Shadow King Trials

Intro

Shadow King is the second Legendary character of the Age Of X saga, and his unlock method will be through the updated version of Trials, similar to how it was with Old Man Logan, Green Goblin (Classic), Nova, and Black Cat. All Trials are modified Scourge Events, so their structure should be familiar to everyone.

The Pacts (Scourges in Horsemen’s events) can alter the flow of battles either to your benefit or detriment. All Pacts have point modifiers that depend on the difficulty of the Pact, and by having more Pacts active, you can increase your final Run Score.

The core of the Event will be the same, with some changes. On Shadow King Trials we will have 15 Difficulties for all ranges of player progression. All players who are level 50+ can participate in Shadow King Trials. You can quit each node and try again until you reach the desired result.

Unlock

There will be no Character Shards in the rewards. And Shadow King will be recruited through Upgrade Tokens. Upgrade Tokens will instantly unlock a specific Star Level for him. You’ll need to attempt a Run Score at a minimum of Difficult 8 for the 4 Yellow Star Upgrade Token.

• 4 Yellow Star Upgrade Token – Milestone 8
• 1 Red Star – Milestone 9
• 2 Red Stars – Milestone 10
• 5 Yellow Star Upgrade Token – Milestone 11
• 3 Red Stars – Milestone 12
• 6 Yellow Star Upgrade Token – Milestone 13
• 4 Red Stars – Milestone 14
• 7 Yellow Star Upgrade Token – Milestone 15

To summarize – there are 15 difficulties in total. Starting with difficulty 11 and up, the specific teams (Illuminati and Annihilators) required for Mission 2, 5, and 10 will require characters at 5 or more Yellow Stars. The difference compared to Old Man Logan Trials is that for Difficulty 15 we don’t need 7 Yellow Stars on specific teams (Annihilators and Illuminati), 6 is enough. The exception is Captain Britain. He can be used on any difficulty regardless of how many Yellow Stars he has.

The inaugural run of the Shadow King Trials will include a Leaderboard. Players who achieve a score of 100,000 points or higher will qualify for leaderboard rewards. These rewards include 6 and 7 Yellow Star Shadow King Tokens, Astral Force (which helps unlock Red Stars for Shadow King), as well as Crimson and Teal Gear, and more.

Requirements

Required teams for nodes 2, 6, and 10 for Difficulties 5 and above are Illuminati and Annihilators. If we plan to do Difficulties 11 and above, we will need all those Characters at 5+ Yellow Stars.

Difficulty 1 is without restrictions, and Difficulty 2 only has restrictions for 3 Missions (Mission 7 – Global Villain / Mission 8 – Brawler (non-Mythic) / Mission 9 – Mercenary or Undying).

Difficulty 3 and 4 have no restrictions on Missions 1, 2, 6, and 10. The other Missions (Mission 3 and 7 – Global Villain / Mission 4 and 8 – Brawler (non-Mythic) / Mission 5 and 9 – Mercenary or Undying).

Difficulty 5 and above has no restrictions on Mission 1. The other Missions (Mission 2 – Illuminati / Mission 3 and 7 – Global Villain / Mission 4 and 8 – Brawler (non-Mythic) / Mission 5 and 9 – Mercenary or Undying / Mission 6 – Annihilators / Mission 10 – Illuminati and Annihilators).

Pacts

List of Pacts for the Shadow King Trials:

• EXPERIMENTAL SERUM II – Enemies gain +20% Max Health
• EXPERIMENTAL SERUM III – Enemies gain +30% Max Health
• FORGED IN FIRE – All Crucible abilities are active during this run.
• ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED – All Arena Abilities are Active during this Run
• MAGNETO WAS RIGHT – Mutant Villain characters deal an extra 15% Damage
• RESISTANCE IS FUTILE – When a Tech Villain character spawns, enemy characters lose 5% Resist
• DARK COSMIC RAYS – At the start of their turn, Cosmic Villain characters gain 5% Speed bar for every Positive Status Effect they have
• DEVOUR – Bio Villain characters Heal for 10% Max Health when they defeat an enemy
• VILLAINOUS MOMENTUM – When a character defeats a Hero character or a player character, they gain 50% Speed bar
• STRONGER TOGETHER – Global Hero characters gain +5% Damage for each Avenger, Wakandan or Inhuman ally

Two key pacts will be focused on Arena and Crucible. This is logical because Annihilators is a Arena-specialized team, and Illuminati is Crucible-specialized. And those two teams are essential for these Trials. 

