As a new player to Foxhole, it can be daunting and confusing. You have no idea what to do or how you can even make a difference. It can even feel like your efforts are pointless but trust me, they aren't. I'm gonna give you 25 things that you can be doing to help your team win the game.
I'll break these down into subcategories to make it simpler. Starting with infantry and working up to all the different ways that you, the buckshee boots on the ground, can make all the difference. After all, Foxhole gives as much out as you can give in.
Infantry
The bread and butter of Foxhole is frontline Infantry combat. The salt of the earth. Soon to be the blood of the earth, I suppose.
Your mission, in a nutshell, is to cause as much pain and grief for the enemy team as you can. With your one, tiny life, you need to take more of them down with you before they eventually put you down. So let's start with the basics.
1. Dump your starter gear
You don't need it. Get rid of it. When you interact with your spawn base by pressing E, click on the Hammer and Arrow icon that reads "Submit starter gear". This will dump your hammer, pistol and mags straight into the base's stockpile.
Don't fiddle around, wasting time unequipping them and filling up the inventory with hammers and pistols. Just click that button and you're good to go. Start assembling your gear and get out the door. Plug those gaps in the line!
2. Don't take more than you need
A rifle, two clips, and a bayonet is really all you’ll need. Maybe a grenade or bandage. A gas mask and filter if they’re throwing green ash.
This might seem obvious but the amount of times I've seen people lugging way too much gear is borderline criminal.
To be a pretty effective frontline soldier, all you need is this. A rifle, two clips, a bayonet, and a bandage. Other than that, depending on how the fight is going, you can vary your loadout to suit.
More dug in infantry? Take a frag grenade. Harpas are good, Bomas are better.
Enemy armour? Take a sticky or other man portable Anti-tank.
Plenty of friendly medics on the field? Ditch the bandage and take something else.
Your life or at least the shirt you used to spawn costs 8 Bmats. Everything else is more Mats to kit you out. Make it worth it by taking more from the enemy than you do from your team.
3. Fire and manoeuvre
One dude, on their own, is gonna be no match for any force bigger than a couple of dudes. You aren't gonna be John Wick and plenty of high ranking vets still catch stray rounds and artillery shells.
You've got to see yourself more as part of the bigger picture. If you were playing an RTS game and you saw your soldiers sitting in a trench while the enemy was on the back foot, you'd drag and click them to get their arses in gear.
Foxhole is no different except you actually are one of those dudes being "dragged and clicked". Except no one is there to do the clicking.
In this example, you can see that overwhelming fire and aggressive forward momentum pushes the frontline forward and keeps the enemy on the back foot. Using covering fire and tactically bounding into cover. Re-establishing some weapon stability and covering the advance of friendlies is the name of the game here.
You don't need to be a hero. More than likely, you'll be the first to catch a bullet. But if some of you can make it, it's a win to gain ground. Coordinate with your proximity chat. Rally your buddies around you and get your bodies forward.
4. Don't bunch up
This should really go without saying but don't all pile into the same trench or foxhole. One decent grenade toss is all it will take to turn your and your friends into pink mist.
Instead, take the above example. If the trench is full and a good rate of fire is keeping the enemies heads down, then that's your queue to go and find a nice cosy bit of cover just for you. Somewhere up ahead towards the enemy.
5. Move together
You don't need to follow a high ranking leader. You don't even need to be a high ranking leader. You just need to keep going where the fight is.
Think of your average ragtag bunch of random infantry as one big unit or squad. They can all run around like headless chickens, causing all kinds of mayhem and friendly fire. Or they can move like a horde of unstoppable goblins. Washing over the enemy in a tidal wave of violence.
So don't sit back in the trench letting your buddies do all the hard work and waiting for the enemy to counter. Get up and over. Follow them once more into the breach. Every gun is needed up at the front. And if someone says that the way up ahead is clear, stop shooting at them and throwing grenades. You're too far behind and need to catch up.
6. Fire support
Foxhole has a suppression mechanic. Not just for static AI structures but for individuals as well. Notice the shield? When the hot lead is flying over the top of the trench, that shield will turn red. That tells you that you're in cover but suppressed. Don't poke your head out while that shield is red.
You can use this to your own advantage when moving as infantry. You can grab a machine gun and fill your pockets with as much 12.7mm as you can carry. Staying behind the very front, you can set up your gun and lay hate towards the enemy.
