levels
- Unlock new abilities
- Modify characters to fit your playstyle
- Create new team combinations
The new classes for all characters are:
- Striker
- Healer
- Raider
- Fortifier
- Skirmisher
All five go on top of any previous roles and archetypes, making it possible to change a character’s playstyle significantly. You can also switch between Iso-8 classes for free, giving players leeway to experiment with all five.
There are also five Iso-8 Crystal traits:
- Blaster
- Brawler
- Controller
- Protector
- Support
Crystals are divided into distinct traits, and you’ll have to obtain them individually.
Iso-8 Crystals are meant to upgrade one of five attributes:
- Health
- Damage
- Armor
- Resist
- Focus
Using Iso-8 Crystals
You can get Iso-8 Crystals from playing the Iso-8 Campaign. When you get enough lower-level Crystals, it’s possible to fuse them for better ones. Once you have enough Iso-8 Crystals, the process goes like this:
- Get Iso-8 Crystals.
- Slot them into the attributes you want to upgrade.
- Unlock a new Class.
- Repeat for other characters and create an Iso-8 squad.
Before you can unlock the Iso-8 system, it’s mandatory to reach Commander Level 55 first. That’s also when the Iso-8 Campaign becomes accessible to players.
Iso-8 classes can also receive upgrades if you have the Crystals. The only requirement is that all Iso-8 Crystals on any character have to be at the next level before it’s possible.
As you also need to spend Basic Ions, it’s essential to farm them. You can get them as rewards from:
- Campaign Nodes
- Basic Ion Orb
- Daily Objectives
Iso-8 System Effects
Once you activate Iso-8 classes, several effects come into play. They include:
- Additional effects with Vulnerable, other than a 10% damage boost
- Active Healing
- Minor Effects get 50% reduced strength
- Characters get Iso-8 Bonus Attacks
When characters attack enemies with the Vulnerable status effect, here’s what may happen:
- Strikers get damage boosts and an extra attack
- Fortifiers get a barrier
- Healers get to heal an ally with low health at the beginning of a turn
- Skirmishers apply more Vulnerable effects on enemies
- Raiders crit more and may apply Vulnerable
You can easily create a powerful team or make your best team even more effective in battle with these effects.
T2 Iso-8
In May 2021, T2 Iso-8 was released. To take advantage of it, you’ll have to gather a total of 10,000 T1 Ions to upgrade your Iso-8 Matrix. Also, your characters have to reach T1 Level 5 to advance to T2 Iso-8 classes.
Assuming your characters reach the level required, they’ll lose their old Crystals, but those effects remain. Now, you can farm for T2 Iso-8 Crystals and slot them in.
T2 Iso-8 grants more stat increases and bonuses. Here are some examples:
- Strikers can deal extra damage based on the enemy’s max Health if they have two Vulnerable debuffs, bypassing Armor and Barriers.
- Fortifiers get Minor Defense Up when a turn begins and a Barrier based on max Health on spawn.
- Healers can clear Bleed or Minor Bleed for the lowest health ally on an attack if a target is vulnerable and apply Regeneration at T2 Level 3.
- Skirmishers apply Vulnerable Twice and gain Extra Focus upon clearing, as well as damage boosts to Assists.
- Raiders have an increased chance of inflicting Vulnerable and possibly trigger bonus attacks for Piercing damage on Active Ability hits.
To farm T2 Iso-8, you’ll have to play Doom I Raids.
There Are No Limits
With Iso-8 upgrades, each eligible character gets more in-depth customization options. The developers poured plenty of effort into this system, and with the extra layers, the game is in a healthy state.
Which characters did you upgrade with Iso-8? What’s your favorite team factoring in Iso-8? Let us know in the comments section below.
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