Buckle up, fellow fraggers, because we’re diving headfirst into The Finals, a battle arena where cash rules, chaos thrives, and champions are forged in the fires of frantic gunfights. Think “Smash TV” meets Apex Legends meets Overwatch meets Battlefield, with a dash of parkour and a healthy sprinkle of explosive mayhem. It’s a game about combat, getting cash, and destroying the environment.
The Finals is a free-to-play game that launched in December 2023. It’s cross-platform so you can team up with friends across consoles and PCs.
The game features many familiar mechanics from popular shooters, but it’s filled with nuance. If you’re a seasoned veteran hungry for the next big thrill or a wide-eyed rookie eager to prove your mettle, this guide is your ultimate cheat sheet to glory.
Four Modes, One Goal: Claim the Crown (and the Cash)
Quick Cash
Quick Cash throws you into a whirlwind of 9-player brawls. Teams of three must grab a vault, a shiny box overflowing with digital riches, and sprint to a designated Deposit Box. Teams must then defend the cashout for two minutes to secure the $10k loot.
In Quick Cash, there is one vault at a time. With only one vault, three teams will be coming for the vault and trying to secure the loot.
Defend your loot – and your life – against ravenous rivals because stealing that Vault is a surefire way to fast-track your victory (and theirs to oblivion). Opposing teams will see where you are trying to cash out and will quickly arrive at your position.
Two minutes feels like a lifetime when you have grenades and gunfire flying your way. Think you’ve got the dough? Brace yourself until the last second, where enemies will try to steal the jackpot from you until the timer hits 0!
The exhilarating part about Quick Cash is that you can steal the deposit box with one second to go, and your team will get the $10k. Since the cash can be stolen until the last moment, you can let the two other teams do 99% of the work, then swoop in for the riches. It’s a high-risk/high-reward strategy that can pay off with good timing and execution.
The first team to reach $20k in banked savings will win the match.
Bank It
On the other hand, Bank It is a test of teamwork and tactical finesse. It’s a 12-player mode, again comprised of teams of 3, where you can earn money in one of two ways:
- Kill an enemy and pick up a coin, putting $1k in your wallet (you’ll also grab any loot that the player had previously acquired)
- Opening vaults around the map to earn cash in your wallet. At the beginning of the match, the vaults hold $5k. This number ramps up to $10k as the game progresses.
The caveat here is that your money isn’t immediately deposited. Teams need to manually go to a deposit station to ensure the safety of their funds. Otherwise, if you die with money that hasn’t been deposited, it’ll be scattered on your dead remains for anyone to pick up.
This mode incentivizes players to prioritize banking money. To be safe, try to deposit anytime you have more than $3k on your character.
Bank It is a race to $40k. The most effective teams will balance aggressive attacks with well-timed cash deposits.
Tournaments
Next, we have tournaments broken up into ranked and unranked. You’ll be in a bracket in these game modes and compete to be the top team.
Players will gain access to tournaments after playing a set number of games in the first two queues. At the time of writing, you need to play a total of 10 Quick Cash or Bank It games to unlock tournaments.
Tournaments are made of eight teams, with the first bracket featuring two simultaneous matches. In this 9-minute knockout round, the two teams from each match with the lowest amount of cash are eliminated. The remaining teams advance to the next knockout round, another 4-team match, to narrow things down to the top two. The top two contenders then face off in the final round in a battle of the champions!
Unranked Tournaments
Think of Unranked Tournaments as your personal coliseum, a training ground where you can hone your skills and test your mettle without the pressure of the ranked ladder. No rank points lost, no sweaty palms, just pure, unadulterated fun and experimentation.
Here’s where you can:
- Try out new Contestants and loadouts: Got a craving for the hit-and-run tactics of Light? Unranked Tournaments are your sandbox. Fancy demolishing things as Heavy? Unleash your inner demolitionist without fear of rank repercussions.
- Sharpen your teamwork skills: Coordinate with random squads, learn communication strategies, and discover the strengths and weaknesses of different Contestant combinations. Think of it as forging your dream team before taking them to the ranked battlefield.
- Relax and have fun: Unranked Tournaments are the perfect place to unwind after a stressful ranked grind. Blast off some steam, try wacky strategies, and enjoy the thrill of the arena without the competitive edge. You might discover a hidden talent for sniping or a knack for setting clever traps.
Remember, unranked doesn’t mean unimportant. Think of it as an investment in your future gladiator self. The skills you hone and the tactics you master here will become your arsenal when you step onto the ranked ladder.
Ranked Tournaments: Where Legends are Forged in The Finals
Ranked Tournaments are where the rubber meets the road, champions are crowned, and gladiatorial legacies are forged. This is where your skills face the ultimate test, where every decision, every shot, and every grenade toss carries the weight of rank points and ladder climbing.
Prepare for:
- Intense competition: The best of the best clash here, pushing their strategies and skills to the absolute limit. Be ready for unpredictable tactics, lightning-fast reflexes, and an atmosphere thick with competitive tension.
- Strategic depth: Ranked Tournaments demand more than just twitch reflexes. You’ll need to master map knowledge, understand team dynamics, and adapt your playstyle on the fly to counter enemy strategies.
- The thrill of victory, the sting of defeat: Every win feels monumental, every loss a crucible from which you’ll forge resilience. Ranked Tournaments are a rollercoaster of emotions, a constant test of your mental fortitude and ability to learn from mistakes.
