Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a 50v50 tactical shooter built around squads, communication, and control of the map. It does not play like a fast solo run through Call of Duty. You may be eliminated by someone you never saw, and running alone often ends with a long trip back to the fight.
The game launches on August 13, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It is online only and has no single-player campaign. This guide sticks to confirmed launch systems and avoids beta statistics that may change.
Complete the Tutorials First
The developers redesigned the tutorials to help new players understand movement, communication, spawning, the map, and role responsibilities. Use them before joining a public match. A few minutes of practice is much easier than trying to learn a specialist role while 99 other players are already moving.
Save Commander, Squad Leader, helicopter Pilot, Tank Commander, and other leadership or vehicle jobs for later. Those roles affect the whole team and usually require map knowledge, communication, or controls that a first match cannot teach all at once.
Choose Rifleman for Your First Match
Rifleman is the most sensible starting role because it gives you fewer leadership responsibilities. That is beginner advice, not an official rule. Pick it, join a squad with an active Squad Leader, and ask where the group needs you.
Do not choose a role only because its weapon looks interesting. Medics, support troops, engineers, recon units, armor crews, mortar teams, and US helicopter units all have jobs beyond firing at enemies. Learn the flow of one match before taking a position the squad depends on.
Stay Close Enough to Help
Follow the Squad Leader's markers and move with other players. You do not need to stand in one tight group, but you should be near enough to support the same objective. Check the map often. If every squadmate is behind you or on the other side of the sector, you have probably moved too far alone.
The game lets players swim, climb, fast-crawl, and drag wounded teammates. Those options help a squad cross difficult ground or recover someone under fire. Use cover, stop before entering an open area, and let another player watch while you move.
Use Short Voice Messages
Communication is part of the game, but nobody needs a speech during a firefight. Give the direction, approximate distance, what you saw, and whether it is moving. For example: enemy infantry east, about 100 meters, moving left. Mention vehicles, helicopters, boats, and large groups as soon as you can identify them.
Keep local conversation and squad information separate when the game gives you different voice channels. If voice chat has distortion or connection trouble at launch, use markers and text tools where available, then check official support updates. Voice issues appeared during testing, so they should not be described as fully fixed until the live version confirms it.
Spawn With the Squad
Forward spawn points reduce the time between a defeat and your return to the objective. Choose a spawn near your squad rather than the one that looks closest to the center of the map. The closest point can be surrounded, exposed, or connected to a different unit's plan.
Exact garrison, tunnel, and Field Pad rules changed during testing. Learn the launch version before treating a timer or distance from an old beta as permanent. In your first match, the practical rule is enough: use the spawn your Squad Leader recommends and protect friendly spawn points when enemies get close.
Learn Warfare and Offensive First
Warfare is a fight for control of five sectors. Both teams push and defend as control changes. Offensive gives the sides fixed jobs, with one team attacking and the other defending. Watch the objective markers instead of following the loudest fight on the map. A large gun battle can happen away from the sector your team actually needs.
US and NVA Teams Move Differently
US forces can use helicopters for transport, supplies, fire support, and forward deployment. NVA forces rely more on tunnel networks for hidden movement and flanking. Both sides can use patrol boats. These are team systems, so a new player should first learn how to work around them before trying to control them.
If you are fighting the NVA, do not assume every attack will come from the front. If you are on the NVA team, use concealment and follow players who understand the tunnel network. Helicopters are visible and loud; tunnels are harder to notice. Each side asks the squad to watch the map in a different way.
Stop Measuring the Match by Kills
Defending a sector, sharing information, reviving a teammate, carrying supplies, watching a road, protecting a spawn, or following an order can help more than chasing one extra elimination. A player with a modest kill total can still be one of the most useful people in the squad.
