Jagged Alliance 3: 20 Tips and Tricks for Beginners

by Fernando Diaz / Articles, Jagged Alliance 3 / 14 Jan 2021

It can be a bit challenging to start your tactical adventure in Jagged Alliance 3, especially for beginners. These quick but effective tips will give you the upper hand and help you start the game on the right foot by understanding the basic features of Jagged Alliance 3. Let’s begin!

Take Position Beforehand: Before any battle, position your characters wisely. Seek cover, secure the high ground, ensure clear lines of sight, and establish advantageous flanking positions against your enemies.

Establish Overwatch: Establishing Overwatch on areas where your enemy is currently located can be incredibly advantageous. The goal is to open fire when they run for cover in their first turn of combat, potentially turning the tide of battle before it truly begins.

Engage on Your Terms: Try to initiate combat on your terms. Using the element of surprise, you can throw a grenade or fire a few shots to deal some initial damage.

Use Your Action Points Wisely: When you need to move and shoot, reserve some action points to improve your aim. The higher your character’s dexterity, the larger the hit bonus you can obtain.

Understand Your Weapon’s Range: Avoid firing beyond your weapon’s optimal range. A flashing bar often indicates this, and firing at this time can lead to missed shots.

Factor in Bonuses and Penalties: When choosing a target, take into account all the bonuses and penalties that can affect your shot. Strategically order your actions to mitigate these penalties.

Utilize Cover: Always try to place your character behind some form of cover during combat.

Adjust Your Posture: Changing your character’s posture by crouching or going prone, can significantly improve your stealth and make you a more challenging target. Be aware, though, that this will slow your movement.

Use Free Aim: This allows you to fire without a specific target, meaning you can aim at vehicles, barrels, or weak cover that could potentially explode and cause damage to your enemies.

Understand Your Firing Modes: Full auto, burst, and single shot modes all have their pros and cons. For instance, full auto can suppress enemies, reducing their action points, while burst fire might secure a kill but runs the risk of missing.

Choose Your Targets Wisely: When choosing your targets, consider not only the potential damage but also whether the target is armored and the potential for friendly fire. Remember, shots that miss can still hit allies or cover, so always think before you shoot.

Mind Your Team’s Morale: Good hits or kills can boost your team’s morale, while the death of an ally or heavy damage can lower it. A team’s morale directly affects the number of action points available.

Conserve Ammunition: Especially in the early stages of the game, ammunition is a precious resource. Try to distribute it wisely among your mercenaries and ensure that your weapons are always reloaded before combat begins.

Take Advantage of the Night: Night operations can make you harder to spot, giving you a significant advantage. But remember, this also makes enemies harder to spot and hit, except at point-blank range.

Equip Weapon Mods: Flashlights and suppressors can be very helpful during night operations and stealth missions, making it easier to spot and take down enemies without alerting others.

Use Stealth Mode: With your mercenary selected, pressing ‘H’ will activate stealth mode, which can be very useful for sneaking past enemies or getting in close for a stealth kill.

Mark Your Targets: To carry out a stealth kill, you first need to mark your target, then approach close enough to execute the action. Be decisive and observant to avoid getting detected.

Observe Enemy Patrols: Learning the patterns of enemy patrols can provide the perfect opportunity for stealth kills, reducing enemy numbers before the fight even starts.

Be Flexible with Stealth: Not all missions are suited for stealth. If a mission doesn’t seem suitable, don’t try to force it; adapt your strategy accordingly.

Practice Tactical Espionage: Employ stealth tactics when the opportunity arises to gain a significant advantage. Use these opportunities to silently eliminate threats and seize the advantage.

Jagged Alliance 3 PC Keyboard Controls & Shortcuts Guide

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
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