The Finals Strategy Guide: Tips, Cheats, and More

The Finals is a crazy and competitive game show where teams of three go up against each other in blazing-fast gunfights to see who can score the most cash. Are you ready to be a Contestant?

The Finals is a class-based team shooter where multiple teams face off to secure money caches. The map is your playground, as the game features fully destructible environments, on top of the chaotic abilities that each class brings to the table. There’s a lot going on here, so let us give you some pointers with our The Finals tips, cheats, and more strategy guides!

Tip #1: Understanding the build system

Classes in The Finals are categorized by three different body builds: Light, Medium and Heavy. Not only do builds change your Contestant’s physical appearance, they also govern your attributes and loadouts. Understanding the differences between the builds is the key to victory!

Medium build

You start the game with only the Medium build unlocked. The Medium build is an all-around character, who has a nice balance between offensive and defensive options. They can fight well at Medium ranges, and they’re the only class that has access to the Healing Beam.

As the Medium Contestant, you are effectively the team’s support. Use your Healing Beam to keep your teammates healthy, and the Defibrillator to get them back into battle quicker. Try to avoid direct encounters with enemies, as you are a prime target for them.

Heavy build

After a few matches, you’ll unlock the Heavy build. These guys are large and in charge, boasting the highest health but slowest movement speed. Heavy builds also have access to overwhelming firepower, ranging from devastating short-range flamethrowers to explosive RPGs.

As the Heavy Contestant, you lead your team into battle. You should be at the frontlines, charging in and getting the attention of enemies. Charge into the enemies, mow them down with the M60, and cause as much chaos as possible. Don’t forget that your RPG packs quite the punch to the environment, and not just enemies!

Light build

Finally, the last build you unlock is the Light build. Light Contestants are the fastest build, but also the most fragile. They excel at chasing down and picking off single targets with their small arms, like pistols and small shotguns. They can also opt for a long-range sniper rifle, as well.

As the Light Contestant, you are an opportunist, looking for openings where you can safely pick off the enemy teams, one by one. Your weapons are most effective at close ranges, so use your gadgets to get you around quickly and safely. Glitch Grenade, Gas Grenade, and Smoke Grenade are fantastic for denying certain areas to enemies, and the Motion Sensor and Thermal Vision are excellent for recon.

Once you unlock all the builds, be sure to try them out to see which ones you like the most. Don’t forget to customize your loadout—you get one weapon and three gadgets, plus a whole set for reserve backups.

You also don’t have to worry about not ever being able to play your favorite build type and team composition. You queue up with your preferred build, and the matchmaking will always match you with players of different builds.

We highly recommend trying out all the builds at least once, even if you don’t like their playstyles. This is mainly because of getting first-hand experience with each build’s strengths and weaknesses, so you know what to expect when you come face-to-face with one on the battlefield.

Make sore to also read our complete The Finals Weapons tier list, where we share everything you need to know about all the weapons in the game, and rank them!

Tip #2: Stick close and stay with your team

Teams in The Finals are made of three players, and you are much stronger together than you are alone. Always be mindful of where your teammates are, and try to stick close to them. Getting picked off one by one not only feels bad but is also completely avoidable.

Since the teams are so small, every player’s actions count. Watch your backs, and use your build’s abilities to help the team know where enemies are. If one of your teammates goes down, they’ll drop a little trophy that can be used to revive them. You should always do your best to revive teammates and not go for solo stunts.

Remember that you can carry objects around by pressing the F key, which also applies to teammate trophies! If an ally dies in a really bad position, quickly grab their trophy and run away until it’s safe to revive them. If you’re playing as a Medium build, you can use your Defibrillators to quickly revive an ally on the spot.

In the event of a team wipe, it’s usually best to regroup and move in together. If you respawn faster than your teammates, don’t run in by yourself, as you’ll probably just die again. Regroup and push forward as a team for the best chances of survival.

Tip #3: Use the environment to your advantage

Many of the maps in The Finals are large and expansive to accommodate the multiple 3-player teams. There are various fixed devices that can get you around quicker, like jump pads and pulley ropes that you can attach to. Keep an eye out as you run through the map, as these devices can also help you out in a pinch.

The Finals also sports a pretty detailed destruction system, allowing players to blow open holes in buildings using explosives and other weapons. Since the cash locations are usually in small areas, you can blow your way in and get the drop on enemies. Weapons like the Frag Grenade, Breach Charge, and RPG-7, and of course the Sledgehammer will do the trick.

Taking advantage of the environment is especially important after skirmishes. Once you take down a few enemies in an area, you should assume that more are going to show up at any second. Reposition and get ready to ambush the stragglers!

Don’t forget about the various canisters lying around the map. These canisters contain unstable elements, and can be tossed at enemies to give them a nasty surprise! Here are the canisters we’ve found so far:

• Explosive: Explodes when damaged, dealing tremendous damage to anyone and anything caught in the blast. They can also be picked up and thrown in a straight trajectory, thanks to the released gas.
• Flammable: Spreads a raging fire across the immediate area, igniting anyone who gets caught in it.
• Goo: Creates a wall of bulletproof goo. The goo can be destroyed with explosives and fire.
• Toxic: Creates a cloud of toxic gas, draining the health of any Contestants who breathe it in.
• Powder: Creates a cloud of smoke, hiding anything nearby. Also douses fires.

In addition to individual canisters, you can also find big boxes of canisters hanging from ceilings. You can destroy these boxes to open them and reveal tons of canisters—just watch out for the explosive ones!

Tip #4: Recommended gadgets and weapons

Now that you know how to be a team player, it’s time to go over the various weapons and gadgets in the game. Each build type has access to their own unique items, and we’ll go over some standout ones to use.

Recommended Medium gear

• The Healing Beam and Defibrillator are crucial to supporting your team effectively. Not taking the Defibrillator with you as a Medium is doing your team a huge disservice.
• The APS Turret is extremely strong, possibly even game-breaking. It’ll shoot down any incoming enemy projectiles, including grenades and rockets. Plant it down in front of a defensive point to force enemies into another path.
• The various Mines/Traps are all great at denying zones to enemies. The Glitch and Gas Mines are especially effective and dealing with slippery foes.

Recommended Heavy gear

• The M60 is extremely powerful and has lots of ammo, making it great for most situations. However, if you’re facing a lot of enemies in close-quarters, the Flamethrower can absolutely wreck them.
• The Sledgehammer makes it very easy for a Heavy to make their own path through the various buildings in each map. Carefully aimed strikes can help you get the drop on enemies.
• The Dome Shield provides ample cover for important defensive locations, like the cashout spot. Though not as durable as the normal Barricade, its full 360-degree cover is very useful.

Recommended Light gear

• The Light’s specializations are all fantastic. Grappling Hook gives you a quick way to get around the map, and also gets you out of nasty situations. Cloaking Device makes it hard to track you. Evasive Dash makes you even more slippery, as if you weren’t already a menace before.
• The melee weapons like the Dagger and Sword are very flashy and fun to use, but they require a bit of finesse to pull off. These weapons can be deadly in the right hands, but we recommend practicing with them first.

Ready to jump into the show, Contestant? Get out there and win big, and if you have any other questions or tips to share, let us know in the comments below!