With the enemy sitting on their hands, unable to face the onslaught of projectiles that you're spitting at them, your teammates will be in the perfect position to fill their trenches with grenades. Followed swiftly by their own bodies so they can edge the front a little bit further.
As you will be a lot heavier, take a side arm so that you can still aim and shoot while moving. Don't move up to the next position of cover until your buddies have secured it. Then simply get in there with them, set your gun up, get the lead out, rinse and repeat.
Keep an ear out for friendlies as well. It's easy to keep shooting when they've taken the trench. The amount of times I've stuck a bayonet up an imperial's arse only to get filled with friendly machine gun fire is more than I can count.
7. "Just flank bro"
A phrase that has devolved into a meme and lost any meaning. When you deconstruct it though, you have a basic suggestion of a strategy. Coming at the enemy from a flank is always preferable to running at them head on.
In Foxhole terms, this could be some idiot screaming it in voice chat or spamming it in the region chat. With nothing else to back up exactly what they're trying to convey. So let's break it down.
Flank just means "side". Any military unit calls the sides to its left and right "Flanks". If you "Flank" the enemy, you're basically just hitting them from the side. A side they probably aren't expecting you to come from.
I think you probably get the gist of where I'm going with this. If there's a stalemate at the front, bring a few buddies and start probing the enemy lines for gaps where you can flank from. Even just flanking the one dude who's been pinning you down with a machine gun for ages.
8. Comms are key
I've been trying to hammer this home so much by now but it always bears repeating. Please, please, please use your proximity chat. Not only is it invaluable to be able to communicate quickly with teammates around you, it also makes the game so much more fun and sociable.
When the war progresses and combined arms fronts become a thing, even just a buckshee infantryman will still need to be able to know where their teams armour is. Who's artillery is coming in. Whether to hold off or keep advancing. And if anything else, it's just much better quality of life within the game to be able to talk to the people around you quickly and effectively.
The default proximity chat key is T but I recommend using the thumb buttons on your mouse. This way you can do everything with the mouse and keyboard. All you have to do is squeeze your thumb to talk.
9. Keep an eye on region chat
Have you ever seen those purple sentences popping up in the chat box? Sometimes they say things like "Partisans cutting Logi near (place where you are)". Ever thought "someone should do something!" Well who are we if not "someone".
It may be time for you to nut up or shut up. Use that proximity chat. Gather up some of your buddies around the base. Doesn't matter who, just as long as they're on your team. Get yourself there and get the job done.
The chat is a very good tool for important intel updates both local and global. It's also fun for spam and silly messages but they normally get drowned out on the front lines.
10. Don't neglect your map
Not only are you gonna need this to orient yourself to the front line when you first spawn in. It's also gonna have a lot of useful stuff. Even for a lowly soldier on the ground.
Because you won't have a radio on you, you won't receive regular map intel updates. This doesn't mean you should take a radio with you to the front. This is a bad idea because they're pretty hard to come by on fronts so you'll only be wasting them.
Instead, your map will update each time you interact with a friendly base. I.e. when you spawn in and gear up. So before you venture out to die again once more on the front, you'll be armed with the most up to date map intel of where the enemy and friendlies are.
Keep a look out for partisans and friendly map notes which might have important info.
11. Build push
Probably a bit more difficult with the new maintenance meta going on in the game but still a valid means of taking and holding ground. Hell, it's pretty much the only way. If you don't build your gains, you won't have them for very long.
The very basic premise of this tactic is to stay behind the infantry. As they advance towards the enemy and hold the ground ahead, front line builders can start expanding and extending the defensive line.
Digging trenches, building AI structures, and if there is a lot of ground to cover, possibly building another Bunker Base further towards the enemy. This can really be done by most anyone who spawns on the front. The great thing is that you already have almost everything you need.
Your hammer and pistol is a great start. Fill your pockets with Bmats and get out there to place down defences. If you find a shovel, dig some trenches. If you aren't too sure about the placement of certain objects, there will be plenty of people around to guide your hand.
This is one of those roles within the game that seems to be treated like the forgotten love child. The thankless task that no one wants to do but absolutely needs to be done. With that said, if someone is giving you crap for building stuff on an over stretched front, just tell them "Well, someone has to!"
Logistics
For the next few little pointers, I want to cover the part of the game that arguably wins the war. Absolutely nothing in Foxhole could be done without people doing the nitty gritty work in the rear. It may seem daunting and overly complex but trust me, there is a lot that you can do as a single individual that can make a huge difference in the war.
