Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order sure was a weird game. It was a revival of the long defunct Ultimate Alliance franchise by the unlikely team of Nintendo and Team Ninja. But it was a solid title in its own right, and seemed to be quite the success. Expansions have come out that touches on different parts of the Marvel universe, such as the X-Men with the last DLC, and now the first family of Marvel will get their moment.

As announced via Nintendo of America’s Twitter below, the next expansion is entitled Fantastic Four: Shadow of Doom. You’ll be able to take the titular team on a quest to take down one of the most iconic Marvel villains of all time, Doctor Doom. It’s not clear if more side content, such as new Gauntlet mission, will also come with the expansion.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Shadow of Doom will launch on March 26th.

Assemble your Ultimate Team with some heroic new additions. The Fantastic Four will join the alliance to take on the man in the iron mask himself, Doctor Doom, when MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order DLC Pack 3 – Fantastic Four: Shadow of Doom releases on 3/26! #MUA3 pic.twitter.com/2ZZwCdLTEs

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 19, 2020

With good news on the hardware sales front, Nintendo also announced updated software sales numbers for its first-party Switch titles. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still number 1 among the top selling first-party Switch titles at 22.96 million units, followed by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at 17.68 million. However, the list has some new entries with Pokemon Sword and Shield at 16.34 million and Luigi’s Mansion 3 at 5.37 million.

While such figures aren’t too surprising for Pokemon Sword and Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3 achieving this within two months of launch is pretty amazing. Updated sales figures for the quarter ending December 31st include The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening selling 4.19 million units; Ring Fit Adventure at 2.17 million units; Astral Chain selling 1.03 million; and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order selling 1.02 million million. Worldwide, over 310.65 million Switch titles have been sold in the console’s lifespan.

More exclusives are set to arrive in the coming months with the likes of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. With Nintendo increasing its forecast from 18 million Switch consoles by the end of the current fiscal year to 19.5 million, it should be an interesting quarter. In the meantime, check out the 10 top selling first-party Switch titles below:

1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 22.96 million
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 17.68 million
3. Super Mario Odyssey – 16.59 million
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 16.34 million
5. Pokemon Sword / Pokemon Shield – 16.06 million
6. Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee! – 11.76 million
7. Splatoon 2 – 9.82 million
8. Super Mario Party – 9.12 million
9. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 5.85 million
10. Luigi’s Mansion 3 – 5.37 million

Super Mario Party

The infamous ruiner of friendships debuts for the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Party takes the more traditional approach to the series’ formula, introducing new mini-games, some with motion controls, and a new mode called Partner Party where teams of two can work together. There’s even a mode called Toad’s Rec Room where multiple Switches can be combined for gameplay across multiple screens. Super Mario Party captures the amazing feeling of losing to never-ending nonsense, which may or may not be your definition of a good time.

The first of many world premieres to kick off The Game Awards was Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. The second DLC Rise of the Phoenix was showcased and adds new X-Men characters to the roster. Check out the trailer below.

Along with Cable, Iceman and Gambit, the DLC also features Jean Grey as Phoenix. They may seem fairly sparse overall but these are otherwise solid choices to round out the current roster. It seems some of the story content focuses on the Dark Phoenix, perhaps as a new trial, along with new Gauntlet missions. There’s also a competitive Danger Room mode for players to partake in.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: Rise of the Phoenix releases on December 23rd 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days. As for The Game Awards 2019, expect more big name announcements and world premieres like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Ghost of Tsushima in the coming hours.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was a weird and out nowhere title from Nintendo and Team Ninja, but it seems to have paid off pretty well for them. The game features a pretty amazing cast of characters from all corners of the Marvel Universe. But the roster isn’t even close to done yet as the first expansion is available now.

The Marvel Knights DLC has dropped and Moon Knight, Blade, the Punisher and Morbius are playable through it. Along with them comes the new Gauntlet mode and Nightmare difficulty for the main campaign, the latter of which is free to all players. You can also try the first level of the new Gauntlet out for free if you’re curious though you will need to purchase the expansion to continue and add the new characters.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is available now for the Nintendo Switch with the Marvel Knight DLC live now. Two more expansion packs based on the Fantastic Four and X-Men.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance made a triumph, and very unlikely, return thanks to Nintendo and Team Ninja with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. The game features that familiar burst of nostalgia and fun times with a multitude of characters from the obscure to the popular. The game will continue getting content, with the first expansion coming soon, but there’s also free material coming with some classic costumes.

In a Marvel Minute feature, we got the announcement that at the end of the month we’ll get some free costumes along with some free characters in the form of Cyclops and Colossus. The costumes are some great callbacks with the Black Suit Spider-Man, Captain Marvel’s old Ms. Marvel look and Hulk’s battle armor from Planet Hulk. You can see them below.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is available now for Nintendo Switch. The update featuring the free costumes and characters will go live August 30th.

The return of the Ultimate Alliance games with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was quite the treat. The game managed to bring back the series with just enough modernization, and has seemingly been pretty successful. It’s already bursting with a variety of characters from the well-known to the niche, but it’s not done yet, as a new batch of characters is coming next month.

