Marvel Heroes: Punisher Powers Guide

Punisher Classic Costume

(Credit for this guide goes to Foreverett from the forums)

Punisher is a gun toting “glass cannon” anti-hero in Marvel Heroes. For people new to the term, Glass Cannon is what you call a character that does extreme dps, at the cost of being very squishy. With the new Defense buff, Punisher actually is borderline glass cannon now. He can take a few hits before going down. That being said, Punisher shouldn’t be getting hit AT ALL. He has movement powers that make him very mobile in combat. All it takes is some practice with cursor swinging and rolling (Doc Ock is a GREAT fight to practice this on!) and his rolls will feel rather natural to you. He is equipped with very long range skills specializing in AoE and Cone damage, a short ranged shotgun blast (that later causes bleed), and some other unique powers that I will outline below.

Firepower Tree

Rifle Shot (Basic Attack)

Fire a shot that damages the first enemy in its path. You start the game with this attack, and it’s going to stay on your bar until end game. Rifle Shot has good synergy in Impact Shot and Shotgun Blast, so late game it packs a wallop. Rifle Shot is very useful on bosses like a Quick Taskmaster, which requires you to use most of your spirit on rolling. It takes a bit longer using this method but it’s a guaranteed win. My current rank is 18 and it does 500+ max dmg per second, and fires 3.6 shots a second.

Driven by Vengeance

Your powers occasionally cost vengeance instead of spirit. This power allows you to use your secondary resource bar instead of spirit when you use powers that require spirit. I used to keep this power at a minimum of 50%, but I won’t be the first to admit that Punisher’s vengeance system needs a buff. He doesn’t gain enough vengeance per enemy killed to really see this powers effectiveness and I’ll tell you why when I explain Lock and Load. For now I put ZERO points into DBV. Until they fix Vengeance gain, it's just not worth it. All the vengeance you earn should be going to L&L.

Deadly Barrage Hold down the hotkey to fire a continuous stream of bullets. This attack is your bread and butter, your peaches and cream. This power defines Punisher’s effectiveness currently. It was already powerful at launch, and the recent patch gave it 10-20% more damage, so it’s even more powerful. This is a very long range cone attack, which needs to be channeled. The biggest problem people have with this attack is that you need to be standing still to use it, but you need to understand when to channel this, and when to roll and shoot. At max rank this power does 1300+ max damage per second, at the rate of 20 spirit per second. My current rank, thanks to gear is 28 and it’s doing 1700+ max dmg per second. As you can see this is pretty high dps, and don’t forget that the 1700+ is to one target in a very wide cone that can easily fit 15+ mobs into its range, and it GOES THROUGH ENEMIES allowing you to hit guys behind others. If you build a Punisher without using Deadly Barrage you WILL be gimped currently. Sorry Rocket lovers.

Armor Piercing Shot

Fire a shot that pierces all enemies in its path. Here is the standard charge up snipe that most ranged have in Marvel Heroes. It does decent damage, and also debuffs the defense of anyone it hits if you have vengeance. I’ll admit I don’t use it much, but I have pumped it full of points up to rank 20, because Deadly Barrage gains 5% damage/point in APS. At rank 20 it does 900+ dps per second charged, and I think you can change it up to 3-4 seconds.

Shotgun Blast (Basic Power)

Blast enemies in front of you. Now you get your second basic attack. Unlike a lot of ranged dps in MH, Punisher doesn’t get a new version of Rifle Shot that hits multiple targets. This power isn’t meant to take Rifle Shots place! It is a VERY close ranged cone (a BIT too close imho). I actually use this power a bit, even though a lot of people don’t, and I’ll tell you why. Firstly, it’s amazing for breaking boxes! Secondly, it’s probably NOT intended, but you can have Rifle Shot on mouse 1 and Shotgun Blast on mouse 2, and rapidly click both buttons to fire both guns at once without losing shots per second for either attack. Tested. This works out very well later on with Flechette Blast’s bleed for some extra dps, use it when bosses get too close before you roll away to safety. I haven’t been prioritizing Shotgun Blast with points, but by level 60 I plan to have at least 12+ into it. At my current level I just have 4 points which gives 220 dps at 2.8 shots per sec.

