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Now first off I would like to state that I am not new to PR by any means having played on and off since roughly .7 .

However, throughout the years of playing PR, not once have I given squad leading a try until last night in which I joined a server midgame and found myself joining a squad that lacked a leader. I only decided to take command after getting tired of the constant leaving/joining members to vacate the lead spot and not finding any other vacant inf squads.

Now I have to say, I only lead for roughly 10-20 minutes before I was saved from the burden of command by a game crash, but in that short amount of time I realized just how under prepared I was for it. At most I managed to order an assault on an objective on Jabal Al Burj city flag that went badly due to being ambushed by a squad and APC, (which in hindsight, was my fault for deciding to charge down an open hill with no cover).

In short, I don't want to let my first command discourage me from attempting to lead again so I am asking for any tips/advice on how a person with no experience whatsoever can slowly ease into squad leading. I've read some of the other threads around here on the topic but they seem to cater to experienced Squad Leaders who want to improve themselves, not people whom never attempted it.

Play defensive. Those feggets calling themselves "experienced" defending not so often cause it's boring and still is vital part of the game so you'll always have something to do and get used to leading in more quiet situation than attack.

Talk to the commander and other squads, tell each other about enemy contacts and pockets of resistance are so you can help locate possible enemy FOBs. Don't be afraid to be the guy who request the commander arty or mortar support either, but practice calling it in on a coop server, as a lot of people screw it up. A wasted arty strike can actually change the tide of the battle quite fast. Talk to aircraft, as its your best friend when it comes to support for infantry imo. Its the fastest to get there, and the most likely to help you out, as it largely relies on you for targets. I also tend to give recommendation on how they should approach the target for best results, though I'm not sure if they give a shit or not.

If you have a decent commander he can guide you and assets, he is the one who watches your six. Just the only day I commanded on Sbeneh and watched our t-72 and let him know the exact second an spg was coming up on him so he could take it out before it ambushed him, it was pretty damn awesome. This one might piss a few commanders off, but I always take there markers as area markers. Sometimes he just doesn't know the best spot based on what is going on with the guys on the ground. If they give you a move marker to a building, but you see a better building near by for whats going on, get to that instead, as long as you are in the general area he wants you things should still go smoothly.

Don't be afraid to be the asset squad. On maps like wanda, which are very asset heavy, it can be best to just be a FOB squad, and build up defenses to take out enemy assets. A good defense can help a bad offense. If you are defending a flag and took our a heli, apc and or tank, you put a good dent in them for 10-20 minutes, which will help the assault squads.

Fail faster!
You can only really getting better at squadleading if you make your own mistakes and find ways to avoid those mistakes.
Of course you may have a bad time sometimes but failing is, in my opinion, the only real way to learn how to get better.
I did it this way.

For some real tips:
- Listen to your squadmates and ask for their opinion if your not sure what to do.
- Start easy! Play a Inf squad defending a flag first, its easier to organise as long as your men don't get too bored.
- Keep your men together! It may be hard sometimes but try to keep your men focused on the mission. A squad scatterd over the whole map isn't helping anyone.

...And please use comms the right way. Dont talk to all squad leaders unless its really necessary and keep it short and precise. Remember each time you talk to every1 they cant hear vital information in their own squad.

When talking to other sqds or commander, I go "1 this is 2" and then wait for response. The other sqd lead, could be talking to some1 else, or busy otherwise.

Of course if the APC sqd has a bombcar coming up their ***, do yell at them quickly

Live with your mistakes, learn from them and keep the morale up.
It's easy to get demoralized when a plan fails, but a good Squad Leader knows better. Plans are always prone to fail, what is important is to provide your Squad Members with first: a good time; and second: an opportunity to learn from their's and your mistakes.
Doesn't matter how tactically experienced you are as a Squad Leader, as long as you can do this.

StevePl4y5 wrote:Live with your mistakes, learn from them and keep the morale up.
It's easy to get demoralized when a plan fails, but a good Squad Leader knows better. Plans are always prone to fail, what is important is to provide your Squad Members with first: a good time; and second: an opportunity to learn from their's and your mistakes.
Doesn't matter how tactically experienced you are as a Squad Leader, as long as you can do this.

This.

To add. Understand that there really is a morale level within your squad - it's basically the same morale you have while leading the squad. And, as we know it, It can be easily lost if things are getting too chaotic on the battlefield, your plan just totally failed or your armada of tanks got destroyed in few seconds by precise enemy laser paintings with good CAS pilots and jack in the box HATs. So use some basic psychology. Encourage your squad members, even if the task that you or him/them did wasn't that meaningful. Politeness helps a lot (as this is a game), especially if you're giving a squad member specific task to do ("thank you for bringing the logistics truck from the main base")

I suggest concentrating more on INF only squads. It's the real deal, down and dirty. And also - the thing that almost never gets mentioned in these kind of posts - INF is more forgiving gamewise (you can experiment a lot more because 1 dead infantry man costs your team only 2 tickets). Always try to remind your squad not to give up (becoming unrevivable) and try everything (even waiting until enemy moves away) to get the medic revive everyone.

