Insomniac’sSpider-Man: Miles Moraleswas recently released on PC to huge acclaim. Newcomers coming into the spin-off hot off the heels of the originalMarvel’s Spider-Man’s PC release earlier this year, as well as returning fans looking for replay with the PC port’senhanced graphical fidelity, give rave reviews. Following the breakout success of the original game’s PC port just months earlier, this new version of the2020 spin-offleaves the core experience intact, while providing numerous visual and quality-of-life enhancements.

The game’s defining feature isMiles Morales himself. His new playstyle showcases his many differences from Peter Parker, while continuing to pay homage to the original game’s combat. Upgraded through an extensive skill tree, Miles’ many skills offer a wide variety of benefits both in and out of combat. A few in particular rise above the others as the most powerful abilities in Miles’ arsenal.

A stealth encounter in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

10Web Cocoon Bomb

Many encounters inSpider-Man: Miles Moralesbegin with long strings of stealth takedowns before inevitably breaking into a full-on brawl. This makes the Web Cocoon Bomb a useful, if not situational, skill for thinning out the crowd. The Web Cocoon Bomb allows Miles toslam enemies who have been taken out by a perch takedown into other enemies, webbing them up while dealing considerable damage.

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While this skill may not seem too useful on paper, it’s often able to instantly knock out enemies near walls or surfaces. It helps Miles quickly thin out large groups of enemies in thegame’s bigger encounters.

9Synaptic Breakdown

Pairing well with several other skills and suit mods, Synaptic Breakdown works great for temporarily keeping enemies off Miles in fights. Synaptic Breakdownincreases the amount of time enemies remain Venom-Shocked.

This not only opens enemies up to more damage in subsequent attacks and maneuvers, but also prevents them from moving or attacking for longer. It’s perfect for creating some much-needed breathing room during difficult encounters.

A combat scenario from Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Much like Synaptic Breakdown and In For a Shock, Spread The Love bolsters the effectiveness of Miles’ many Venom abilities while providing improved crowd control. Spread the Lovecauses Venom-Shocked enemies to spread shock to other nearby enemies.

Using this skill, a single Venom Strike can shock entire groups of enemies at once at the right angle, opening them up for further attacks. This skill can also prove very useful in some of the game’slater side missions, where stunning huge groups of enemies becomes a necessity.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales

7Payback

Unlocked in the game’s second combat challenge, Payback is an early-game skill that only provides more utility asthe story progresses. Payback is a defensive ability thatcauses web strike to instantly take down an armed enemyafter a perfect dodge on a bullet.

While this may seem daunting to new players not yet able to consistently perfect dodge, suit mods can extend the duration of the red perfect dodge indicator. This skill becomes more useful over time as the game begins introducing more and more armed enemies.

A takedown from an action sequence in Spider-Man: Miles Morales

6Gunslinger

Unlocked in the game’s first combat challenge and returning from the originalMarvel’s Spider-Man, Gunslinger helps Miles turn an enemy’s weapon against them while knocking back any other opponents in the way. Gunslingerpulls an armed enemy’s weapon to Miles as he charges it with Venom,applying Venom Shock to any opponent hit by the wide gun swing.

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This skill pulls double duty as both a strong crowd control tool (especially on weaker grunts) and as an additional method of disarming enemies before they can get a shot off. Paired with Miles’ other venom-enhancing skills, Gunslinger can easily apply Venom Shock to entire waves of enemies at once.

5Web Yank Opportunist

Web Yank Opportunist is a simple yet effective early-game unlock that adds extra power and utility to Miles’ basic combos. This skill lets Milespull back enemies immediately after knocking them away for a Venom-Infused kick.

On top of applying Venom Shock to the enemy, the kick attack is Miles’ strongest grounded combo extender, linking into any other attack or action. Paired with other skills, Web Yank Opportunist does a great job at expanding Miles’ offensive options in any situation.

A still of Miles in Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales

4Venom Dash Launcher

One of the later skills in the Skill Tree, the Venom Dash Launcher significantly improves Miles’ Venom Dash ability and deals fantastic AoE damage to small groups of enemies. Venom Dash Launcherallows Venom Dash to link directly into Venom Jumpwithout expending additional Venom.

Using both in tandem causes significant damage to one enemy while then immediately launching several others into the air and applying Venom Shock. This then makes it much easier to knock out enemies before they hit the ground.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales

3Point Launch Boost

Unlocked in the game’s first Traversal challenge andreturning fromMarvel’s Spider-Man, Point Launch Boost is likely the skill new players will be using the most by far. Despite not having much use in combat, Point Launch Boostspeeds up traversalby providing a huge boost in speed and momentum from a well-timed Point Launch.

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With so much to do around the city, being able to zip from place to place quickly becomes essential to exploration. Despite mainly being geared around traversal, Point Launch Boost also has some limited utility in bigger stealth encounters to escape sticky situations.

2In For A Shock

In For A Shock serves as Miles’ replacement for Peter’s Critical Strike in the originalMarvel’s Spider-Man, sporting the most applications out of any ability. In For A Shockincreases the amount of damage Venom-Shocked enemies take by 50%.

This simple yet powerful buff allows all of Miles’ venom abilities and buffs to become significantly more effective, clearing out entire waves of enemies in seconds using AoE attacks. When paired with some of the game’s more powerful suit mods, this becomes the most important skill for maximizing Miles’ damage output.

An image of a Venom Dash from Spider-Man Miles Morales

1Bio Electric Instincts

Only available in the game’s New Game Plus mode, Bio Electric Instincts makes for a worthy reward for finishingSpider-Man Miles Morales. Bio Electric Instincts acts as a total reset in combat,triggering a mega venom blast that instantly knocks out nearby enemies when Miles loses all health.

On top of clearing out enemies, Miles’ health is fully restored. This skill essentially acts as a huge get-out-of-jail-free card that turns what would have been a game over into a near-instant win.

A scene of Miles swinging in Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales

An action scene in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Key art from Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales