MPQ 12th Anniversary Celebrations

IceIX
IceIX ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 4,335 Site Admin
in MPQ General Discussion

Before we jump into news about the upcoming 12th Anniversary this October we want to take a moment to reflect, share, and, most importantly, thank all of you for sticking with us through every challenge this year has brought.

Over the past year, we’ve focused heavily on implementing Unity, fixing bugs, and stabilizing the game. The transition hasn’t been without its challenges, and still so much more to do, but we’re excited about what’s ahead. And it all kicks off with our 12th Anniversary kicking off this October 3rd!

Here’s a preview of what you can look forward to: annual rewards, special events, fun activities, and a few exciting surprises as we head into the next year of MPQ.

Login Rewards

Soaring into our anniversary login gifts with a cosmic flair, 5-Star Silver Surfer (Skyrider) takes the spotlight as the first featured hero. Throughout the celebration, he’ll be delivering bi-weekly login rewards of 250 shards, giving players a stellar boost to power up their rosters.

To keep the momentum going, we’re also rolling out special weekly login rewards all October long. These bonuses include Anniversary Vault tokens and exclusive themed covers, perfect for celebrating the occasion and strengthening your lineup.

Week 1 (10/1 -10/8) - Anniversary Vault Token x3
Week 2 (10/9 - 10/15) - Captain America (Worthy) Red Cover
Week 3 (10/16 - 10/22) - 1/1/1 Bob (Agent of H.Y.D.R.A.) Covers
Week 4 (10/23 - 10/29) - Anniversary Vault Token x3

Hydra Season Pass

The Marvel Puzzle Quest 12th Anniversary Season Pass kicks off on October 16th with a sinister new theme, Hydra! Over the past year, we’ve introduced several Hydra-affiliated characters, starting with Bob at the end of last year, to round out some of their heroic adversaries already in the game, and now we’re bringing it all together to close out our anniversary celebrations with one of Marvel’s most infamous big bads whose powers are more than meets the eye. More on that as we get closer to the release date…

To fend off against the Hydra Season Pass, our Season Vault will feature 3-Star Ascended 4-Star Black Widow (Grey Suit) and Captain America (First Avenger) covers.

Anniversary Vault

Not to be outdone by the diabolical baddies from this anniversary’s Season Pass, our Anniversary Vault will feature some of your favorite cosmic characters such as Aunt May (Golden Oldie), High Evolutionary (Awesome Mix Vol. 3), Beta Ray Bill (Korbinite Cyborg), ​​Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Thanos (Modern), and more as characters to boost up your roster.

Be sure to play with these characters to unlock a daily play token to earn all the rewards from the vault.

2 Star: Ghost Rider (Alejandra Jones)
2 Star: Headpool (UndHead)
3 Star: Arcade (King of PWN)
3 Star: Mephisto (Dealmaker)
4 Star: Devil Dinosaur (Gigantic Reptile)
4 Star: Doctor Bong (Lester Verde)
4 Star: Doop (Green One)
4 Star: Ghost Rider 2099 (Zero Cochrane)
4 Star: Howard The Duck (Howard, A Duck)
4 Star: Peggy Carter (Captain America)
4 Star: Spider-Ham (Peter Porker)
4 Star: Taskmaster (Tony Masters)
5 Star: Arcade (Edward Acra)
5 Star: Mephisto (Lord of Hell)
5 Star: Peggy Carter (Worthy)

Doop Codes

Doop is back this year with a brand-new round of clues hidden throughout our anniversary calendar! Keep your eyes on our socials for codes that unlock exclusive rewards for your accounts. You won’t want to miss a single one.

Game Updates

This anniversary marks the first time we’re entering the season while actively building on a new Unity foundation. Though the transition is still underway, it opens the door to the next chapter of MPQ. One focused on revitalizing the game with updates that bring fresh energy and new ways to play. Our goal is to expand on what players already love while also introducing modes and features that feel both familiar and excitingly new.

This means not only enhancing gameplay variety but also improving quality-of-life elements, refining balance, and making MPQ a more engaging experience for both long-time veterans and newer players alike. We want to create content that sparks curiosity, rewards creativity, and keeps the game world feeling alive and evolving.

Here are just a few of the things we’ve been working on behind the curtains to breathe new life into MPQ and set the stage for its future.

New Tower Game Mode

We know it’s been a while since MPQ has seen new game modes or events, and we’re excited to announce a brand-new monthly Tower Mode is coming this Anniversary on October 16th, alongside the new Season! Quandary has tightened her grip on MPQ this year, and she’ll be at the center of all the action in this challenging new mode. Unlike her past appearances in our anniversary activities, this mode shifts away from puzzles and puts the spotlight on raw power, so prepare to push your roster to its limits!

Tower Mode spans a 28-day period, challenging players to complete two nodes each day in order to unlock the following day’s missions. Along the way, you’ll earn rewards from both daily missions and overall progression, making each step of the journey meaningful as you climb the tower.

