Parachute: The Parachute is a game changer, allowing you to safely jump from great heights and soar over long distances. Follow the button prompt when jumping from a high point to activate the Parachute. When you’re close to landing, your Operator will automatically cut the rope and return to a standing position, or you can cut the cord manually to force a landing.
Expect to find all sorts of useful items in OCMs, including new weapons, Equipment, Field Upgrades, and even Armaments (that Multiplayer Operators know as “Killstreaks”) that will boost your offensive and defensive capabilities. Of particular importance, however, are the Parachute, Ascender, and Armor Plate Carrier upgrades.
Parachute: The Parachute is a game changer, allowing you to safely jump from great heights and soar over long distances. Follow the button prompt when jumping from a high point to activate the Parachute. When you’re close to landing, your Operator will automatically cut the rope and return to a standing position, or you can cut the cord manually to force a landing.
Ascender: Going up! The Ascender helps you reach the highest points on the map. With this item, you can zip up ropes that lead to places in key positions throughout the environment, or ziplines to move across long horizontal distances. Use your elevated or newly-acquired position to escape a problematic situation, snipe from a distance, or, if you’ve got the Parachute, reposition far from your current location.
Plate Carrier Upgrade Vest: Initially, your Operator can only equip one Armor Plate at a time, a reasonable-enough defense in minor battles but lacking when the action gets hectic. Find a Plate Carrier Upgrade Vest to increase the number of Armor Plates you can equip at a time. When you first find the Vest, your carrying capacity will increase to two Armor Plates, and then three after finding another one. Now you’re ready for anything.
But they were just here: Caught off guard and outnumbered? Retreat into the environment, using your Ascender and Parachute to quickly get out of view. If the enemy loses sight of you for long enough, they will eventually stop their direct pursuit, and resort to searching the vicinity for you.
OCMs reward exploration and repeated playthroughs with weapons and items found throughout the level. When you replay an OCM, you get to customize your starting Loadout based on the weapons and items you’ve found in previous playthroughs.
Start the mission with your Parachute and Ascender already in hand, plus any extra Armor Plate carrying capacity earned through Vests. Use your enhanced starting gear to push into higher difficulty levels and/or try out new tactics.
Top 5 Tips for Open Combat Missions
1. There’s always another way. Grab a vehicle and race past the sentries straight to the objective; dive into the water and reposition out of sight; use your Parachute to soar over enemy encampments. OCMs offer endless possibilities in how you approach the task at hand. If something’s not working, revisit your tactics and take a new approach.
2. The right gear for the job. While at first, you’ll need to make do with the gear you’re provided, with enough exploration and scavenging, you’ll soon a wider variety of equipment that can best suit your style of play. If you’re going stealth, Throwing Knives and a Recon Drone are better choices than Frag Grenades and unsuppressed weapons and vice versa.
3. Know your enemy. Even if you’re not going the stealth route, it pays to stay out of sight and scout nearby enemy positions. Look for red vehicles on the minimap indicating enemy patrols, and scan the horizon for snipers and other threats you might miss when rushing straight in. Regardless of your approach, that intel will help you make better decisions in the heat of the moment.
4. Build up your arsenal. OCMs encourage replayability through the accumulation of weapons and items found in the level. Use your arsenal to build out the perfect Loadout on subsequent playthroughs and get right to the task at hand without first needing to scavenge for the proper supplies.
5. Ramp up the challenge. Use your expanded arsenal on subsequent playthroughs to push into higher difficulty levels. Tackling an OCM on Veteran is much more manageable when deploying with your preferred Loadout.