Welcome to the brutal, chaotic, and incredibly rewarding world of Enlisted. If you are coming from traditional first-person shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield, you might find yourself slightly overwhelmed during your first few matches. Darkflow Software has created a unique hybrid here—a massive WWII shooter that blends hardcore, low-time-to-kill mechanics with MMO-style progression and, most importantly, AI squad management.
In Enlisted, you are not just a lone wolf on the battlefield; you are a commander. Every time you spawn, you bring an entire squad of AI-controlled soldiers with you. If you get picked off by a sniper, you do not respawn back at base—you simply jump into the boots of the nearest surviving member of your squad. This single mechanic completely changes how you approach gunfights, objective control, and map positioning.
However, this complexity also brings a steep learning curve. The game does not hold your hand when it comes to managing your campaign economy, outfitting your soldiers, or explaining the intricacies of tank combat and artillery strikes. Whether you are storming the beaches of Normandy, fighting through the frozen ruins of Stalingrad, or holding the line in the Pacific, the core mechanics remain the same.
This comprehensive guide is designed to take you from a confused recruit getting constantly wiped out by mortar fire to a hardened squad leader who can turn the tide of a battle. We will cover how to manage your AI, the essential structures you need to build, how to avoid wasting your precious currency, and strategies for dealing with the game's terrifying vehicular combat.
1. Understanding the Squad System
Unlike traditional shooters where you play a single soldier, Enlisted puts you in command of an entire AI-controlled squad. This is the defining feature of the game and the source of its massive, 100+ soldier battles. If you die, you immediately take control of the next surviving soldier in your unit. You can also seamlessly swap between squad members at any time by pressing 'Y' (or your designated keybind).
Commanding Your AI Effectively
Your AI soldiers are not the brightest. If you sprint across an open field, they will follow you in a neat, single-file line—making them incredibly easy targets for machine gunners and snipers. To keep them alive, you need to micromanage their positioning.
- Give Orders: Press the 'X' key (default on PC) while looking at the ground or a piece of cover to tell your AI squadmates to defend that specific point. If you are about to clear a room or peek a dangerous corner, tell your squad to wait outside in a trench or behind a wall. This ensures that if you die breaching, your backup is safe and ready for you to take control.
- Formations and Behavior: Use the squad radial menu to change your squad's behavior. Set them to a "Wide" formation when moving across open terrain to minimize casualties from explosions. You can also set their stance to aggressive or passive, dictating whether they shoot on sight or hold fire to maintain stealth.
Pro Tip: If you want to flank an enemy position quietly, command your squad to hold position far behind the front lines, then proceed alone with your assaulter or sniper. Once you secure a position or die trying, you can pull your squad forward.
Building the Perfect Squad Composition
As you progress through the tech tree, you will unlock the ability to customize your squad's class composition. Never run a squad of purely one class.
- The Engineer: Always, without exception, include an Engineer in every single squad you field. Engineers are the backbone of Enlisted. They build spawn points, ammo crates, sandbag walls, and anti-tank guns.
- The Medic: Medics keep your pushing force alive. They drop medical crates that allow your squad and teammates to heal up without wasting their personal medkits.
- The Assaulter: For close-quarters trench clearing and building breaches, you need someone with an SMG or a shotgun.
- The Anti-Tank (Bomber): Tanks can single-handedly lock down an objective. Having a soldier with an anti-tank rifle or bazooka can save your entire team.
2. The Golden Rule: Build Rally Points
If you take away only one piece of advice from this guide, let it be this: The team that builds the most Rally Points almost always wins. It does not matter if your team has the best tank commanders or the most accurate snipers; if you cannot maintain a constant stream of bodies on the objective, you will lose the war of attrition.
How and Where to Build
- As soon as you spawn into a match, switch to your Engineer.
- Flank the objective, moving along the edge of the map, and look for hard cover. A building, a deep trench, or behind a thick stone wall.
- Equip your construction hammer and build a Rally Point (spawn beacon).
- Do not build them in the open. Enemy artillery, mortar fire, and stray tank shells will destroy them instantly.
Pro Tip: Put an Ammo Box next to your Rally Point. This allows your team to immediately resupply before pushing the objective, which is especially crucial for Assaulters who burn through SMG ammo quickly.
