Marvel’s Avengers adds paid XP boosts, causes fan outcry over pay-to-win elements

Marvel’s Avengers allows players to play as Earth’s mightiest heroes, leveling each one up with new skills and improved superpowers. Developer Crystal Dynamics has introduced a new item to boost your way to higher levels by paying real money, and fans are not happy.

In the latest War Table blog post, the team detailed these new items in the marketplace. Hero’s Catalysts and Fragment Extractors are found under the new Consumables category. They boost the amount of XP you receive and the amount of Fragments you collect, respectively. They’re available as one-day boosters for 100 credits, three-day boosters for 250, and full week-long boosters for 500. Credits can, of course, be purchased for real-world money – 500 for $4.99 / £3.99, as an example.

Theoretically, these could be used to quickly raise new players to comparable levels as those who’ve been playing Avengers for a while, but those veteran players are not happy. An entire Reddit thread is dedicated to venting about the situation. When paired with the recent XP nerf, this situation is causing many to accuse Crystal Dynamics of manufacturing the need for Consumables to sell more.

Whatever the case, Consumables are now a part of Avengers’ marketplace. Perhaps some players will use them to reach the new max power level. That’ll be useful in prepping for the game’s first proper raid, as detailed in the recent content roadmap.