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED and FORGED IN FIRE can also make our lives much more difficult because the enemies will have the same bonuses. However, we recommend those Pacts to anyone who plans to get serious with Shadow King Trials since we gain more than we lose.

EXPERIMENTAL SERUM II and III are simply health boosts to enemies, so if you find some nodes tricky or unbeatable, you can always turn those off.

MAGNETO WAS RIGHT buffs Mutant Villain characters, increasing their damage by 15%. Meanwhile, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE reduces opponents’ Resistance by 5% each time a Tech Villain character enters the battlefield.

DARK COSMIC RAYS enhance the Speed Bar of Cosmic Villain characters based on the number of positive status effects they have. This means they can take their turns more frequently if they are buffed. Additionally, DEVOUR improves the sustain of Bio Villain characters by healing them for 10% whenever they defeat an enemy.

VILLAINOUS MOMENTUM significantly boosts the Speed Bar (by 50%) for any character that defeats a Hero or player character. While this advantage primarily benefits opponents, it can still provide excellent opportunities for us.

STRONGER TOGETHER aids all Hero Global characters who have an Avenger, Wakandan, or Inhuman ally by increasing their damage by 5% for each type of ally. This pact is particularly valuable for the Illuminati.

We recommend that anyone participating in Shadow King Trials (and taking those seriously), regardless of difficulty level, includes all Pacts. Eventually, you may want to disable EXPERIMENTAL SERUM II and III, as these two Pacts significantly increase the difficulty by adding 50% more health to opponents. We suggest keeping all other Pacts enabled.

Shadow King Trial Walkthrough and Video

You can view our Walkthrough of this Trial on YouTube. Below you can also find descriptions of strategies used to defeat each node.

Recommendations

To simplify things, we will provide node breakdowns for Difficulties 8 and above, since those are the difficulties you should aim for to comfortably get the unlock.

If you choose Difficulty 15 and include all pacts except Experimental Serum II and III, after completing 9 Missions, you will be able to reach Milestone 15 and collect all rewards – most importantly 7 Yellow 4 Red Stars Shadow King.

Mission 1 (No requirements)

Since there are no requirements just use the strongest team/characters that you have. Because of the ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED and FORGED IN FIRE Pact, any Arena or Crucible specialized team would be a good choice for node 1. You can go with Cabal + 2 so that The Leader gets as many Charged as possible, which will be useful in one of the next nodes.

Suggested team: The Leader, Namor, Iron Patriot, Nightcrawler, Spider-Man (Pavitr)

Walkthrough:

The first mission is the easiest and serves as preparation for the abilities of certain characters. Use the Cabal trio: The Leader will charge to 50, making them significantly stronger for the next missions in which you will use them. In addition to the trio, you will also include Spider-Man (Pavitr) and Nightcrawler in your team.

Once you complete the mission, ensure that both Spider-Man Pav and Nightcrawler have their Ultimates ready to use, as you will need them for Mission 4.

The only thing that can be a problem for you is the last wave of the enemies with Blade and Oath. Control one of them (nightcrawler Special) and eliminate the other ASAP. Everything else will not be a problem with this team. Make sure to save all Abilities with the Cabal character as well.

Alternatively, if you have Odin available, you can use him and four other characters that you need to prepare. On top of preparing Pav, you might also need Logan or any other Brawlers, depending on your plans and roster.

