6.5 Update Recap - Symbiote Invasion

Introduction

This recap is intended to provide a short summary of the characters added or improved by a recent update. Use this as a recap, not a definitive guide: for more detailed reviews you may have to look elsewhere.

Everything is to a degree subjective and I've tried to ensure the information here is as accurate as possible, but if I have included any completely garbage takes please let me know.

This update I have skipped the "Crystal Cost" section as it's simply 4 1050-cost unis (4200 crystals).

Please note that I am referring to the current update when discussing characters. I am not considering World Boss Legend because I don't know enough about it yet.

Quick link to the patch notes:

6.5 Patch Notes

Thanks to proton, stro, TClord and IGN: Ren Vader for the help!

• Characters

  Characters

  Listed below are the new characters in this update. They are roughly in order of quality but this is not a tier list so please don't crack a stiffy over it.

  Scream

  Scream

  Free bio selector character, decent enough for new players but isn't much more than a Shadowland clear for developed rosters.
  Damage is okay, survivability is lacking a bit, skill 5 tends to get cancelled if enemies move around.
  On the bright side she's a free Combat Villain (top two picks are both paywall) and has an easy enough rotation that works with a proc.

  Spider-Woman

  Spider-Woman

  Paywall character, very skippable as she has little use.
  Her skillset is clunky with little to no residual damage and overall feels like a character designed in 2017.
  Awakened Skill and Transcend Potential improve her even further.

• Uniforms

  Uniforms

  Listed below are the new uniforms in this update. The ordering here is not as important: I've roughly sorted it to have the uniforms that offer the most improvement first, but obviously the most improvement doesn't necessarily mean the best character overall. For individual character details - which is more important than a ranking anyway - just read the descriptions.

  For the characters that have also received a Tier-3 or Awakening this update, I go into more detail in that section below.

  The uniform options are listed from Advanced to Mythic, left-to-right.

  Carnage [Absolute Carnage]

  Carnage [Absolute Carnage]

  A fantastic uniform, both visually and in gameplay improvements.
  Makes Carnage one of (if not the) most worthwhile paywalls for PvE, though he has limited usability with a proc.
  Tier-3 improves him even further.

  Spider-Gwen [Gwenom]

  Spider-Gwen [Gwenom]

  Another standout uniform with fantastic animations and a smooth playstyle that works with a proc.
  Effectively replaces Doc Ock as the best PvE Human Speed Villain.
  Awakened Skill and Transcend Potential improve her even further.

  Venom [War of the Realms]

  Venom [War of the Realms]

  A big improvement over previous Venom uniforms, though Anti-Venom may still be preferable for striker heals.
  A decently proc-friendly Combat Hero uniform that excels in PvE content.
  Tier-3 improves him even further.

  Spider-Man (Miles Morales) [Absolute Carnage]

  Spider-Man (Miles Morales) [Absolute Carnage]

  A solid uniform that gains longevity by being a leadership for Carnage.
  While strong on his own, he simply won't compete with Carnage when Carnage has the better uniform and a Tier-3.
  You may find limited use out of Miles as a main: his passive is especially good for Shadowland and he is proc friendly.

• New Tier-3 Advancements

  New Tier-3 Advancements

  Note that this section assumes the best uniform for each character.

  Carnage [Absolute Madness]

  Carnage [Absolute Madness]

  With Tier-3 Carnage deals monstrous damage and beats Namor in every mode except ABX (where his 5th skill wastes damage on the mobs).
  A very worthwhile Tier-3, especially for those who already have Carnage at Tier-2, since it only costs 800 CCF.

  Venom [Vicious Hunt]

  Venom [Vicious Hunt]

  Venom's Tier-3 is another cheap Combat option, though Moon Knight still rules the Combat Hero class while also being extremely proc friendly.
  Still, Venom is a solid choice especially for those who lack the resources or motivation to transcend Moon Knight.
  Overall a quality Physical Damage T3 with good enough performance in ABX and WBU.

• New Transcended Potential

  New Transcended Potential

  The required characters to Awaken Potential have been excluded since character requirements have been removed in 6.6. Again, best uniform is assumed.

  Spider-Gwen [Raging Ghost-Spider]

  Spider-Gwen [Raging Ghost-Spider]

  The standout transcended character of this update, especially for WBU and Squad Battle.
  While not as good as Mystique in ABX, she is Human which qualifies her for SB and can be used with Mystique elsewhere.
  Also very strong for WBU oneshots which are always handy.

  Spider-Woman [Arachne Dive Bomb]

  Spider-Woman [Arachne Dive Bomb]

  I'm sure she's not bad but I'm also not sure if more than 10 people have transcended Spider-Woman.
  There is simply no place for mediocre paywall Blast/Female/Hero/Human characters when Sharon Rogers has all the same modifiers and is given for free at Tier-2 to all players.

  Silk [Unseen Spider Strike]

  Silk [Unseen Spider Strike]

  Pain