Cry Havok! Let Loose Special Operations 6!

In case the title didn’t tip you off, Special Operations 6 is underway in the always-in-danger world of Marvel: Avengers Alliance. This time around, the hero that could be yours for the taking is Alex Summers, also known as Havok.

 

The second Summers brother.

Havok is a blaster, the first blaster made available through a Spec Ops event. So far, in order of appearance, we’ve had a generalist (Mockingbird), a tactician (Emma Frost), two scrappers (Magik and Ghost Rider), and a bruiser (Valkyrie). While Valkyrie had to go through some powering up to be made worthy of being a prize (I’ve gotten her when her first two skills were still very underpowered), I can definitely say that when Havok hit the game, he lived up to his name. Why do I say that? Oh, for four reasons.

 

SHATTERING PUNCH

First, his basic attack costs no energy at all, and inflicts the Melt Armor status on the unlucky target for two rounds. That means the poor sap has an effective defense stat of 0 when computing combat damage, meaning he or she is going to take a lot of damage fast.

PLASMA WAVE

Second, his single-target ranged attack, while leaving a lot to be desired in terms of accuracy (it’s less accurate than the player favorite damage-for-accuracy weapon, the Golden Screaming Eagle), inflicts the Burning status on the victim and Removes Buffs if it connects. This includes special defenses (like barriers and shields that aren’t natural to the target) and other boosts, like damage ups and dodge ups. Also, a Burning target loses around 10% of its total defense while on fire, in addition to taking damage over time. All this goodness however comes at a steep cost in stamina - almost half of his maximum.

CHANNEL ENERGY

Third, he gets a free action that not only restores 20% of his stamina, but also buffs him with an effect that makes his attack critical hits for two rounds. Can you say pain for the bad guys? Oh yes, you can! While this does not solve his energy issues in full, it certainly helps with that problem, and critical hits are always welcome, whether you play PVP or just stick to PVE.

 

PLASMA SPHERES

His ultimate (jargon for the ability gained at level 9) is a Catastrophic attack that slows and dizzies all the targets (note the plural) that it hits. As with all Catastrophic attacks, this attack can’t be protected against, and ignores avoidance abilities. It’s an area attack that inflicts two inconvenient status effects on enemies in addition to damage, so what’s not to like? The answer – stamina cost. Similar to his Plasma Wave, Plasma Spheres also drains about half of his stamina bar.

Observant players have commented that causing the Dizzy status effect on all enemies makes a great setup for the much-maligned Nightcrawler and his ultimate, a multi-hit, single-target stealthy attack that also hits all Dizzy enemies. Whether this will affect the upcoming PVP tournament or not remains to be seen.

Havok’s an energy guzzler – no questions about it. Both of his ranged plasma attacks drain roughly half his stamina bar per use. Fortunately, he comes with passives to help him with that stamina problem of his – and by that, I mean his inability to continuously blast away with plasma against his enemies. Mind out of the gutter, you!

So when you see a lot of beam spam and pew-pew flying about, that’s the best time to unleash Havok!