The meta, or “most effective tactics available,” in The Finals include the builds that, if used, produce more wins and kills than losses and deaths. Until a new patch comes that rebalances the game, here is the current meta in The Finals.
I’ll walk you through the meta builds for Light, Medium, and Heavy, but to get it out of the way, the current meta in The Finals is the Defibrillator AKM Medium combo and the RPG shields Heavy combo. These two builds are dominating The Finals in really annoying ways. This is compounded by the fact that if you’re new to the game, you won’t have some of the best gear and weapons as others. The game needs more balancing tweaks, but until we get them, here is how to make the meta Light, Medium, and Heavy builds.
What is the Light meta in The Finals?
- Specialization: Cloaking Device
- Weapon: XP-54
- Gadget 1: Sonar Grenade
- Gadget 2: Glitch Grenade
- Gadget 3: Gateway
When the game first came out, Light builds were some of the most annoying enemies to face since they were extremely overpowered. Embark Studios has now taken that dial and flipped it the complete other way nerfing them into the ground. Now, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any Light players past the first or second rounds of a match.
That being said, if you have a good team behind you, a Light build can still be viable in certain situations. The Cloaking Device is always supreme in Specialization even after the nerfs. Just keep using this to weave in and out of the carnage and hope your team is there to back you up.
Since shotguns have gone down the drain, the XP-54 Submachine gun is a great alternative for dealing quick-burst damage. The only big change that has come with Season 2 is the new gadget for Lights: Gateway. This is the epitome of a Light build, as placing both ends of the teleporter allows you to zip across the map a la Wraith from Apex Legends.
What is the Medium meta in The Finals?
- Specialization: Healing Beam
- Weapon: AKM / FCAR
- Gadget 1: Defibrillator
- Gadget 2: Data Reshaper
- Gadget 3: Jump Pad
While Light builds once dominated the field, Medium builds are some of the best in the game right now. The playstyle is to stay back, but not out of the fight, and heal your Light, Medium, and Heavy teammates. Revive them when they are down and use the AKM or FCAR to mow down enemies. The choice of weapon is pretty subjective, as I can’t aim as well as others, I choose to go with the AKM. But for those deadeyes out there, the FCAR promotes a steadier aim, at the cost of less ammo in your mag.
The best Medium build in The Finals right now focuses on supporting your team. The Healing Beam and Defibrillator combo is insanely useful for any team composition. All I need to do is sit back and heal my Heavy teammates, while they soak up damage and deliver pain to the enemies.
Another brand-new Gadget, The Data Reshaper, is a much-needed breath of fresh air in The Finals, especially in Terminal Attack. Now when I am going to cash out, I don’t have to worry about there being C4 and mines waiting for me. So say goodbye to all those explosives and say hello to some friendly plants and boxes. The Jump Pad is necessary to offer movement to yourself and your team. You can also use it to defend doorways and make the Cashout harder to steal.
What is the Heavy meta in The Finals?
- Specialization: Mesh Shield
- Weapon: Lewis Gun
- Gadget 1: RPG-7
- Gadget 2: Dome Shield
- Gadget 3: C4
This explosive Heavy build with a Medium player for heals and another Heavy is the most meta and overpowered team in the entire game. The Lewis Gun is crazy good at mowing down enemies, the RPG-7 is broken since it almost always grants you a one-shot kill, and the Mesh Shield and Dome Shield combo is almost unbeatable.
The playstyle for this Heavy build is to rush into battle by shooting an RPG-7. Then, use your Mesh Shield to cover yourself and your team as they shoot through it at enemies. Once you are playing defense, use your Dome Shield to dominate a Cashout and cover it with C4 to immediately blow up whoever tried to take it. Make sure you have your team follow you when you do this, with at least one Heavy player being healed, this will mean certain death for the enemies.
Even without this meta build, Heavys are the most overpowered class so far. Yes, they are supposed to be spongier than the other classes, but they are a little too tanky. Most of their Gadgets, including the RPG-7 and Dome Shield, are way too overpowered — if they don’t get nerfed, Lights and Mediums need buffed Gadgets or new Gadgets to counter.
What needs to be buffed and nerfed in The Finals?
From personal experience and watching community feedback, I can tell you that there are a few key things in The Finals that need to be buffed or nerfed to make the game more balanced.
In general, Light builds need to be more viable in more competitive matches. As I’ve seen happen, you can be the best Light player and still get decimated by a HHM(Heavy/Heavy/Medium) team. This is a complete whiplash from one side to the other when it comes to how the game felt on release.
A good idea from The Finals Reddit suggested that Lights get the Defibrillator, while Mediums keep their Healing Beam. This gives Light players more of a reason to jump into battle to try and grab their teammate’s revive statue, while still giving Mediums the main healing option.
I would love to see a slight health buff to Lights, but I know even that is controversial. Heavys need a nerf because they are by and large too powerful. And while Mediums have a new weapon with Season 2, the FAMAS needs a buff in order to be competitive with the other mainstay Medium weapons.
The Finals is an incredibly fun game despite those necessary buffs and nerfs. I hope balancing changes come soon, and when they do, I’ll update this article to reflect the new meta. For now, you should learn how to counter Heavy shields.
