Welcome to the frontlines of Verdun. Verdun has a unique setting and some gameplay innovations which are different to any other FPS you’ve played before. This play guide will cover the key differences and prepare you for trench warfare!

Verdun portrays the infamous trench warfare that occurred on the Western front during 1914-1918 in World War One. At this time, rifles and pistols were in general still the standard equipment for most soldiers, although there were some innovations with lighter machine guns and some of the first submachine guns. This game leans toward realism, meaning that you will have to contend with basic bullet ballistics and most weapons can kill in one shot at close-medium ranges. You will quickly experience that this makes the game unforgiving of carelessness and you can’t charge around the battlefield ignoring cover. However, this doesn’t mean that hiding in a hole will be any more safe or successful – alternating between movement and taking cover is essential.

Click on a link to read more about that subject.

"Welcome to the front Soldier!

It might not be as comfortable as what you are accustomed to, but fear not, we will be home by Christmas.

Now listen up while I talk you through some basics.

You will be fighting on the Frontlines of the Western Front. We will advance - inch by inch if necessary - to gain control of the enemy trenches.

We will only halt should the attack fail, at which time the enemy surely will launch a counterattack which must be repelled by any means necessary. Don’t let them achieve momentum by killing defenders or gaining a foothold in your trench, since time spent defending is time wasted not attacking!

You and the rest of your specialized four man squad are trained to work together and each fulfil your assigned role in the squad. But what would a group be without its leader? I’ll tell you: dead meat! Always follow the orders of your NCO and stick close to him. Your squad will grow stronger if you do so, and this will grant the NCO more privileges when calling in assistance such as Gas, Artillery or Plane support. HQ may even reward you with some of those new steel helmets!

Initially you are given basic equipment for your role. If you can prove you are capable of handling weapons and achieving objectives on the battlefield, the Quartermaster will be able to offer you different weapon loadouts which may better suit different tactics.

I’m afraid we do have reports of the enemy deploying chemical agents on the frontlines. Everyone is equipped with a gas mask, so make sure you know how to put it on and be ready to use it quickly in the event of a chemical attack.

All right, that’s enough chit chat, let’s get you deployed. You can either create your own squad or join an existing squad. Every squad offers different roles and possibilities but I am sure you will find one where you fit right in.

It’s a lot to take in, but if you want to read more the information is available. Otherwise, I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly once you’re out in the field. Good luck soldier!"

Keep reading this guide for more information about Verdun.

Verdun has four game modes:

• Frontlines: the main game mode recreating trench warfare. This a squad based game mode featuring 32 player battles between two teams, each with four squads of four men battling to capture enemy trenches and advance the frontline. Click to read more.
  
• Rifle Death Match: this is your typical Free For all game mode, although featuring rifles only. It’s a more pure skill based game mode. New rifles can be unlocked as you progress. Click to read more.
  
• Attrition: this is your typical Team Death Match game mode, with players split into two teams and able to choose any primary with attachments such as rifles, carbines and LMGs and a secondary weapon - melee, pistols or grenades.
  
• Squad Defence: this is a co-operative game mode in which a squad of 1-4 players have to fend off AI controlled enemy waves trying to overrun their trench. Earn medals by surviving as long as possible and earn artillery strikes by making the most kills.

The Frontlines game mode is the main game mode in Verdun. It aims to recreate the tug of war trench warfare of WW1. You play on long narrow maps where each side takes turns to attack and try to capture as much ground as possible to push the enemy deeper into the map. You always play in squads of 4 people with their own abilities, weapons, uniforms and roles. This game mode is probably different from what you’ve seen in other games, so please click here or below to read the Frontlines Guide.
http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=327429794

If you fancy some Rifle Death Match, also known as RDM for short, you can join friends using the friends list if they’re currently playing, or join a match via “Find Match” - “Rifle Death Match” and choosing a game or starting a new one. You can choose by clicking the map around the red circles or join a random game via “Play now”. When you join a match you will have to choose the rifle or carbine you wish to play with, and you can also choose one attachment if you’ve unlocked it.

If you want to play a round of Attrition just choose the game mode on the menu and select a match, by clicking a helmet around a map name or use the "join now" button at the top of the screen. You can choose both a primary and secondary weapon and attachments for those that have them. You can unlock more choices for all categories by spending career points (which you collect as you play) on those with a lock over them.