In this first iteration of Tower Mode, missions unlock sequentially, becoming accessible only after completing the previous day’s challenges and reaching the corresponding event day. No specific characters are required for this version, though that may change in future updates. Each mission grants a minor reward and contributes to the overall progression threshold, and while they are non-repeatable and do not include narrative elements, they provide a steady, engaging daily challenge throughout the 28-day event.

Character Rebalances

Rebalances are coming back after a pause earlier in the year and we’ll be taking a different approach on how we do them. To reinvigorate gameplay and open the door for fresh tactics, we’re rolling out a series of character rebalances. These updates will include both buffs to underutilized characters giving them new life and opportunities to shine, while at the same time doing carefully measured nerfs to those who have overshadowed the roster for too long. Our goal isn’t to take away your favorites, but rather to level the playing field so more characters can be viable, rewarding experimentation and team diversity.

Over the past few years, the Marvel Puzzle Quest meta hasn’t been as dynamic enough, with a handful of characters consistently dominating team compositions and strategies. While this stability may have offered some comfort, it has also reduced variety and limited the creative choices available to players.

This new approach will help create a healthier, more dynamic game environment where strategy, synergy, and player creativity matter more than simply relying on the same few top-tier options. We want every battle to feel fresh, challenging, and fun whether you’re a veteran with a deep roster or a newcomer building your first team.

As for timing, the first batch of these character rebalances is planned to coincide with the start of the next season on October 16th. We’ll share more details as the date approaches, so stay tuned for updates!

SCL Update

In addition to the planned changes to characters, our other focus is going to be on S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearance Levels (SCLs) in Marvel Puzzle Quest that have needed a long overdue review. With more high-rarity characters available than ever, lower SCLs see little to no play, as many players can easily skip past them. At the same time, even veteran players often find SCL 10 events too easy, leading to stagnation at the top end of competition.

To streamline the player experience, we’re consolidating some of the lower SCL tiers to simplify progression for newer players while freeing up space at the top for fresh challenges and new features. This “SCL Shift” will ensure a more engaging and rewarding experience for all players.

Here’s how the SCL structure will change:

SCL 1 (Previously 2)
SCL 2 to 8 (Previously 4 to 10)
SCL 9 (New)
SCL 10 (New)

New Character Rarity

We’ll end this blog with a major announcement and a little tease… 6-Star characters are coming to Marvel Puzzle Quest!

These will be some of the biggest additions the game has ever seen and true powerhouses that represent the next evolution in roster-building. Their arrival will not only change how players acquire and build characters, but will also tie directly into the upcoming SCL updates.

We’re not quite ready to reveal who the first 6-Star will be, but we can promise it’s going to be a game-changer. There’s a lot to digest with this new tier, and we’ll be sharing a dedicated blog before the anniversary to explain how 6-Stars will work and what they mean for the future of MPQ.

With new modes, features, and the arrival of 6-Star characters on the horizon, we’re only scratching the surface of what’s next for MPQ. We can’t wait to see how you rise to the challenges, experiment with new strategies, and celebrate the heroes (and villains) of the Marvel Universe in fresh ways.

Thank you for being part of this incredible community and for continuing to make MPQ what it is today. Here’s to another year of epic battles, bold roster-building, and unforgettable Marvel adventures!

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Comments

  • Waddles_Pines
    Waddles_Pines Posts: 1,271 Chairperson of the Boards

    Ugh 6... After I spent all this time building up my 5 to be competitive 🤦‍♂️

  • Borstock
    Borstock Posts: 3,052 Chairperson of the Boards

    Sounds like the Skull is on his way.

    Six star characters make me want to throw up in my mouth a little, but at least I have the most resources I've ever had.

  • MegaBee
    MegaBee Posts: 1,225 Chairperson of the Boards

    Guarded optimism. I shudder at the thought of 6-star characters, including 6a5 characters that will inevitably happen.

  • LavaManLee
    LavaManLee Posts: 1,765 Chairperson of the Boards

    On the record as saying that 6 star characters are not a good idea. Harder SCL? Sure. No problem. 6 star? Nope, no way. Uh uh. Especially since people have been paying actual HP to change 5* covers when maybe they should have been building dupes for the inevitable Ascension. Would really love to know who is making these decisions as it is not from people who actually play the game consistently for fun.

  • Godzillafan67
    Godzillafan67 Posts: 727 Critical Contributor

    6* Galactus or 6* Hyperion. Otherwise I'm taking my ball and going home.

  • Read_Only
    Read_Only Posts: 22 Just Dropped In

    Well Shang and mthor are not in the anniversary vault, I’m guessing they are on the chopping block. Polaris has to be too.

    Great news on pve getting harder. I won’t be playing 6* though. Not making that mistake again, I will soft cap at 550.

