Community Guides/Combat Guide

Combat In Foxhole
Combat in Foxhole is an ebb and flow of attack and defense along player defined front lines. This guide will explain the general information and strategy about infantry and vehicular combat. The infantry roles described below are informal, only to suggest a particular way to play.

General Info

 * 1) All guns show you a white line when aimed, it represent the maximum effective range of the weapon. Shooting a target near or past the end of the line will deal less damage. Shooting targets way beyond the end of the line is futile. Always  remember your weapon's max range when shooting .
 * 2) Your cursor placement when firing is important;  your reticle must be on or slightly behind the enemy to be accurate . If aiming slightly behind the enemy you should see a white line and dot followed by a red line and dot. The white dot is where you shot is aimed.
 * 3) Understand reticle height. Your reticle's height is represented by a vertical orange line under it . On a horizontal surface (ground, top of vehicle/structure) your reticle hovers at a fixed height above it. On a vertical surface (wall, vehicle side, infantry, etc) you can directly choose the height by moving your cursor higher or lower on the surface. Be wary of putting your reticle too close to you (shoots the ground) or too high on a tall object (shoots the sky).
 * 4) Accuracy is not a guarantee, all weapons even the Rifle have tiny bit of spread and can miss
 * 5) Firing while moving is always more inaccurate than standing; stand still, shoot, and then move and repeat
 * 6)  Aim in the corner of your screen . Who wins a fight often depends on who sees who first. Situational awareness is paramount in the game. Keep good awareness by rotating your camera (with  ) often and by placing the corner of your screen toward the enemy, giving you precious additional meters of vision range in that direction. The top right corner is the farthest you can see and should be where you are generally aiming at.
 * 7)  Take the high ground . Higher ground can give you a bigger field of view. You're also harder to hit with the aiming system. Being on a hill, or simply on top of a storage box behind a sandbag wall can make a big difference. High ground especially increases the vision range of Binoculars and the effective firing range of artillery weapons.
 * 8)  Keep an eye on your Stamina , save it for effectively sprinting away from danger, and don't ever let it go into the red if you are engaging enemies or else you may drop from exhaustion and be a free target
 * 9)  Use Cover whenever possible . A small shield will appear on screen when you are using cover. This increases your aim stability, how fast your cross hair shrinks (accuracy) when aiming. Pretty much any solid object in the game world can be used as cover, some require you to crouch. Cover also makes you a much smaller target, making the use of cover one of the main deciding factor in a firefight. Whether it's sandbags, trenches, half walls, or trees, always seek cover.
 * 10)  Use concealment  as well. You can become invisible in certain bushes and tall grass (crossed eye indicator in top left of screen) as long as you don't move with WASD. Infantry is also unseen when behind tall structures such as walls, watch towers, sandbag walls. Use concealment to get the drop on the enemy.
 * 11)  Night makes ambushes and short range weapons much more efficient , like the SMG. During the night (6PM to 6AM ingame), vision is restricted to a smaller circle of light around the player. Be much more aware of flanks during the night. Enemies will be able to see your gunfire in the dark, don't stand in one place for too long.
 * 12)  Mobility is key  in infantry combat. Whether to run from cover to cover safely, or to close in faster on your enemy, or to run away to outside the enemy's weapon range, or to simply dodge bullets and grenades, faster is better. Carrying too much weight makes you an easy target. So always travel relatively light, you don't need two primary weapons or more than 3 magazines. Taking high damage can stun you for a few seconds, leaving you extremely slow, which you'll learn soon enough is a death sentence in most cases.
 * 13)  Going prone is risky . Going prone (with  ) will give you greater aim stability but will make you a nice immobile target, even if a shorter one. It will also make you easily flankable as turning when prone is slow. You'll also be at the mercy of frag and gas grenades. Use the prone stance when you're covering open ground, have good situational awareness, with your flanks covered by friendlies or if you're hidden in a bush. Do not go prone when your enemy can use cover or get inside a defensive structure.
 * 14) Know your grenades.  Frag & Gas vs Infantry, HE vs structures, Sticky & Gas vs armored vehicles . Use frags and gas to clear trenches. Use gas to force player garrisoned in defenses to leave their position. You can also use gas to force armored vehicles to retreat for a bit. Frags and gas grenades can be cooked by holding down   (left mouse button) a little before throwing, this ensures the enemy has no time to get away before the explosion.
 * 15)  Recycle equipment by looting bodies . Remember that every weapon and ammo on the front is supplied manually by other player and cost resources to produce. If you don't want your base to run out of equipment, always try to loot the bodies of friends and foes for ammo and expensive weapons.
 * 16)  Stay out of the range of defenses with active AI . Active AI is represented by a larger flag. Certain defensive structures such as foxholes can have active AI shooting you (or only vehicles for gun turrets) if you walk within their AI range. Always shoot those from outside their range if AI is active to suppress it, although certain structures might fire back. The AI range is shorter at night.
 * 17)  Coordinate with your team . Avoid rushing without coordination, don't just throw your life away and waste Soldier Supplies. Think about what your team needs or is missing at a given moment.

