Angry Birds Mighty Eagle Explained

Since it’s release on iOS devices the Mighty Eagle has been shrouded with mystery. This article and Q&A aims to clear up some of that confusion.

So, what exactly is the Mighty Eagle? Put simply, the Mighty Eagle is an in-app purchase that can help you pass a level.  But that is not all.  It also adds a new dimension to Angry Birds — in a way it’s a game inside the game (more on that later).

The Mighty Eagle is currently available on the following platforms:

• iOS (Angry Birds on December 20th, 2010, Seasons on August 22nd, 2011, Rio on Oct 27th, 2011, Space on March 22, 2012. Note that this is a separate in-app purchase for each app. The payment method is also different for Space, so be sure to refer to that post.)
• NOOK Color (June 30th, 2011 for free within Barnes & Noble stores via Angry Birds Magic)
• T-Mobile Android devices (September 30th, 2011 for Angry Birds via the T-Mobile Mall)
• Chrome Beta (December 1st, 2011; free trial in Poached Eggs)
• Facebook (February 13th, 2012; very different cost/payment system, so refer to its main post)
• Need help getting feathers / total destruction? We have a bunch of Mighty Eagle walkthrough videos available for most of the more challenging levels. If no video exists for the level you need, you can make a request in the forum.

After purchasing the Mighty Eagle you can to use it to pass a level once per hour, or, if you’ve already passed a level you can use it as often as you like.   Using it will not yield any stars or points, but rather it calculates a percentage of destruction, with 100% destruction being Total Destruction.  When you do receive Total Destruction on a given level you will receive a feather.  Ultimately your goal is to obtain a feather on every single level of the game.  On some levels this is NOT an easy task.   Fortunately we have some video walkthroughs available for the most challenging levels.

Okay, so how does it work from within the game? After you purchase the Mighty Eagle you have to activate it from within a particular level.  This is simply done by tapping the eagle eye icon that appears next to the pause button on every level. It’s important to note that you can then use it in conjunction with your other birds (actually, on many levels you can’t receive Total Destruction without using them together).

After you activate the Mighty Eagle your slingshot is loaded with a can of sardines. You then hurl the can towards the piggies mocking you on the other side. After which, you wait a couple seconds…then…BLAMOH! T he Mighty Eagle drops out of the sky and smashes everything.  At that point your destruction is calculated based on the damage sustained. How much destruction really depends on how strategically you place you can of sardines, use of your other birds, and on some levels bit of luck. After you’ve used the Mighty Eagle the level selection icons display an eagle graphic to signify he’s been used.

That’s pretty much it.  We’ll use the Q & A section below to answers some of the more common questions we receive.  A big thanks to Rovio for chiming in on some of them.

• Q. What devices currently support the Mighty Eagle?
• A. Right now the Mighty Eagle is only available to purchase on iOS devices (ipad, iPhone, and iPod Touch). NOOK Color owners can access the Mighty Eagle from with Barnes & Noble, but there currently is no option to purchase. Rovio has stated many times that expects the Mighty Eagle will eventually land on most devices and come to different versions of the game (like Angry Birds Seasons).
  Update: This list has since been expanded. See the full list above.
• Q. I am having a hard time passing a level. Do you have Mighty Eagle walkthroughs available?
• A. Yes, we have many video walkthroughs for some of the most challenging levels.
• Q. Will this yield 3 stars every time?
• A. Per Rovio, “Using the Eagle doesn’t give you any stars, but the scoring goes into the Eagle mode. The destruction is calculated in percentages, and getting a 100% Total Destruction awards you with an eagle feather for that level. This gives you a reason to revisit all the old levels again, even if you’ve got three stars on all of them. So, when skipping a level with the Eagle, you still have to come back and earn the three stars in the regular fashion.”
• Q. How will affect leaderboards? It seems kind of unfair to rank these people higher than those who passed the level without the Mighty Eagle.
• A. Per Rovio via Tweet, “No effect on leaderboards”. Per Rovio, via comments below, “The Mighty Eagle can be used with the regular set of birds, and this might be required to maximize your Eagle score in some levels (or, first destroy some difficult-to-reach blocks with the regular birds before launching the final blast with the Eagle.”
• Q. Does this incentive Rovio to make the upcoming levels harder, if not almost impossible?
• A. No.  This question was asked before the Mighty Eagle was really understood. Since it’s not supported on all devices this just wouldn’t make since.  Also, as we’ve shown above, the Mighty Eagle is like a game within the game, so there is no affect on the normal game play.
• Q. How much will it cost?
• A. “The price point is $0.99/£0.59/€0.79″ per app.
• Q. What do you get when you purchase the Mighty Eagle?
• A. The Mighty Eagle comes with two features:
  1. It allows you to skip a level in the event you’re stuck and just want to move on.
  2.  It’s basically a new “mini-game” where your goal is to obtain feathers by receiving Total Destruction.
• Q. Is it a single use item or do you only have to purchase it once?
• A. You only have to purchase it ONCE per app.  Per Rovio, “The Eagle is NOT one use only, but it ‘recharges’ for a time before it can be used to skip a level again. However, the Eagle can be used repeatedly in any level you’ve already managed to unlock.”

Updates:

12/20/2010: The Mighty Eagle update is available on the iPad.
12/23/2010: The Mighty Eagle update is out for the iPhone and iTouch!
06/30/2011: Mighty Eagle Now Available on NOOK Color via Angry Birds Magic
08/22/2011: Mighty Eagle Now Available in Angry Birds Seasons
09/30/2011: Mighty Eagle Lands for Android Exclusively via the T-Mobile Mall
10/27/2011: Mighty Eagle Now Available in Angry Birds Rio
12/01/2011: Angry Birds Chrome Update Adds Mighty Eagle
02/13/2012: Angry Birds on Facebook Out Now with the Mighty Eagle
03/22/2012: Understanding the Mighty Space Eagle