Tactics wise - in most situations assault only when you feel you will hit the sides or rear of enemy. Check the map for potential "dead zones" in your way, try to flank them around from as far as you can. Tell your squad about the rules of engagement - when to open fire or hold fire until spotted when approaching the enemy (especially when it is done from flanks/rear).

There are so many things that one could suggest. I think that it's best to check this sectionof forums. There are some good guides that I myself read when learning to squadlead (also, there will always be one more thing to understand/learn, so try to be as open as you can).

Talk as much as you can and as much as it's needed. Don't be afraid to issue orders (even really specific orders; for example, send the guy with the HAT kit and rifleman with an ammo bag to the hill nearby if it provides better opportunities to kill enemy armor, while you and the rest of the squad stay back in defensive positions (on a flag preferably).

Hey Moustache.

The most important skill to have is your voice. I don't know yours but rather it is good or bad, just being communicative is good.

But keep it to tactical talk. When speaking, focus on; keeping the squad together, squad weapons, and where to go or stay.

That's all you have to worry about. All the details are up to your decision. Such as what kits to use and what place to go to as a squad.

Do whatever you think is best. Those guidelines will help you in any squad type or round.

Sent from my XT1028 using Tapatalk

I haven't used this yet as I don't squad lead much, but try giving Squad Members different responsibilities.

"Hey, XXXXX, keep an eye behind us while we move to Bravo."

It frees you up so you aren't preoccupied with looking behind and you're concentrated on what's in front of you. Whenever I have a task that requires someone being in the back, I normally assign the medic to watch because I've seen too often when medics want a piece of the action and get cut down and then we can't get to him and we all die when we had a chance to survive if our medic had only been back somewhere safe.

I often split the squad into two groups, a long and short range team. Long range is SAW, grenadier, AT and a medic the other will be breacher, myself the second medic and a rifleman.

The Moustache wrote:At most I managed to order an assault on an objective on Jabal Al Burj city flag that went badly due to being ambushed by a squad and APC, (which in hindsight, was my fault for deciding to charge down an open hill with no cover).

Don't feel bad. That map is horrid. Easily the worst map still in the mod imo.

For advice, just keep squad leading. How did you get reasonably decent at PR? By playing it of course! The same goes for the SL position.

DesmoLocke wrote:Don't feel bad. That map is horrid. Easily the worst map still in the mod imo.

Beware the heretic, the liar, the fool. Insulting Jabal is like speaking against your own mother, BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!

Opinions man, they be different.

Thank you for the advice guys. Honestly I do like the idea of acquiring experience by leading a defense squad. Far too often do I play AAS and see an undefended flag get captured by the enemy team.

Any more tips would be appreciated. Especially for any other newbie Squad Leads who stumble onto this thread.

The Moustache wrote:Thank you for the advice guys. Honestly I do like the idea of acquiring experience by leading a defense squad. Far too often do I play AAS and see an undefended flag get captured by the enemy team.

Any more tips would be appreciated. Especially for any other newbie Squad Leads who stumble onto this thread.

I am currently on the making of a Squad Leading guide, it gives focus more to the phsycological level, since there are already many "how to" and tactical guides.

Make sure you at least know the basic infantry tactics before becoming SL.

The more you know; the more confident you will be.

I like to play squad leader as armor squads.

But as Infantry.


IMO my 5 rules:

1.Have fun. (Don't bash your head against your desk if you did something wrong)

2.LEARN FROM YOUR SILLY MISTAKES. (Learning from your mistakes.... should be almost common sense. Some billionaires in 'America made a mistake that led them to be billionaires.)

3.Make sure you always take suggestions from infantry members. (They have a different perspective a lot of times. (I remember Cristo43 something like that... he was in my squad, suggested we flank the enemies to the right, and I said "sure well try it". And it worked) This usually is a good thing to lock forward to.

4.Don't let others control you. (Never have a **** in your squad. Unless he is willing to learn. If someone says "LET ME BE SQUAD LEAD YOU SUCK". Please kick them, and humiliate them.)

5.Remember the basic rules of combat, and apply it to your squad leading skills.
(Don't just keep going one way, after an AR mowed you down a few times... Flank, rethink, readjust. It will change your face, well game face that is)


But some general tips:
-TALK ON SQUAD LEADER CHAT. This will save your arse.... maybe a few other limbs and such. So, do it.

-Make sure you communicate with APC's and have them roll with you some times.

-Try not to rely on trans pilots. There are some GREAT ONES... and some CRAPPY ONES. Relying on your trans pilots will ruin your game.

-Have "objectives"
Example:
On Muttrah,

You are held up in an alley way... an enemy squad is hitting you with bullets...

You should have a primary obj your squad needs to accomplish.
PRIMARY: SMOKE THE AREA...

Secondary: After smoke is up... have AR suppress them immediately.

So on and so fourth.

