5 Strategy Tips for New Players

When I get the pleasure of playing new players, as someone who had played this game for a while now, I notice the same mistakes being made, and while I try to help them in the moment, I thought I would write up a few of the tips I find myself giving out to new players.

1: Target Ready Operatives

The number one new player mistake. A ready operative is an operative that can attack you this turn, or do other nasty stuff. An expended operative is no longer threat (aside from counterracts of course, or abilites like Battleclade). As a general rule of thumb, expended ops can be dealt with later, but ready operatives need to be killed. I does feel a bit unituitive, since you want to kill the guy that just jumped out and killed your guy, but only killing expended ops puts all the control in your opponent's hands and lets them trade favourably.

2: Charge into Cover

A really easy thing you can do is end your charges in cover. People often charge and stand in the open next to cover, but remember, your opponent is probably in cover, and you can usually get into it and fight across, so that when you get your kill, you'll get cover against enemy reprisal. Even better if you have charge on conceal (Kommandos, Headtaker, Stalker etc.).

3: Consider Threat Ranges

Especially on TP1, when you move up, consider where your enemy can threaten you out to, either with a charge or a move within 2" shot. Then decide why you're standing where you're standing. If you're in range, why? Maybe you want to threaten them because you'll win initiative, or because you have a fights first. If you're out of range, why? Maybe this operative is too valuable to lose, or you want to counter attack with it after your opponent comes to you. Best of all is if you're threat range is further than your opponent's, maybe because you have 3APL so you can add a dash into your range, or maybe you just have a higher move stat. This means you can stand outside of their threat range, whilst having them within yours.

4: Remember an Inch Out

Movement in KT is done in straight lines up to 1" long. That means that to clear your base when going around a corner you were hiding behind, you'll have to spend a full inch even if it only actually takes a few mm. Remember to account for this when planning movement and measuring threat ranges. Also be careful with large bases, particularly 40mm bases, as if you don't stick out enough, you risk having to spend 2" out. Make sure you stick out enough to not have to.

5: Stand With Your Head Out

When an operative ends a move using the end of a wall as cover, like on the L-shape ruins on Volkus, make sure their head is sticking out so that you can see as much as possible. This means that instead of having to move into position to shoot, leaving you vulnerable, you can instead shoot first, then use you're second AP to move behind the wall, or drop a smoke. This will help you get kills without trading the operative you used to get the kill.

If anyone has more newbie friendly tips, add them below!