The Mighty Eagle is one of the most powerful characters in the Angry Birds series of games. It can be used to cause massive damage to the pigs’ fortresses and structures. Unlocking the Mighty Eagle requires some effort, but it is well worth it in the end.
What is the Mighty Eagle?
The Mighty Eagle, also sometimes referred to as the King of the Birds or Terrence, is a giant bald eagle character that first appeared in the original Angry Birds game. Some key facts about the Mighty Eagle:
- It is one of the largest characters in Angry Birds, significantly bigger than the standard birds.
- The Mighty Eagle has brown and white feathers on its body.
- It wears a crown made of bones on its head.
- The Mighty Eagle has incredible strength, capable of destroying huge sections of a level’s structure and pig fortifications in one shot.
- It can be summoned by the player to launch one destructive bonus attack per level.
- The Mighty Eagle flies off the screen after it is used and does not appear again until summoned by the player.
The Mighty Eagle provides players with an ultra powerful option to demolish tricky levels, but it can only be used sparingly. Next, we’ll cover how to unlock access to this super bird in the game.
Unlocking the Mighty Eagle in Original Angry Birds Games
The Mighty Eagle first appeared in the original Angry Birds game released in 2009. Back then, the only way to unlock the Mighty Eagle was to purchase it as an in-app purchase within the game:
- The iOS version of original Angry Birds had the option to purchase the Mighty Eagle for $0.99.
- The Android version likewise had a $0.99 in-app purchase to buy the Mighty Eagle.
- Other platforms like Windows Phone also had a small fee (around $1) to unlock the Mighty Eagle.
So for the first iterations of Angry Birds on mobile devices, the only option was to pay a small one-time purchase fee through the game’s store page. This would then give permanent access to use the Mighty Eagle whenever desired in the game.
Using the Mighty Eagle in Original Angry Birds
Once purchased/unlocked, using the Mighty Eagle was straightforward:
- In each level, look for the new “Mighty Eagle” button to appear in the bottom right corner of the slingshot page.
- Tap this button to summon the Mighty Eagle for its one-time devastating attack on that level.
- The Mighty Eagle flies across the screen, destroying pigs and structures in its path.
- After this attack, the Mighty Eagle flies away and cannot be used again in the level.
- You can summon the Mighty Eagle again in the next level.
With this attack option, players could strategically use the Mighty Eagle to breeze through difficult levels or take out especially stubborn fortresses.
Unlocking in Angry Birds 2 and Later Games
The process for unlocking the Mighty Eagle changed in later Angry Birds games. In titles like Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Friends, and others, Rovio moved the Mighty Eagle to be an earned reward.
Typically, the criteria has been:
- Reach a certain level within the game.
- Collect enough in-game resources to afford the Mighty Eagle.
For example, in Angry Birds 2, players had to:
- Progress through the game until Level 7-14. This is the Boss level “Ice Balls”.
- After beating the level, the player had to have earned enough in-game resources to afford the 1 million coin cost of the Mighty Eagle.
Saving up 1 million coins could take some time for casual players. But this system allowed progression and a goal to work toward.
Using the Mighty Eagle in Angry Birds 2
Much like the original game, once unlocked the Mighty Eagle could be summoned once per level:
- Look for the Mighty Eagle icon in the bottom right corner of the slingshot screen.
- Tap it to summon the Mighty Eagle for its devastating attack.
- The Eagle flies across, demolishing structures and pigs in its path.
- It then disappears and cannot be used again in that level.
This single use per level balances the Mighty Eagle’s power. Players have to choose the right time to utilize its destruction.
Unlocking the Mighty Eagle in Angry Birds Movie Games
Rovio also released tie-in games connected to the animated Angry Birds Movie. These included:
- The Angry Birds Movie Game
- Angry Birds Action!
In these games based on the movie universe, the Mighty Eagle character had a different backstory and unlock method. He was not immediately available.
The Angry Birds Movie Game
In the official Angry Birds Movie Game, the story portrayed the Mighty Eagle as having retired and living in solitude. Players had to progress through the game to interact with him:
- Complete level objectives to earn enough feathers to unlock Mighty Eagle Mountain levels.
- Play through the Mighty Eagle Mountain levels featuring Mighty Eagle’s retreat.
- Help convince Mighty Eagle to come out of retirement and join the rest of the birds.
- After completing his story arc, Mighty Eagle becomes available as a helper bird.
This built the unlock process into the game’s story and gave players a sense of accomplishment.
Angry Birds Action!
Angry Birds Action! had its own unique method of unlocking the retired Mighty Eagle:
- Collect 5 specific items scattered across the game’s levels to create the Elite Matriarch Tonic potion.
- Give this potion to Mighty Eagle to convince him to come out of retirement.
- Finding the ingredients required completing certain objectives and missions.
So again, this game made unlocking the powerful Mighty Eagle a multi-step process tied into gameplay and story.
Using Power-Ups Instead of Mighty Eagle
In some versions of Angry Birds, Rovio has done away with the Mighty Eagle entirely. These include:
- Angry Birds Star Wars
- Angry Birds Star Wars II
- Angry Birds Go!
- Angry Birds Epic
In these games, the Mighty Eagle is not present. However, there are alternative power-ups players can utilize:
Game | Power-Up | Effect |
---|---|---|
Angry Birds Star Wars | Lightsaber Sling | Slashes through objects |
Angry Birds Star Wars II | Force Powers | Force Push demolishes structures |
Angry Birds Go! | Frenzy Power-up | Gives speed boost |
Angry Birds Epic | Golden Slingshot | Shoots rapid fire shots |
While not as strong as the Mighty Eagle, these power-ups add exciting new abilities to the corresponding games.
Conclusion
The Mighty Eagle stands as one of the most iconic and enjoyable parts of the Angry Birds franchise. Unlocking this ultra destructive bird has been a milestone for many players across the various game iterations.
While the specific unlock methods have changed between titles, the satisfaction of unleashing the Mighty Eagle’s power remains. It adds an element of strategy determining the perfect time to utilize this powerhouse bird.
Looking forward, it will be interesting to see if Rovio includes the Mighty Eagle in upcoming Angry Birds games. If it does return, what new and creative methods will be used to unlock the legendary bird? For now, players will continue scheming up the best ways to strategically demolish those pig fortresses with their prized Mighty Eagle by their side!