Ranked Tournaments have four ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. The better you do in Ranked, the more ‘fame points’ (FP) you earn. As you ascend the ranks, you’ll earn bragging rights, unlock exclusive rewards, and etch your name among the arena’s elite. Just remember, the higher you climb, the fiercer the competition becomes.
Lastly, the respawn timer mechanics create strategic tension and incentivize teamwork while managing the match’s pace. Here’s a breakdown:
General Respawn:
- Individual Eliminations: When you get eliminated by yourself, a 22-second timer starts before you can respawn.
- Team Wipe: If your entire team gets eliminated, the respawn timer for all team members resets, and a new timer starts, typically 17 seconds long.
- Spectator Mode: During the respawn timer, you spectate your remaining teammates and can communicate tactical information.
Additional Influences:
- Reviving: You respawn instantly if a teammate revives you before the respawn timer finishes.
- Cash-Out: Respawn locations change throughout the match based on captured Cash-Out points. Respawning from a farther Cash-Out point could add travel time to your return.
- Mode variations: Specific game modes might have altered respawn rules, like faster timers or limited respawns.
Key Considerations:
- Staggered Respawns: The team wipe reset encourages strategic decisions. If only one teammate survives, they can play cautiously and wait for their team to respawn instead of rushing into immediate danger.
- Punishment for Recklessness: Individual deaths are penalized with longer wait times than coordinated team play. This encourages players to strategize and work together.
- Strategic Revive/Push Decisions: The potential for revivals adds another layer of tactical complexity. Teammates can weigh the risk of reviving in the heat of battle against waiting for a safer respawn if the timer is almost up.
Overall, the respawn timer mechanics in The Finals”strive to provide a balanced system that promotes teamwork, tactical thinking, and keeps the gameplay engaging by managing the flow of eliminations and respawns.
Gladiators in Disguise: Choose Your Fighter in The Finals!
But before you launch into the fray, pick your Contestant. Each of these characters brings a unique skill set to the party:
- Light: Think nimble ninjas and quick assassins. These agile warriors zip around the map, flanking enemies and disappearing into thin air like smoke bombs with legs. Note that these smol bois have the least health out of the three classes. Master the art of hit-and-run, and you’ll be a thorn in any opponent’s side.
- Medium: The jack-of-all-trades, masters of none. Medics patch up teammates, scanners reveal hidden enemies, and engineers fortify positions with turrets. Versatility is your weapon, so find your niche and be the glue that holds your squad together.
- Heavy: Big guns, big personalities, even bigger explosions. These walking fortresses wade into the thick of it, soaking up bullets and dishing out lead-infused greetings. Master the art of demolition and suppression, and you’ll turn any battlefield into a personal fireworks display.
Try each class and see which is the most fun for you. Currently, all Contestants are viable, so experiment with their abilities and loadouts to see what works best.
Gear Up and Stand Out: Customization is Key
No two Finals gladiators are the same. Craft your playstyle with a diverse arsenal of gadgets and weapons.
Want to rain down hellfire from above? Equip a grenade launcher and become the walking artillery barrage. Fancy some close-quarters carnage? A shotgun and a well-timed slide will have enemies singing soprano in no time.
In the ‘Equipment’ tab, you can view each Contestant’s available items and abilities. Everything costs 800-1,000 VRs (the in-game currency), so be intentional about your spending. You gain VR in every game depending on your performance, and you can have up to 3,000 VR stored in your account at a time.
You can also use Multibucks to purchase cosmetics and the Battle Pass. Multibucks are similar to Fortnite’s V-bucks system, where players can pay real cash for in-game currency. A free version of the Battle Pass will grant you enough Multibucks for a Premium Battle Pass after a few seasons.
Experiment, adapt, and find the loadout that fits your playstyle.
Top Tips for Rookie Rookies: Survival Guide to The Finals
Now, before you charge into the arena like a lemming with a death wish, heed these nuggets of wisdom from a seasoned Finals veteran:
- Know your role: Don’t be a lone wolf; utilize your Contestant’s strengths and work with your squad. Medics, heal! Engineers, build! Heavies, draw aggro! Light, be annoying and distract everyone. It’s all about teamwork.
- Master the environment: Ziplines, jump pads, destructible walls – The Finals isn’t just a shooting gallery. It’s a parkour playground. Use the terrain to your advantage, outsmart your opponents, and leave them wondering where you’ll pop up next.
- Grenades are your friends: Forget flowers. Grenades are the universal language of love in The Finals. Learn their trajectories, master their timing, and unleash explosive mayhem upon your unsuspecting foes. Just remember, friendly fire is a thing, so aim carefully!
- Communication is critical: Coordinate with your squad, ping enemies, and call out objectives. A well-oiled team is a force to be reckoned with, while a cacophony of confusion is an open invitation for third-partying vultures.
Who Should Step into The Finals Arena?
So, who’s The Finals for? Well, if you’re a thrill-seeker who thrives on fast-paced action and a strategist who appreciates a dash of calculated chaos, welcome aboard! The Finals is your playground.
However, if you’re a camper who prefers slow burns to explosive showdowns or a lone wolf allergic to the word “teamwork,” then maybe this particular arena isn’t your cup of tea.
Ultimately, it blends familiar elements with a fresh twist. It’s a game that rewards quick thinking, strategic cunning, and a healthy dose of adaptability. Just remember, in this game, survival is just the first step. Victory takes guts, brains, and a whole lot of well-placed explosives.
What other information would you share with newcomers? Join the conversation in the comments section!
