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In one of the more unexpected returns of the Avengers team members, a Mr D. Blake emerges from a crowd, only to summon Mjolnir and for you to play as the mighty Norse god, Thor Odinson.
You’ll find that Thor’s basic controls are quite similar to the other superheroes, but he does have a very distinct set of skills, abilities, and moves for you to utilise in the game.
In this guide, we’re running through how to use the god of thunder, his strengths and weaknesses, available skill upgrades, and the best Thor build upgrades in Marvel’s Avengers.
Using Thor’s basic moves
Before you’ve had a chance to apply some skill points to your Thor build, you’ll find that the Norse god is an entertaining character to use, getting a bit of the Hulk’s strength with Iron Man’s flying ability.
Flying with Thor can help you traverse the area with ease. To do so, briefly hold X/A while in midair to begin to hover, then press X/A to ascend, O/B to descend, or L3 to go into flight mode.
As you would assume, all of Thor’s combat is centred on his use of the hammer, Mjolnir. Tapping Square/X will reel off moderate-speed combination hits, and if you hold this light attack button, you’ll perform Thor’s famous hammer spin.
Thor also uses his hammer as a ranged attack. Pressing aim (L2/LT) and fire (R2/RT) will see Thor throw Mjolnir at the target.
However, unlike with other superheroes’ ranged attacks, this is a single-shot move, and you need to recall the hammer (R2/RT) after the throw. Without Mjolnir, you can perform unarmed attacks, and the returning hammer deals damage to those in its path.
Thor’s strengths and weaknesses
Thor’s standard light and heavy attacks are formidable, but the Marvel’s Avengers character really taps into his mythological origins when you use Odinforce.
By pressing and holding R2/RT, Odinforce harnesses the power of lightning to counter all attacks that aren’t unblockable at the expense of your intrinsic bar (which automatically refills when you’re not using Odinforce).
That’s not all, though, as the initial Thor build that you get also has the God of Thunder upgrade unlocked, which boosts your melee attacks with an electric charge that applies shock damage and interrupts attacks.
Perhaps the main weakness of Thor is that he’s relatively slow, particularly when dodging. As his attacks aren’t overly fast, mixing in last-second dodges during combos isn’t always possible.
While hovering in the air or when on foot, you also won’t find the same kind of evasion speed or effectiveness as you would with a character like Iron Man.
For dodging attacks, double-tapping O/B is the best way to go with the Thor build, but it will take you out of quick-counter range and won’t always work as it is quite slow.
Thor’s support heroic ability (L1+R1/LB+RB), Warrior’s Fury, supercharges the Odinforce ability by granting immunity to teammates while sending out bolts of electricity, making Odinson’s greatest strength even stronger.
Best Thor Primary Skills upgrades
Thor has an additional two light attack upgrades, four heavy attack upgrades, five hammer skills upgrades, and six intrinsic ability upgrades.
There are several different build routes that you can take Thor Odinson down, but to make the Norse god as powerful as you can, as quickly as you can it’s best to pick a preferred playing style and then keep upgrading the relevant section before moving to the next.
Below, you’ll find the best Thor build’s Primary Skills upgrades, which generally improve the most effective methods of using the superhero.
| Primary Skill | Upgrade | Requirement | Description | Info |
| Light Attack | Whirling Uru | Hammer Spin | After a Hammer Spin, hold Square/X to perform an attack that hits all immediate enemies. | Damage: medium Impact: medium Stun: high Reaction: stagger |
| Light Attack | Mjolnir Cyclone | Whirling Uru | After a Whirling Uru, hold Square/X for another, even more powerful strike. | Damage: high Impact: high Stun: high Reaction: spin |
| Heavy Attack | Thunderstruck | Sigurd Strike | Rapidly pressing 3x Square, Triangle, R2 (X, X, X, Y, RT) performs a heavy combo finisher that channels Odinforce to create a large area of damage. | Guard: breaks block Damage: high Impact: high Stun: high Reaction: flyback |
| Intrinsic Ability | Electric Field | Electrostatic | Increases the maximum amount of intrinsic Odinforce energy by 15%. | N/A |
| Intrinsic Ability | Divine Chaos | God of Thunder, Hero Level 8 | When Odinforce is full, perform several attacks without taking a hit to overcharge. | N/A |
| Intrinsic Ability | Eternal Spark | Legacy of Odinson | Reduces the decay of intrinsic energy by 15% when Odinforce is used continuously. | N/A |
| Intrinsic Ability | Odin’s Offering | Eternal Spark | When the intrinsic metre is fully depleted, defeating enemies will grant an instant 15-point boost to the metre. | N/A |
Best Thor Specialty Skills upgrades
On Thor’s Specialty page, within the Skills menu, you can choose two support heroic ability upgrades, three assault heroic ability upgrades, two ultimate heroic ability upgrades, and one more movement ability upgrade.
