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Five Secrets for Success in the Ghost Recon Wildlands Open Beta

The Santa Blanca drug cartel may have seized control of Bolivia, but you and an elite team of soldiers will soon have a preview of what it takes to break the cartel’s grip over the country when the Ghost Recon Wildlands open beta begins today, February 23, on Xbox One.

In addition to the content featured in the closed beta, the Ghost Recon Wildlands open beta includes five additional story missions and an entirely new province called Montuyoc. This is the same province where the Santa Blanca trains its soldiers, so while you may have thought rescuing Bolivian rebels in the closed beta’s Itacua province was tough, Montuyoc might give you and your squad a little more trouble.

With that in mind, we’ve gathered some tips to help you take advantage of Ghost Recon Wildlands‘ responsive open world and the tactical freedom it offers to approach missions in a variety of ways, whether you’re playing co-op or solo.

Scouting and Reconnaissance

Montuyoc is in the Altiplano of Bolivia, so you won’t encounter jungle or the thick vegetation of the Itacua province. This means you’ll have a clearer line of sight to Santa Blanca operations, but it also means they’ll spot you sooner if you’re careless. Your drone and binoculars will help you peek into those heavily fortified Santa Blanca bases and tag key targets without putting yourself in harm’s way. Some enemies might not be spotted on your first pass as they go about their daily routine, so be sure to do multiple sweeps to ensure you haven’t missed any, and plan your attack accordingly.

Be Aware of the Time of Day

Ghost Recon Wildlands’ Bolivia is a living world with a day-night cycle and dynamic weather patterns. Montuyoc’s terrain, and many of its missions, make for ideal nighttime raids where you can take a stealth approach and get the drop on your enemy. In this scenario, we also recommend using your co-op squadmates to perform sync shots and provide general sniper fire in case you run into a previously untagged guard. If you don’t feel like stealth, nighttime is the right time to cause some chaos. Try blowing up some fuel tanks or similarly flammable objects to cause a distraction and take advantage of confused enemies.

Take Time to Explore

When you’ve infiltrated a Santa Blanca-controlled area, don’t just leave right away on your next mission. Take the time to explore your surroundings and see if there are any supplies to tag. Doing so grants additional points you can use to further upgrade and customize your Ghost. Depending on how you’re playing the game, you might find you want to put more points into your drone’s abilities, or maybe upgrade your sync shot so you can get more of your AI squadmates in on the fun. It pays to look around, especially in missions that take you underground.

Vehicles Create New Tactical Opportunities

Ghost Recon Wildlands offers a large assortment of vehicles to help you get around, and you’ll have no shortage of transportation to try out in the open beta. If you’re not shy about making a grand entrance, an assault from a helicopter is a spectacular way for your crew to catch the Santa Blanca off-guard. But you don’t necessarily want the helicopter to draw all of the enemy fire, so a combined ground assault with a stolen government APC or speedy jeep is another effective way to make use of Ghost Recon Wildlands‘ co-op functionality. And remember, Santa Blanca guards won’t sound the alarm if they see one of their own vehicles approaching, so a little car thievery is a good way to get into bases.

Co-op, Co-op, Co-op

Whether you’re playing solo or with three other players, Ghost Recon Wildlands is a cooperative experience. If you’re having too much trouble with a particular mission, don’t hesitate to call your friends into your session for an assist. If you’re playing solo, take the time to learn how you can direct your squad using commands before taking on some of the tougher missions in Montuyoc province.

Good luck, Ghosts. We’ll see you in Bolivia. Ghost Recon Wildlands launches on March 7.