Should You Choose Air Marshal or Focused Parry in Spider-Man 2?

Many of the combat upgrades in Spider-Man 2 are tied to the Suit Tech section instead of the skill tree, and they all lead to branching tech like the Air Marshal or Focused Parry. With only one choice between any branch, it’s more important than ever to pick the best skills for Peter and Miles.

Is Focused Parry Better than Air Marshal in Spider-Man 2?

The answer is yes, Focused Parry is the better option for the Damage Suit Tech upgrades. Both the parry skill and the Air Marshal upgrade offer up some great damage in a passive way, but the Focused Parry translates to better output. Partially recharging abilities with any successful parry is a fast track to spamming out more attacks like the Venom Punch.

Air Marshal provides a flat bonus to damage dealt to enemies in mid-air. Considering how many skills in the game allow you to consistently juggle thugs, it’s still a significant jump in damage output. However, mid-air damage doesn’t outweigh more ability use in my experience. I would much rather be able to crowd control and destroy an entire crew with my Spider Legs or Venom strikes.

One key factor in your choice is how you want to play. At the end of the day, there are multiple skills in the game that become more specialized if you invest. With the right upgrades, you can make parrying or mid-air combat far more lucrative. So in this regard, it really depends on your playstyle. But I believe a build based on parrying will save you in the long run.

If you don’t like the skill choices you made for something like the Focused Parry in Spider-Man 2, then you can always change it. Once you spend the resources to unlock a branching Suit Tech upgrade, you can freely swap between both.

To make full use of the Focused Parry, read my guide on how to parry in Spider-Man 2.