Into the Breach Beginner Guide: Read Enemy Attacks and Protect the Grid

Look at the red attack marks before choosing an action. Vek show what they plan to hit. Check whether a city building or mission target is in the line, then move, push or stop the attacker. Only choose End Turn once the dangerous attacks have been dealt with.

Into the Breach is a turn-based game: you move your mechs, then the enemy actions happen. A city is a group of small buildings on the grid. The orange Power Grid bars near the top measure how much damage your cities can still take. If those bars run out, the run ends. The official pictures below come from different runs, so the exact mechs, numbers and islands on your screen may be different.

1. On the squad screen, look to the right for three rows of mechs. In this example they are called Rocket Mech, Siege Mech and Triptych Mech. Your available squads may have different names or pictures. Each row shows a mech and its equipment; the pilot appears in the Time Traveler panel on the left.
2. Choose the squad you want to try. For a first run, pick one whose attacks you can understand from the descriptions. Use Change Squad at the lower right if you want to see another team; use Start at the upper right when you are ready.

You do not have to understand every icon before starting. The next battle lets you inspect a mech and preview its attack. The important thing is to notice that you command three different units, not one character with three lives.

1. On the island map, select a mission and read the card that appears. The place name is large on the left; the small map is on the right. Under Bonus Objectives, this Rust District example asks you to kill at least seven enemies and protect a Power Generator. A warning below says Wind Storm. Another mission can have completely different goals.
2. Notice which object the card asks you to protect. Once the battle opens, look for that object on the board before you move your first mech. Bonus objectives can bring rewards, but keeping the Power Grid alive is the first thing to watch.

The second picture shows Reclamation Zone instead. It asks for two things to be destroyed and warns about A.C.I.D. Storms. This is why a copied route from somebody else’s island may not match yours.

1. Start at the upper left. Power Grid is beside an orange row of bars. Each lost bar brings the run closer to ending. Grid Defense is a percentage beside it: a chance for a building to resist damage, not a promise that a hit is safe.
2. Now look down the left side for your three mech portraits and their small green health bars. Select a mech on the board to see its movement and weapon choices. In this screenshot, Rocket Mech is selected and its weapon appears at the lower left.
3. Find the building clusters on the board. They look like small grey towers with lit windows. At the upper right, Bonus Objectives reminds you of the extra mission goals. Near it is Attack Order, which helps when the order of enemy attacks changes the result.

Read the red attack preview first. It shows which tile or line an enemy plans to hit after you end your turn. A Vek can still have health left and be harmless this turn if you push it so the attack misses the building.

1. Find a Vek with a red attack mark. Trace the highlighted tiles to see what is in danger. If a building is in that path, select a mech whose weapon can reach the Vek and inspect the weapon preview before confirming the attack.
2. Look for the push direction in that preview. If your attack moves the Vek away from the dangerous line, check where its marked attack will point afterward. An upward push in the simple example below moves the enemy one row away, so the city no longer sits directly in front of it.

Do not assume every push is safe. A Vek might land next to a different building, be unable to move, or collide with another unit. Check the preview shown by your actual game. You can sometimes block an attack with a mech or defeat the enemy instead; choose the move that protects the most important tile this turn.

Your own weapon can damage a building too. Before firing into a crowded area, look at every highlighted square around the target, not just the Vek you selected. If the preview touches a tower cluster, try another angle or another mech. Saving a city from the enemy only to hit it yourself does not solve the turn.

1. Point to or select a tile you do not recognise. In this picture, the lower-right explanation says Chasm Tile and tells you what happens to ground units pushed there. Other maps can have water, ice or environmental effects. Do not guess what a tile does from its colour alone.
2. If two enemies or environmental effects may interact, open Attack Order near the upper right. The order matters because the first attack can move or damage something before the next one happens. Recheck the red marks after each of your actions.
3. Look at the top right for Victory in X turns, which tells you how many turns remain in that mission. When the city threats and objectives are as safe as you can make them, choose End Turn at the upper left. The enemy then carries out the attacks still marked on the board.

• Undo Move is beside End Turn at the upper left. Use it when you moved a mech to the wrong tile but have not committed the action you meant to take. It is not a general undo button for a fired weapon.
• Reset Turn, when available, rewinds the current turn so you can try another plan. The number of uses can vary. One screenshot says Reset Used; another shows Reset Turn (2). Check the button on your own screen instead of assuming you always have a reset left.
• If a weapon will not fire, check whether the mech has already attacked, whether the target is in range and whether a building or another unit would be hit. Inspect the highlighted preview before confirming.

On controller or touch versions, button prompts can differ from the PC screenshots. Follow the on-screen prompt for select, move and cancel. The location and purpose of Power Grid, mission objectives and enemy intent are the parts to recognise.

1. Between missions, open a mech’s equipment screen. The mech name appears at the top. In this example, the centre shows Health 5 and Move 5; those are the numbers for this pictured Thruster Mech, not a starting value for every unit.
2. Look under each weapon picture for its effect and upgrade boxes. The Reactor column is where you assign power to equipment. If you are unsure about a new weapon or upgrade, use Test Mech at the bottom of this screen when that button is available, then check what the attack preview does in the test.

A stronger attack is useful, but movement and a safe push can save a city without extra damage. Upgrade the problem you keep running into: reaching threats, surviving hits or stopping an attack line.

• Is a city under a red attack mark? Identify the building cluster and trace which Vek is aiming at it.
• Can you push that Vek so its attack misses? Preview the new position and the new attack line before confirming.
• Do any mission objectives or unusual tiles change your plan? Read the right-side goals and the tile explanation.
• Did you move a mech to the wrong square? Check Undo Move before you fire. If the whole plan failed, check whether Reset Turn is still available.
• Before End Turn, look once more at Power Grid, every remaining red attack mark and any target the mission asks you to protect.