Lock and Load

Regain some spirit. Spend vengeance to double the spirit gained. Ah my baby L&L! I love this power. It’s free spirit on a 6 sec cool down. What’s not to love? Punisher is a spirit hog, so I keep this power on cool down almost all the time. Sadly with each point you only get 2 spirit (technically it’s 4 if it consumes vengeance), but I’ve still packed 8 points into it so far, and probably will go further. As you stand and fire Deadly Barrage, you can use L&L mid fire at the cost of half a second, to gain 1-2 more seconds worth of spirit back every 6 seconds. I also use this while roll shooting. L&L is the reason Punisher’s vengeance resource is BARELY noticeable. If you have 20 vengeance, L&L uses it to DOUBLE the amount of spirit gained. So my 22 spirit gain per click at rank 8, turns into a nice 44 spirit. If you use L&L like I do, you NEVER have vengeance.

Impact Shot (Basic Power)

Fire a powerful shot that knocks back an enemy. Here is the upgraded version of Rifle Shot! Sorry to let you down, it’s not that great at first. It sacrifices almost 1 shot per second for a chance to knockback. So while the dps is higher per shot than Rifle Shot, that loss of a shot per second is a bit too much for me to want to use this power until later on. That's 1 chance to crit or to proc something per second you lose out on. Especially when you can get artifacts or medals with knock back on them, but who needs knockback when you can just roll away? As always Punisher’s AMAZING synergies should be utilized here. Points into Impact Shot make your Rifle Shot and Shotgun Blast more powerful. NOTICE: This power might eventually overtake Rifle Shot in DPS in the later levels. I will post how many points you need in Impact Shot before it becomes better than a rank 20 Rifle Shot in the next few days.

Flechette Blast (Basic Power)

Blast enemies with shrapnel, causing them to bleed. This is the upgraded version of Shotgun Blast. A lot of people hate Flechette because it doesn’t do that good of dmg. Like I said in the Shotgun Blast overview, you can use this at the same time as Rifle/Impact shots, and this time it causes a bleed. Allowing your dots to tick as you roll away! Like Shotgun Blast, Flechette has synergy with Rifle Shot, so what do we do? That’s right put some extra points into it! Like Shotgun I have 4 points into this currently, but plan on bringing it up a few more as I get to max level.

Assault Tree

Steel-Toed Kick

Put your boot into enemies in front of you, knocking them back. This power I haven’t used since I hit 14 and took off whatever piece of armor gave it to me. It’s a very close ranged, panic move that knocks back anyone who has gotten too close. Sadly at end game, when they get that close (if they do… there is a lot of ranged) you’ll end up dying quick if you don’t roll instead. It does moderate damage. I don’t recommend it personally.

Quick Escape

Roll out of combat, stunning enemies in your path. I luz me some Quick Escape! This power is VERY underrated among people who play backrollers (coined!) like Cyclops and Punisher. People have stated that it should be used to roll backwards only, and if it was intended to roll forwards, they would have given Punisher a forward roll, but I disagree. This is a backwards roll true, but all it takes it a quick flick of the mouse to aim this roll any direction you want, and it takes you quite the distance fast. Unless you’re roll shooting a boss like Ock, you almost never have to have your cursor on the target you are aiming at. You just aim Deadly Barrage, and when they look at you angrily, you flick your mouse and roll, then keep shooting! It does low damage and STUNS when you hit someone in your path. You also barely take any damage while rolling, so feel free to use this to roll through cosmic power orbs when you find yourself trapped. I recommend fighting Doc Ock as a practice for rolling and roll shooting in general. He throws, then he swings, he throws, then he swings, learn to dodge him and work around the rooms obstacles.

Pain Tolerance

Pain don’t hurt. This power gives you +defense. When the new Defense buff, this is actually worth a few points. I recommend putting the initial point into it right away since you get it at lower levels, and you’ll immediately gain some defense (it was +30 defense pre buff, not sure what it is now). If I have a few spare points, I’ll put 1 into this. A little more survivability can’t hurt, and yes it’s noticeable when you don’t get one shot.

Killer Instinct

Deal extra damage to enemies that aren’t attacking you, and gain vengeance when striking fear into your enemies’ hearts. I’ll admit I didn’t take this power until level 35 or so. If I could do it again I would probably slowly put points into it. That being said, this power is ONLY good if you are in a group or fighting very stupid mobs. It adds +dmg for enemies that AREN’T attacking you, as well as gives you vengeance when you fear any enemies. I only have 5 points in this, and it could be the reason I say vengeance needs a buff. Maybe if you combine this with the next skill in this list, you will get more vengeance gain.

