The Best Metal Slug: Commander Characters - The Strongest Units in the Game
Metal Slug: Commander has just released a few days ago, adding yet another entry to the beloved side-scrolling run-and-gun franchise, only this time it’s actually a gacha RPG, which makes it a bit of departure from the mainline series of Metal Slug games. Regardless, Metal Slug: Commander still features the gorgeous sprites and animations that we’ve come to expect of a game in this franchise.
As a gacha RPG, you will be able to unlock and upgrade a variety of characters in the Metal Slug franchise, as well as create powerful squadrons with them. The units in this game each have their own stats and skills, which makes them suited for fulfilling different roles in the team—while some can deal tons of damage, others are great for buffing or shielding the group, for attracting the enemy’s attention, or for providing support with heals and buffs.
However, with over 110 characters to choose from, and with the game being new, it’s hard to know which are the best characters in Metal Slug: Commander. If you’re just getting started and are asking yourself which units you should be aiming for, either while rerolling or while playing normally, then this guide is definitely for you. In the following paragraphs, you’ll find our picks for best characters in Metal Slug: Commander.
Hyakutaro – Crucial Support for Spamming Ultimates
We’re kicking off this list with a character that, despite not being very strong by himself, can quickly become a vital part of any team. This is because Hyakutaro, using his ultimate, can greatly replenish the energy of his allies, allowing them faster access to their ultimate skills. However, if used correctly, you can easily chain together a couple of ultimates back to back, which can help to deal with the stronger enemies, or to obliterate a wave of foes with AoE attacks. And to top it all off, Hyakutaro can also further replenish the energy of his allies randomly with his passive trait.
If you must have only one character in this list, it’d definitely be Hyakutaro, particularly since you get Fio for free at the beginning, and by combining both of these characters’ ultimates, you can destroy all but the strongest enemy formations in a matter of seconds.
Growl – Powerful Rusher and Strong Tanking
While you really can’t control too much of your character’s action in combat, the truth of the matter is that units that are on the frontlines are the ones who usually take the most damage. For this reason, tanks are quite important since they’re the ones who absorb most of the enemy attacks to keep their allies away from harm.
Growl takes this one step further by actively charging headfirst into the enemy, not only tanking all the hits, but also targeting their back rows, which are usually the most fragile, but most dangerous, enemies. However, his reckless fighting style means that you’re going to need a good healer in order to keep Growl alive, which makes him dependent on his team in order to perform his role.
SV-001 – Great Tanking Alternative
If you can’t get Growl from the gacha in Metal Slug: Commander, you’ll be pleased to know that SV-001 is also a great alternative for a tank unit, especially since you get it for free during the first chapter.
This powerful armored vehicle can also charge into the enemy formation, attracting their attention and absorbing most of the hits. It can also launch several explosive attacks that deal AoE damage. And while it may not be the absolute best in both damage and defense, SV-001 is free and does its job well, as long as you have the offense and support to enable it.
Beatriz – Best Healing and Support
And speaking of support, Beatriz here just happens to be one of the healers currently in the game, featuring not just one but two healing skills, one of which is an AoE spell that restores the health of the entire group. Meanwhile, the other skill is a focused heal that greatly restores a single ally’s HP, which is great for supporting allied tanks as they bear the brunt of the enemies’ attacks.
If you have any other allies that can also heal, Beatriz can further boost these effects with her presence. Specifically, whenever Beatriz is in the field, all healing effects are increased by 15%.
Fio – Spectacular AoE Damage Capabilities
Fio might be one the best characters in the beginning, particularly since, aside from dishing out tons of damage to the entire enemy team with her ultimate, you get her for free. Furthermore, since you get quite a few of her fragments from completing the first few missions, you can also power her up considerably, which gives you the firepower you need to breeze through the first few chapters. And if you get lucky with the gacha by getting Hyakutaro, there’s a good chance that you won’t need any other character, period.
Fio’s ultimate is a devastating AoE blast that deals damage to the entire enemy team. However, while it’s quite strong, it’s not powerful enough to actually kill enemies outright with one shot, which is why Hyakutaro is so important. If you manage to recruit him to your team, you can use him alongside Fio to boost her damage to the stratosphere.
The Hyakutaro + Fio combo works in the following manner: Wait until both ultimates are charged and ready. Once charged, use Fio’s ultimate to attack the enemy team, followed by using Hyakutaro’s ultimate to charge up Fio’s ultimate once again. End the combo by unleashing a second Fio ultimate to destroy all remaining stragglers. This combination can take you far into the game, especially if you keep both characters upgraded and outfitted with good gear to boost their performance in combat.
Metal Slug: Commander was released just a few days ago so there’s still a lot of uncharted territory to discover. The five characters we mentioned in this guide are just some of the few we found to be really good at the beginning. Feel free to leave your own suggestions and strategies in the comments below!