12. Where to spawn
Firstly, you'll need to spawn in a backline hex. This seems simple enough but let me elaborate. A backline hex can be any that isn't an active front. If you spawn at any plain old random backline, you could end up in a town with virtually nothing, running around confused in a huge map.
What you want to do is use the "state of the war" table in the home region. This won't give you in-game intel but what it will do is show you where there are certain buildings such as ports, factories, garages, etc. A concentration of these indicates that whatever built up area you're looking at is a logistics hub.
These are the backline places that you want to spawn in. The physical locations of major logistical works. Where manufacturing, stockpiling, and shipping of war materials happens.
13. What you need
When you spawn in, you'll already have basically everything that you need. A pistol and a hammer. Other than that, you'll definitely need a radio and a bandage doesn't hurt either. Just in case.
If you're planning on building your own vehicle, whatever that might be, the engineer uniform is a good grab as well as it will reduce the encumbrance of Mats.
After that, you'll need a vehicle. Your faction’s basic truck is all you will need. They're cheap, reliable, can haul a decent amount, and are easily replaced.
You can find these in the main squares of Logi hubs. People normally leave signs designating public parking. Or check the seaport on your map. It should show if they have any trucks in its public stockpile. Other than that, you can grab 100 Bmats from the refinery and build one at the garage.
However you chose to get mobile, it shouldn't be too difficult. If you're finding that you have to go and scroop up some salvage for the Bmats to make one, then it's probably best to head to a more active Logi hub where you can at least get some easily accessible wheels.
14. The radio
Here, I'll attempt to explain just how useful the radio is for the logiman and why I simply feel naked without one. Every in-game tick, your map intelligence will update. It's not just showing locations of friends and enemies within the intel range. You'll also be able to see what items are stocked in each base, bunker, or stockpile. Anywhere in the game world.
This is why you can always check the ports or stockpiles for vehicles. Nine times out of ten, there will be something you can grab.
You'll be able to see everything with this thing. You can plan your routes, see which fields have resource nodes available, check stockpiles for public goods to ship, and even watch radio TV when you're waiting for your stuff to cook in the factories.
15. The Logi chain
The Logi chain starts at scrooping and ends with crates of stuff being placed into a frontline base. As a solo player, you can fill in any part of that chain or be the entire chain yourself. It all depends how much time you want to put in. For simplicity's sake, we're gonna stick with basic stuff and the normal salvage you can scroop up yourself quite easily.
The basic, simple flow goes like this; Salvage gets scrooped up at a salvage field. These look like screws on the map. From there, the salvage is refined into Bmats, Emats, or diesel fuel. After that, Bmats and Emats can be made into pretty much most things at a factory or Mass Production Factory. Once they come out of there as crates, those crates need to be submitted to a base's stockpile so they can be "opened" and used.
We'll look a bit more into the mechanics and where you fit in.
16. Scroop for the scroop god
Salt of the earth and the unsung heroes of Foxhole. Those that scroop know the way. They are one with the game. Hammering up the very material that makes the game possible. And you can too.
In the areas surrounding the Logi hub you spawned at and pretty much anywhere in the game world, are resource fields for you to go and scroop at. All you need is a hammer and something to put your salvage in. Please don't try to fatwalk it back to the refinery unless you're intoxicated like I was and figured a scenic walk would be fun.
When sledgehammers are teched, take one of those instead of the regular hammer. They are much more efficient at scrooping.
There are dedicated trucks designed exclusively to haul raw resources but probably the best way to get started on the Logi chain would be to get yourself a flatbed. You can load it with an empty resource container via a crane and unload it at the resource field.
There you can fill it with salvage. It'll hold 5,000 units worth. The standard truck will only hold 1,500. Crane it back onto your flat bed when it's full and take it back to be refined.
17. Public dump for the lord!
When you are presented with the screen at the refinery. Either because you drove your truck to it and pressed E or you dropped a full resource container on the pad, you have the option to refine it into a personal queue or refine it publicly.
Personal resources are refined just for you. Only you will be able to retrieve them once they've finished being refined. However, be warned. If you don't come and collect them after a certain amount of time, they will become public. This is normally about 2 days (real time) so you're not in any rush to get it done in one play session.
