Squad Beginners Tips: An Easy Guide To Playing In 2023

Squad provides a truly accurate depiction of war that most titles either fail or aspire to achieve, despite slightly "indie" graphics, squad provides several aspects to master, such as strategy, teamwork, realism, and patience. That said, new players can easily be overwhelmed and struggle to understand the mechanics, gameplay, and function of the in-game user interface. That said, once you master the basics, Squad becomes an incredible FPS.

NOTE - First-time players often met with extreme confusion. Funny story - when I was fifteen, I bought Squad for myself in the summer sale, spent ninety minutes in complete disarray, and refunded the game purely out of confusion, so I know how you feel. 

Thankfully, we're here to help out and explain how to get started with some must-knows and how-to's with this beginners guide to the game.

Squad Goals

Our first top tip is simple - keep in mind that Squad doesn't provide any firm objectives such as killing enemies or blowing up objectives as you might see in titles such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Counter-Strike. 

The objectives of the game are solely set up by the decisions of the Squad and their independent motives, with the sole purpose of simply occupying towns and landmass.

Understanding The Game And Playerbase 

Firstly, the name of the title is a large hint, Squad requires players to communicate with each other and act united. Each team is typically separated into groups of fifty players, within those two teams, players separate themselves into relevant "Squads" all at their own will, with one specific person taking the overall role of "Squad Leader" who acts as the overall command of that specific squad. Each team typically has between eight-fifteen squads, with players creating tank crews, infantry crews, airborne crews, and possible logistics crews, every player must create or join their squad to play the game. 

Squad Roles and Set-Ups

Within each squad, players are limited to roles depending on the squad population. A squad with the maximum number of players will obtain the maximum number of Squad roles, for example allowing two marksmen, and two specialists (engineer, anti-tank, machine gunner). However, if your Squad lacks players, you will be limited to basic infantry roles -  direct combat roles, basic assault rifle, pistol, and grenade. Players can "lock" their Squad upon creation if they desire to play alone or with friends, stopping random players from interfering, you can do this by clicking the padlock symbol next to your Squad name in the menu. 

Squad Command and Task Setting

Every squad must obtain one Squad commander, even when playing as a one-man squad. This allows you to control your squad, allowing them to access vehicles, designate them into "fire teams" (micro teams within the Squad - Alpha, Bravo, Charlie), and overall set up an inner command of your Squad. The Squad leader should be the strategist, often obtaining the most in-game knowledge and experience, and providing his Squad with objectives, plans, and support. For example, the Squad leader will task (and join) his squad with taking an outpost, fortifying it, and defending it from the enemy, whether the location is occupied. The Squad leader will then radio to the entire team and other Squads informing them of your Squads plan, gaining support or advice for the plans, either obtaining tank support, mortar support, or airborne support.

Embrace Learning Without Shame 

My advice for a beginner: join a server dedicated to speaking your native language, join a Squad that appeals to you, and open a conversation "Hey, I'm new please show me the ropes" and the team will embrace your desire to learn with open arms. They will help you with learning the map, loadouts, weapons, spawns, and strategy. 

Objectives and Winning the Game

As most have understood by now, communication is essential to winning a match of Squad. To win the game, the team must occupy the majority of the captured territories located throughout the map. You will know if a location is capturable because it will have a flag icon above it whilst being named, the flag icon will display either the side it's captured by or a blank flag waiting to be filled if it remains unoccupied. 

Most FPS titles such as Warzone and Escape from Tarkov, are designed for players to kill each other and provide the victor with the reward of winning. Squad is "similar" to real-life combat, players are only going to die if they are seen by the enemy and are actively invading their territory. Killing enemies within Squad doesn't "win" you the game by any means, occupying the territory does. Each team obtains (x) amount of "tickets," the more objectives you hold, the more "tickets" the enemy loses over time, once they run out of tickets, they lose the game. Kills are only necessary to prevent the enemy from capturing your objective, killing them adds no value. 

