Being a Squad Leader in Hell Let Loose Vietnam is not just about taking your squad into battle. You have to be able to communicate with your team members, read the map, put out effective Outposts and Garrisons, and decide whether to attack or defend. In this guide, we’ll go through everything you need to know to play Squad Leader and help your squad stay organised during a match.
How to Unlock the Squad Leader Role
Before you get into a game as a Squad Leader, be sure to take the Squad Leader tutorial from the Basic Training section. Head over to the Tutorials tab and click on the Squad Leader tutorial. Once you are done with the basic knowledge, you will be able to enter a match as a Squad Leader.
Squad Leader Best Weapon, Tactic, and More
In order to play as a Squad Leader, simply click on the + button to make your squad. Once your squad is made, you will be able to select the Squad Leader role and customize it. You will be able to modify your loadout, know about your level progress and also know how much XP you require to reach the next level.
The most important weapon in the hands of Squad Leaders is their field book, which opens up access to several important spawn and support functions such as Outposts, Garrisons, and other spawning mechanisms based on the particular factions that you are dealing with.
Squad Leader Kit
Squad Leaders will always spawn in with several important items in their kit:
- Pistol
- Binoculars
- Deploy Watch
- SMG
- Grenades (two types)
- Hammer
- Field pad
Not only will your kit allow you to defend yourself and your allies, but you are also well equipped to build outposts and garrisons from the get go. Squad Leaders should prepare themselves for close range combat, which includes covering your own base and standing down the defense. Avoid long range or long distance combat or straying away from your squad.
Communication is Key
However, it is not sufficient to simply have these weapons. In addition to this, you must be able to use effective communication to become an excellent Squad Leader. Always keep communicating with your squad and passing on relevant information to them. Tell your squad if there is a tank, a helicopter, an enemy location, or any other significant location.
Communication is among the most important parts of becoming a Squad Leader in Hell Let Loose. It is not always necessary to have complete information before communicating. The essential thing is to communicate rather than keep things to yourselves.
How to Play the Squad Leader Role
At the beginning of the match, check the map to find out where your team is moving. If most of your team members are moving in one particular direction and there is no one covering the other part of the map, this could serve as an excellent way to make a flank.
Find your spot and set up all your supplies, then try to make a Garrison point. Your team needs some good places to spawn, particularly when you want to advance on some objective. You do not need to find the perfect place for establishing the first Garrison.
It is better to get a spawn point that works for your team than waste too much time trying to find the perfect spot. In case your faction has access to tunnels, you can use tunnels to increase mobility for your team.
Use the Terrain When Placing an Outpost
If you are taking yourself away from your group, make sure you take notice of the ground around you, looking for possible spots where your Outpost can be positioned in safety. Make sure to try positioning it near something solid that can give it hard cover – tree, building, wall, etc. Do not position it right in the middle of the open space.
Once you have your Outpost positioned safely, you can go a little bit further away and set up another spawn point, provided you have enough resources. This way you will have several possible routes to the objective and also a very good flank.
Enemies Location
As a Squad Leader, you must constantly try to determine the source of the incoming enemy attacks. The map can provide you with plenty of information. It is important to consider the activity level in each sector of the game, the Garrisons and Outposts that are occupied, and locations where your teammates are fighting.
If there is calmness in some sectors and active fighting in other ones, then this information can reveal a lot about the position of the enemy. You do not always need to know the exact location of enemy spawns. It can be just a guess that will help you anyway.
Also, you can analyse the movements of the enemy players and determine where their Garrisons can be located. The appearance of enemy players from a certain direction is quite indicative of their spawn points in this zone.
Use the Map Constantly
Your map is one of your best tools as a Squad Leader. Don’t just open it occasionally. Check it regularly throughout the match.
Look at:
- Which Outposts are active
- Which Garrisons are active
- Where your teammates are fighting
- Where the enemy is likely coming from
- Which areas are completely quiet
- Whether enemy activity is appearing unusually far behind your lines
If you observe the presence of any enemies within your territory, then this means that there might be some Recon members present in that region. Normally, it will be very rare for regular infantry units to advance so far into the battlefield, and hence their presence in such locations needs to be noted carefully. Make sure that you analyse the map in relation to the whole battlefield and not just in front of you.
Pay Attention to the Hard Cap
You also need to keep an eye on the hard cap and how the capture is progressing. If your team starts losing the objective, don’t simply keep fighting in the same position without thinking about what happens next.
Look at where your teammates are and where the enemy is coming from. Sometimes moving a few players back to help defend the hard cap can make the difference between holding the objective and losing it. Use that information to decide where your squad should be.
Losing a Point
Just because the objective is lost, it doesn’t mean the game is over. As the Squad Leader, you should already have a plan regarding your next spawn and where you should bring your squad. In case the objective is about to fall, watch the capture timer. In some situations, it may be more profitable for you to return to your spawn rather than to stay at a point which you are about to lose.
Another useful approach in your tactical behaviour is to consider the moment of your respawn. If the objective is about to be captured by the enemy, there are cases when it is possible for you to survive and respawn in order to join the battle at a better position. Of course, everything will depend on your Outpost and current situation, but the idea remains clear – there is no need to waste your time coming back to a point which is already lost.
In case you realise that the point is about to fall, start preparing for your next spawn. Besides, you can remove your Outpost and put in the new one, as the objective has changed. The important thing is to keep watching the capture progress and plan ahead instead of reacting after the point has already been lost.
Outpost Location
Outpost placement can make a huge difference to your squad’s effectiveness. Ideally, your Outpost should be:
- Relatively safe
- Close to the area you want to control
- Closer to the objective than the enemy’s likely spawn
- Hidden or protected by useful terrain
- Easy for your squad to reach
Now consider the time that your squad will need to move back into action from the Outpost to your objective. With the Outpost placed closer to the hard cap, your squad will be able to move back into the fight quicker after getting killed.
However, you should not position it in such a way that the enemy could discover and eliminate it. You need to find the right combination of protection and distance. If your squad only has to run a short distance while the enemy has to travel much farther, your team has a major advantage.
More Squad Leader Tips
Here are some more tips that will help increase the efficiency of your squad.
- When your team captures the point, try to start thinking about building a new Garrison. Request materials and try to establish the new spawn point as fast as possible.
- When your Support player’s supplies are on cooldown, you can request him to re-spawn and change places with another player, who is able to deliver supplies. It is sometimes faster to do that than just wait.
- You also need to know whether your squad communicates.
- You should also check whether your squad is communicating.
- At the start of the match, do a quick microphone check and see who is actually talking.
- Communication isn’t mandatory for every player, but having squad members who respond to calls and share information makes your job much easier.
- Also, you can find out if anyone can play as Engineer. Engineers are very helpful in building structures for your team and the Commander.
- And of course, don’t forget to use your supplies wisely. Even an additional small drop of supplies is enough to allow the Engineer to create several nodes and other structures.