Mission 2 (Illuminati)

Suggested team: Illuminati (with Captain Britain)

Walkthrough:

As long as you have Captain Britain, this mission will be much more efficient and easier than if you don’t have it. Ability Block Lizard and Stun The Leader. So focus on the two of them. You can destroy the Spider-Slayer beforehand (if your Captain Britain is not strong enough). When the second weave comes, control Red Hulk and let him and Namor be your first two targets. Doctor Octopus after those two. Be sure to save one Stun (Cap Britain or Mister Fantastic) or Shuri’s Special for last when the Green Goblin (Classic) appears. You can’t let him play, so Stun him and eliminate him and the two Iron Patriots as soon as possible. Once that is done, start preparing your Cooldowns.

Mission 3 (Global Villain)

Suggested team: Namor, The Leader, Iron Patriot, Apocalypse, Scientist Supreme

Alternatives: Orchis Characters, Agatha Harkness, Mogran Le Fay, Doctor Doom, Juggernaut (Zombie), Scarlet Witch (Zombie), Ares, Titania …

Walkthrough:

There are two great options that will clear this Node with ease – Orchis with Apoc or Cabal with Apoc. Cabal will be much more efficient (assuming they have max Stars and some Diamonds).

The Cabal trio, Apocalypse, plus Scientist Supreme or Titania will walk through it. You don’t even need a big Titania if you use her; she’s only there to get a Crit quickly, which will apply Speed Up to all Cabal. At the start, focus on the two Cosmic Ghost Riders and Captain Carter, and when the Black Knight appears, make him your primary target, then Rescue after him.
When the last enemy wave comes, focus on the Out of Time characters first. This is one of the simplest Missions.

Again, try to save the Abilities of all characters. Apocalypse’s Ultimate is not necessary to use, and it’s best to save it for the next Global Villain Mission, but if you have a good Orchis team, you can use them with Apocalypse. Make sure to at least have Namor’s Ultimate ready, as he can be used for the Brawler node.

Mission 4 (Brawler (non-Mythic))

Suggested team: Spider-Man (Pavitr), Blade, Thanos (Endgame), Lady Deathstrike, Nightcrawler

Alternatives: Omega Red (Phoenix Force), Medusa, Guardian, Vahl, Namor, Ancient One, Black Cat, Moon Knight, Deathpool, Kraven the Hunter, Vulture, Red Hulk …

Walkthrough:

This mission is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, in Trials. That’s why it was necessary for us to prepare the abilities of Nightcrawler and Pavitr in Mission 1. Start the fight with their Ultimate abilities; this will give you a significant advantage. Additionally, it’s crucial to target the right opponents.

Lady Deathstrike and Blade are vital because they can reduce the Speed Bar of your enemies. Since there are four Sentinels among your opponents, use one to reduce the Speed Bar on the right and another on the left. Do not use Thanos (Endgame) Special until Omega Sentinel appears. When she does, stun her, and then use Nightcrawler to stun one of the Sentinels on the left. Lady Deathstrike should focus on eliminating the Sentinels on the right side. Blade’s Basic attack can also rewind opponents, so use it wisely on those who will play their turn first. The main objective is to prevent Sentinels from taking their turns.

Spider-Man (Pavitr) can apply Slow to two targets with his Basic attack, so when two Nimrods appear, use it on them. Aim to keep all opponents under the Slow effect for as long as possible; you have the tools to achieve this. Don’t hesitate to use your Abilities, and often target enemies that have been Exposed. This will allow Thanos (Endgame) to regain a lot of Ability Energy for your team. If you execute your strategy correctly, you can win the mission without the opponents even getting a chance to play.

Another team combination that worked well for us is – Thanos (Endgame), Nightcrawler, Lady Deathstrike, Namor, and Spider-Man (Pavitr). Pav is important for the start of the fight since he can passively apply Vulnerable to everyone on Spawn. This will be a good setup for Namor later since his Ultimate can significantly rewind the enemy Speed Bar, but only if they have Vulnerable. The goal is to Stun Sentinels and prevent them from taking any turns at all. Thanos will keep generating Ability Energy if you hit targets with Exposed, so both he and Nightcrawler will apply a lot of Stuns to your enemies. Once Omega Sentinel drops, Stun her too, or else she’ll keep passively attacking you. But she is a secondary priority, at first, make sure Sentinels are stunned. If Omega resists the Stun she might end up killing one of your characters, but if that’s someone less relevant like Pav or Namor you can keep going. Make sure that Thanos and Nightcrawler survive.