Infantry Roles
Here are some basic roles listed below. These role are informal rather than defined by the game, they showcase specific aspects of infantry combat. This guide will specify a load-out for each role and explain how to play the role effectively. For each load-out, remember to not take more than 2-3 magazines unless stated otherwise. Every load-out must have at least 1 Bandage, this will keep you from bleeding out if a medic cannot get to you in time. Always try to keep the role composition of your team balanced and tailored towards what type of enemy you're facing.

Rifleman/Grenadier:

This is probably the most common load-out as it is the easiest to produce. It is also the most flexible, allowing it to fill different sub roles.
 * Slot 1 - Rifle, SMG, Carbine, Storm Rifle, or Shotgun
 * Slot 2 - Pistol
 * (Optional) Slot 3 - Frag Grenade, High Explosive Grenade, Green Ash, or Smoke grenade
 * (Optional) Slot 7 - Bayonet

The center of the infantry combat. Focus your fire on enemy infantry and light structures. Provide cover and suppression for your teammates. Throw HE Grenades to destroy enemy defenses. The rifleman is at the forefront of the fight.

With the diversity of the rifleman kit there are a lot of jobs that can be tackled. For instance...
 * If your squad require more grenade support you can forego the primary weapon in exchange for more grenades of multiple types
 * If the enemy has a lot of entrenched positions more Green Ash grenades will make enemies flee.
 * If you are moving through enemy territory more Smoke grenades will help obscure defenses that would otherwise shoot at you.
 * Suppress enemy defenses to prevent enemy players inside from firing back and to temporarily shut off the defense's AI, giving time for your teammates or yourself to destroy the defenses with HE grenades.

Medic:

A medic is crucial for preventing the teams loss of Soldier Supplies by reviving and healing teammates. They should be carrying the following...
 * Slot 1 - Trauma Kit
 * Slot 2 - Sidearm
 * Slot 3 - First Aid Kit
 * Slot 5 - (Optional) Gas Mask and Gas Mask Filters

The medic also needs Bandages and Blood Plasma which are consumed by the trauma and first aid kit when healing people. The bandages are also needed if the medic needs to stop its own bleeding. Note that a dedicated medic does not have a primary weapon, if you do carry a primary that means you will have to switch between it and the Trauma Kit in order to revive players. This wastes precious time and friendlies will more than likely bleed out.

The medic is important to prevent friendly deaths and the deterioration of Soldier Supplies. It is not an easy role to fill and requires a different play-style than the other roles.

Refer to the Medic Guide for tips on how to be an actually good medic.

Machine Gunner:

This role is a slow moving powerhouse meant for suppressing and killing infantry and light-medium structures.
 * Slot 1 - MG or LMG, Storm Rifle
 * Slot 2 - Pistol
 * Slot 5 - Gas Mask and Gas Mask Filters

Make sure to bring more magazines than a rifleman, 5 to 10, as you will chew through ammunition quickly especially if you suppress enemy infantry and defenses with sustained fire.

A machine gunners primary job is to suppress and kill enemy infantry and defenses. As the gun makes you slow, you must be especially aware of your positioning.

Both guns have a slightly longer range than the rifle. Use this to your advantage as often as possible to shoot infantry and defensive structures from relative safety. A medic can be behind you to heal you while you fire. As the guns are heavy and used mostly crouched or prone, you will be very susceptible to frag grenades and gas. As such wearing a gas mask with filters and having teammates covering your flanks for enemy closing in to throw grenades is recommended. Stay garrisoned inside friendly defenses if possible to not worry about frag grenades and get an accuracy boost.