  • LavaManLee
    LavaManLee Posts: 1,765 Chairperson of the Boards

    Will be interesting to see if Golden Oldie or Frankie/Nova are in the "nerf" category. Those two actually make MT, Polaris and Shang Chi irrelevant at 550 and the right supports.

    Notice no mention of supports at all in the "what's coming". Have no idea what this means but figure it means something.

  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 7,202 Chairperson of the Boards

    Nerfs, 6* characters, AND harder PvE!?! Did you guys write this specifically for me?

    Hopefully they let us ascend 5*, as soon as the first 6* shows up. Glad I kept all the dupes of my 550s!

  • Borstock
    Borstock Posts: 3,052 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited 26 September 2025 00:04

    @LavaManLee said:
    On the record as saying that 6 star characters are not a good idea. Harder SCL? Sure. No problem. 6 star? Nope, no way. Uh uh. Especially since people have been paying actual HP to change 5* covers when maybe they should have been building dupes for the inevitable Ascension. Would really love to know who is making these decisions as it is not from people who actually play the game consistently for fun.

    The same thing happened to people with ascension for all the other tiers. They don't care about this.

  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 7,202 Chairperson of the Boards

    @Borstock said:

    @LavaManLee said:
    On the record as saying that 6 star characters are not a good idea. Harder SCL? Sure. No problem. 6 star? Nope, no way. Uh uh. Especially since people have been paying actual HP to change 5* covers when maybe they should have been building dupes for the inevitable Ascension. Would really love to know who is making these decisions as it is not from people who actually play the game consistently for fun.

    The same thing happened to people with ascension for all the other tiers. They don't care about this.

    I learned my lesson the first time. Always, always roster the dupes. It's been a thing since they started doing retro rewards, but certainly after ascension it was made completely clear.

  • JSP869
    JSP869 Posts: 841 Critical Contributor
    edited 26 September 2025 00:07

    Tower Mode spans a 28-day period, challenging players to complete two nodes each day in order to unlock the following day’s missions.

    "...each day..."

    And if we miss a day? Can we do four nodes the next day? Or will we be SOL?

    There was (I think) another Marvel game I played for a short while that had a 30-day (or maybe it was 28) daily log-in reward table, with a Big! prize/reward for signing in 30 days in a row (or maybe it was 28 days).
    I started playing midway through the month, signing in and playing every day, and at the end of the month I was at maybe Day 15's reward.
    The next day, the first day of the next month, I signed in...and the reward table and my reward progress had reset. I felt like I'd been cheated. I immediately quit, and uninstalled the game.
    MPQ has never done anything like this.
    For Welcome to SHIELD events, we can do every node on the very last day if that's what we want.
    I did exactly that for America's recent mini-event.
    I hope I'm not overthinking this Tower mode, and that you will follow past practice and allow players to miss a day and catch up on the next day...or even storm the tower on the 28th day.

  • Scorpion201
    Scorpion201 Posts: 81 Match Maker

    I see Dormammu, Galactus and the living tribunal as 6 stars.. everything sounds exciting..

  • Borstock
    Borstock Posts: 3,052 Chairperson of the Boards

    @scottee said:
    Y'all can blame this on me. I finally got a stable of seven 550's as a F2P player. So of course they want to introduce 6*s now.

    But more seriously, I thought 6* was a bad idea when 5* was new. And I still think so. Making a tier that's rarer and more powerful is not what this game needs. Feels like a hail mary to try to save the game.

    I mean, the whole game is based on math. Theoretically, implementation of a new tier should be simple.

  • kuntilanak
    kuntilanak Posts: 215 Tile Toppler

    I'm fine either ways. Really in apathy mode now. As long as they don't paywall the 6*. And when will they address the SC300 cap?

  • Omegased
    Omegased Posts: 628 Critical Contributor

    My concern with the six star characters, is making sure the other tears are still relevant. Whilst I wasn't a big fan of ascension when it arrived, it has made almost all characters at least somewhat relevant when boosted.

    I'm worried my grind for 550 characters has been for nothing and that would make me sad

  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 7,202 Chairperson of the Boards

    @Omegased said:
    My concern with the six star characters, is making sure the other tears are still relevant. Whilst I wasn't a big fan of ascension when it arrived, it has made almost all characters at least somewhat relevant when boosted.

    I'm worried my grind for 550 characters has been for nothing and that would make me sad

    I agree with you. This must be accompanied by the ability to ascend every character to 6*. If it doesn't, we'll end up right back where we were before ascension.

  • axmoss
    axmoss Posts: 256 Mover and Shaker

    it better be something like "6-star characters are limited to 1 per team"

  • bluewolf
    bluewolf Posts: 6,477 Chairperson of the Boards

    @kuntilanak said:
    I'm fine either ways. Really in apathy mode now. As long as they don't paywall the 6*. And when will they address the SC300 cap?

    The game makes half the money it used to last year.

    What do you think they’re gonna do with 6s in this situation?

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