Spider-Man 2 beginner tips to know before starting on PS5

Spider-Man 2 isn’t just “more Spider-Man” for you to swing into. It builds upon some of what Insomniac Games did in 2018, with the original and in 2020, with Miles Morales, but there’s so much new here that you’ll be learning a lot regardless of whether you’re a Spider-Veteran or a Spider-Newbie.

This is what you should do. Spider-Man 2 guide, we’ve outlined 11 beginner’s tips that will help you thrive as you swing (and web wing!) You can navigate your way around Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Select the Spider-Man that is best suited for your job

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

Miles has very different skills from Peter. Spider-Man 2 — one of the few things that separates how each plays — and they can affect how you approach enemies.

An early example here is Sandman’s reflections, who you’ll fight at the very start of the game and as part of the Marko’s Memories side activity. Peter can beat on these sand monsters like normal, but Miles’ venom attacks kill them in a single hit. Later in the game, you’ll encounter some enemies that Peter is able to handle better than Miles, but we’ll let you discover that for yourself.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can switch between Spider-Mans at any time, particularly for the majority of side content. Before you dive into any activity, weigh up the pros and cons.

As much as possible, focus on the story.

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

Spider-Man 2’s story Moves, and it’s packed with entertaining missions. The storyline is the best way to unlock all the main powers and activities in the game.

We recommend sticking to the story for a while — especially in the early hours — as it’ll help you unlock the ability to pick up collectibles like the Spider-Bots or do side activities like the Cultural Museum. If you focus on side content instead, you’ll only have access to a handful of Peter’s and Miles’ abilities.

The flipside is that Spider-Man 2 is more difficult than the first game, side content will give you the currency you need to keep pace with the game’s bosses. There’s a balance you’ll need to strike here, but overall, we recommend mainlining the story at the very least until Peter acquires the Black Suit.

Stop all random criminals whenever they appear

Stopping crime is kind of your entire job when you’re Spider-Man, but the random crimes that appear in the world are purely optional in Spider-Man 2. The rewards for these random crimes can be huge. They offer a ton of XP and Tech Parts, both of which you’ll need to upgrade the best skills for Peter and Miles.

The majority of these crimes are completed in a matter of minutes or seconds and they’re always worth it.

Early practice of parrying, dodging and avoiding is important

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

Spider-Man 2It is more challenging than both Spider-Man2018 Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This is largely due to the addition of the parry mechanic and unblockable “crushing” attacks.

The game will introduce you to parrying very early, but crushing attacks won’t come in until later, shortly after you get the Black Suit. The warnings for these attacks are very similar and they hit hard.

You should learn to recognize these signs and start practicing parrying them or dodging as soon as possible. Later-game bosses are likely to throw them at you a great deal. If you’re not cautious, a boss can take either Miles or Peter down in just a few hits, so start practicing on enemies as early as you can.

You can save combat-focused challenges until later.

Spider-Man 2 is an action game, but it’s also an RPG, and each Spider-Man you control will grow more powerful as you level up and unlock new skills and gadgets. Some of the activities — like the timed Mysteriums — are clearly designed with a higher-level Spider-Man in mind. But there are no level requirements in the game, so it’s up to you to decide when you tackle side activities.

These missions are often very challenging or even impossible for players at lower levels. The game becomes much easier when your gadgets and suit are fully upgraded. If you’re ever struggling with something (including a story boss), consider stepping away, leveling up, and coming back later.

Each neighborhood can unlock fast travel

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

New York has a much larger population than other cities Spider-Man 2Brooklyn and Queens have been added to the list. While there are many ways to travel around the globe quickly, thanks to Web Wings, you can use lightning-fast rapid transportation to go from one end of New York City to the other within seconds.

It is necessary to complete activities in every neighborhood before you can use fast travel. We recommend unlocking fast travel in at least one district in each borough (Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens), so you can speed around quickly when you don’t feel like gliding over the East River.

You can spend your skill points on any item.

Three separate skill trees are available in Spider-Man 2: one for Miles, one for Peter, and one that’s shared between them. The shared skill tree is obviously where you should start out, as it allows you to unlock some basic abilities that will help you no matter who you’re playing as.

There are many different Spider-Man trees. TonnagePeter and Miles have more power. It’s absolutely worth investing points to fully unlock all of Miles’ and Peter’s abilities as early as possible, so you’re able to fill all four of their slots.

Spread the love as you go with your skill points, and don’t make the same mistake we did, where we focused entirely too much on the shared tree at first and missed out on some of the best skills for Miles and Peter.

But invest in Peter’s Symbiote powers

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

We won’t tell you what happens in Spider-Man 2 regarding the Black Suit, but if you’re worried about investing in Peter’s symbiote powers only to lose them: don’t be.

Spider-Man 2 eventually offers some clever ways to reward you for investing in all of Peter’s skills, even the symbiote ones. You will not waste any skill points by the end of your campaign.

Don’t neglect your gadgets

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

You may not be tempted to upgrade your gadgets, but they are still very powerful. These items can be very powerful, and they become even more so as you upgrade.

For example, the Impact Web gadget from 2018 isn’t in the sequel, but the final upgrade for your web shooters causes your normal webs to launch enemies back if you web them up point-blank. The Ricochet Web upgrade is expensive if you’re not doing a lot of side content, but it’s well worth the cost.

Upgrade them as often as you can.

Focus your meter immediately

Upgrades to the suit are essential for each Spider-Man. You can deal more damage per punch, move faster or take a larger beating before going down. One of the most useful Suit Tech Upgrades you can buy is Spider-Man 2This is your Focus bar.

The Focus resource is something you create mid-combat. It can be used to do finishing moves that instantly knock out an enemy or even heal yourself. You can now generate a second Focus bar with the second upgrade to your Focus meter.

You can use this bar to not only heal two times in one go, but to also deal the finishing blow to bosses and heavy opponents. Just be cautious that you don’t spend all your Focus finishing bosses, as you’ll be completely out of healing options until you generate more.

You can skip puzzles if you’re struggling

Picture: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment by Polygon

Spider-Man 2 doesn’t have an equivalent of Doctor Octavius’ lab where you can go do prism puzzles, or the circuit minigame that’s basically just the hacking interface from BioShock. These two puzzles were removed and replaced with the molecule puzzle, and a new bonding puzzle.

The puzzles are all pretty easy to solve, but I did find one type that left me scratching my head for a couple of seconds. However, if you don’t enjoy puzzles or you find yourself getting stuck, you can open the menu and hit the “Skip Puzzle” button at any time with absolutely no consequences.

Some activities can be skipped (like the Bee minigame), if the difficulty or frustration is too high.

More information Spider-Man 2 guides, here’s where to find all Spider-Bot locations, how to unlock all suits, and a list of all trophies.