Machine guns make quick work of enemy foxholes but cannot damage heavier defenses. The Light Machine Gun is lighter than the MG but can never be pin-point accurate. It can be used while standing when the MG requires to be crouched or prone, as such the LMG can be effective from inside a trench. Machine gunners can be used as a base of fire to suppress defenses or make enemies retreat from their position while your teammates push or flank said position with heavy explosives. The MG cost Refined Materials to produce, so don't abandon it on the ground. When you need to move, switch to your pistol to be faster.

The Storm Rifle and SMG can also similarly be used for primarily suppression duties.

Anti-Tank/Structure:

The sole purpose of this role is to kill enemy medium-strong defenses and armored vehicles.


 * Slot 1 - R.P.G., Anti-Tank Rifle, Anti-Tank R.P.G
 * Slot 2 - Pistol
 * Slot 3 - HE Grenade, Sticky Grenade

Keep in mind R.P.G. shells do not stack so you must carry them individually which fills up inventory space fast.

The RPG cost Refined Materials to produce, don't abandon it or lose it by charging the enemy stupidly. The RPG makes you extremely slow when equipped, switch to your pistol to move faster when not in combat. Try to stay behind your teammates and make use of friendly defenses and cover. Your targets are enemy stronger structures, especially Gun Turrets and Bunker Garrisons. Don't waste rockets on watch towers when a rifle can do the job.

Your other targets are armored vehicles, use the maximum range (40m) of your weapon and try to ambush the enemy vehicle by using cover and concealment. Against Tanks shoot the sides and back to deal more damage. If you have Gun Turrets with active AI, you can try to sit next to it and shoot the enemy armored vehicle. If the enemy vehicle's fire hits the Turret it will activate and return fire to devastating effect.

If you are out of RPGs or they aren't unlocked yet, you can use the cheaper Anti-Tank Rifle instead. That rifle can only be used while crouched or prone and as a shorter range than the RPG, so ambushing the vehicle is even more important. The AT Rifle is useless against structures though. The role can also use HE grenades to destroy enemy structures, and sticky grenades against armored vehicles.

Squad Leader:

The squad leader will most likely be outfitted like a Rifleman with the following exceptions...


 * Slot 2 - Binoculars
 * Slot 4 - Radio


 * Slot 5 - (Optional) Gas Mask and Gas Mask Filters

This job requires you to know a lot about squad composition and positioning. You must use your radio and binoculars efficiently to see enemy movement and direct your squad to meet new threats. Identify high priority targets such as a Field Artillery piece or weak enemy defenses to exploit in a flanking maneuver. Press  to open your map and check radio intel. Note that the map intel your radio gives you is always 10 seconds old. Use high ground to give more range to your binoculars.

Builder:

The builder is a bit back from the front building or repairing the team's defenses and structures.


 * Slot 1 - Hammer, Shovel
 * Slot 2 - Pistol
 * Backpack: Basic Materials

The builder is here to build:


 * defenses and structures on the ground your team has taken to support the push.
 * defenses around the bases on the front, to protect our flanks.
 * watch towers near the front line and along the roads used for logistics supply, for intel.
 * new Forward Bases with a Construction Vehicle to advance the push and to allow activated AI defenses even further.

See Building Guide.

Advanced Roles
Mortar Team:

A team of 2-3 players that will use the Mortar and Binoculars to devastating effect. The composition is as follows:
 * Mortar-man
 * Mortar and Mortar Shells
 * Gas Mask and Gas Mask Filters


 * Spotter
 * Weapons to defend the team
 * Spare Mortar Shells
 * Binoculars for giving range readings to the Mortar-man
 * Gas Mask and Gas Mask Filters

Refer to the Artillery Guide for more in depth instructions on how to use this kit.

Artillery Team:

A team of 3-5 players that will use Artillery and Binoculars to devastating effect. Two players aiming and firing the artillery piece, one spotter with binoculars, one loader bringing more shells from the Forward Base with a truck.

Refer to the Artillery Guide for more in depth instructions on how to use this kit.