Cold-Blooded Crusader

When you defeat an enemy, nearby enemies flee in fear. I love this power. It is something that really sets Punisher apart from other ranged (except Scarlet ofc). Each point into CBC gives you a % chance to fear all targets in range for 3 seconds when you kill something (and its range is basically the screen). I have kept about 30% chance to fear minimum in this power, and I see it proc quite a bit. This power works on bosses as well. I’ve seen Doom flee and pee his pants multiple times from witnessing Punisher kill a drone in his throne room. It’s always easier to shoot a target that’s running away from you.

Combat Lunge

Lunge into combat, stunning all enemies at the end of your movement. Here is your forward movement power. I took this when it became available, because like most ranged, I thought this was a forward dash/roll. Don’t be tricked, this forward lunge doesn’t go very far, and it sucks up spirit fast. I don’t recommend this power, BUT find my theory build at the bottom for more on this power.

Show No Mercy

Ruthlessly stab an enemy that is stunned for knocked down. This power is hilarious. It’s EXTREMELY high dps, and is animated like the shower scene in Psycho. OMG that sounds awesome! Sorry it’s not really. You can only use this power when enemies are stunned or knocked down. I don’t recommend it, but again find my theory build at the bottom for more.

Explosives Tree

Explosive Rocket

Launch a rocket that explodes when it hits. Oh my, how much potential you have Rockets. A LOT of the negative reviews Punisher gets, stems from people who put all their points into explosives. This tree is BAD, and I personally have ZERO points invested. That being said, there is some fun but situational moves in here, and I would love to see this tree buffed. Explosive Rocket is a hit or miss ranged attack that explodes on contact. If you miss, it’s a shame, but if you hit, well… it’s still a shame. At early levels this attack is fun and seems great, but later on this power is pretty bad. People have called it the stun rocket on these forums. It takes 5-6 RPG’s to kill someone. I don’t recommend this power.

Flashbang Grenade

Launch a grenade that stuns enemies in the blast. Ranged AoE 3s stun power with minor damage. This power I don’t personally use, but if you like to play support in groups, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you use this. If I have a armor piece with +Flashbang, I definitely put it on my bar, but otherwise I don’t invest. See my theory build for another use for this power.

Proximity Mine

Throw a bomb that explodes when an enemy approaches it. This power is a thrown timed explosive that will land wherever you have your cursor, and then blows up 4s later. I can see possibly using this as a set up attack while a boss loads, but its damage isn’t worth it. You have to hope the boss is in range 4s after you throw it. I don’t recommend this power.

Punish the Guilty

Attach a bomb to an enemy, who flees in FEAR until the bomb explodes. I love this move, but it’s situational. It’s another one of those powers I don’t put points into but will use if I have a decent rank from gear. It range is a bit too short to make it useful, but I love using it on bosses. Its damage is moderate. I don’t recommend investing in this power.

Chemical Mine

Throw a bomb that explodes when the enemy approaches it, slowing and weakening each enemy in the blast. ANOTHER move I’ll put on my bar if I have it from gear, but won’t invest into YET. Out of everything in the explosives tree, this one is my favorite. It reduces enemy damage, defense and slows them by 50% for 6 seconds and it’s got a decent throwing range. I haven’t put points into this, but I MAY if I have spare points at 60. Not sure yet.

Sticky Mine

Throw a bomb that explodes when the enemy approaches it, trapping each enemy in the blast in sticky glue. Very straight forward bomb, if they’re in the blast, they are rooted for 3+ seconds. Since Punisher’s mobility is high, I see no need for this personally, but it’s very situational. I can’t recommend this power.

Flamethrower Blast

Hold down the hotkey to spray enemies with lingering fire. Sounds AWESOME right? It’s not. It’s about the same range as shotgun blast, and it’s not really a flamethrower, it’s a can of Frank’s hairspray and his cigarette lighter. It does decent damage, and when I first got it, I used it via gear, when stuff got too close before rolling away. Big spirit hog though. I can’t recommend this power.

Ultimate Power

Grim Retribution

Activate when low on health or defeated to rise up with a mighty vengeance that terrifies your enemies. I love this ultimate. Nothing better than having a self rez every 20 minutes. You also gain 20% damage and defense, and 25% chance to cause fear for 2.5 seconds. That fear can be triggered basically by ANYTHING. It’s very fun. If only they would fix the skull face paint so that it was actually on Punisher’s face. Each Punisher token increases the values by .5%.

(Credit for this guide goes to Foreverett from the forums)