If you're planning on heading back to the scroop fields and just want to spend all of your time hammering for the lord, then why not dump your resources to the public. Everyone always needs fuel and Bmats. A well fed refinery means more stuff can be churned out by other players. It's all going to the same places.
18. What to make
If you don't feel like having your sins absolved by the scroop god, then you can refine your salvage into one of the three options. To be fair, you really only have two options as fuel isn't used for anything other than, well fuel.
You'll want to ratio your mats to be as efficient as possible. Most recipes that require Emats such as grenades and explosives, require more Bmats than Emats. So don't make a tonne of Emats and only a few Bmats. Or just go back to scroop fields and get more salvage as Emats take a lot longer to make and use more salvage.
Now here is where your radio comes in. Check the map and look for the fronts that need some supplies. There will usually be a map marker named something like "Logi List" for their most immediate needs but you'll also be able to hover your mouse over the base and see exactly what they have, what they're short of, and what you can be making and bringing to them.
Once you know what needs ordering, all you have to do is take your Mats over to a factory. Press E next to it. You don't even have to leave your vehicle. Click on what you want to make to queue it up and press the go button. Go find somewhere out of the way to watch some radio TV while you wait or go and scroop. You can really get a rhythm going while waiting down the times.
19. Can't make what's being asked for
Here is a storage depot as seen on a radio. This one comes with a cool example of a QoL mod that makes things easier to identify. Though not yet an official part of the game, its certainly useful.
Well there's some good news. Pretty much everything you can make in a factory is useful. Just because the stuff you've got being made in the factory isn't useful now, doesn't mean it won't be in the future. This is the entire reason that stockpiles exist.
The beauty of them is that you can also see what they have in them by hovering your mouse over them on the map. If you can see some crates of vitally needed equipment, sitting around and gathering dust, you can grab that yourself and be the hero that delivers.
You don't need to make everything yourself. If it's there and not being used, it's not doing anyone any good. You can be running supplies left, right, and centre. All while your own factory made guns, ammo, supplies etc. are cooking away. You can always stockpile surplus materials.
20. Stockpiling
The only means that players have in the game to build up for large scale operations. There are seaports and stockpiles dotted all over the map that can be used by anyone. Inside them, there will be many "reserved" stockpiles but the main public one is the one you see on the map.
It will show everything that is contained within it. Be aware though that it can only store crates. It can store singular unpacked vehicles as well but you can't go and get a machine gun from a stockpile. The crates must be delivered to a base to be "unpacked" as it were.
Using its very simple interface, you can pull any crates from the public stockpile in your vehicle. There you can deliver them straight to a front or even to another stockpile closer to the front lines.
Clans and regiments use these strategically to plan and operate out of large areas by covering them from a midline hub stockpile. As a single player, however, you can still get plenty of use of them.
Any reserved stockpile that you have access to will allow you to pull a lot quicker from it than if it were public. You will notice the assembling percentage increase so much faster from your own stockpile instead of the public one.
If you are going to be doing a lot of Logi playing then it's useful to keep a stockpile of basic equipment. The kind of stuff that fronts always require. Shirts, ammo, weapons, explosives, medical supplies, uniforms, etc.
You can also keep your own vehicles in there so you'll always have one for when you log in. Just remember you have 2 days and 1 hour before your reserved stockpile expires unless you reset the timer or use the stockpile. This is a mechanic to ensure people don't hoard lots of useful things before they log off and never come back.
21. Making deliveries
Sounds simple enough, right? Grab crates of stuff in your truck and follow the roads to the base you're supplying. Sure but there's a war going on. Being in the rear can make you forget that.
The route you take is just as important as the stuff you're carrying. It's no good to anyone if you don't even manage to get there with it. That's why it's important to study the map carefully and determine which is gonna be the safest route for you.
You want to be driving as close to your own factions’ defences and bases as possible. Especially the closer you get to the front. Partisans will operate close to hex borders as those are the places least likely to be observed by watch towers.
Speaking of those towers, you should only drive on roads that are covered by them. Those routes can be observed by anyone with a radio, including you. If you see any enemy dots or triangles near them, then avoid them. You're pretty much defenceless in that truck.
When you get to your final border crossing, there may be a queue. You can press E at the border and then retreat back from it while you wait. It's rare but partisans can still cross over and cause havoc with the Logimen waiting to cross.
If in doubt, always check your map and find a longer, safer route. It's better that your supplies get there late than never at all.
22. Arms dealing
The Cometa. A favourite of mine that I love bringing with me to fronts.