Mission 5 (Mercenary or Undying)

Suggested team: Old Man Logan, Pandapool, Deadpool, Daken, Deathpool

Alternatives: Hela, Iron Man (Zombie), Juggernaut (Zombie), Scarlet Witch (Zombie), Taskmaster …

Walkthrough:

In Mission 5, it’s best to use a full Mercs for Money team. The most challenging part of the mission occurs at the beginning, as Spider Weaver will likely use her ability to get 5 Charged. This means that your first few attacks will miss. Kestrel’s Ultimate and Spider Weaver’s attacks can permanently eliminate one of your characters. If this happens, it’s advisable to restart the mission until you have better luck with the RNG. After you exhaust Weaver’s Charged and OML rolls, the opponents will start to fall easily. At the very end, Ultron and Kang will come, but they won’t pose any problem either. Needless to say, save your Abilities for the next Mercs Mission.

To make things a little easier, you can use Old Man Logan on the first node (non-restrictions one) and prepare his Ultimate. Then, when the battle starts, if Logan is hit by one of the Titania’s, he will be able to take his turn before Weaver and if you use his Ultimate, he will apply Trauma and Disrupted to everyone, which will negate any Taunts that Absorbing Man can gain, making it much easier to defeat the node once you deplete Weaver’s Charges.

Mission 6 (Annihilators)

Suggested team: Annihilators

Walkthrough:

At the very beginning of Mission 6 (Annihilator Mission), use Ultimus’s Special ability to steal buffs from the enemies. Focus on the Sasquatch located near the center. With Thanos (Endgame), you can use the Ultimate ability right away, which will remove Taunt from both Sasquatch characters.

Next, target the two Pandapools. Be cautious, as they have a chance to revive, which could impact your efficiency. When Northstar and Deadpool appear in the second wave, prioritize eliminating Deadpool. By the time Old Man Logan (OML) arrives in the last wave, ideally, both Pandapools will be gone. Logan is not a big threat here if you activate the Arena Pact, which will allow Gladiator to prevent enemy bonus Speed Bar gains, so you can focus on Logan as soon as he spawns and eliminate him.

After that, the mission becomes significantly easier. Try to target as many enemies as possible to apply Exposed, which will help you regain Ability Energy, ensuring you have your Abilities ready for Node 10.

Mission 7 (Global Villain)

Suggested team: Namor, The Leader, Iron Patriot, Apocalypse, Scientist Supreme

Alternatives: Orchis Characters, Agatha Harkness, Mogran Le Fay, Doctor Doom, Juggernaut (Zombie), Scarlet Witch (Zombie), Ares, Titania …

Walkthrough:

In Mission 7, we can use the same team from Mission 3 or we can go with Orchis/Apocalypse if for some reason the cooldowns aren’t prepared or some characters are low health. This time, we don’t need to take their Abilities into account since those characters won’t be available for use after this mission (you do not need to save anything in other words). Our goal is to eliminate all opponents as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Scientist Supreme starts with her Ultimate ability, followed by Apocalypse, who can also use his Ultimate. This allows us to clear the first wave of opponents effectively. The second wave is not worth mentioning, as we will trigger the arrival of the third wave after defeating just two opponents. At that point, we should focus on taking down MLF, followed by Agatha.

Overall, this mission proves to be quite easy.

Mission 8 (Brawler (non-Mythic))

Suggested team: Spider-Man (Pavitr), Blade, Thanos (Endgame), Lady Deathstrike, Nightcrawler

Alternatives: Omega Red (Phoenix Force), Medusa, Guardian, Vahl, Namor, Ancient One, Black Cat, Moon Knight, Deathpool, Kraven the Hunter, Vulture, Red Hulk …

Walkthrough:

In Mission 8, we will be using the same team as in Mission 4. It will be helpful if you save Thanos’s Abilities for Mission 10. At the start, our main focus should be on eliminating Rogue and Gambit. However, we shouldn’t overlook Dazzler, as she can remove all negative effects from both of them. We have a lot of controlling Abilities with our characters, so Rogue, Gambit, and Dazzler should be controlled. Once Rogue and Gambit are defeated, everything else becomes much easier.

