Starting Tips Wolfenstein II Guide
Last update: 16 November 2017
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is an old-school shooter - steady hand and good aim are more essential to taking down enemies than elaborate tactics. Still, the game may pose a problem for some of the players, especially those who haven't had the chance to play the previous game in the series - for them (but not only for them) we've prepared the following advice.
General advice
1. If you didn't complete the previous chapter, the game will provide a relevant introduction. Beware though, as it will come with a rather essential decision - you'll have to decide who's to survive: Fergus or Wyatt. This decision will influence the weapon you'll be given at the beginning of the second mission - saving Fergus will give you the Laserkraftwerk (a long range laser weapon); saving Wyatt - the Dieselkraftwerk (a short to mid-range grenade launcher).
2. Try to locate and acquire all the weapon upgrade kits. The will enable you to improve your weapons, increasing their efficiency and often unlocking new functions (such as scope or silencer).
3. Upgrade your weapons reasonably. The number of upgrade kits is too limited to fully upgrade all the weapons you will get. Consider your options each time you pick up an upgrade kit - if you've nothing of interest at hand, wait until you get a new, more relevant weapon.
4. Around the middle of the game you'll get access to Contraptions. The contraptions are special pieces of gear that enable the character to use additional skills. A detailed description of all available options is provided in the chapter dealing with the first mission of the sixth chapter (A New Suit).
5. If you're in for the collectors items, look around - of take a peek into the "Collectibles" section of your guide, where you'll find their detailed descriptions of all the collectors' items, including localization and ways of obtaining them.
6. Pick up anything you find during exploration. The list encompasses ammunition for various weapons, armor, or med-kits, which will restore the health of your character.
7. Over the course of the game, the character will develop specific skill, depending on your play style. If you like to throw hatchets at your enemies, the relevant skill will develop over time, increasing the maximum number of hatchets the character can carry. You can check the current level of the skill by pausing the game and opening a relevant tab.
8. Search for docking stations, where you can reload the Laserkraftwerk / Dieselkraftwerk weapons. Both deal much bigger damage than their "common" counterparts, and you'll often need them to make your way to the next portion of a map.
9. As a result of killing all the Commanders in a given area and collecting their Codes, locations of all the collectibles will be displayed on the map - they will be marked with the magnifying glass icon.
10. Collect ALL Enigma Codes that Commanders drop. They can later be used to unlock additional missions and for them, it is better to have a sizeable supply of them on you, which will make things much easier.
Combat
1. The game is a bit different from most other modern shooters - running across the stage while spraying bullets at opposition can be equally (if not more!) efficient than using cover.
2. The character has two firing "modes" at his disposal - using one weapon in both hands or by wielding a weapon in each hand. The former offers reduced firepower but greater accuracy. The second option enables the character to use two different weapons at the same time - you can have an assault rifle in one hand and a grenade launcher in the other.
3. Be aware of your surroundings. The enemies will often appear out of thin air, flanking your character. On higher difficulty levels alertness is everything - the enemies can take you down with a single burst.
4. If you prefer to take down enemies silently, make sure you start with the commanding officers. A marker will appear on the upper part of your screen when an enemy commander comes in range. If the enemy notices you while a commander is nearby, an alarm will be raised and the area will soon be swarming with opposition.
5. If you fire from behind a cover, watch out for enemy grenades. The enemies will try to smoke you out from your cover by using grenades - relevant information will appear on the screen when an explosive "present" appears near your character. You can then throw the grenade back to the enemy - assuming it won't take you more than a few seconds.
6. Use special weapons when you have the chance. It may be a heavy laser cannon dropped by slain Super Soldaten, or a laser cannon on a tripod - those weapons deal massive damage, disintegrating enemies in splits of seconds and enabling you to save your own ammo.