The first DLC expansion will drop for the game at the end of next month. Titled Curse of the Vampire, the expansion will see the addition of Blade, Moon Knight, The Punisher and Morbius, who are being brought under the “Marvel Knights” branding. Along with them there will be a new set of co-op missions in the new gauntlet mode.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is available now for Switch with the Curse of the Vampire expansion coming September 30th, just in time for the Switch Lite.

DLC Pack 1 of the @MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order Expansion Pass launches 30/09, as the Marvel Knights join the alliance! You can also take on an intense series of co-op missions in the new Gauntlet Mode! #MUA3 #NintendoGC

Buy now: https://t.co/gd8LpYJkGa pic.twitter.com/1DUk0RTHfp

— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) August 20, 2019

As you play Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and level up your roster, Synergy Traits will start to emerge. When unlocking skills for a character, you’ll notice that they have Synergy Traits, of which there are 15 in total. Pairing specific heroes and their traits together will result in Synergy Attacks, which can be fairly devastating.

How to Perform Synergy Attacks

• Synergy Attacks feature two characters executing a combination attack. Hold down R and select the appropriate attack to start a Synergy Attack. Conversely, if an ally is performing one, just press A to perform one. What are all the different combos that can be executed though? Let’s take a look below.
• Elemental Barrage (Barrage/Area Assault + Whirlwind/Burn): Enemies will be torn apart by a tornado of slashes.
• Scatter Shot (Rapid-Fire + Rapid-Fire): A rapid-fire attack with exploding projectiles.
• Surge (Launch + Launch): Create a huge shockwave that will send enemies airborne.
• Coalesce (Burn + Whirlwind): Creates a fiery tornado.
• Catalyst (Bash + Burn): Knocks back enemies further away.
• Crash (Barrage + Area Assault): Area-of-effect shockwaves that will cause damage to enemies.
• Shockwave (Bash + Bash): Execute a shockwave with greater range.
• Tremor (Slam + Slam): Trips up all surrounding enemies while those at the attack’s center take damage.
• Calamity (Whirlwind + Bash): Explosive tornado which damages enemies in the surrounding area.
• Reflect (Beam + Safeguard/Area Assault): A Beam that splits up and damages any enemies in its path.
• Ricochet (Rapid-Fire + Safeguard/Area Assault/Whirlwind): Rapid-fire attack with projectiles that will spread out all around.
• Resonant Blast (Beam + Beam): Fire a large beam which also damages surrounding enemies near its target location.
• Eruption (Beam + Explosive): The Beam attack will have more explosive power to it.
• Mega Blast (Slam + Explosive): Assault an enemy with an explosion comprised of other explosions.

Infinity Rifts

Playing Story Mode will unlock Infinity Trials, which are optional challenges set in the current levels. However, go out of your way during the story missions and you’ll find eight Infinity Rift Trials hidden in them. It’s worth noting that every time Nick Fury mentions anomalies in a level, it’s a hint at a nearby Infinity Rift so keep a look-out.

Here are the locations for all of the hidden Infinity Rifts.

Asgard

After reaching the palace, you’ll head down some stairs towards the next objective. Eventually, you’ll reach a big room and see a path that winds along it. On the left side are some enemies but head to the right for the next Rift, which requires battling Nebula, Kingpin, and Ronan at level 34.

Dark Dimension

Once Elsa Bloodstone opens the way forward, you’ll travel through a few rifts. After the second, there will be a rift guarded by enemies. However, before tackling it, you’ll see a slight dip to the left which has the next Infinity Rift. It’s a level 25 Rift and requires defeating 40 enemies in The Raft. As the Trial progresses, everyone will deal more damage so don’t worry about backing off for every now and then to gather your strength.

Wakanda

Defeat the enemies at the beginning and head towards your objective. You’ll see a ledge on the right – head onto it and look left for the next Rift. It requires fighting Kree Justice and other enemies at level 36.

Knowhere

En route to the battle with Ebony Maw, you’ll enter a hyperlift. Upon exiting it, turn around at the checkpoint. The next Rift will be on the right side and it features a level 40 battle with Sandman and some lackeys. Just make sure not to pass by Cosmo and up the ramp or else the boss fight will start.

The Raft

In Chapter 2, once Sandman has been defeated and you hit the checkpoint, look for several boxes on the right and then hop over the railing. Keep going down this new path and you’ll find the Rift. It has you fighting Nebula (level 7) with your EP regeneration increased but damage reduced.

Shadowland

After the meeting Jessica Jones, you’ll see a bridge that heads to the area’s temple. Don’t cross the bridge just yet. Instead, head to the right and the next Rift should be there. Doctor Octopus (level 10) is the main challenge here. All of your attacks deal reduced damage but Synergy Attacks deal more. EP will also regenerate faster.

Avengers Tower

Following the meeting with Vision (after the second checkpoint), turn left at the fork to find the next Rift. You have to defeat 200 enemies on a Kree Ship to complete it. This Trial has a level 14 requirement.

