Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus lands today, and we imagine plenty of you are already starting to get your bearings in Nazi America, but if you want to play the game efficiently and see everything, there are a bunch of tips and tricks we recommend you take into account as you play. Nothing here is spoiler territory, but reading on should put you a couple of steps ahead of the Nazi scum.
Take out the Kommandants
As you play, you'll quickly discover that the Nazi ranks are rich with a particular type of enemy called Kommandants, and you should always try to eliminate them quickly. They aren't especially difficult to despatch, but they are one of those annoying enemy types that summons other enemies, and that can cause problems quickly if you don't prioritize them. There's a good reason to focus on them, too, because Kommandants drop Enigma Codes, which you can use with the Enigma Machine to unlock secret missions called Uberkommandant, where you track down high-ranking Nazi officials. So if you want to see everything, take out the Kommandants!
Use the map carefully
Modern first-person shooters are often linear affairs where exploration is superficial at best and deviation from the critical path is either pointless or impossible. Wolfenstein 2, however, comes from a long line of FPS games where levels wind back on themselves in all sorts of creative ways and are cut through with numerous secret passages. In order to make sure you see everything in any given level, you will need to use your map to make sure you're not missing anything. Take your time, backtrack once enemies are dead, and you may be surprised just how much you discover in the margins.
Mix up your dual-wielding
Ol' BJ Blaskowicz can dual-wield pretty much everything in the game - we miss the days when this was called "akimbo", by the way - but what you might not immediately consider is that he can also hold different types of weapons at once. This is actually super helpful, because Wolfenstein 2's levels often thrust you into expansive killboxes where enemies assail you from different angles and distances. If you happen to be holding both a shotgun and a machinegun, for example, you'll be able to mulch any Nazis who get up in your face, while peppering their more cautious colleagues simultaneously.
Look for collectibles
We kind of already covered this with the map, but it bears spelling out: Wolfenstein 2 is a game from another era, and you will want to make sure you explore it thoroughly. There are more than 200 collectibles hidden throughout the game world, including a bunch that shed light on the world's entertaining back-story. And that's before you get to stuff that's just there for fun, like a Wolfenstein 3D Easter egg that every fan should enjoy.
Study your perks and choose carefully
There are 18 different perks in Wolfenstein 2 and they can each be upgraded five times, and while this is a lengthy campaign, that means that you will need to think carefully about how you prioritize what they offer. Study the descriptions carefully, look at the various upgrade paths available, and consider how they will complement your play style. Committing points to them is permanent, and it would suck to get to a stage where you regretted your choice. Seriously, we speak from experience.
Look out for weapon upgrades
In addition to hidden intel and other secrets, meticulous explorers should happen upon plenty of weapon upgrade kits. Pick up enough and you'll be able to upgrade each weapon in your arsenal three times. As with the perks, think carefully about what to prioritize, because these decisions can't be undone, although if you make sure to explore levels carefully then you should end up with plenty by the time you reach the latter stages.
Make sure you collect armor
Another throwback feature in the Wolfenstein series is an old-school health and armor system. There's no recharging overshield or anything like that, so you can't afford to be kamikaze in your approach and just dive into cover as you might in Call of Duty. Given how this works, it's important to spend time after each firefight scooting around the environment gathering up armor and scrap, which will give you extra resilience on top of the relatively puny reservoir of 50 health points that you begin with. You can also find health pickups that overcharge your HP, but the total will tick down over time.
Save and save often
Wolfenstein 2 has a manual save-game system in addition to the regular autosave checkpoints you'd expect from a modern shooter, and while you can make do with the latter, it's a good idea to get into the discipline of recording your progress manually during tough assignments or after a difficult firefight. Some unlockable missions don't offer checkpoints, too, and while the game mentions this, you'll want to take advantage of manual saves to avoid causing yourself 90s-esque back-to-the-start frustration.
So there you have it. With these Wolfenstein 2 starter tips and tricks in mind, you should make good progress. Good luck making America Nazi-free again!
