Early in the story campaign, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 introduces a spicy set of missions that no Spider-fan should ignore. ‘The Flame’ introduces old friends and new enemies, and drops some serious implications in regard to the future of Spider-Man 2 or beyond — here is our completion and quest reward guide.
The Flame can be activated not long after you finish the main story quest, ‘Amends’. It’s shown as a fire icon down in the Financial District. You can only play these missions as Peter Parker, so swap over to him before beginning.
Have you run unto those flame-worshipping cultists yet? They seem like an unusual addition to a Spider-Man game, where most bad guy fodder you face is gangsters or street punks. No, there’s something different about them, as you’ll soon see once you begin The Flame. There are four missions in total, and they unlock as you make your way through the main story.
Spider-Man 2: The Flame quest guide and completion awards
Where Have You Been?
The first mission in The Flame questline takes you to a Sandman-damaged building in the Financial District. It appears the building is set for demolition. An explosion goes off as Spider-Man arrives, leaving four demolitionists in danger.
In ‘Where Have You Been?’, you must use the Spider-Bot to scramble over debris and through vents to find the lost members. Follow the waypoint markers to find the trapped workers and place a rescue beacon. Use Spider-Bot’s abilities like the Pulse Blast to knock down flimsy walls, and the web shooter to open doors and pull out a trapped demolitionist. You also use the bot’s jump jets to reach high places.
Eventually, the bot stumbles on a group of cultists, aka, the Followers of the Flame. They’ve hunted a deserter to the building and are planning to kill him off. Fight them as Spider-Man, but watch out for cultists carrying hot brands as weapons. When the floor collapses, go for the cultists around the upper edge. They have guns and need to be taken out ASAP.
But then… player two joins the game! Yuri Watanabe has returned from the original game, sporting a new look and moniker: Wraith. She has a serious beef with the Followers of the Flame, and Pete is now caught up in her hunt. The new, awkward team-up has only just begun.
Reward: Two Hero Tokens, 200 Tech Parts, and 1,000 XP.
Everything Burns
The next mission in The Flame is available after you complete ‘Science Buddy’ in the main story. Yuri calls Peter up and asks for his help investigating the cultists in a Chinatown building. Head to the roof and meet up with Wraith before going in.
The stealth approach is good to consider. Use the beams near the ceiling to silently dispatch cultists. You can also perform a double takedown with Wraith. All you need to do is wait for two cultists to get near each other and hit the triangle button when you see the green circles at their feet.
Since this is supposed to be an investigation, you do have to do a bit of snooping. Press R3 (the thumbstick as a button) to scan the area after you clear it of cultists. You’ll find a picture of the man who tried to leave the cult on a nearby desk. Activate it, and Yuri will point out a vent to zip into.
The next area is full of cultists with guns. You should use stealth to take them all out. When you’re done, go to Yuri and press the triangle button by the door. It’s locked, so use the L2 button to search around. Scan a nearby mural with four flame tattoo marks bearing the names Prometheus, Hestia, Hephaestus, and Typhon. Yuri believes you need two top-ranking members with identical tattoos to unlock the door. Makes sense. Search the unconscious cultists until you find the tattoo you need.
Eventually, you’ll make it to a room in which you have no choice but to fight. Watch for gun-toting enemies and brutes. Once the battle is done, you’re introduced to the cult’s murderous leader, The Flame. Oh, I get it now.
Reward: Four Hero Tokens, 250 Tech Parts, and 1,200 XP.
I Knew You Had It in You
The third mission, ‘I Knew You Had It in You’, begins after you complete the main story quest, ‘The Flames Have Been Lit’. Pete is now wearing his slick, black suit but Yuri doesn’t seem to care. In fact, she doesn’t care much about waiting for Spider-Man to arrive in the meeting place in Astoria, either. As soon as he gets there, Pete notices that Yuri already proceeded after leaving a “Hurry Up” message carved into a nearby wall. Subtle, yet effective.
Use stealth takedowns to make your way into the abandoned hospital, where the Followers of the Flame are calling home. After clearing the room with the single follower, use your scan to look at the map of Brooklyn. To your left is a blueprint for an Oscrop structure. Scan that, glance to the left, and scan the whiteboard. On a table nearby is a recorder with a message from The Flame to his followers. Listen to it, then make your way to the next area.
