Few tips and tricks for guys having trouble

[Swaggaccino]

I just beat Novo-Nikolaevsk, probably around halfway point of the game and it's fairly smooth sailing. I am playing on the difficulty the devs wanted you to play. The game does get harder later on but you get better and it becomes way easier. Just wanted to give a few pointers to guys having trouble on the "battle" maps.

* Game prioritizes stealth over guns blazing. Ammo is scarce. Always always always enter silent mode and go for backstabs. Use rifleman to go for backstabs because even if you get spotted, you can charge enemies and get a quick kill without alerting anyone else as most of the enemies on the map are deaf.

* Hide in bushes / tall grass and slowly move up. You are invincible UNLIKE hiding behind half / full cover. There's a save button too so you can save scum your way to victory.

* Use sniper class to expose the fog of war. Point your cursor on enemies to see their "detection cone." Game is really laid back and even if you get spotted you got about 1-2 seconds to run away from their detection cone. Its the MGS ? equivalent phase. You can also use this to your advantage and get enemies to investigate away from their patrol routes if you haven't unlocked the rock distraction perk yet.

* Use the sniper class rock distraction perk to break enemies away from their patrol routes.

* For missions recommending 8 men, bring 8 men and break them up into 2 squads of 4 (or 3 if you don't have enough men). Always use a pincer movement on enemies from the flanks. Don't attack from just one side. You'll burn through too much ammo.

* Once you get good, you rarely get hurt and there's plenty of health packs around the map so medic classes become kinda useless especially if you are save scumming. But until then bring at least 1 medic.

* Never rush machine gun nests. It won't work. You might get lucky with a well placed grenade but a full frontal assault is a big no no. Armored machine gun cars are a different story... They can get destroyed due to small arms fire much easier.

* Focus on upgrading your 10 best guys. Don't spread your promotions across everyone. Promote the 10 best and build upgrades for them in the workshop cart. They get way more powerful later on. You'll want 2 of each class (sniper, machine gun, grenadier, medic, riflemen).

That's about it. Also willing to answer any questions.

[kyu bey]

I want spoiler, when do you get/buy that car for bombardment???
I can only create the shell for it right now.

Also i personally kind of hate machine gun.. for 1 simple reason:
Weapon lv 1 acc: 5%
Might as well just sold the ammo.

[Choupax]

what do you mean with MGS? For the rest i agree

[kyu bey]

Originally posted by Choupax:

what do you mean with MGS? For the rest i agree

Metal Gear Solid
Maybe...

[Stephen]

thanks for the tips! also I have a question for you. So, "* Never rush machine gun nests. It won't work. You might get lucky with a well-placed grenade but a full frontal assault is a big no-no." - and I was wondering, do you think the best way to handle it is by using the rifleman with the gun charge ability?

Also! I'm still early game, I believe I'm passing my 2nd town. What would you recommend for me to upgrade on my train? or in what order to prioritize?

[Swaggaccino]

Originally posted by kyu bey:

I want spoiler, when do you get/buy that car for bombardment???
I can only create the shell for it right now.

Also i personally kind of hate machine gun.. for 1 simple reason:
Weapon lv 1 acc: 5%
Might as well just sold the ammo.

Machine gun is absolute vital on SOME maps like Golden Train III where you have swarms of enemies and you have to hold them off. But for offensive purposes, yeah, the accuracy kinda blows. If the mission recommends a squad of 8, 1 machine gunner is enough. I definitely take 2-3 riflemen because their mobility with charge is insane.

[Swaggaccino]

Originally posted by Stephen:

thanks for the tips! also I have a question for you. So, "* Never rush machine gun nests. It won't work. You might get lucky with a well-placed grenade but a full frontal assault is a big no-no." - and I was wondering, do you think the best way to handle it is by using the rifleman with the gun charge ability?

I haven't tried the charging method yet but machine gunner reaction times are insanely quick and their accurate is super deadly. I doubt you'll make it. Only a grenade will do the trick and even then you risk the grenadier going down because they love sticking their head out from cover There's almost always a side path to the machine gunner nest whether it's hidden or you gotta repair a bridge by finding a repair kit. Find it and take it. Don't even bother engaging a machine gunner behind full cover. You'll waste too much ammo and be forced to retreat.

Originally posted by Stephen:

What would you recommend for me to upgrade on my train? or in what order to prioritize?

Definitely the hospital and workshop car for healing and better upgrades. You have quite a way to go before you get to the cold so you can hold off on insulation but that's for sure a priority. I'm about 4000 km in and the cold is only -1. And look into better fuel consumption for the engine car. Much later in your journey you can worry about storage car #2 or soldier car #4 depending on how you play. If you stealth it up on every map you'll be swimming in supplies. Don't worry too much about trees because you'll get blockades which you will have to stop and clear = free wood.

Fuel and food is #1 priority.
Metal for upgrades I'd say is #2.