The first time I watched three sync attacks chain together in a single turn, wiping out an entire enemy patrol without taking a single point of damage, I knew this game had fundamentally changed my approach to tactical combat. We’ve all played turn-based strategy games where positioning matters, but here, it’s not just about cover or elevation—it’s about angles, timing, and predicting not just your own moves, but how each action sets up the next. An individual mission drops your squad of three soldiers onto a compact battlefield, where every decision carries weight. You move, attack, and unleash special abilities in turns, but the real magic—the game-changer—lies in mastering sync attacks. If one teammate lands a hit and another has the enemy lined up within range, they automatically follow up. That’s the core loop, but executing it consistently separates casual players from true dominators.

I remember one mission early on where I carelessly moved my assault unit forward without checking the sightlines of my sniper. The result? A missed sync opportunity, a wasted turn, and a near squad wipe. It was frustrating, sure, but it taught me a brutal lesson: every move must be made with the entire team’s potential in mind. A single shot rarely finishes an enemy; most standard units take two or three direct hits to go down. That’s why learning to orchestrate these sync attacks isn’t just a neat trick—it’s essential for survival and efficiency. When you start planning two or three moves ahead, setting up a cascade where each character triggers another in the same round, you shift from merely reacting to actively controlling the flow of the entire encounter.

Let’s talk numbers for a second, though I’ll admit my in-game stats might be off by a percent or two. From my own playthroughs, I’d estimate that missions where I actively chain three or more sync attacks per round see a roughly 40% reduction in turns needed to complete the objective. In one particularly nasty boss fight—one of those enormous end-of-region beasts with a massive health pool—my squad dealt over 70% of its health in a single round thanks to a perfectly executed sync cascade. We’re talking about a sequence where my scout softened the target with a flanking shot, my gunner followed up with a suppression sync, and my tech specialist finished with an armor-shredding ability that triggered one last coordinated strike. The screen lit up, damage numbers piled up, and that colossal enemy just melted. It wasn’t luck; it was a calculated demolition.

What I love about this system is how it rewards spatial awareness and predictive thinking. You’re not just playing your turn; you’re setting the stage for your teammates. I often find myself spending a solid minute just analyzing the battlefield before making my first move. I look for enemy groupings, high ground for better sightlines, and choke points where one attack could set off a chain reaction. It’s like playing chess, but if every piece could combo off each other’s moves. And the feeling when it all comes together? It’s supremely satisfying, almost euphoric. There’s a rhythm to it—a kind of tactical harmony that makes you feel like a genius.

I’ll be honest, I have a strong preference for certain unit compositions because of this. I almost always run with a high-mobility scout, a burst-damage assault, and a support unit with area denial abilities. This trio, in my experience, offers the most flexibility for triggering sync attacks from multiple angles. Some players swear by double assault setups, but I find that limits your reach. Variety in movement range and attack types is key. For instance, a scout with a 12-tile movement range can reposition to set up sync opportunities that a slower unit could never manage. It’s these little optimizations that add up to total battlefield dominance.

Of course, not every attempt goes according to plan. I’ve had rounds where I gambled on a long-range sync, only for my second unit to miss because of a slight elevation difference I overlooked. Those moments sting, but they’re also where the deepest learning happens. This game doesn’t hand you victories; you earn them through iteration and adaptation. I’ve reset missions more times than I’d like to admit, each time refining my approach, learning enemy patterns, and discovering new ways to link my squad’s actions. It’s a process that demands patience, but the payoff—crushing your competitors, whether AI or human, through superior strategy—is absolutely worth the effort.

In the end, dominating this game comes down to one thing: treating every turn as a multi-layered puzzle where sync attacks are your primary tool. It’s not enough to react to the enemy; you have to force them into positions where your combos are unavoidable. When you achieve that level of control, you’re not just playing the game—you’re commanding it. And honestly, there’s no better feeling than seeing your carefully laid plans unfold, watch enemies get wiped off the board, and know that you’ve truly mastered the art of tactical annihilation.