Squad Roles, Vehicles, and Strategy Tips 

Here are all the Squad roles within the game alongside their strategy:

Command and Support

• Squad Leader - in charge of organizing, planning, and execution of Squad.
• Pilot - Airborne operative, often carrying personnel to battle or organizing logistics. 
• Crewman - Vehicle operative, controlling the vehicle or manning attached weapons
• Medic - Responsible for the well-being and support of downed/damaged team
• Lead Pilot - Responsible for final say of airborne vehicles - team decisions/planning
• Lead Crewman - Responsible for final say of ground vehicles - team decisions/planning

Direct Combat

• Rifleman - typical infantry, engage the enemy when commanded and captures objectives
• Marksman - support riflemen, remain concealed, and keep more open eyes
• Automatic Rifleman - support riflemen, often taking larger sprays at larger groups

Fire Support

• Automatic Rifleman - provides support to aggressive forces - direct fireteams
• Grenadier - Great at clearing rooms, laying smoke, covering direct fireteams
• Light Anti-Tank - Provides fire on any upcoming vehicle threats
• Marksman - provides oversight, and looks out for potential as well as current threats

Specialist

• Sniper - fire support to active combat, and provides information on upcoming threats
• Machine Gunner - lays flat fire on large groups of enemies, allowing the team to strategize
• Heavy Anti-Tank - Taking out enemy ground vehicles - BMPs, Tanks, even helicopters! 
• Combat Engineer - Responsible for the well-being of vehicles and mechanical damage

Here are all the vehicles within the game:

Main Battle Tanks: FV4034 Challenger • Leopard 2A6M • M1A1 • M1A2 • T-62 • T-72 (T-72B3 • T-72S) • ZTZ99A 

Light Tanks: Sprut-SDM1 • ZTD05 

Recon Vehicles: Coyote • FV107 Scimitar • ASLAV-25 • LAV-25 

Infantry fighting vehicles: BMD-1M • BMD-4M • BMP-1 • BMP-2 • BTR-82A • FV510 Warrior (FV520 CTAS) • LAV 6.0 • M2A3 Bradley • ZBD04A • ZBD05 • ZBL08 

Armored Personnel Carriers: AAVP • BTR-80 • BTR-D • BTR-MDM • FV432 (Bulldog) • LAV III • M1126 Stryker • M113A3 • MT-LB • MT-LBM • ZSD05 • ZSL10 

Artillery vehicles: BM-21 • BTR-ZD 

Light Vehicles: BRDM-2 • Bushmaster PMV • CSK131 • LUVW G-Wagon • M-ATV • M1151 • Simir • TAPV • Technical (Armored Technical) • Tigr-M 

Transport & Logistics: AAVC • CTM131 • KamAZ 5350 • LUV-A1 • M939 Truck • MAN HX • Minsk 400 • MSVS Truck • RHIB • URAL 375D • URAL 4320 

Utility helicopters: CH146 Griffon • Mi-8 • Mi-17 (CH178) • MRH-90 • SA330 Puma • UH-1Y Huey • UH-60M Blackhawk • Z-8 

Utilizing Vehicles and Command

Although vehicles appear very intimidating in the infancy of your Squad journey, they are essential to all assaults. Having a designated tank, airborne, BMP, and logistics team is unexpendable, without them your team will fail. Therefore, whenever you get the opportunity at the beginning of your Squad journey, hop into a vehicle team and understand how they function. 

Tanks and BMPs

Tanks and BMPs are somewhat like supply and demand, if your Squad receives heavy enemy fire and needs support, your Squad Leader or you can request support from the Tank or BMP team simply by talking in team radio chat, they'll require your location and head over to support you. Tanks and BMPs work very simply, driver, gunner, and crew. The crew is made up of small arms individuals (1-2 players) responsible for the protection and well-being of the vehicle, such as an engineer and an automatic rifleman to support the engineer. The gunner will of course operate the weapon mounted on the vehicle, cannon, or heavy-machine gun, and the driver will operate the controls of the vehicle. 

Helicopters and Command

Helicopters are typically for logistics, the moving of supplies and players, and are often mounted with two heavy-machine guns on either side. Pilots and co-pilots organise the route and planning of deliverance of Squads and logistics, often taking heavy fire from ground forces. Helicopter pilots are rarely found solely providing fire support to ground forces due to anti-aircraft threats. 

The Commander focuses on the entire game, telling each Squad what to do and where to go, allocating teams to different regions of the map, and feeding information through to Squad leaders that can provide game-changing strategies. The Commander isn't boots on the ground, and instead takes position watching the battle from a "drone" POV, seeing the battle clearly and knowing the best solutions for the Squads, allowing him/her to command ground forces to mortar, assault, or defend any locations from enemy forces. 

Hopefully, this guide has given you a greater insight into how to play Squad and what to expect, if you're struggling with mechanical gameplay, make sure to check out the in-game training mode, being one of the only beneficial training modes in FPS history!