The Finals offers a unique FPS experience that demands far more from players than just steady aim. There’s a lot to learn, and if you treat The Finals like Call of Duty, you’ll have a miserable time. If you’re struggling to cash out, let me share some tips and tricks to dominate the competition in The Finals.
Related: The Finals: Best Settings for FPS
The Finals: Tips and Tricks
There’s a lot more to The Finals than meets the eye, with weapons and gadgets with specific counters and weaknesses. It’ll take time and experience to learn all the nuances the game has to offer, but here are a few tips and tricks to get you started:
Use the Training Area to its fullest
The Training area is perfect for honing your skills and is a valuable tool in The Finals. You can learn so much from just messing around and shooting at the Training Dummies.
For example, I learned that the Light Class shotgun can kill Light players in a single hit and everyone else in two, under the right conditions. You can also use this area to improve your aim and learn the effective range of each gun. You don’t need to spend hours in the Training Area, but it’s a great place to warm up.
Understand the Death Penalty
Dying is punishing in The Finals, as there’s a lengthy respawn timer. If the whole team falls, every member is hit with an even longer respawn penalty, and you can be out of action for almost 30 seconds.
With this in mind, your top priority should be staying alive unless your death means you score an objective. If you die, your opponents have free reign of the map and can get to objectives before you.
It’s OK to run away
I see many players over-commit to fights they have no chance of winning. Maps are enormous in The Finals, and you have plenty of space to disengage if you need to. Remember, if you run from a fight and your opponents give chase, you’re taking them away from the objective and the rest of their team.
As we’ve already mentioned, you want to avoid dying as much as possible, as a team wipe incurs a massive respawn penalty.
Play to your Class’s strengths
You won’t know the ins and outs of the game as a new player, but Classes in The Finals have clearly defined strengths and weaknesses. There’s more nuance to each than I’ll cover here, but here are a few things to keep in mind with each Class:
Light Class
- Lowest HP in the game with only 150 Health
- Fastest Class in the game
- Can’t win ‘fair’ gunfights and must rely on mobility or stealth
- Cloaking Device is one of the strongest Specializations in the game
Medium Class
- Decent HP pool of 250
- The Healing Beam is an exceptionally strong Specialization.
- Jack of all trades class that can kill quickly and support the team
- Has tools to combat every Class in the game.
Heavy Class
- Massive health pool of 350
- Slowest Class in the game
- So much health it’s hard for Light characters to beat them
- Low but consistent damage output
Stick with the Team
Unless you’re going for a cheeky flank as the Light Class, you’ll usually have the most luck if you stay with your team. It takes time to kill a Heavy, and you’ll always lose the fight if they have a friend.
Sadly, the Voice Chat is usually empty in The Finals, which can cause problems if you play alone. If you’re a solo player, it pays to follow your squad into battle, even if you disagree with their approach.
Use your Reserved Slots
You can bring two loadouts into battle in The Finals, and this feature allows you to mix and match on the fly. I recommend carrying a versatile weapon and one that’s more niche, like a Shotgun.
If you have a decent mix of gear, you can try a more experimental approach, knowing you always have something safe to fall back on. Gadgets can win the match or be completely useless, depending on what your opponent brings.
You can swap your loadout when you die, although you’ll retain your kit if you’re revived.
Try before you buy
New weapons and gadgets cost VRS in The Finals, and this currency is earned through regular gameplay. You gain VRS at a decent rate but should still spend it wisely.
You can try every item in the Training Area even if you don’t have them available. If you’re unsure about an unlock, you can test it for as long as you want for free before making the purchase.
Learn your Cooldowns
Specializations and Gadgets are on cooldowns in The Finals, and keeping track of these will massively improve your game. Every ability is different. For example, the Cloaking Device for the Light Class can be live most of the time, whereas the Jump Pads for Medium must be used sparingly.
While memorizing cooldowns isn’t as crucial as in a game like Overwatch, it’s another form of intel you can use to keep ahead of the competition.
Understand Aim Assist
OK, we’re getting pretty granular with this tip, but it’s something you can’t ignore as a controller player. Aim Assist is quite strong in The Finals, and you can test it on the dummies in the Training Area.
If you ADS near an opponent, your gun will snap to them, even slightly tracking their movements. There’s also a rotational aim assist that grabs your aim when players walk past. I recommend getting a feel for this in the Training Area, as it will help you combat speedy Light Class players.
