WarFriends is a brand new iOS and Android game from Chillingo, and this guide will offer tips for new players on how to rank up, get gold and beat your friends without cheats. These hints are indispensable on the battlefield.
HOW DO I PLAY WARFRIENDS AS A BEGINNER?
WarFriends is a 1v1 multiplayer game focused on killing your enemy’s player character. To do that, you break down a wall of AI troops and try to drain the health of the human-controlled leader. It’s a simple loop with plenty of depth for those who want it.
The Controls And UI: The controls are really simple but may need some explaining.
- Shoot: To shoot targets, tap them repeatedly. To get a closer eye on things, press and hold on an enemy area to bring up your scope. The scope reticle is kind of small, but use it to aim and shoot.
- Cover: On each map you’ll be guarded by a series of shields. Swipe left or right in the direction of the shield you would like to move to. Shields can be temporarily destroyed by bullets or explosives.
- Change weapons: At the bottom right of the battle screen is a small indicator that lets you switch between your primary, specials, handguns and explosives.
- Deploy units: In the bottom left is an area to deploy units. Units cost energy to deploy, and energy is granted by downing enemy forces. Troops will auto-deploy if you don’t manage them manually.
WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT TROOPS DO?
WarFriends focuses on four different classes of troops, and all of them should be taken advantage of in battle. When you start, you’ll only be given enough for one slot of each unit type, but more slots unlock as you level up. Here are the classes.
- Defenders: Defend you from enemies. Deploy these when the other player is getting close.
- Rushers: Rush in for a quick attack. Great for use at the start of battle.
- Shooters: Your all-around unit. Deploy them at any time.
- Explosive: These guys throw grenades and launch rockets. They’re best used at the start of a match to lure your opponent out quickly.
Upgrading Troops : Upgrading troops is essential as you rack up currency from wins. To do that, tap “Next” at the main menu and select “My Army.” There, you’ll see a list of the troops you have and the unlock levels of future ones.
Tap “Train” to buff the selected unit’s stats. Training costs Warbucks and takes longer the more you advance. For beginners, we advise focusing on your basic Grenader units first. They’re helpful for establishing cover and letting you take care of business. As you rank, you should provide ample focus to all parts of your army.
WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT WEAPONS DO?
The weapon mechanics are very similar to troops. There are four basic classes to consider.
- Primary: This is your best all-around gun. It has attack, magazine and reload stats. Use for a typical combat scenario.
- Special: These are generally more ranged options. Great for use when you’ve cleared out lots of enemy troops. When all is quiet, you can snipe your opponent.
- Explosives: These are your grenades and rockets. Strong grenades are a key weapon for beginners.
- Handguns: Don’t bother spending currency on these. The game isn’t designed in a way that makes them useful.
Upgrading Weapons : Tap “Next” at the main menu and select “My Weapons.” Select the weapon you want to upgrade and tap “Upgrade.” Upgrades cost Warbucks and take longer to unlock as you level up.
As far as tips are concerned, Weapon upgrades are more personal preference. Because you’re constantly managing currency, you should only spend it upgrading the weapons you actually use. If you’re doing really well with grenades, spend more on grenades. The ranked unlocks generally get better as you go, so we’d suggest purchasing what becomes available.
CAN YOUR PLAYER BE CUSTOMIZED?
Your player character is customized via Loot Boxes that are earned by playing regardless of wins or losses. Tap “My Soldier” at the inventory screen. These benefits are unlocked as you rank as well, but the perks are purely cosmetic. Just pick a style you like.
WHAT ARE GOLD, MEDALS AND WARBUCKS? HOW DO I GET THEM?
Once you start winning matches, you’ll be introduced to all sorts of different currencies. Here’s what they do.
Gold : Gold is the more premium currency that you’ll get by winning, completing assignments or logging in. Its main use is to purchase Warcard packs once they’re unlocked. Troops can also be trained faster with gold. Gold can be bought in packs that range from $1.99 to $99.99.
Warbucks : Warbucks are far more plentiful and earned even in losses. Those are what you’ll use to train troops at normal speed and buy new troops and weapons. Troops and weapons have to be bought with Warbucks to be fully unlocked.
Medals : Medals are your main gauge for rank and are earned in victory. Get enough and you’ll rank up.
WHAT ARE WARCARDS?
After playing WarFriends for a couple days, you should be able to reach level 6 to unlock Warcards. Warcards are battle buffs you select before a match. You’ll be introduced to this feature through these three.
- Rocket Turret: Places powerful turret in the field
- Ratatata: A limited, armored unit
- Elite Swap Team: Deploys multiple armored units
You can’t see what an opponent has until the selection has been made. In battle, swipe up on the cards that appear in the center of your screen. They have one use per match, so use them sparingly. The amount of cards you can carry increases with rank.
After your first match with Warcards, you’ll be able to start winning them in matches and buying packs. Packs are purchased with Gold and come in Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers. Packs contain 10 cards with seven in the selected tier and three random ones.
There’s also a subset of Warcards called Buddy Cards. Buddy Cards are essentially heroes with special abilities. These are earned by joining a Squad. Ayush Patel, for example, deploys additional explosives, while Freeze freezes your enemy for three seconds. These cards have levels, but they don’t really matter.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
We learned quite a lot in our time with WarFriends, but here are some tips that simply couldn’t make it into a defined section of the guide.
- To start an attack, deploy Grenade units first. You should also throw plenty of your own grenades too. New players won’t know what hit them if you start there.
- Auto-deploy is a nice feature, but you should also respond to the troops you see coming. If your opponent is sending in lots of Rushers, you may want to put down Defenders. In other words, play tactically.
- Gunning for your opponent is fine, but you’ll also want to focus on the troops surrounding them. Taking out a defense gives you energy to deploy more troops, and it clears the way for Sniper AI to go in for the kill.
- Don’t forget that you can switch weapons. Switching between grenades and primary is especially helpful as you rank up.
- Try to target any Sniper or Explosive units first.
- Play Warcards tactfully. Especially if you start knowing the card graphics and their benefits, you can counter them. If your opponent shields their barriers with an Electric Traps card, plant a Turret or Sabotage card with something heavy to take it down.
- No matter how strategically you play, sometimes a win or loss really does boil down to pure luck.
- Join a Squad at the main menu to get win bonuses from your Squad. You can also trade Warcards and get Buddy Cards that Squad members unlock. This is essential if you really want to go hardcore.
- Complete the Assignments that display on the main menu or when you boot up. That’s how you get big rewards fast.
- Log in daily to get more rewards.
WarFriends is available now on Android and iOS.
What do you think of the tips in this guide? How do you take down foes in WarFriends? Tell us in the comments section!
