Guide to Enlisted for FNGs

I’ve put dozens of hours into Enlisted already, and I’m not even close to burning out. One of the game’s strengths is how in-depth it is, both in the lobby and in the game itself. After getting lots of questions in chat, and playing with a lot of different people within my community, I’ve put together a list of what I think are important parts of the game. These range from common questions to things people don’t do enough during the match.

Off The Battlefield

The biggest challenge you’ll have off the battlefield is managing your Squads and their Logistics. Burn your bronze Soldier orders as soon as you get them. Bronze Logistics orders are a tougher call because you have to manage Weapons and Equipment with them, but you can spend them right away too. Save your silver Logistics and Soldier orders. Initially you’ll only have access to Marksmen and Assaulters, but there are a BUNCH of other Soldier types that you unlock leveling through your Campaign. As you spec out your upgrade trees, you’ll be able to spice up your units a bit, adding some utility with Engineers in an AT Squad, Radiomen in a Sniper Squad, Bombers in an Assaulter Squad, etc. Keep silver orders for some of these higher level Soldier types, because you’ll have to buy the Soldier AND their weapon. Nothing worse than buying a Flamer Soldier and not having a Flamethrower to go with him. The Battle pass helps with this, as it gives you extra orders for Soldiers and Weapons.

Don’t send troops to the academy at first. Troops are sparse as you’re leveling up, but you’ll want to keep them fully staffed. More soldiers in a Squad means more time in a battle, means more XP for you in the end. Again, the Battle pass helps with this, as it gives you extra orders for Soldiers. Once you start to get extra soldiers that you can swap out, then send them to the Academy. Keep in mind that as you unlock more Squads, you’ll also unlock upgrades for more active squad members. Troopers are your universal soldier type, they go in every Squad. Make sure you have plenty of them.

Manage your stat trees by planning ahead. For example, no need to expand your active Squad members unless you have enough soldiers to fill it. Let alone the correct type of squad members. You have to spec into adding a second type of soldier for specialized squads, meaning an Anti Tank squad can only have one AT soldier until you spec into more. Spend your upgrade points on What’s Important Now (W.I.N.), maybe boosting XP gain or upgrading your weapons. Don’t let them sit idle on increased squad size while you work to get the correct soldier.

Think about your squad type before you choose perks. Your Flamer doesn’t need to hold his breath for long range shots longer, but he could benefit from extra move speed or stamina to get up close and personal with the enemy faster. Likewise a Sniper won’t get much use from movement speed much, but they could use that longer breath to wait for a juicy target. Thinking about what type of Soldier it is, what type of Squad they are in, and then decide which trait best fits the role.

Manage your inventory, don’t let valuable Weapons and Equipment sit idle. You can click one button to Remove Unnecessary Items from soldiers you send to the Academy, or in Squads you aren’t actively using. These First Aid Kits, Grenades, and other items can be shuffled to your active Squads and Soldiers for better use.

Once The Shooting Starts

When you’re charging towards an objective, stop before you expect to be engaged. Set up just outside the objective in a ditch or behind some trees. Let the more experienced players assault the objective and flush the enemies out. This also gives you the advantage of being ready to fire the moment an enemy comes into view. You’ll only have one thing on your mind – opening fire. Meanwhile your enemy will be thinking about where they want to set up, looking for you, and looking for cover once the shooting starts. This principle also applies when you’re moving around, not just stationary. Pause and watch the horizon for movement before you move in on an enemy held objective. Often you can see movement, and find a better approach. Look before you leap! Move from cover to cover as well. Don’t just stop and start shooting. Keep shooting, but move next to a tree. Anything that will provide you with some cover is better than just standing there. Going prone and crouching can help in some situations too. Be mindful of your environment, and use it to your advantage.

Let your squad type determine your role in the battle. If you’re using Flamers, you’re going to want to be up close and personal. These are great for urban fights, building to building. Don’t take them to open areas. Snipers conversely are for long range, wide open spaces. Don’t take a Squad of snipers and start assaulting objectives. Maybe you sit outside the objective and support another player moving in. Think about what it is you need to do in game, and then bring the best tools for the job. If you’ve only got one tool, then figure out the best use for it, and go do that.

Utilize your HOLD command. There are a couple of approaches to this. You can use it to keep inappropriate soldier types from risk, like your Radioman. Switch to your Sniper, use X to keep your Radioman safely back in a ditch or bunker. Use the scope to see where you want to drop the artillery call, then watch the fireworks and adjust if needed. Another example is keeping your AT soldiers back in ditch, or behind a tree line, to prevent them from dying while you assault an objective. You want someone alive in case a Puma rolls in, and if your AT soldiers are dead first, then you’re just screwed. Another approach to using hold is having your units cover you. Set your snipers at a good distance from your objective, then swap to a Trooper or Assaulter and move in on the objective. They can cover you more safely, and efficiently in the case of a Sniper, than tackling the objective with you.

PING PLZ. Your ping make the artillery sing! Death will reign down upon the enemy from your local support squads like Radio Battalions and Mortars. Even oil-thirsty AT Squads will come running when they see a tank ping. You can ping with V anytime you see infantry or armor. Get in the habit of doing it anytime you see enemies moving. Just once or twice, don’t spam it or it becomes useless. You can differentiate pings easily thanks to game mechanics. Armor shows up as skulls, Engineer structures show up as little crates, etc. All you have to do is actually ping. Just PING. Please.

These tips are the ones I see either ignored in game, or asked about the most in my streams. I’ve played a ton of Enlisted, so far up to Campaign Level 13. It is quite the grindy game, but hopefully some of these tips will make the grind go as smooth as possible. At least, more smoothly than for your opponents! If you’re a newer player that has a tip you found helpful, or a veteran player with a tip I haven’t covered, drop it in the comments below. Keep your head on a swivel soldiers, and good luck on the battlefield!