Battlefield Bad Company 2 for Absolute Beginners

A quick tutorial for those new to Bad Company 2 multiplayer. This game is really hard when you’re starting off. I should know. I’ve done it twice. Once on Xbox 360 and again on the Playstation 3

1. When you start off as a raw recruit all you’ll have is your main and secondary weapon, a grenade and a knife. That’s all. You have to unlock ammo and health packs, repair tools and other gadgets.
2. There are 4 classes of soldier in the game: assault, engineer, medic and recon. Each class must be upgraded individually. As you play as a class you’ll earn class specific points. There are also a number of all-classes upgrades.
3. If you’re totally new to the game I’d advise you to try the medic first. The LMG has plenty of ammo even if it’s apparently not that accurate. I still manage a few hits with it so it can’t be too bad.
4. As a medic you’ll unlock the health pack before you reach rank 1 at 1410 points. You’ll unlock the defibrillator to revive fallen comrades at 5800 points. Use the D-PAD left and right to drop the health pack or activate your defibrillator. Make sure to drop health packs around objectives or where you notice your team gather to attack or defend. When your packs heal your team the points will start rolling in and your team will thank you!
5. If possible “check your corners” before rushing out to revive a team mate. There’s nothing worse than reviving someone only to be killed yourself or have the revived team mate die in a hail of gunfire.
6. Make sure to spot the enemy. This puts an orange triangle above their heads and the rest of your team will see that triangle too. There’s also an audible warning that’s broadcast to everyone. You’ll get a spotting bonus if they’re killed. On the other hand, if an enemy has seen you lining up to shoot them they may have “spotted” you so watch out for incoming fire! On PS3 hit the select button, on Xbox 360 hit the back button.
7. Use your mic! This is a squad based game so please don’t be shy. You can talk to your squad to plan tactics or decide where to attack or routes to take, or even give warnings about advancing enemy soldiers.
8. You have a mini map. Your squad mates show up green. They’re the most important people on your team as you can speak to them and hear them. You also get more points for helping your squad than your team. As a medic if a team mate is killed you’ll see a tiny lightning symbol where they fell. Get to them within about 5 seconds you can revive them. When you see your team mates in front of you they’ll have a small health meter below their name. Toss them a health pack if they’re in need of it and shout at them to stop for it if they’re in a hurry somewhere!
9. The defibrillator can kill. Oh yes!
10. I blogged guides to all the classes by Games in a nutshell not so long ago.
11. Sasbenjr has some great videos on Youtube with lots of advice for playing the game well. Definitely worth watching.

More to come, but in the meantime this guide to medic unlockables is a good read. As a rank 8 medic on the Xbox I prefer the health pack upgrades to gun enhancements but I do like the M60 LMG. You might also like to read David’s first impressions of the game. It is true you’re equipped with “the equivalent of a damp towel” starting out. Especially when playing with rank 20-30+ players I saw yesterday evening.

A tutorial video by Pixelenemy is well worth watching for those new to the game:

A few links courtesy of field operative:

1. [STRATEGY] Battlefield Bad Company 2 General Tips
2. [STRATEGY] Battlefield Bad Company 2 Sniper tips
3. And a good recon class guide though much of the advice applies to other classes too!

David published part 1 of a guide to surviving Bad Company 2 multiplayer. Looking forward to part 2!
Part 2 is now on his site. Love the description of the medic:

“Medic!” – we’ve all seen it in the films. The enemy opens fire, someone gets hit and the call goes up. The heroic medic runs through a hail of fire to scoop up their comrade’s brains, stuff them back into his skull and make it all better. Oh yes, the medic is where the action is. And they get all the women too!

Part 3 of surviving BfBC2 multiplayer by David just went online and concerns the localized language option. If it’s on, your team mates will shout in Russian. I really should uncheck that..
Part 4 of David’s guide covers mic comms. A desperately important part of any Bad Company 2 game which is sorely lacking in most games I’ve played with strangers.
Part 5 is now available where David talks about leveling up.

More links on the beginner theme: here, here and here.

Strategy guides: part 1 and part 2.

Lots of great strategy guides at gamereplays.

Now get playing!