Hybrid Wolverine (Single/AoE DPS) incl. Leveling dps pvp wolverine
Guide by kmdave Last update at Sep 30th 2013, 06:29

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The Best There Is 1
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Hi there,

I've played Wolverine for quite some time now and read about different build guides. Tried out a lot of builds and here is the one which works best for me.

Wolverine is an awesome hero for the late game. But don't think he will be invulnerable or anything alike. He is in no means running through all the content, killing everything without dying. He is very well balanced though in my opinion and a lot of fun to play.

In 1.2 not that much changed. We can now get IATBTI up to 20, gain 6 additional power points via quests and yeah that's about it.

I've been trying out a Fury build on TC but I think bleed is just having a way better flow to it.

09/11/13: Updated for Patch 1.2
08/11/13: Swapped out RMB and S key. Tends to be better
08/10/13: Post patch update, nothing pretty much changed for Wolverine. Changed skill layout a bit. Added some considerations to costume cores.
08/09/13: Added some Midtown tactics for groups and bosses

Genereal Gameplay

I use Bloody Slash as my basic attack, Blood-Hungry Sweep as an AoE. Why Blood-Hungry Sweep? Since I use Slashing Leap to jump around anyway. If preffered it can be exchanged for Rending Sweep. But it won't make much of a differnce from what I have noticed. Mob groups will die fast enough if jumping in with Slashing Leap and then spamming BHS.

When you face single targets, just tag them with Bloody Slash once in a while and then hit them with I'm the best there is. It will take them out pretty fast.

Which skill goes where?

[LMB] Bloody Slash
[RMB] Blood-Hungry Sweep
[A] Slashing Leap
[S] I am the best there is
[D] Regeneration Boost
[F] Medkit
[G] Berserker Fury
[H] Adrenaline Rush

Update 08/11/13: Exchanged the buttons for Blood-Hungry Sweep and I am the best there is. You will use BHS more often and IATBTI a little less in Midtown. BHS also has a better spirit/dmg ratio for spamming a skill.

Update 08/10/13: After playing a bit I exchanged Medkit and Berserker Fury. It is a little of a stretch to get to Medkit on G and I more often missed it than hit in a critical situation. Activating Berserker Fury is usually no matter of a split second though. That way it feels a better way round.

If you want to include your ulti on the skillbar or have another skill slotted you can also toggle adrenaline rush on and then move another skill into the slot without turning it off.

For instance Cage the Beast or Can't Keep me down would be candidates for the additional slot. I didn't miss them though.

If you want them without having to have some equipment with it I'd recommend taking a point out of BHS or Adrenaline Rush. To try out if you need one of these skills just get equipment which grants you the skill and see if you can fit it in your bar/playstyle or if you won't need it.

Which equipment? What do I need on there? Which stats?

Which stats are important?
In order to survive against a lot of enemies Wolverine should be build around dodge. With Adrenaline Rush, Pym and the Fist you have a good start. Get as much dodge as possible. If you have enough dodge from equipment to go above the 65% dodge hard cap you can respec and shave some points off of Adrenaline Rush putting them into a skill like Cage the Beast or Can't keep me down.

Costume Core
I tend to use a RIF, since SIF is hardly noticable from what I've seen. I prefer the 2 sec invulnerability on medkit use as an oh snap button. Saved my live numerous times. Besides that I'd either go with 1 durability or strength on there.

08/10/13: I am just testing out a RIF/Invul/Energy core out. Going pretty well. One of Wolverines weaknesses is that he stays at 1 Energy receiving an additional 20% Energy and Mental damage. Going with 1 Energy on the core you get rid of that additional damage which seems to be worth as for now.

Cosmics
For Wolverine I do consider the cosmic blast the best cosmic attribute. Wolverine jumps into the middle of the enemies, getting swamped by them. A nice cosmic AoE blast helps a lot out there. Wolverine does not need any demons distracting an enemy like ranged DPS do. So if you want a cosmic, get one with the blast. It is well worth it.

Artifacts
Pym is a must have for Wolverine. He should be build around dodge rating as mentioned above. The guaranteed crit on dodge from the fist synergizes absolutely perfect with that. Also the additional damage on crit from the medal fits perfectly in there.

Leveling Wolverine, Skill priorities

Ok you start out there with a very weak level 1 Wolverine, maybe you've been playing him for a while and you think why is everyone saying he is so awesome except for you?

