General advice for Heist - May 30, 2020

Build Heist Teams with a certain goal in mind

Whether it be brute force, stealth, a specific ability -- such as Wormhole to have the Getaway Team take the Artifact to the end, Vehicle Aversion to make heavy use of cars on the road terrain), or Ocular Data Stream to aim for a specific Artifact, having an overall goal and organizing Heist Teams as effectively as possible to aim for that goal is key to a successful Heist.

Conflicting abilities on a team

While there are some abilities that work very well together -- for example, Infiltration and Reckless Command allows for Infiltration to cover more distance while covering Reckless Command's weakness. Mind's Eye and Expert Scout combine well together for large sight ranges that see through walls.

However, some combinations conflict with each other. For example, Moleman Strategem, Demolition Crew and Wormhole all have ways of getting the Artifact out through the south wall, and one is enough for this. 3 are redundant. Sort-of Constructive Criticism and Team Dad conflict to a degree, as Sort-of Constructive Criticism prevents lost turns and Team Dad triggers while turns are lost (though the two together can make for a decent safety net on Legend Difficulty, despite their conflicting).

Battles going on too long and missing turns

Taking too long in combat can cause a Team to miss a turn. It may be best to either make sure characters with high offense (like Tara, Cook and Brooks, for example) are used for the majority of the Heist's combat, and/or ensuring that not all lower offense characters (Cherry, Alberto, Jimmy) are not confined to one Team.

Large groups of guards

It can't be helped -- after taking the Artifact, Force Fighter squads will spawn immediately and will start spawning faster from that point on. When guards see a Team, they will start chasing them. If that guard chasing a Team is spotted by their allies, those allies will also join in chasing whatever Team their friend is chasing. Using abilities like Sniper Shot or Artifacts like Impossible's Cannon can help get rid of guards that will spot a Team.

Swarms of guards chasing a Team is typically bad, but this CAN be used to the overall advantage of a Heist. For example, having the Getaway Team use Moleman Strategem and repeatedly use the south wall as a revolving door can provide a distraction for the Ground Team. Getting a whole bunch of guards after one Team, waiting until they get to a position to block other guards, then using a stealth ability like Infiltration or Artifact like Mattress King's Business Plans can have them stop chasing and block other guards from passing by.

Roads and Cars

If spotted by a number of guards at the end of a Heist when near the roads and forests, try and fight guards on the roads, so that cars can get involved. If a close eye is kept on traffic, battles can go smoother and faster. Risking the forests while in range of guards not only chances a battle in the forest with Shadow hordes, but the Shadow battle stops the Team in their tracks and any guards that catch up to that Team will fight in a car-free area.

Legend Difficulty and spawn times

Legend Difficulty does not have just larger squad sizes of Force Fighters for combat. They also spawn much faster overall to the point that after the Artifact is taken, some enemy doors inside the building have guards spawn every turn (so it is best to have a solid escape plan from the building to avoid near unlimited guards). This also means that the longer it takes to get to the eastern area, the more guards the player will need to contend with. Whether the plan is brute force, stealth or any other point of focus, Legend Difficulty Heists are best done as quickly as possible.