Lady Deathstrike and Blade continue to be key players in this mission, and Thanos (Endgame) supports the team by allowing the use of abilities as often as possible. Be sure to conserve as many of his abilities as you can for the end of the mission. The beginning can feel a bit challenging and may require several resets until the right conditions align, but overall, the mission is manageable.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a good start, you can try using Thanos, Nightcrawler, and Blade with Guardian and Vulture. Vulture will take the first turn due to his Passive, and with his Special, we can apply Slow to Rogue, and we’ll also clear Taunt from Bishop. After that, Nightcrawler will be able to target Gambit with his Special, followed by Blade, who can rewind Dazzler (or outright eliminate her). This will allow you to use Thanos’s Stun on Rogue. After you have a bonus Stun with Guardian if you need it, and Vulture will be coming around for his second turn, so we can use his Ultimate for an additional mass rewind. Guardian’s Offense Up on spawn is important on higher difficulties since it’ll also increase the Focus of the attacks, so NC and Thanos will land their Stuns.

Mission 9 (Mercenary or Undying)

Suggested team: Old Man Logan, Pandapool, Deadpool, Daken, Deathpool

Alternatives: Hela, Iron Man (Zombie), Juggernaut (Zombie), Scarlet Witch (Zombie), Taskmaster …

Walkthrough:

In Mission 9, we will still be using the Mercs for Money team. If we collected 5 Charged with Deadpool by the end of Mission 5, now is the perfect time to use her Ultimate ability on Nova. This will neutralize our most challenging opponent at the start of the mission, allowing our team to have a safer beginning.

There’s not much else to note; once Old Man Logan (OML) enters his mode and begins taking out opponents, nothing can stand in his way. Focus primarily on the New Warriors opponents: Cloak, Dagger, Gwenpool, Firestar, and Deadpool, as the others will fall in line after them.

Mission 10 (Illuminati or Annihilators)

Suggested team: Illuminati

Alternatives: Annihilators

Walkthrough:

Mission 10 is best (and safest) completed in two attempts. Start with the Annihilators and defeat all Asgardian opponents before Odin arrives.
Asguardians before Odin are nothing for your Annihilator team, so we don’t even need to tell you, what to do. You will defeat them without problems. When Odin appears at the end of the mission, it will be very challenging to defeat him, so it’s beneficial for us that he uses his Special and spends as many Charges as possible until he eliminates your team (ideally all Charges, so prepare Gorr’s Ultimate and use it after Odin used his Special). Afterward, a new team, the Illuminati, will enter to eliminate Odin without any issues.

Even if Odin does not use his Ultimate attack, it won’t pose a problem as long as he uses his Special in the first attempt. Avoid using moves that will Ability Block Odin when he spawns, and once he uses his Special and gains Charged – clear those Charges with Gorr’s Ultimate. After that, just deal as much damage to him as you can. Illuminati will easily finish the fight after that because of their Speed advantage.

Once you load in with Illuminati to finish the fight, use Shuri’s Basic ability first – this will apply Slow, Defense Down, and Heal Block. Then, use Hank’s Ultimate or Basic attacks and Captain Britain’s Ultimate or Basic. After that you can go all out until Odin perishes.

Overall, these Trials are not overly demanding, but they do contain some challenging parts. We hope that our guides, both written and video, will assist you in overcoming all obstacles in the Shadow King Trials.

Conclusion

While most of our testing was done on difficulty 15 of the Trial, the strategies we use should be applicable to all other difficulties too. Illuminati and Annihilators are definitely the ultimate teams for these Trials, with Cabal characters and Old Man Logan, also being a very important. So your focus should be on upgrading them. The most important character for those Trials is Thanos (Endgame) because you will use him on 4 different Missions.

We hope that with our help this will be even easier for you and that Shadow King will join your roster. If you have any questions or suggestions the best way to contact us is through our Discord:

Good luck and have fun!