Guardians of the Galaxy: Best Perks to Unlock First

Perks are upgrades that permanently power-up Star-Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. They can be crafted at a workbench and cost Components to unlock. Some Perks will change Star-Lords gameplay significantly, while others are simple passive bonuses. To learn about Components and how to craft Perks, check out ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: How to Get Components’.

In this guide to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, we will be covering what perks are the best to unlock first and how different Perks should be prioritized.

What Perks Should You Unlock First in Guardians of the Galaxy?

You won’t have a choice on the very first Perk, as ‘Rapid Reload’ is needed to progress and is obtained by the player in the tutorial. The second perk we recommend is definitely ‘Charged Shot‘.  This allows Star-Lord to release a charged shot, which inflicts Stagger and Physical damage. At the beginning of the game, only Drax will have access to Stagger, which is a very important mechanic throughout the game. Allowing Star-Lord to inflict Stagger without using any Abilities is a huge help and will make combat more efficient and enjoyable. To learn more about how Stagger works, visit our guide on ‘How to Stagger Enemies in Guardians of the Galaxy.’

‘Consumable Magnet‘ is the third Perk we would recommend choosing. It will automatically pull Enemy drops, such as health, to Star-Lord from up to 15 meters away. It’s easy to lose health when you’re overwhelmed by enemies and regaining health is difficult, as Enemy drops appear directly underneath where they are defeated, which is likely bang-smack next to another enemy that could result in your death. Having health pulled directly towards you without having to run over it can completely change the tide of battle.

‘Extra Health’ provides a permanent 25% increase in Health Points, while ‘Shield Restoration Speed’ increases Shield regeneration by 33% per second. We recommend picking up both of these upgrades next, with Extra Health having slight priority over Shield Restoration Speed. If you still find you’re losing more Health than you’d like to, you can invest in ‘Super Quill Punch’, which results in additional Health pick-ups when killing an enemy via a melee attack straight after using a Jet Boot dash.

‘Extra Shield’, which increases Shield Point total by a considerate 50% and ‘Shield Restoration Delay’, which regenerates Shield Points faster in combat, are both brilliant choices for survivability, but they are quite expensive.

After you have obtained the Perks mentioned above, the rest are up to you and your playstyle. ‘Knockdown Dash’ can definitely be a useful ability, as it prevents Star-Lord from falling when being hit with a knockdown blow, which can be extremely annoying and reduces the amount of time active in combat. ‘Charge Consumption’ is also a great option.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.