Two Types Of Cover | Understanding Sandbags & Tall Grass
In Valkyria, it’s important to understand how cover works. While in cover (sandbags, tall grass) you have increased defense, and you cannot take headshot damage. “Headshots” are just critical hits, and they’re deadly.
The same is true of enemies behind cover. There are a couple ways to stop them — you can use a tank to break sandbags, or shoot the sandbags with anti-tank shells from a tank or lancer. The mortar can also destroy cover or knock enemies out of tall grass. Or you can use grenades to flush enemies out of tall grass.
Tall grass is especially handy. Not only do you get a defense boost, but you’re also invisible to interception fire. You need to move very, very close to an enemy while crawling through grass for them to see you. Tall grass is usually a handy flanking path, so always be on the lookout for tall grass on your map.
The Power Of Surprise Attacks | Movement & Line-of-Sight
Line-of-sight is incredibly important in Valkyria Chronicles — you’ll know who can see you by looking at the colored lines that connect your character (while moving) to an enemy. If a line reaches from an enemy to you, it means they can see you.
An enemy that sees you can shoot at you on their turn. If they have interception fire abilities, they can shoot at you. This is especially dangerous if there are Snipers in the area, and your units are outside of cover. If your tank is scooting around, you don’t want to end your turn in the sights of multiple tanks or lancers.
Luckily, you can sneak around! If you notice an enemy soldier nearby that isn’t looking at you, you can hit them with a Surprise Attack. Surprise Attacks aren’t any more powerful than standard attacks — but they’re incredibly useful, especially against named enemies or commanders. A Surprise Attack cannot be dodged. Higher-level opponents will often dodge every single frontal attack you throw at them. If you want to guarantee a hit, move behind them and land a Surprise Attack.
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