Vehicular Combat
This covers the use of vehicles with mounted weapons, mostly armored vehicles. Note that all vehicle combat requires a crew of 2 or more, you CANNOT use combat vehicles alone. See Vehicle Guide for basic vehicle info.

General Info

 * 1) Unlike infantry, vehicles are always visible, whether they are behind a wall or during the night.
 * 2) All combat vehicles are mounted with high caliber weapons, use their superior range to their full extent to keep yourself safe.
 * 3)  Know when to retreat for repairs . Know how much beating your vehicle type can take before its health gets below its disabling threshold so that you can retreat in time and repair your vehicle. Disabled vehicles have smoke coming out and are unable to move. Getting disabled in the middle of combat is almost always a death sentence.
 * 4)  Always have a clear way to retreat . Don't get boxed in, a vehicle unable to fall back is at the mercy of gas, stickies, and enemy fire.
 * 5)  Always lock and squad lock your vehicle , do not let your vehicle be captured by the enemy. The crew of the vehicle will need to be in the same squad to be able to use the squad lock. A vehicle that isn't locked can be hijacked by an enemy pressing   when one of the vehicle seat is empty.
 * 6)  Death before Dismount.  If your vehicle is disabled, do not let the vehicle get captured, the main gunner must stay inside and die with it.
 * 7) All combat vehicle crew must  ALWAYS WEAR GAS MASKS AND FILTERS . No exceptions.
 * 8) The driver seat should be reserved for one of the more experienced members of the crew. The driver's behavior decides whether the vehicle lives or dies.
 * 9)  Use squad and squad voice chat  for better coordination.
 * 10)  Anti-Tank Mines are triggered solely by heavy armored vehicles  (Armored Car, APC, Half-Track, and Tanks). They cause heavy damage and always disable the tracks of tracked vehicles. Mines are always visible on the road but enemy mines off-road cannot be seen by the vehicle crew, you need infantry to tell where there are mines.
 * 11) Always stay out of range of Gun Turret/AT Gun Garrison with activated AI. They even fire back if shot at, let infantry destroy them.
 * 12) Certain armored vehicles have subsystems that can be disabled when taking damage (tracks destroyed, tank leak, turret broken). Repair the vehicle to full health with a Hammer and Basic Materials to fix the subsystems.
 * 13) Armored vehicles have tank armor that can deflect hits. The armor is reduced by incoming fire and can only be repaired at a Garage.
 * 14)  You must always have infantry support  around you to protect your flanks and rear from sticky grenade rushes and other ambushes, especially at night. A vehicle alone on the front line can be swarmed and captured.
 * 15)  Vehicle Combat during the night is more dangerous . Your vision is limited so you cannot see enemy infantry in the dark, but they can see you!

Here's info specific to certain types of vehicles:

Mounted Machine Gun Vehicles:

All vehicles in this category can only realistically attack what an infantry Machine Gunner could: enemy infantry and light structures. They are often used to support infantry fronts as a sort of stronger more nimble Machine Gunner. They are no match for armored vehicles armed with cannons, do not try to engage those. Your bullets can trigger active enemy AI Gun Turrets which will fire back with explosive shells, do not engage! Some of the vehicles in this category can be fast enough to be used to kill enemy partisans trying to attack your supply roads or back lines.

Tanks:

Tanks require more crew than other vehicles. Light Tanks need 3 to have a spotter, crucial to its survival. Battle Tanks need 5 players, all filling indispensable roles. Do not attempt to use tanks without the necessary crew number.

Tanks especially require infantry support because of their slower speed.

Man-propelled Vehicles (Field Guns):

Vehicles pushed by its crew on foot are especially vulnerable to frag, gas and sticky attacks because the crew itself can be hit. Gas Masks are especially crucial. They should always be guarded by strong infantry support. Because the vehicles are slow, mortars are a real threat, the infantry support and friendly AI defenses should always cover the ground in a 65m radius around the vehicle. Those field weapons can be hidden in bushes and smokes and are invisible at night and behind buildings, just like infantry, use this concealment potential to your advantage.

Refer to the Artillery Guide for more in depth instructions on how to use the Field Artillery.

