Darkflow Software rebuilt Enlisted for its Steam launch, folding six separate campaigns into one army per nation and sorting every squad, weapon and vehicle into Battle Ratings I through V. It arrived on Steam as Enlisted: Reinforced on 16 July 2024, free to play, published by Gaijin Network. You command an AI squad rather than a lone soldier, so being shot drops you into the next man in the squad instead of ending the life.
Starting Enlisted: Reinforced can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Enlisted: Reinforced is a fps game built around Squad command with AI soldiers and Battle Rating I to V matchmaking. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Role
| Role | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Assaulter | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Engineer | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Sniper | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Tanker | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Assaulter. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Tanker as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Squad command with AI soldiers
You control one soldier while the rest of the squad follows your orders, and a death hands you the next man in line rather than sending you to the deploy screen. Only a fully wiped squad forces you to pick a fresh one from your lineup.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Squad command with AI soldiers works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Normandy
Hedgerow fields, stone villages and beach approaches with long firing lanes between bocage walls. Armour funnels down roads, which makes AT ambushes at corners unusually effective.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for PPSh-41: it's the most accessible early upgrade. The Soviet submachine gun with the 71 round drum trades accuracy for a fire rate that wins every doorway argument. Ammo lasts long enough that you rarely reload mid fight.
Step 4: Understand Battle Rating I to V matchmaking
Every weapon, vehicle and squad carries a Battle Rating from I to V, and your highest rated item sets the bracket you queue into. Matchmaking runs BR 1 to 3 and BR 3 to 5, so one late war rifle can pull an otherwise low tier lineup into fights against Tiger IIs and Me 262s.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Berlin
Rubble streets, shattered apartment blocks and the tightest interiors in the game. Sightlines collapse to under 40 metres, so submachine guns and flamethrowers dominate while snipers struggle.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Squad command with AI soldiers
You control one soldier while the rest of the squad follows your orders, and a death hands you the next man in line rather than sending you to the deploy screen. Only a fully wiped squad forces you to pick a fresh one from your lineup.
Battle Rating I to V matchmaking
Every weapon, vehicle and squad carries a Battle Rating from I to V, and your highest rated item sets the bracket you queue into. Matchmaking runs BR 1 to 3 and BR 3 to 5, so one late war rifle can pull an otherwise low tier lineup into fights against Tiger IIs and Me 262s.
Engineer rally points and fortifications
Engineers spend a build point pool with a hammer on rally points, ammo crates, sandbags, Czech hedgehogs and barbed wire. A rally point placed out of line of sight near the objective lets the whole team spawn forward, which decides more matches than any kill streak.
Combined arms tanks and aircraft
Tanker and pilot squads occupy the same lineup slots as infantry, and each team is capped on how many armour and air squads can be active at once. Tanks let you switch between crew positions, aircraft carry bombs and rockets, and both die fast to AT gunners working the flanks.
Army lineup and squad slots
You bring a fixed set of squads into battle and the game caps how many of one type you can stack, for example no more than two assaulter squads. A working lineup covers capture pressure, anti tank duty and engineering instead of filling every slot with submachine guns.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Slotting a single late war weapon and dragging the entire lineup up two Battle Ratings into fights it cannot win
2. Running sniper squads on Berlin and Stalingrad, where most engagements happen under 40 metres
3. Bringing no engineer at all, then losing because the team has no forward spawn for the whole match
4. Sprinting onto the objective alone while the AI squad stands in the open behind you and gets mown down
5. Trading frontal shots with a tank instead of spending twenty seconds walking around to its flank
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Squad command with AI soldiers and Battle Rating I to V matchmaking
- Choose Assaulter as starting role
- Clear Normandy main content
- Acquire PPSh-41 or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Berlin
- Your lineup Battle Rating is set by the single highest rated item you bring, so one BR V rifle sitting on a BR II soldier throws the whole squad into Tiger II and jet matches. Audit each squad before queuing and strip out late war gear you did not mean to bring.
- Spend the first engineer build pool on a rally point roughly 60 to 80 metres behind the objective and out of direct line of sight, then top it up with an ammo crate. Sandbags come third because a forward spawn is worth more than cover.
Tips for New Players
- Your lineup Battle Rating is set by the single highest rated item you bring, so one BR V rifle sitting on a BR II soldier throws the whole squad into Tiger II and jet matches. Audit each squad before queuing and strip out late war gear you did not mean to bring.
- Spend the first engineer build pool on a rally point roughly 60 to 80 metres behind the objective and out of direct line of sight, then top it up with an ammo crate. Sandbags come third because a forward spawn is worth more than cover.
- Carry two engineer squads across the lineup. Rally points die constantly and being the only player able to rebuild one means the team spawns 200 metres out every time yours is destroyed.
- AI squadmates follow you into open ground by default. Order them to hold inside a building or trench before you push a street and they will cover an angle you physically cannot watch yourself.
- You inherit the position of the soldier who just died, not a safe spawn. Spread the squad across two pieces of cover so a single grenade does not take the whole unit out at once.
- Attack tanks from the side or rear, aiming at the flat plate just above the tracks. Frontal shots with a Panzerfaust or bazooka often only break the tracks, which leaves the turret free to kill you.
- Aircraft earn far more per sortie strafing infantry clustered on a capture point than hunting armour. Tanks are small, moving and usually parked near their own anti air.
- Squad level unlocks additional soldier slots, so three deeply levelled squads field more bodies than eight shallow ones. Concentrate research rather than spreading it thin.
- Radio operator artillery takes several seconds to land. Call it on ground the enemy has to hold, such as a capture zone or a choke point, rather than on a squad that is already moving.
- Sitting in the grey zone behind your own spawn gets you a countdown and enemy artillery. Move up with the objective, because the game deliberately punishes players who camp the back line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Enlisted: Reinforced free to play?
Yes. It launched on Steam on 16 July 2024 as a free to play shooter from Darkflow Software and Gaijin Network, with optional purchases for premium squads and vehicles.
What actually changed in the 2024 merge?
The six separate campaigns were combined into a single army per nation for the USA, USSR, Germany and Japan, and every squad, weapon and vehicle was assigned a Battle Rating from I to V. Existing progress carried across instead of being reset.
Do I need to spend money to compete?
No. Premium squads shorten research time, but the two things that decide matches are engineer rally points and coordinated capture play, and both are free.
Can I play with console players?
Yes. Battles are fully cross platform between the Gaijin.Net client, Steam, PlayStation and Xbox.
Which Battle Rating should a new player sit at?
BR II to III. Bolt action rifles and early submachine guns are still common, tanks are thinner skinned, and you avoid the heavy armour and jet matchups that define BR V.
More Enlisted: Reinforced Guides
- Enlisted: Reinforced Enlisted: Reinforced Overview
- Enlisted: Reinforced Best Builds
- Enlisted: Reinforced Tier List
- Enlisted: Reinforced Walkthrough
- Enlisted: Reinforced Tips & Tricks
- Enlisted: Reinforced Weapons Guide
- Enlisted: Reinforced Combat Guide
- Enlisted: Reinforced Boss Guide
- Enlisted: Reinforced Maps & Locations
- Enlisted: Reinforced Crafting Guide
- Enlisted: Reinforced Classes & Characters
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