Enlisted Beginner Guide: How to Run a Squad in a WWII Shooter

Enlisted reads like a standard World War II shooter right up until you spawn in and notice you are not driving one soldier. You are driving a squad. When your active soldier goes down you do not respawn at base. You take over the next AI member of that same squad, right where they are standing. That one mechanic changes how every fight plays out, and it is the difference between feeling outgunned and feeling like a platoon of one. This guide covers what actually matters in your first dozen matches.

The game is built around big 10 versus 10 battles fought over objectives, with every human player commanding several soldiers. Between matches you manage squads, unlock weapons and soldier slots through a battle pass progression that runs separately per campaign, and slowly build a roster of infantry, engineers, snipers, tankers and pilots. It is methodical and tactical, and it clicks hard once the systems make sense.

Pick Your Starter Campaign Carefully

Enlisted splits into historical campaigns, and progression levels separately in each one. Where you start matters more than new players expect.

• Pick one campaign and commit. Unlocks do not carry across campaigns, so spreading your time around leaves you stuck at the bottom tier everywhere at once. Stay in one theater until your squads can hold their own.
• Normandy and Berlin are the friendliest starts. Both have healthy populations, so queues are fast, and both give you a balanced weapon mix that teaches the fundamentals without any punishing gimmicks.
• Watch out for the seal clubbing trap. Veterans sometimes bring bottom tier squads into beginner matches. Do not read too much into a few lopsided games early on. It evens out as you unlock better gear and learn the maps.

Build Squads, Then Level Them Deep

Your roster is the real progression. Winning matches feels good, but building a deep, properly kitted set of squads is what makes you strong.

• Level infantry squads first. More soldiers per squad means more lives per spawn. Early on a squad fields a handful of bodies. Upgraded, that same squad holds many more, which multiplies how long you stay in the fight after each deployment.
• Slot an engineer squad right away. Engineers build rally points, ammo boxes and defenses. A forward rally point lets your whole team spawn closer to the objective, and it is the single most useful thing a new player can do for their side. Place them in cover, out of enemy sightlines.
• Do not skip the secondary classes. One AT (anti tank) gunner or a smartly placed sniper squad can swing a match. Keep at least one soldier who can answer armor, because sitting helpless in front of a tank ruins games.
• Upgrade soldiers, not just weapons. Every soldier has a class and perks. Putting points into health, stamina and weapon handling compounds over time, and it makes the AI members you inherit noticeably tougher.

Play the Objective, Not the Kill Count

Enlisted pays you for ground taken, not for highlight reels. The scoreboard follows the objective.

• Push and hold capture points. Experience and squad progression flow fastest from contested objectives. Hunting kills alone in a corner of the map earns far less and usually costs your team the point.
• Use your squad like a squad. Your AI soldiers follow and fight. Park them in cover before you peek, because when your controlled soldier drops you inherit one of them. Keeping them alive keeps you alive.
• Rally points win matches. Spawning at the front instead of jogging thirty seconds from base is an enormous tempo swing. Build them, defend them, and blow up enemy ones the moment you spot them.
• Respect the vehicles. Tanks and planes are flown and driven by players, and they are lethal. Learn the audio cues, carry an anti tank option, and never sprint across open ground while armor is on the field.

Small Habits That Keep You Breathing

A few small routines separate frustrated newcomers from players their team is glad to have:

• Keep changing stance. Crouch and prone shrink your profile a lot. Standing still in the open, in a game packed with AI and human shooters both, is just donating a life.
• Reload behind cover, never out in the open. With a whole squad to manage you cannot afford to get caught in the middle of an animation.
• Watch the minimap and the objective timer. These battles are won on positioning and timing. Know which point is contested and rotate before the window closes.
• Clear your daily tasks and the campaign battle pass. They fund your fastest unlocks, meaning new soldier slots, better weapons and premium currency, without you spending a cent.

Enlisted wants you thinking like a squad leader instead of a lone gunman. Once it sinks in that your squad is a resource you spend carefully, that engineers and rally points quietly decide matches, and that objectives beat kills every single time, this turns into one of the most satisfying WWII shooters around. Pick your campaign, build deep, and play for the ground.