Bleeding Edge guide, tips, and tricks: Becoming a better team player, and how to win

Bleeding Edge is just a couple of weeks away from its full release and the final closed beta kicks off today, with a host of improvements such as experimental in-match music, performance optimization, ability balancing and more. If you're all set to dive in on the beta but you find yourself needing a bit help figuring out how to be better at the game, we're here to help.

Bleeding Edge has a very fun atmosphere, which can be deceptively enticing and you might not realize just how challenging the average match can be. Still, Ninja Theory wants it to be easy to learn but difficult to master, so you can quickly pick up the basics and find room for improvement. I've put together a quick list of tips and tricks here that should give you some ideas to play around with if you currently find yourself struggling.

Bleeding Edge Combat tips and tricks

Obviously, you'll need to learn to adapt on the fly but there's a few basic rules that tend to hold true no matter what.

• For starters, target the support characters first. Even when heavy tanks and fighters like El Bastardo or Niddhogr are bearing down on you, dealing damage, if there's a support character nearby, that's who you focus fire on. Speaking from personal experience, there is nothing in Bleeding Edge more depressing than whittling down the health of some bigger fighters...only to watch Zero Cool or Miko start healing them right back up.
• Remember to parry! Most of the characters (there's a couple of exceptions, such as Mekko) can parry attacks and getting the timing right is absolutely critical. It's the difference between being locked in a stun loop and turning the tide, even in a 1v2 situation.
• Practice makes perfect, visit the Dojo. The Dojo training area has tons of different options, which will allow you to practice against dummies or hyper-competent, aggressive AI foes in any combination you choose. Take some time to learn abilities and timing here.
• As you play, you'll earn different chips that let you customize your characters. For example, you might boost the damage Kulev's basic attack does...or you could increase the healing effect of his ward. Play around with these as you unlock them to tweak your characters and get them just right for your playstyle.

Bleeding Edge Stick together as a team

Stay together, stay together, stay together and stay together. Even moreso than in most multiplayer games, a team that separates in Bleeding Edge is a team that will be picked apart. It doesn't matter the game mode or game type, move as one unit and use your abilities frequently. If you always move together, you can catch your opponents when they split apart and easily take them out.

Bleeding Edge Communicate

Heavily related to the above, communication in Bleeding Edge is absolutely vital. Playing with some friends in a squad is the best option but if you're going to be playing with people you don't know, it's highly recommended that you be using a headset and mic. Talking out plans, coordinating attacks, making sure everyone is on the same page, all these things are necessary for a team to win. I know, I know, being on open chat can be annoying if people are being obnoxious or rude. For this game, try it anyways. Talking together will make a huge difference.

Bleeding Edge Try different characters

It's very easy to get caught up in your favorite character's design, or the one that you simply have played the most so far. Don't make that mistake here. If the enemy team swaps up and seems to be winning, try out someone new! Don't be the person that refuses to budge even when your team is horribly imbalanced. Who knows, you might even find someone else that you want to try maining for a while.

Bleeding Edge Get creative and experiment

The abilities of different characters in Bleeding Edge play off each other and the map design in unexpected ways. Is a train about to come through on Landslide? Mekko is perfect for pushing opponents into the tracks. Use Maeve's cage to trap an enemy on Kulev's ward to keep them taking damage. Chaining together abilities in unique ways will allow you to find some unexpected benefits and possible plays.

Have fun out there

Bleeding Edge is set to release on March 24, 2020 for Xbox One and PC. Like all Xbox Game Studios titles, it'll launch day and date into Xbox Game Pass. A couple of weeks after it releases, players can look forward to the first post-launch character, Mekko, a cybernetically-enhanced dolphin operating a tank. You can read more about Mekko in our character guide here.

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