Xavier Institute

Head to the garden and fight the two Sentinels before progressing. Once the area opens, go left instead of right. Head through the barriers for the next Rift – a Survival Trial where you must battle Elektra (level 21). While your health will keep draining, attacking her will heal you. Teammates can’t be revived though so play carefully.

Unlocking heroes in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a matter of completing missions in Story Mode. While there are some heroes (and villains) that require additional effort, the majority are doled out as the plot progresses. When does each hero appear though?

Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Rocket and Groot aka the Guardians of the Galaxy are available by default. Let’s take a look the various levels that you have to play through to unlock each respective hero.

Where to Unlock Heroes:

Wakanda

• Black Panther

The Raft

• Captain America
• Crystal
• Captain Marvel
• Falcon
• Iron Man
• Spider-Man
• Black Widow
• Thor
• Hulk
• Scarlet Witch
• Wolverine
• Spider-Man Miles Morales (Becomes unlocked in second boss fight)
• Ms. Marvel (Becomes unlocked in second boss fight)
• Spider Gwen (Becomes unlocked in second boss fight)
• Luke Cage
• Venom (Must be defeated to unlock)

Dark Dimension

• Doctor Strange
• Elsa Bloodstone
• Ghost Rider

Avengers Tower

• Wasp
• Hawkeye

Shadowland

• Daredevil
• Iron Fist

Xavier Institute

• Nightcrawler
• Psylocke
• Deadpool

Unlocking Secret Characters

When you’ve unlocked every character through the Story Mode, there are a handful of secret characters that you can work towards getting via the Infinity Rifts. Keep in mind that you’ll have to sink in a fair bit of time for some of these.

Loki

In Chapter 9, head to Infinity Rift Sigma and take on Boss Wave: Defeat Ebony Maw and Four Bosses. It requires defeating Ebony Maw, Supergiant, Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight. Fortunately, you only have to fight them one at a time. The Trial is level 45 and Loki is unlocked at the same level. Note that the game must be beaten on Mighty difficulty to access Loki.

Thanos

The big bad Thanos is also playable and requires finishing the last chapter on Superior difficulty (which becomes available after completing the game). After that, head to Infinity Rift Lambda to play Ultimate: The Black Order. It’s a level 65 Trial and requires fighting the Black Order including Thanos. Complete this and Thanos becomes available at level 80.

Elekta

In Chapter 3, you can access the Gamma Infinity Rift to play Ultimate: Bad Business. It’s a level 30 Trial and requires beating Kingpin, Ronan, and Juggernaut. After it’s completed, Elektra will be unlocked at level 30.

Magneto

In Chapter 5, you’ll gain access to the Trial Boss Wave: Klaw and Two Bosses in the Psi Infinity Rift. This requires defeating Klaw, Kingpin and Doctor Strange and is a level 38 Trial. Successfully complete it and Magneto becomes available at level 38.

There’s a huge roster of characters to choose from in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. However, if you want any of them to actually be viable, they need to be leveled up. With so many heroes to choose from and each new hero starting from level 1 (with the exception of some secret heroes), this can seem like a grind. Worry not though – there are several ways to make the process go by faster.

XP Cubes

The first method is XP Cubes which, as the name denotes, can increase the XP for certain characters (others don’t benefit quite as much). Head to the Team Menu, locate the character in question and press Y to use the XP Cube. XP Cubes are consumed on use so decide carefully which character gets it.

Infinity Trials

At some point, you’ll have to hop into the Infinity Trials to net resources for upgrading your heroes. Plus, the rewards increase depending on your performance.

The key to bringing up low-level heroes is to pair them with stronger heroes and then head into an Infinity Trial. While your higher level hero does all the heavy lifting, the lower level hero will gain large amounts of XP and level up quickly.

Just make sure you’re not taking on Trials with exponentially high level requirements. If a Trial is a few levels higher than your best heroes, it’s best to farm something else for a while.

Character Duplication and XP Farming Glitch

Of course, if you’re really, really hurting for XP, there’s a glitch that could help. First, go to Infinity Mode and choose a Solo Infinity Trial. Now, make sure the character in question is in the second, third or fourth character slot. Once you enter the Trial, feed your brains out and lose. Now press “Quit” and head back to the Hero Select menu.

Inexplicably, there will be a copy of the same hero from the previous Solo Trial in the first character slot. But why stop at just two of the same character? Choose the hero in the first character slot and then choose another character that’s on your team. Make sure that the character is on your team, or else the duplicate hero will disappear.

Once you’ve selected a character that’s on your team, you’ll be able to swap places. Head into the same Solo Hero Trial and lose again. Go back to the Hero Select screen again and you’ll have another copy of the same hero. Repeat the process again to have an entire team of the same hero, which nets that character quadruple the XP and rewards. If that weren’t enough, the team can also go into Story Mode via Chapter Select and farm XP there.

This glitch hasn’t been patched yet (to our knowledge) so give it a shot if you’re hard-up on XP.