Push The Enemy
Attacking the enemy in Foxhole is much slower paced than other games. It is a game of inches...
 * Step 1 - Push the enemy off their defenses with suppression, gas, explosives, or vehicles
 * Step 2 - Use explosives to destroy enemy defenses
 * Step 3 - Advance slowly on the enemy
 * Step 4 - Have builders with Basic Materials slowly build up your own defenses as you move forward, this gives you a fallback line to defend from when the enemy counter-pushes
 * Step 5 - Request required supplies or bring them yourself to the base before it runs out of critical supplies like Soldiers Supplies, Basic Materials, weapons or ammo.
 * Step 6 - When an enemy base or town is destroyed, rebuild it and build a thorough network of defenses to prevent the enemy from taking it back

Don't push mindlessly, identify the weak points in the enemy's defenses and flank through them.

Pay attention to what the enemies are supplied with! Apply your own strengths to areas where they are weak. For example, if you notice they do not have R.P.G.s then a vehicle slow push may be the most efficient.

Sabotage The Enemy
A small group of players, maybe 2-3, should dedicate a little time to infiltrating the enemy side of the map and causing as much chaos as possible. Some good ways to do this:
 * Destroy Transport Trucks along unsecured parts of roadway, bonus points if you loot important drops from them like weapons, ammunition, and especially Sulfur and run them back to a friendly Forward or Static Base
 * Locate and mark on the map enemy Forward Bases to let your attacking team members know where the enemy is spawning at
 * Scout enemy movement and voice communications
 * Make breaches in defense sections that are poorly defended
 * Identify flanking routes
 * Build watch towers in enemy territory to gather intel on their resupply routes and defensive lines.

Stop The Enemy
Defending in Foxhole is a game of identifying where the enemy is striking and turning to face the threat. When defending it is important to remember the following...
 * Step 1 - Defend at your teams automated defenses, running out towards the enemy will waste crucial Soldier Supplies.
 * Step 2 - Build more defenses behind the current line, you will always need more defenses to fall back to. Start building or expand bunker bases and bunker networks in advance, before the enemy gets there since those defenses take time to set up but our superior to quickly built defenses.
 * Step 3 - Build defenses that counter the enemies push. Are they pushing with vehicles? Then Gun Turrets will help slow it immensely. Infantry? Foxholes, trenches, sandbags and barbed wire work best.
 * Step 4 - Be prepared, have the weapons needed to defend against a variety or problems. Vehicle pushes are countered with RPGs, infantry pushes with MGs and frags.
 * Step 5 - Request or bring yourself the important supplies types that are in low numbers in your base before it completely runs out. Soldiers Supplies, Basic Materials, weapons and ammo are always required. Bring supplies that are necessary to counter specific enemy attacks. If the enemy pushes with armored vehicles bring anti-tank weapons to your base if it doesn't have enough.
 * Step 6 - Scout your defense line, identify potential breaches and flanks. A smart enemy team will try to find holes in your defense to get past your defenses to attack your base directly.
 * Step 7 - If the enemy manages to destroy your base with indirect fire (Artillery) or by quickly sneaking through your lines, do not panic. Bring a Construction Vehicle with 300 Basic Materials to rebuild the base. The AI defenses around the base stays active for 10 minutes after the base falls, so rebuild quickly. You lose none of the base's supplies if you rebuild it before the enemy does.

Find the Enemy Saboteurs
If the defense lines are poor, especially at the beginning of a game, the enemy WILL try and get a few guys onto your side of the map. They will usually be carrying explosives and basic weapons. The main job of these groups is to...


 * Make breaches in defense lines for future partisans to use.
 * Scout defenses for vulnerabilities
 * Destroy our Transport Trucks as they carry supplies along our roads
 * In the back lines, destroy Resource Mines and attack people collecting resources (especially harvesters) at resource fields.

It is important that a squad be formed IMMEDIATELY to kill these other squads. Vehicles with mounted machine guns are best for the job. Do not let the saboteur teams make a Forward Base deep in your territory and continue to harass for the entirety of the game. Disrupting supply lines is incredibly effectively at winning wars and getting an early advantage.

Building teams should secure our roads and open fields with Watchtowers, Foxholes and Forward Bases in order to keep this to a minimum and to be aware when these teams are coming.