Enlisted

Game overview

Enlisted is a free to play MMO First Person Shooter from Gaijin Entertainment that blends realistic and historic battles with dynamic squad play features amidst the backdrop of World War II.
Each player can control a period-authentic squad of soldiers, swapping to each one in real-time during battles to complete objectives with other players and their own squads.
The inclusion of vehicles and airplanes in campaign matches based on real battles ensures that both enthusiasts and casuals alike are in for a warfare spectacle.

Players improve their squads with XP from matches and wins, which in return offers better squads to enlist, vehicles to summon and weapons to equip.
Mastering these three aspects of the battlefield and learning when is the most opportune moment to swap will be key to victory. Enlisted can be played without spending any money but an optional Premium Account can be purchased to quicken XP gains.
Overall, it's a fantastic title that offers a great experience for a WWII shooter.

➔ Main points:

• 2021 Free-to-Play Online Shooter
• Realistic simulation of the WWII setting
• Huge battles with hundreds of soldiers, airplanes and vehicles
• Lots of different play modes and roles: you can be a pilot, a soldier on the front, a support soldier on the mortar, and so on..
• Each player can control different members of his squad, with added RPG elements

Full review

What Is Enlisted?

Currently in open beta for PC and console, Enlisted is a free to play and highly realistic MMO First Person Shooter that's based on World War II, in which players pick a historical faction to combat each other in grand campaign maps for victories.
Unlike other shooters where you are in control of one character, Enlisted lets you swap between soldiers of your squad, who can each be equipped with different equipment, and trained for experience with accrued XP to perform better on the battlefield.

How Does It Play?

Enlisted starts each player on the training field, teaching you the basics of movement, vehicle manoeuvres and repairs. When that's over, the real fun begins.

The game currently offers two matchmaking modes with more coming in the future, but the one you'll want to jump into is the squad matchmaking for a grand campaign. Campaigns are the main battlefields that players participate in.
They are based on real battles that happened in World War 2, for instance, the Invasion of Normandy. Players can either play as the Axis or Allies, and choosing a faction alters the squad of soldiers available to you, their historical weapons, and their vehicles.
This offers players a somewhat authentic battle that's period-realistic, and there are two other campaigns to pick from, with a fourth - The Battle in Tunisia coming soon.
Matches within these campaigns offer their own victory objectives, like taking important defenses for points in addition to scoring some for taking out enemy players and their squads.
What's important to note here is that players will earn campaign XP for their faction and squads based on what they are currently playing as, and must level up other campaigns if they wish to progress with other factions.

The Importance Of Squad Play

One of the main reasons Enlisted stands out as an FPS is due to players being able to control all members of their 4-5 man squads, instead of usually just controlling one.
Before each battle, players can alter their squad load outs and select from weaponry that they've earned through victories, and vehicles for requisition support as well.
During matches, if the soldier you're controlling is injured, they enter a revivable period when they can be brought back into the action with a med kit, or you can swap to another squad member that's still alive.
At later campaign levels, you can enlist better squads and even tank crews, heavy weapons teams, and pilot crews into your squad roster, giving you more options to approach the battlefield with vehicles and more.
As each player controls 4-5 squad members in any given campaign match, the result is a visually massive and satisfying battle that will leave you feeling exhilarated.

Key Features

The most important thing to remember about Enlisted is that to become a better player, you must progress wisely.
Progression involves levelling up your existing squads by playing and winning matches. In return, you get currency to spend on improving your squad by picking perks from a tree that offers several choices of boons, and at higher campaign ranks, players will unlock a better variety of new and elite squads to recruit.
This is also the same for vehicles like tanks and airplanes as well.
The good news is, progression is always being made due to XP being awarded for how much you participate in a battle. Assisting a kill, defending an objective and even reviving a team-mate all contribute points, so it rewards proactivity and punishes AFK bots and players.
At the right opportunity during matches, players with the right logistic cards can summon game-changing vehicles to turn the tide of a battle, and mastering both the vehicle and its crew will ultimately reward the player and their team in the long run.

What are the Cons?

For an open beta game, some downsides are to be expected. The most prominent ones are the odd bug here and there, like being stuck under the terrain.
Due to the massive amount of action going on in a match, players may also encounter visual glitches.
Unfortunately, the more important issues have to do with faction balancing, where certain factions vehicles for example, overperform against their historical counterparts, which may not be accurate and realistic at all.

Is There A Cash Shop?

There isn't a cash shop tab in-game but microtransactions do exist in Enlisted. Players can access these optional purchases through in-game prompts in the Logistics screen, the top right of the main menu or from the official website. As for what you can buy, the most popular item is the premium account status, which acts like a subscription, costing $9 for 30 days of Premium. Its benefits include 100% squad XP gain from campaigns, faster academy training and even more squad slots.
For a competitive MMO it's not unusual to see Premiums like these, as you will encounter this in Gaijin's other games like War Thunder. The good news is that the game remains 100% free and you can play through all the modes without spending a single dollar.

Conclusion

It is with great compliment to Enlisted that one can come away from a match feeling like they've taken part in some of the most iconic battles of World War 2 in the European Theatre, recreated with authentic sounds and visceral visuals which makes for a grand spectacle.
Furthermore, Enlisted doesn't cost a penny but it offers gameplay and progression that's as deep as other existing shooters like Battlefield V which takes place in the same era. For WWII enthusiasts and FPS thrill-seekers, Enlisted should be the next stop on your destination for an experience to remember.

Ready to enter the world of Enlisted? Click here to play now!

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Review summary

1. What Is Enlisted?
2. How Does It Play?
3. The Importance Of Squad Play
4. Key Features
5. What are the Cons?
6. Is There A Cash Shop?
7. Conclusion