The Finals Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

The Finals is a free-to-play team-based FPS built around a fully destructible environment powered by Embark Studios' proprietary tech. Three body types — Light, Medium, and Heavy — offer distinct playstyles with unique abilities and weapon pools. The core game mode, Cashout, tasks teams with stealing vaults and depositing them at cashout stations while defending against other squads. What sets The Finals apart is that every wall, floor, and ceiling can be destroyed, meaning no position is truly safe and creative destruction is the meta.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — Monaco

Tight streets and multi-story buildings make this a destruction-heavy map. Collapsing buildings onto cashout stations is a viable strategy. Rooftop fights are common and the narrow alleys funnel fights into predictable chokepoints.

Level/Difficulty: All Ranks Key Rewards: High destruction value, vertical gameplay opportunities, rooftop flanking routes

What to Do in Monaco

1. Learn destruction system. Nearly every surface in The Finals can be destroyed using explosives, weapons fire, or abilities. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Medium Build as your starting role. It's the most forgiving option.
3. C4 on a ceiling below a cashout station is the single most effective play in the game — the enemy team falls through and loses the position.
4. Acquire your first weapons upgrade — AKM (Medium) or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand destruction system fundamentals
• Medium Build selected and functional
• Monaco main content cleared
• Ready for Seoul

Phase 2: Early Game — Seoul

Modern cityscape with large open plazas connected by narrow alleyways. Long sightlines favor Medium and Heavy builds. The elevated train platforms provide strong cashout defense positions that require creative destruction to counter.

Level/Difficulty: All Ranks Key Rewards: Long-range engagement opportunities, elevated positions, destructible train platforms

What to Do in Seoul

1. Work on cashout objectives. Teams compete to grab vaults from the map, carry them to cashout stations, and defend them during a timed deposit. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for AKM (Medium) if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. Medium's Healing Beam heals 250 HP over 5 seconds. Keep it on your Heavy during fights — a healed Heavy with 350 HP is nearly unkillable.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Las Vegas.
5. Consider whether Light Build might suit your playstyle better than Medium Build.

Phase 2 Checklist

• cashout objectives integrated into gameplay
• AKM (Medium) acquired
• Seoul fully cleared
• Ready for Las Vegas

Phase 3: Mid Game — Las Vegas

Casino interiors with flashy lighting and multiple floors. Indoor cashout locations mean heavy destruction sends debris everywhere. The hotel tower offers the highest vertical gameplay in the rotation.

Level/Difficulty: All Ranks Key Rewards: Indoor destruction chaos, multi-floor vertical fights, casino interior combat

What to Do in Las Vegas

1. Master class-based combat. Light builds are fast with stealth and mobility abilities but have 150 HP. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward M60 (Heavy). It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
3. Light's Cloaking Device has a visible shimmer when moving. Stand still to become truly invisible, then strike when enemies walk past.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in gadget synergies for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• class-based combat mastered
• M60 (Heavy) acquired or in progress
• Las Vegas fully cleared
• Ready for Skyway Stadium

Phase 4: Late Game — Skyway Stadium

Open arena environment with less destructible terrain than other maps. Favors gunplay skill over creative destruction. The central field offers minimal cover, making it a kill zone for Heavy builds with sightlines.

Level/Difficulty: All Ranks Key Rewards: Aim-focused engagements, open-area team fights, less environmental RNG

What to Do in Skyway Stadium

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Light Build or Medium Build with optimized gear.
2. M60 (Heavy) should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Goo Grenades create permanent platforms that block sightlines and doorways. Use them to seal off flanking routes during cashout defense.
4. environmental manipulation optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into SYS$HORIZON.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• M60 (Heavy) upgraded to max
• Skyway Stadium fully cleared
• Ready for SYS$HORIZON

Phase 5: Endgame — SYS$HORIZON

Futuristic floating platform map with unique gravity mechanics and destructible floor sections that drop players into the void. Falling off the map is a constant threat. Goo platforms and creative building become essential survival tools.

Level/Difficulty: All Ranks Key Rewards: Unique gravity gameplay, environmental kills, goo-based strategy

What to Do in SYS$HORIZON

1. SYS$HORIZON tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. The Defibrillator revives teammates with 50% HP and has a 15-second cooldown. Position near downed allies but behind cover before reviving.
3. The endgame loop: run SYS$HORIZON, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Aggressive Light for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where environmental manipulation mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• SYS$HORIZON fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Playing Light without understanding its 150 HP limitation — you cannot trade shots with Medium or Heavy and win consistently.
• Ignoring destruction potential and treating the game like a standard FPS — the floor is always your best weapon.
• Running triple Light or triple Heavy compositions — team variety with at least one Medium healer is almost always stronger.
• Defending cashout from inside a building without reinforcing the floor — enemies will C4 it from below every time.
• Using the Defibrillator in the open — you're stationary for 2 seconds during the revive animation, making you an easy kill.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. C4 on a ceiling below a cashout station is the single most effective play in the game — the enemy team falls through and loses the position.
2. Medium's Healing Beam heals 250 HP over 5 seconds. Keep it on your Heavy during fights — a healed Heavy with 350 HP is nearly unkillable.
3. Light's Cloaking Device has a visible shimmer when moving. Stand still to become truly invisible, then strike when enemies walk past.
4. Goo Grenades create permanent platforms that block sightlines and doorways. Use them to seal off flanking routes during cashout defense.
5. The Defibrillator revives teammates with 50% HP and has a 15-second cooldown. Position near downed allies but behind cover before reviving.

For detailed build optimization, see The Finals builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.