Chapter Guide – Act 4.1.5 – Dark Times – Level 40

Summoners!

Here’s my guide for Act 4.1.5 “Dark Times” in Marvel Contest of Champions.

General Thoughts:

Act 4.1.5 has 8 paths, so it will take you a while to 100% explore. It also has many hidden defenders. They won’t give you much trouble, but the Hulkbuster boss is a step-up in difficulty over the last few bosses, so make sure you are prepared for him.

I reached Level 40 during my run through Act 4.1.5, which gave me an extra point to put in Greater Strength (my units were low from Gifting) and more importantly, inventory increases for T2A and Tier 4 CC. This was much needed as I was about to put a T2A in the overflow, so I was rushing to Level Up my Captain America Infinity War just in case I had to R4 him so my T2A wouldn’t expire. I also brought my 5-Star Psylocke to Rank 2, and my 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme and Sabretooth went to Rank 4.

If you have questions about the basic attack moves and combos in Marvel Contest of Champions, please check out my MCOC 101: Combos guide.


Best Champs: Any

Restrictions: Need 1 Tech Champion

Global Node: None

Boss: Hulkbuster

Boss Notes:
Energize
+200% Health

This is a beefy 7K Hulkbuster with extra power gain, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll take a ton of SP2 chip damage. I found the best champion for this fight to be Sorcerer Supreme because she can nullify the Armor Buffs, has power control, and most importantly, a heal-on-block ability that keeps you at a 100% health the entire fight if you don’t get hit.

If you don’t have her, I would go with a power-control champion or Magneto. Remember to bait the SP1 and cut off your combos as needed.

Lane 1 – Top Left

Gate: Need 1 Tech Champion

Defenders: Storm, War Machine, Wolverine, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Black Bolt, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Elektra, Magneto, Juggernaut, Magik, Captain Marvel Classic, OG Vision, Iron Man, Deadpool

Nodes: +50% Attack & Health (Iron Man)

Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star Man-Thing, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin

Tips:
This is an endurance lane with 16 fights plus the boss. You’ll likely need an energy refill to complete it in one session. The toughest fights are Magik, OG Vision, and Spider-Man as they are awakened. If the marathon nature of this path poses a problem, make sure to bring a regen champion or two.

Lane 2 – Upper Left, Star-Lord & Ronan Branches

Gate: None

Defenders: Storm, War Machine, Wolverine, Daredevil, Star-Lord, Hawkeye, Elektra, Ronan, Rocket Racoon,

Nodes: +50% Attack & Health (Star-Lord, Hawkeye, Ronan, Rocket Racoon, Iron Man), Deadpool

Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 5-Star Psylocke, 4-Star Sabretooth, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Guardian

Tips: This is a shorter path, but it has several stronger opponents because some of the defenders have an attack and health boost. All these defenders are pretty standard though, so as long as you are Parrying well and baiting specials you should be ok.

Lane 3 – Left & Upper Hidden Path

Gate: None

Defenders: Storm, War Machine, Black Panther, Ronan, Daredevil, Magik, OG Vision, Magneto, Deadpool

Nodes: None

Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin, 4-Star Man-Thing

Tips: The hidden Magik is duped so watch out for that and bring a non-Metal champion for Magneto. The rest of the hidden defenders aren’t a problem.

Lane 4 – Left & Lower Hidden Path

Gate: None

Defenders: Storm, War Machine, Black Panther, Ronan, Black Bolt, Daredevil, OG Vision, Magneto, Deadpool

Nodes: None

Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Guardian, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Hulk Ragnarok, 4-Star Sabretooth

Tips: This path is easier than Path 3. Other than Magneto, there shouldn’t be any matchup issues for your team.

Lane 5 – Down then Up to Rocket & Captain America

Gate: None

Defenders: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Rocket Racoon, Captain America, Magik, Storm, Unstoppable Colossus, Punisher, Iron Patriot, Deadpool

Nodes: +50% Attack & Health (Unstoppable Colossus)

Team: 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Sorcerer Supreme, 4-Star Hulk Ragnarok, 4-Star Guardian, 4-Star Sabretooth

Tips: I relied on Cap IW as my main lane clearer, with Hulk Ragnarok (Face Me) as my counter to Magik Limbo damage. Sorcerer Supreme put in some nice work on Hulkbuster for a solo. Her heal-on-block mechanic enabled me to continuously tank SP2 attacks and remain at 100% health the entire fight.

Lane 6 – Down then Up to Rocket, Down to Star-Lord – Easy Path

Gate: None

Defenders: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Rocket Racoon, Star-Lord, Ronan, Unstoppable Colossus, Punisher, Iron Patriot, Deadpool

Nodes: +50% Attack & Health (Unstoppable Colossus)

Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Killmonger, 4-Star Sentry, 4-Star Aarkus

Tips: This is an Easy Path for initial completion.

Lane 7 – Down the Up to War Machine

Gate: None

Defenders: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Bolt, Elektra, War Machine, Captain America, Punisher, War Machine, Iron Patriot, Deadpool

Nodes: None

Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Killmonger, 4-Star Sentry, 4-Star Aarkus

Tips: This is one of the shortest and easiest paths in this quest.

Lane 8 – Lowest Path

Gate: Need 1 Tech Champions

Defenders: Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Bolt, Elektra, Juggernaut, Magik, Daredevil, Scarlet Witch, OG Vision, Punisher, Iron Patriot, Deadpool

Nodes: None

Team: 6-Star Red Skull, 5-Star Captain America Infinity War, 4-Star Emma Frost, 4-Star Man-Thing, 4-Star Black Widow Deadly Origin

Tips: There are 12 fights on this path. Make sure you have solid counters for Scarlet Witch and Magik, unless you can simply overpower them with high PI champs.


My Roster:

Jump To:
Act 3.4.6 – “Thanos Enters” – Big Account Updates
Act 4.1.1 – “Realm Reborn” – Nodes!
Act 4.1.2 – “A Little Help” – Level 38
Act 4.1.3 – “Incognito” – Hidden Nodes
Act 4.1.4 – “Symbioids” – Level 39 & 1st 6-Star
Act 4.1.5 – “Dark Times” – Level 40
Act 4.1.6 – “Trust” – Level 41
Act 4.2.1 – “Linked Might” – Level 42

-Dano357