Protecting Your Rally Points
Once your Rally Point is down, do not just run away. Spend an extra 30 seconds building sandbag walls around it to protect it from shrapnel. If it is in a building, board up the windows. You also need to actively defend the general area. If an enemy soldier gets too close to your Rally Point, it will emit a loud radio beeping noise and become temporarily disabled, preventing anyone from spawning.
Rally points win games. If you notice your team is struggling to capture an objective, check the map. Chances are, no one has built a Rally Point, and everyone is running 200 meters from the default spawn. Be the hero your team needs.
3. Campaign Progression and Economy
Enlisted uses a massive, overarching tech tree that covers multiple nations and factions. The progression system can feel incredibly slow, and the economy—primarily driven by Silver—is unforgiving if you make poor purchasing decisions early on.
Managing Your Silver
Do not waste your Silver on random weapon upgrades for low-tier weapons early on. The temptation to upgrade your starting bolt-action rifles is strong, but you need that currency for much more important purchases.
- Focus on bolt-action rifles: Despite being the default starting weapons, bolt-action rifles (like the Kar98k, Mosin-Nagant, or Springfield) are incredibly potent. They are cheap to field and almost always guarantee a one-shot kill to the upper torso. You can comfortably use these well into the mid-game.
- Explosive Packs: Save your Silver for buying Explosive Packs. Every soldier in your squad should eventually carry an Explosive Pack. Standard grenades are fine for infantry, but Explosive Packs are mandatory for destroying enemy tanks, which you will encounter constantly.
Pro Tip: Cook your Explosive Packs before throwing them at tanks! Hold the throw button for about 4-5 seconds. If you throw it immediately, the tank driver will see the grenade indicator and simply drive away before it detonates.
Unlocking Nodes Efficiently
When spending squad points, prioritize the "Squad Upgrades" tree first, specifically the nodes that increase your squad size and allow you to bring specialized classes (like the Engineer). After that, focus on the "Personnel Upgrades" tree to increase the experience gain of your soldiers. Only invest heavily in the "Weapon Upgrades" tree once you have unlocked high-tier weapons like semi-automatic rifles or light machine guns that you plan on using permanently.
Do not spread your resources too thin across multiple factions simultaneously. Pick one faction (e.g., Allies or Axis) and stick with them to reach the higher-tier unlocks faster.
4. Surviving Vehicle Combat
Tanks and aircraft in Enlisted are terrifying. They are not balanced for fair infantry fights; they are designed to be oppressive war machines that require coordinated teamwork to take down. If you are playing as infantry, you need to respect enemy armor.
Taking Down Tanks
- Explosive Packs: As mentioned, these are your best friend. Aim to throw them on top of the tank's engine deck (the rear) or underneath the tracks.
- Anti-Tank Gunners: PIATs, Bazookas, and Panzerfausts are excellent, but you need to know where to shoot. Do not shoot heavily sloped frontal armor. Aim for the flat side armor, the rear, or the turret ring.
- Engineer AT Guns: If a tank is camping in the gray zone (out of bounds for infantry), build a stationary Anti-Tank gun with your Engineer and snipe it from afar.
Using Vehicles Yourself
If you spawn in a tank, remember that you are practically blind. The vision slits provide terrible visibility.
Pro Tip: Use your commander to pop out of the top hatch with binoculars to scan for targets. Just be ready to quickly duck back inside (press Ctrl by default) if you start taking sniper fire. Keep moving, use infantry as a screen to protect your flanks from Explosive Packs, and always angle your frontal armor toward the biggest threat.
FAQ
How do I get more Silver? Silver is primarily earned by completing daily tasks, participating in events, and leveling up your Battle Pass (even the free track provides a good amount). Performing well in matches (getting kills, building rally points, capturing objectives) also grants a passive Silver income.
What is the best campaign to start with? Currently, all campaigns have been merged into a single progression tree per faction. However, if you are looking for a balanced starting experience, playing as the Allies or Axis at Battle Rating (BR) 1 or 2 is highly recommended. You will face mostly bolt-action rifles and early-war tanks, which is much more forgiving than the high-tier automatic weapon spam.
Why does my gun feel so inaccurate? Enlisted features weapon dispersion. If you are moving, your shots will go wide. Always stop moving before firing, crouch or go prone to increase stability, and make sure your stamina bar is not completely depleted, as panting will cause massive weapon sway.
Can I play with friends in different factions? You can squad up with friends in the lobby, but you all must queue for the same faction to guarantee you end up on the same team in a match. If you have "Join Any Team" selected, you might be split up.