The best Spider-Man 2 skills, gadgets, abilities and suit tech

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 skills powers abilities
(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Marvel's Spider Man 2 best skills, gadgets, suit tech and abilities are something to consider early on, as they're not all equally good and some will make gameplay a lot easier - or more fun - than others. Speaking as somebody who's played Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to 100% completion and practiced with every skill, ability and power for both Miles and Peter, I'm going to use this guide to help you, by laying out all the best Spider Man 2 gadgets, tech, skills, abilities and more besides. We've also got a range of Spider-Man 2 tips to help you out with more general gameplay, if you're still getting used to your great responsibilities! 

Warning: this guide has minor spoilers in the final "abilities" section, but is otherwise spoiler-free until then.

Best Spider-Man 2 skills

Best Spider-Man 2 skills

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Skill points are unlocked by levelling up, and with a lot of options across three different trees, we recommend investing in the shared tree before anything else. Specifically, the following skills: 

  • Web Whip. This disarming power allows you to rip a weapon out of an enemy's hands and hit them with it - a great option if you find yourself constantly dodging bullets.
  • Fired Up. The higher your combo, the more Focus you get - a massive advantage when you're on a roll, as Focus is both a way to instantly take down a foe, or heal yourself.
  • Perfect Dodge Recharge. Landing a perfect dodge recharges your more powerful abilities, and while getting a perfect dodge isn't necessarily easy, the amount of times you dodge attacks in a single fight means that this really builds over time.

Best Spider-Man 2 gadgets

Best Spider-Man 2 gadgets

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

There are less Gadgets in Spider-Man 2 than in the first game, but they're no less potent. You'll need various tech and tokens depending on what you're upgrading - so you'll need to find Spider-Man 2 tech crates, as well as take on side activities - and while they all have their uses, there are two standouts in particular that we feel are worth working through first.

  • Web Shooters. Your default web shooters are used so often that there's no reason nor to build on them, especially as the final upgrade can allow you to take out a standard enemy all on its own - and unlike your other gadgets, these ones rapidly refill automatically.
  • Ricochet Web. The Ricochet is quick to use, requires virtually no thought, and can ensnare and even defeat half a dozen enemies in a single use - and if they're not beaten, a single swing-kick into a wall will end a web-wrapped opponent moments later.

Best Spider-Man 2 suit tech

Best Spider-Man 2 suit tech

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Suits and abilities are longer tied to specific Spider-Man 2 suits, so players can invest in whatever they want, while wearing whatever tights they please. Like gadgets, you'll need a wide variety of resources to work through these skill trees, and also like gadgets, there's a couple of standouts.

  • Focus. Focus skills cover literally everything - stealth, combat, damage and healing, and the speed at which you gain focus can determine whether you win or lose a fight.
  • Damage. Enemies have a habit of getting pretty spongey in the latter half of the game, and you'll want to reinforce your fists a little more or else risk whaling on them for hours. 

Best Spider-Man 2 abilities

Best Spider-Man 2 abilities

(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Minor spoilers to follow, but there's no way around it: a little later in the game both Miles and Peter start gaining new abilities to replace their standard Venom Blasts and Robotic Spider Arms - namely "Evolved Venom" for Miles and the Spider-Man 2 Symbiote Powers for Peter respectively. 

This means you can swap between your starting powers and new abilities, as well as gain more abilities through their specific skill trees. Here's our preferred picks for the best loadout, simply based on which abilities I found more powerful in general use:

  • Miles Morales
    • Venom Punch (Square)
    • Thunder Burst (Triangle)
    • Reverse Flux (Circle)
    • Galvanise (X)
  • Peter Parker
    • Venom Punch (Square)
    • Spider Rush (Triangle)
    • Venom Blast (Circle)
    • Venom Tempest (X)

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Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.