With the global launch of Squad Busters only a week away, this Squad Busters Beginner Guide will tell you everything you need to know before you start playing. Every match in Squad Busters has one big objective: to get as many Gems as possible before time runs out.
In order to get Gems, you can look for hidden loot around the Map, wait for the Gem Mine to open or bust Monsters and other Squads. All ten players in the match start with one character and need to collect Coins to open Chests to expand their Squad.
Each Chest gives three options, and different characters will bring different abilities to your Squad. For example, Greg can chop Trees, Mavis picks Carrots, and Penny finds Treasure in the ground, helping to get more Coins and Gems faster.
Other characters like Colt or Archer Queen are great at dealing damage, while tanky characters like El Primo will help keep your Squad safe. When you get three of the same character, they will fuse into a bigger, stronger, and fully healed Character. Fusions will also decrease your Squad’s size, which is super useful because Chests cost less Coins when your Squad is small.
If you run out of Coins, you can use a Key to open the next Chest for free. Once you unlock the Battle Bag, you can take your own Keys to the match. It can also carry Rerolls, which allow you to refresh your Chest choices. Here is a complete Squad Busters Chest Cycle Guide
Keep in mind that the Battle Bag has limited usage per match, so use it wisely. Now that you’ve learned how to grow your Squad, let’s talk about interacting with other Squads.
When crossing paths with another player, you will need to look at your Squad’s size and composition and quickly assess if you are ready to fight or if you need to run and keep farming loot instead. Be careful if your Squad’s health gets low, which you can see in each Character’s health bar.
Also keep a look out for giant Fusions, which have a star and a glow to show off their huge strength.
One more thing, some Characters have special power attacks. These are ready when the bar around their health starts to flash. Learning when to engage in a fight takes some time, but if you find yourself running around regularly, make sure to pick Speedster units like Chicken or Hog Rider, and pick up as many Boots as you can.
Holding the Turbo button while running will make you sprint, and if you decide to stop and fight, you can also use it to make your units attack faster.
Be sure to let your Turbo recharge from time to time, so you have some left when you need it. Another great way to attack other Squads or defend your own is using Spells.
Pick up Spells, then drag, hold, aim and release in order to use them. There are many different Spells that can be unlocked through time-limited events. Follow the Wizard’s instructions and collect them all. When things in a match are looking bad and not even Spells seem to help, it’s important not to give up, because there is a chance to find a MEGA unit in your next Chest.
MEGA units often appear when you need them the most. They are bigger and stronger than Fusions and have unique abilities that can be enough to turn your fortunes around. Keep in mind that MEGA units are consumables, and you can skip them to get the usual three options, if you feel you don’t need the extra help.
The current MEGA units are Chicken Dragon and El Tigre. Magical Shelly and Kitsune Witch will join the Moonlight Matchup season starting on May 29th. Seasons in Squad Busters are monthly and come with a new Gem Pass filled with rewards, including two new MEGA units every month. Here is a Squad Busters Megas Guide
The Gems you earn in a match will move you down the track, and once you reach the end of the Pass, you will unlock the MEGA Bank, which will allow you to exchange Gems for MEGAs until the next season starts.
Gems are not the only thing you get from the battle. At the end of each match, win or lose, and as long as you have Chest Tickets, you will get a Chest. The higher your position and the longer your Top Five Streak, the more opportunities you get to make your Chest better. These Chests contain Characters, and the more upgrade taps, the more and higher rarity Characters you can get.
If you run out of Chest Tickets, you can wait for them to refill, get more from the Shop, or claim them for free in places like the Gem Pass and Squad Journey.
Squad Journey is your main progress track in the game. In order to progress through it and unlock many kinds of rewards, you will need Portal Energy, which you can get by completing achievements and evolving your Characters.
Every Character in Squad Busters starts as a Baby and then evolves to Classic, Super and Ultra abilites. Evolving a Character will require ten copies of the previous form, which you can get from Chests. For example, to get Classic Colt, you need to find ten Baby Colts. And to get Super Colt, you will need ten Classic Colts. Classics and Supers can also drop from a Chest if you are lucky enough.
Each evolution unlocks a new unique ability for that Character and gives you Portal Energy, which you need to reach new Squad Journey levels. Along the Squad Journey, you will unlock new Characters, Chests, Emotes and much more. But most importantly, you will unlock new Worlds.
There are currently four available Worlds: Green, Desert, Royal, Beach and a new one coming in June, Ice World. Each World has a unique theme, Monsters and gameplay challenges, so you might want to change your playstyle depending on the World you are in. After unlocking a new World, you will also unlock a set of new Characters, which you can then find in Chests.
All the current Worlds come with a set of Modifiers as well. At the start of each game, you will get a random Map and Modifier. Mods change the rules of the game, making every match feel different. Some Mods flood the Map, like Loot Goblin Rush and Piñata Party. Others change how you build your Squad, like Double Trouble and Mega Start.
Some even spawn massive bosses, like Tree Giants and Whack-A-Mole. There are many more Mods to discover and we will keep adding new ones as we update the game. After all these crazy Mods, you might need a place to rest and have some peace and quiet. Lucky for you, we have the plaza, where you can hang out with all your unlocked Characters.
Once you unlock the Plaza Upgrades in Squad Journey, you can start customizing it. Find Hammers in matches to build Decorations and Statues of your favorite Characters and Monsters from the Squad world. Now that you are all ready to start your own Squad Journey.