In each of the heroic ability sections, you’ll find two options which cost one skill point but allow you select only one upgrade from a choice of three, allowing you to direct your Thor build to suit your preferences.
In the table below, you’ll find the best Specialty Skills for a Thor build, with the upgrades below being the top picks to enhance what is generally the best way to use the God of Thunder.
| Specialty Skill | Upgrade | Requirement | Description |
| Support Heroic Ability | Hel’s Anger | Warrior’s Fury Specialisation II | Increases critical attack damage by 25% and critical attack chance by 10% for anyone affected by Warrior’s Fury. |
| Assault Heroic Ability | High Voltage Blast | Burning Light | Increases the amount of shock damage inflicted by the God Blast attack. |
| Assault Heroic Ability | Overcharge Blast | God Blast Specialisation II, Divine Chaos (see above) | God Blast inflicts 20% increased damage when triggered while overcharged. |
| Ultimate Heroic Ability | Odin’s Blessing of the Realm | Bifrost Specialisation II, Divine Chaos (see above) | Automatically activate Odinforce Overcharge when returning from the Bifrost. |
Best Thor Mastery Skills upgrades
To gain access to the Mastery Skills of the best Thor build in Marvel’s Avengers, you’ll first need to level-up Thor to Hero Level 15.
Once you’ve reached this tier, you’ll have three upgrades to select from the melee upgrades, ranged upgrades, intrinsic ability upgrades, and intrinsic overcharge upgrades sections. You’ll get to pick one upgrade from a choice of three with each unlock.
Below, you can find the best Thor build upgrades from the Mastery part of the Skills menu.
| Mastery Skill | Upgrade | Requirement | Description |
| Melee | Melee Stun Damage | Damage Specialisation I | Increases melee stun damage by 15%. |
| Ranged | Guard Breaker | Hammer Specialisation II | Ranged attacks with the hammer break through blocking enemies. |
| Intrinsic Ability | Ionic Bolts | Odinforce Attack Specialisation | Defeating enemies while Odinforce is active strikes nearby targets with lightning. |
| Intrinsic Ability | Maximum Force | Odinforce Charge Specialisation | Increases the maximum amount of intrinsic Odinforce energy by 15%. |
| Intrinsic Ability | Honed Force | Odinforce Efficiency Specialisation | Reduces the overall energy cost of using the intrinsic Odinforce ability by 10%. |
| Intrinsic Overcharge | Damage Force | Overcharge Activation Specialisation, Divine Chaos (see above) | Increases all damage by 15% when Odinforce is overcharged. |
Each time you level-up and get some skill points to use on Thor Odinson, see if the upgrades for the best Thor build shown in these tables suit your preferred style of play as the Norse god.
Looking for more Marvel’s Avengers guides?
Marvel’s Avengers: Black Widow Best Build Skill Upgrades and How to Use Guide
Marvel’s Avengers: Iron Man Best Build Skill Upgrades and How to Use Guide
Marvel’s Avengers: Captain America Best Build Upgrades and How to Use Guide
Marvel’s Avengers: Hulk Best Build Skill Upgrades and How to Use Guide
Marvel’s Avengers: Ms Marvel Best Build Skill Upgrades and How to Use Guide
Marvel’s Avengers: Complete Controls Guide for PS4 and Xbox One
