Tears of Metal Soldiers Guide

Battalion Basics

Soldiers form your battalion—the rank-and-file troops who fight alongside your hero on every roguelike map node. They absorb aggro, provide Emblem aura bonuses tied to troop count and formation, and execute command abilities unlocked through Training Grounds and barracks upgrades. Soldiers are not disposable respawn units. When a soldier dies during a campaign, that death is permanent for the roster: the soldier is gone, their levels are gone, and their specialized training is gone until you recruit and train replacements at the village.

Permanent death reshapes how you evaluate every elite icon and boss phase. A node that is “easy” for your hero may be lethal for soldiers standing in cleave arcs. Rest sites heal soldiers but do not resurrect the fallen. Recruiting mid-campaign is limited by village upgrades and currency between Acts, not by infinite mid-map drafts. Enter each Act with a battalion plan: who anchors the front, who provides ranged support, and which commands you call when Threat spikes.

Soldiers gain experience from combat nodes and elites, leveling stats and strengthening auras. Veterans from Act 1 are precious in Act 3. Losing them to greedy elite chains is one of the most common hidden failure causes. Read battalion management for command timing and walkthrough hub for route safety principles that protect troops.

Recruitment and Training Grounds

Recruitment happens primarily at the village between Acts or after failed runs. Barracks upgrades determine how many soldiers you can field and which specializations appear in the recruit pool. Training Grounds drills set baseline stats for new recruits and veterans alike—upgrading drills between Acts ensures the next campaign starts with tougher troops even if casualties occurred.

Recruitment timing matters after heavy losses. If Act 2 ends with two dead soldiers, recruit before spending luxury upgrade currency elsewhere. New recruits benefit immediately from completed drill tiers but start without elite XP veterans accumulated. Some players intentionally run safer Act 2 routes to level remaining troops rather than risking a hollow Act 3 roster. Pair recruitment with settlement upgrades that unlock barracks tiers and specialization slots.

Soldier specializations—shield lines, archer volleys, interrupt squads—change how you interact with Threat. Shield lines reduce battalion damage during Hazard spikes; archers clear add waves before they reach melee troops; interrupt squads help with boss charge telegraphs seen in boss guide. Choose specializations that complement your hero and Emblem plan from Emblem families, not generic DPS picks.

Keeping Soldiers Alive on the Map

On the left-to-right roguelike map, soldier survival starts with fork discipline. Elites that do not grant necessary rewards are soldier death traps. Rest before boss gates when Threat is elevated—soldiers enter fights at partial health more often than heroes because cleaves stack during long encounters. Use Scout Tent intel from settlement upgrades to avoid Hazard branches that spawn ambushes on battalion backlines.

During fights, call formation commands early rather than reacting after casualties. Pull soldiers out of ground telegraphs even if hero DPS dips briefly. Heroes with battalion healing—Ruadh Stonecrusher’s kit, certain Emblems and Charms—extend soldier lifespans more than raw damage heroes when Threat is high. In co-op, assign one player to babysit formation while others focus elites; silent role drift kills soldiers silently.

When a soldier dies permanently, reassess the campaign immediately. Continuing with one soldier may be viable in Act 1; in Act 3 it often breaks aura thresholds required for boss phases. Sometimes abandoning a run early preserves village currency for Training Grounds instead of sinking time into a doomed push. Learn from death logs: which Hazard, which elite, which boss phase—then adjust routes on the next attempt using Act 3 walkthrough prep chapters.