Worry not. Every Wolverine player has been there (or still is).

I won't lie to you. Before level 44 when you can finally equip Pym's shrinking serum Wolverine is not as easy to play as it always sounds. Pym's spirit regen will make up a lot for Wolverine. Starts to become really really awesome at that point. And you won't need to spam Cage the Beast anymore. Makes the gameplay way easier.
Don't get discouraged! It is well worth to go through the levels even though mid thirties to mid fourties might drag a bit.

But lets start before:

Where do I level the best?
In my opinion Midtown is the best place to level any toon hands down. Some terminal runs might give you a little more XP but in Midtown you get way better drops and since the bosses are dropping some sweet XP orbs now it is worth it to go after the villain teams.

So you mentioned Pym's the way to go. What do I do before level 44 to deal with the spirit issue
There are two things you should get: Some equipment with +Spirit. That will help out a bit. And also you should get Cage the Beast on a piece of equipment. Just slot that instead of Berserker Fury. Will help a lot to deal with the spirit issue.

How should I distribute my points?
You want to bring up regeneration boost asap. Followed by Bloody Slash and Adrenaline Rush. In general put one point in the skills listed in the build as soon as they become available. But also don't spend all skillpoint just because you leveled up. I wouldn't put more than one point into Healing factor till you can only put points in there. I made the mistake too. This skill is one of the last ones you need and will hardly notice during the fight.

I'd say skill in the following order :
Regeneration Boost > Bloody Slash > Adrenaline Rush > Blood Hungry Sweep > I am the best there is > Adamatium Skeleton > Healing Factor.

And just spend a point on the "one point wonders" as soon as you can (Feral Senses, Bloody Victory, Berserker Fury).

Midtown Tactics

Ok as for Midtown there are a couple of different mob groups which can spawn.

Mobgroups you will like
The one's you will like the most as Wolverine are the ninjas. They spawn very fast, have no ranged attacks and will surround you pretty fast. Perfect for your AoE.

Also quite good are the Moloids but you have to run around and have them crawl out at first. And the Brood mobs are pretty good too for you as a Wolverine.

Mobgroups you won't like
Yes there are groups you can't stand as Wolverine.

The first are the Hydra Gunmen. They spread around very much and they will do some decent damage to you. Just try to kill them fast and make good use of your Slashing leap. Then you will be fine. As long as you encounter that group on their own it isn't that bad, if they come with one or two additional groups you will notice it.

But they are not as bad as the Latverian Mob group. They will kill you the most. Pay attention to the cinderbots. They are your first priority. I noticed myself a lot being distracted while trying to kill the aerobots or other melee mobs like ninjas standing in the middle of the fire the cinderbots shoot. That will drain your health like nothing. Make sure to always leap to them and take them out. Once you dealt with them it isn't as hard anymore. Just make sure that you also got the ones which respawn. They usually spawn in 3 waves.

The others
I didn't mention the Hydra Mechs. They are somewhere inbetween. You won't have to dodge the Vulcan Mech's rockets with Wolverine but they take just some time to take down. So it's not bad but not as good as some ninjas either.

The villains

There are hardly any villains giving Wolverine a hard time. If you don't see one mentioned here you can just go toe to toe without breakin a sweat.

Rhino
He isn't really hard. Just make sure not to stand around him (not even behind him) when he is charging. He will oneshot anyone with his charge. Don't try your luck with that. Especially when other visuals are on the ground make sure to pay special attention to his animations.

Electro
Usually you can stand in his fields for some time IF he is the only source of damage you have to deal with at a given time. If another villain is also there it will be hard. Make sure to walk out of the fields some time and pop Regen Boost.

Bullseye
He isn't hard at all. Just make sure to break the LoS once he gets the lock on you. The two things working for that reliably I found out: walk around a buildings corner or around a lantern. Cars will not work in most cases!

Mega Sentinels
This pack is the Nemesis of Wolverine. Even with a dodge rating at the hard cap it is giving you the hardest time in entire Midtown. Make sure to run in once he stomped, hit him 2-3 times and run out. This one is a boss for ranged heros. You won't have a good time trying to stay in melee range there. This might change with the defense system changes but for now just run in and out if you want to fight them.

I hope that helps you out and that you will have a lot of fun.

Leave me a comment or talk to me ingame if you have any questions.