-Always be drinking fluids IRL... and eating of course. IMO and some experiences... this effects you while you play. I recommend drinking a cup of Coffee or Tea (something with Caffeine in it) to keep you awake and not Dozzzzzyy. (This is a general tip)

-Use your gear.

-LEarn to use the Radio

-LEARN TO LASE FOR CAS

A good SL only starts lazing when the enemy vehicle is so close that any bomb or hellfires will be danger close. This to let your guys enjoy the fact that you are there.

One of the keys to a successful squad, in my opinion, is getting a good feel for your squad members right off the bat and setting the tone for the squad.

On insurgency teams, I'm a very loose squad leader because there's not much in the way of linear fighting. In AAS or BLUFOR INS on the other hand, I find it's helpful to get a healthy start right off the bat. Thus, these suggestions are mostly towards the aforementioned layouts, but could apply to INS factions too.

- Check to see who has and who doesn't have microphones fairly quickly by striking conversation before the match starts. A simple 'Good evening, folks.' is often enough to get them to blabber back at you. It's helpful to know who isn't able to respond verbally when assigning duties or kits.

- Assign kits before the match starts, and make sure everyone knows their spawn point and initial actions! Quick roll-out and a solid initial plan will get you to where you need to be with what you need in your hands upon your arrival.

- Set down your ground rules, both at the beginning of the round, and whenever a new player joins the squad. You need to tweak these to your gameplay preferences, and to the situation at hand, because everyone's different. Mine are usually fairly simple - Don't request or switch kits without asking permission; don't give up or respawn without asking permission. Don't use the commrose. Don't engage any enemy forces that haven't first engaged us, unless we have been spotted and danger to our lives are imminent.

- If a player seems blatantly unwilling to cooperate or is harmful to the morale of your squad, don't be afraid to remove him. Your job is to ensure the success of the team as a whole and to maintain the morale of your squad.There's a squad kick button for a reason. I generally consider violating my groundrules multiple times without a good excuse to be reason enough. If they're a new player, I'll give more leniency.

- Work with your commander! If he seems like he's presenting a strategy and is actually communicating with you (Setting an attack marker doesn't count), try to support him as best as you can. Also, try to lean on your commander - if you need transport, intel about an area, further support, etc., he should be your go-to guy.

- Don't spam mumble, and don't tolerate those who do. (ESPECIALLY between rounds)

- Be friendly to new players, and show them the ropes, not the door. They're the future of the community, and it's our duty as "older" players to help along the newcomers.

- Don't be a ****. Everyone's here to have fun, not just you. Try to make it a fun and rewarding experience for your squad members. It's a tricky balance between the needs of the team and the morale of your squad, but a good leader of any caliber will learn to maintain this balance.

- Lead from out front. Be seen. Be heard. That said, try not to use authoritarian leadership unless the urgency of the situation calls for it. You might find that keeping your squad happy with you increases their effectiveness and willingness to follow you to their deaths should you deem it necessary later.

I rarely lead squads and I wouldn't consider myself an excellent SL either, but there's a few things even I know that are helpful.

- Make sure everybody in your squad knows your objective. Sometimes people just lead a squad across the map and they don't even know why. Tell your squad members what your current goal is (eg: we're going for that flag, but I want to go around here to stay concealed as long as possible).

- Use the markers. Especially when on the move, it helps guiding your squad to the place you want to go. Also the observe marker is an excellent tool for calling out contacts or allocating different areas you want covered.

- Have your squadmembers report any enemy contacts (and unidentified forces) that they see. Also make some clear rules about when to engage (when in doubt: only with your permission or for defense from imminent threats) so they don't blow your cover while sneaking up a flag.

- Consider alternative plans from your squad. If someone suggest something that seems to be a better idea than what you came up with, do that. It will encourage your squad members to think on their own, instead of only relying on orders, and is ultimately more fun for everybody.

As someone who has been playing for a couple years and have played almost all the roles within the battlefield (some more than others) but nonetheless here's my basic guide to getting started. Also I haven't read the thread so info will probably be repeated.

First off figure out what you are going to do? CAS? Infantry?

Understand that wen taking hold of a squad you should probably name it an appropriate name that's pretty on-par with the task at hand you are planning on fulfilling. (You've probably seen stuff like this ingame squads named CAS or TRANS, etc.)

Once you've done this figure how you are going to navigate the map, guess general areas where you would typically see enemy, either you can go around or hit it, your choice. By this time it's assumed your squad will have people in it inform them of the general plan and start assigning roles, just remember these rules of thumb:
*Two medics is better than one in a full squad
*Almost always have some form of an AR
*Have a breacher at hand for grappling hook things
*Rifleman are your backbone

Once you've assigned roles embark on your mission. Use Helo if your plan permits, use humvees if your plan permits that's all you just maneuver under fire and keep ordering your boys around, keep an eye on medics as they tend to bunch up and maintain dispersion.

Also if you are going to run a Humvee convoy thing, never ride upfront just ride back just to be safe(er). That's because I have a fear of being shot through the windshield (I don't know if it's an urban legend or whatever) but it's just a thing i like to live by to be safe