The following room is your typical stealth/action set piece. Use stealth to systematically take out the baddies one by one, or drop them with your symbiote powers. Take note of the structures hanging from certain places on the ceiling. Those can get yanked down to knock out multiple foes at once.
Once that’s over, pull down the wall and head into the next room. This is where the mission is truly leading you: A boss fight, but not against The Flame. He is there, getting accosted by Yuri. After she stabs the weirdo in the gut, Pete barges in and prevents her from becoming a murderer. Naturally, this makes her mad.
Pete versus Yuri, Round 1 – FIGHT
The fight against Yuri is a tough one if you haven’t brushed up on your parrying skills. But the same can be said about all boss fights in Spider-Man 2. Consider Yuri like a tutorial: Parry when your Spider-Sense flashes red and do so until she finishes her attack. Once done, fight back and be sure to use your symbiote abilities to dish out extra damage. I made great use of the Upshot gadget, which could catch her between rounds by knocking her into the air. Use the Web Strike to get in close in the cases of Yuri finishing an attack or getting stunned via a gadget.
There are two attacks you need to dodge: When the Spider-Sense flashes blue, and when Yuri throws an object. The blue attacks are unavoidable, and trying to parry or defend will lead to you getting damaged. When you see Yuri fling her weapon to the side, she’s about to throw an object. Wait and dodge when your Spider Sense flashes red.
Round 2
Yuri has two boss phases. In the second phase, he partially blinds Peter and attacks from the smoke. Look around, but try not to panic. Watch Peter’s head and hit the parry button as his Sense turns red, and dodge when it’s blue. When the smoke clears and she swings her weapon, parry it and use Web Strike (triangle button) to get in close for a combo. Keep this up until she’s defeated. Unfortunately, The Flame escaped during the scuffle and now you have to wait until the final chapter to see things through to the end.
Reward: Six Hero Tokens, 300 Tech Parts, and 2,000 XP.
It Was Meant For Me
The fourth and final mission in The Flame quest begins after you complete the main story mission, ‘Trouble With Harry’. Pete lost his symbiote powers, but that won’t stop him from finishing the fight against the Followers of the Flame.
‘It Was Meant For Me’ is not a long mission, but it does drop a huge bombshell at the end. I hope you’re ready for this one, Spider-Man fans. The mission icon is in the northeastern section of Williamsburg. It’s on top of a small, red building near a park. Once activated, you move to the location: An old gas station late at night. The cultists have planted several bombs around the area, and you need to deactivate them one by one.
You can complete the first section either via stealth or action. The latter is much easier, and breaking stealth does not activate the bombs prematurely. Either way, you will have a loud battle after this section alongside Yuri. For stealth, you need to deactivate the bombs by pulling them toward you with L1+R1, and then pressing the square button when the moving circle enters the circular icon. If you miss, the bomb still gets stopped — but loudly. Otherwise, you can take them each out in silence.
Once the bombs are deactivated, a new group of cultists shows up and Yuri moves in for the attack. Stealth is over, friends; it’s time to throw down. The most difficult foes in the group are arguably the ones with flame throwers. They spread jets of fire in a circular motion when near. The best way to avoid damage is by pressing jump; please don’t try to parry fire. After taking care of the enemies, you must stop an oncoming train by using the bombs to knock it off its tracks. Press the L2 and R2 buttons at the same time when you see the prompt. Do this twice, and the mission is basically over.
With Spider-Man trapped under the train, it’s time for a good ol’ monologue by The Flame. It seems his goal there was to stop the train to steal a symbiote, which was being transported in an Oscorp container. I’ll avoid any major spoilers during the final cutscene. But the revelation that comes at the end of this side story is thrilling, to say the least. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of The Flame.
Spider-Man 2 The Flame side story completion reward
Completing The Flame awards you with eight Hero Tokens, 400 Tech Parts, and 3,000 XP and unlocks the Crimson Hour trophy. You also get a new suit called the ‘Saving Lives Suit’, and it mimics Yuri’s Wraith uniform. You can purchase more styles for it with 45 Tech Parts and 2 City Tokens.
