Spider-Man 2 quickly gives you an overwhelming arsenal of skills and abilities to start playing with and upgrade. And then there’s Spider-Man’s quintet of gadgets, most of which prove extremely useful throughout the game. But when it comes to the gadgets, one of them is definitely worth prioritizing for upgrades above all else: the Web Grabber.
One completely new gadget absent from the last two games is Spider-Man 2’s Web Grabber, which reaches out, snags multiple nearby enemies, and pulls them all into a neat, easy-to-beat-up clump right in front of you. It’s tagged to the R1 + Square button combination, and makes enemies extra vulnerable to area-of-effect attacks like Peter Parker’s Spider Arm barrage and Miles Morales’ chain lightning.
Pre-order Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
The first upgrade for the Web Grabber is called Bombard, and it might be the most useful ability in the entire game. Instead of just pulling in nearby enemies, it will also grab barrels, cinder blocks, and other throwables in the vicinity, dealing extra damage. As you progress through the game, a well-placed Grabber deployment can occasionally knock out an entire squad of enemies all by itself. All you need for this powerful upgrade is 155 Tech Parts (earned by preventing crimes) and 3 City Tokens (earned from collecting Marko’s Memories and completing Photo Ops).
The rest of the Web Grabber’s upgrades make it even more of a standout, increasing the range, the number of enemies pulled in, and allowing it to affect larger enemies as well. For those upgrades you’ll also need Rare Tech Parts (earned from completing Prowler Stashes and EMF Experiments) and Hero Tokens (earned from completing Hunter Bases and Mysteriums).
From there, it’s a good idea to focus on upgrading your standard Web-Shooters since they’re your number-one defense against enemies; you can quickly and easily subdue many mooks after just a few punches by sticking them to nearby surfaces. The first two upgrades are the most crucial, since they increase your charge count and how fast they refill.
Concussion Burst grenades, meanwhile, become very useful later on. They temporarily stun rank-and-file enemies, but are especially effective against Venom when it comes to confrontations in the back half of the game. While it’s not necessary to prioritize them right from the start, it’s a good idea to have all five of their upgrades maxed out by the third act. You’ll understand why once you get there.
The other two gadgets are frankly fine. It’s worth putting at least one point into upgrading the Upshot and Ricochet Web when you have the tokens to spare, but I personally didn’t find them to drastically change the odds when I got into a tight spot. Still, more toys to throw at goons equals more fun, and since Spider-Man 2 is a game built to be 100 percented, you’ll probably find yourself upgrading them eventually anyway.