So you're stuck sitting around and wondering what to deliver and where to go. There's a base that is swimming in ammo and has a few hundred rifles. Tonnes of shirts and grenades but hovering over, you notice something. Despite the vast array of weaponry that Foxhole has to offer, previous Logimen have only brought Loughcasters or Argentis. Well this just won't do.
As Logi, it's not only up to you to deliver what is being asked for immediately, but also interpret what's happening on the front. Having hopefully spent some time fighting on fronts, it should be obvious that a variety of weapons are needed to create an effective fighting force.
Using your map and radio, anticipate what fronts need and what they're going to need in the future. Talk to them when you make your rounds. If they literally only have one type of gun, bring them a truck full of toys to play with and ammo to boot. If you can see on the radio that progress is being made but there are no Mats for a build push, haul ass with some Bmats in the trunk.
This is where you as Logi can make all the difference. You can keep a front alive. You can keep an offensive going. All it requires is getting the right stuff there at the right time.
Partisan
Lastly, let's cover a strategy that is probably the most trial and error of the three. If you fancy yourself a Solid Snake, then partisan work might be the job for you. With virtually no bar to enter, you can do this on your own although it is more fun with friends.
Being a partisan involves many things but the main takeaway is this, you will be going behind enemy lines. It sounds fun but you will be doing a lot of walking, checking binos, your map, and only have one life to live before you spawn way way back where you started. Partisan at your own risk
23. The anti-logi
The simplest and easiest form of the Partisan's line of work is cutting the enemy's Logi. That is, to prevent their supplies from reaching their bases and starving them out of shirts. If they can't get shirts and supplies in, they can't sustain their front. Needless to say, this is certainly a war winning strategy.
This kind of partisan work can be done pretty much from the front or at least front adjacent. As long as you can find a way around to the routes that their Logi is taking, you'll be able to ambush any trucks coming your way.
Take a weapon that you are pretty good with in a one on one fight and plenty of ammo. A radio, binos, a bandage, and if there is one, a scout uniform. Both factions have similar ones and they can reduce the chances of you being detected by enemy watch towers.
24. Intel Gathering
The Listening Kit is essential for gathering intel.
This is probably the most fun part of being a partisan if you are the sneaky peaky type. You can go behind enemy lines, Ideally to set up listening kits or even just observe what they've got going on back there.
For this, it is probably best to bring along an LUV to carry all your kit with you. You can only carry either a tripod or a listening Kit on your person at any one time anyway. Just remember, you won't be able to respawn so don't go looking for a fight. You're there to observe and report.
The best way to avoid being seen or spotted by obs towers is to stay as close to hex borders as you can. The zones surrounding them rapidly decay structures so towers aren't usually built there. Especially away from the main roads.
Find an objective, stick to it, and get the job done. If you can get your binos out and pull some screen shots, there would be friendly clans and Discord servers that would greatly appreciate them.
25. Sabotage
Chad partisans destroying enemy equipment and concrete mixers
Only for the most daring among partisans. Also the most fun you can have doing it. If you're looking for a long time of prep for a few minutes of adrenaline packed rush, this might be the job for you. It's also gonna be infinitely harder if you're on your own but trust me there are people out there who make it their mission to steal and smash as much enemy kit as they can.
This strategy involves finding poorly defended targets of opportunity. The further back you go into enemy lines the higher the possibilities. People tend to leave things unguarded in the places where they don't expect the enemy to show up.
Once again, good prep and teammates work well with this but also good recon comes in handy as well. If you can scope out the area first, you can get a feel for how difficult it's going to be to pull off.
Take things slow and don't take too many risks before you go. Once you've gone loud, just get the stuff smashed up. If it's too big or there's too much heat to steal something, lock it and make it useless. Or better yet, park it infront of enemy AI. They will recognise it as enemy once you're driving it and will fire at it until it is destroyed.
If push comes to shove and it looks like the enemy QRF is about to nab you, do as much damage as you can before they drop you. Die laughing at the silly buggers as they try to put out the fires you started.
Conclusion
There are many ways that a single player can use their heads and their time strategically in Foxhole. You don't need to join a clan to make a difference. You get out the time that you put in. Whether it's only a few hours on a front or several supplying many fronts. You can still play your part and understand the wider strategies at play. To know your part in all of it is to know the way of the game itself. Every single shirt counts. It's you that makes it count.
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