Question regarding Leveling.

The first cover in a given color is worth the least amount in +levels. The second cover in a particular color is worth significantly more. After that, each cover is worth the same amount of +levels.

For example, for 2* characters:

1/0/0 = level 6
1/1/0 = level 8
1/1/1 = level 9

1/0/0 = level 6
2/0/0 = level 13
3/0/0 = level 21

Focusing on one color gives you a higher soft cap more quickly, though you'll reach the same max level at max covers no matter how you get there. The progression looks a little uneven due to some internal rounding to the nearest whole level.

For 2* characters, 2/2/2 = level 29, and every cover of any color in any order after that gives +8 max levels, up to 85 for 3 ability characters or 69 for 2 ability characters.
For 3* characters, 2/2/2 = level 51 (actually 50.9; rounded up to 51), and every cover after that is +12.8 levels, up to 141 for 3 ability characters or 115 for 2 ability characters.
For IW/XFWolvie, 2/2/2 = level 87 (actually 86.9), and each cover after that is +20.5 levels, up to 230. There are no 2 ability 4* characters, but if there were, they would cap at level 189.

Data taken from Yeggy's MPQ level cap calculator, which I found a little while ago on these forums; maybe the forum search will pull it up for you?

locked, your Spidey is either 2/4/1 or 1/4/2. If you added one cover to make him 2/4/2, and then added one more cover of any color to your 3/2/2 Punisher/Psylocke, they would all end up at the same level soft cap (77, in this case).

Edit: Yeggy's MPQ level cap calculator thread is here, I found it on page 4 of the Tips and Guides subforum.

user311 wrote:

Oh man this is so ignorant. I'm killing myself just to get any *** covers and when I do I can't even level the guy very much because it wasnt a duplicate color?

I'd say the most valuable 3* cover is the first one for any character, because it permits access to an additional PvE node every once in a while--more if that character is the featured character of the event, like Psylocke was for ISO-8 Brotherhood. Past that, yes, you need 8-10 covers before a 3* character will start to pull ahead of a maxed 2* character in value (varies depending on the character--5/0/5 Classic Spidey is ****; 0/5/0 Classic Spidey is useful). Unless you are dumping real money into HP to grow a character's abilities, transitioning from a 2* roster to 3* is a slow process.