This is a co-op mode with 1-4 players holding a trench against waves of bots. You can choose any squad at the start of the match and change roles and loadouts between waves. You can resupply your ammunition and grenades as well using ammo boxes by walking up to them and pressing R - but be careful as they only have one use per player per wave. There's also the field telephone which allows players to call in artillery: the player with the most kills in a wave gets one use of it which can be saved up between waves.

If a player is killed they will respawn after the wave is complete, and if all members of the squad are killed the trench line will be lost and the battle will move to the next line. The same thing will happen if the bots overwhelm you and capture the trench by occupying it, so stay in the trench to help hold it! The match will end when the last line is lost. See how many waves you can survive!

Frontlines features the unique squad gameplay in which you always play in a squad of four people. There are many different squad types in Verdun which all are different regarding abilities, loadouts, uniforms, nationality and specialisation.

Currently we have 15 squads in Verdun. 10 Entente Power and 5 Central Power squads

If you want to know more about how squads work please click here. If you want to know more about a specific squad click a squad below.

Squads of the Entente Powers

Canadians
Chasseur Alpins
Poilus
Tommies
Belgians
U.S. Marines
U.S. Doughboys
Highlanders
ANZACs
Tirailleurs Sénégalese

Squads of the Central Powers

Alpenjäger
Landsers
Stoßtruppen
Schützen
Pioniere

Verdun currently features 10 maps from all over the Western Front with a total area of 557,100m². The maps are typically very large and long but relatively narrow map to support the shifting forward and back in Frontlines as trenches are captured. You can find out more about the maps here:

http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=324865982
Or you want more information on a specific map please click a map below.

Argonne
Artois
Aisne
Champagne
Fort Douaumont
Flanders
Picardie
Vauqois
Vosges
St. Mihiel

Verdun currently features an arsenal of 53 weapons. If you want to learn more about weapons please have a look at the weapon guide.
http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=324870664 Or click on a weapon to see more details.

Fusil Mle 1907-15 "Berthier"
Mousqueton Mle. 1892 "Berthier"
Fusil Mitrailleur Mle 1915 CSRG "Chauchat"
Grenade Mle 1916 Billant F1
M1887 Feldspaten
Fernglas08 "Binoculars"
Gewehr '98
Karabiner 98AZ 424174
Fusil Mle 1886 M93 "Lebel" 424175
Machine Gun Model 1914 "Lewis"
Pistole Parabellum 1908 "Luger"
Maschinengewehr '08/15
Mk I No. 5 "Mills Bomb"
Maschinenpistole 18/I
Pistolet Automatique "Ruby"
Lee Enfield Mark III*
Stielhandgranate M1915
Trench Club
Boker M1915 Trench Knife
Trench Knife Mle 1916 "Le Vengeur"
Webley Mk VI Revolver
U.S. CSRG .30-06 M1918 "Chauchat"
Hotchkiss M1909 "Benét–Mercié"
Bergmann 1915 MG 15 n.A.
Maschinengewehr 08/18
Tankgewehr M1918
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 "BAR"
Mousqueton Mle. 1892 M16 "Berthier"
G.P.K. Model 1888/05 "Kommissionsgewehr"
Mauser Model 1889
Karabiner 1888
Mauser Model 1889 Carabine Mle. 16
Magazine Lee–Enfield (MLE)
M1917 Enfield
M1910 Mark III "Ross"
Model 1903 "Springfield"
Lange Pistole Parabellum 1908 "Artillerie-Luger"
Mauser C96 "Broomhandle"
FN Browning M1900
Revolver de 8 mm modèle 1892
Reichsrevolver M1883
Fusil Automatique Mle. 1917 "RSC"
Fusil Automatique Mle. 1918 "RSC"
Webley Self-Loading Pistol MKI Model I
Wechselapparat M1917 "Wex"
Eierhandgranate M1917
M1917 Geballte Ladung 6x
M1917 Geballte Ladung 9x
No. 34 Egg Grenade
Winchester Model 1897 "Trench Gun"
Stielhandgranate M1917
M1911 Automatic Pistol
P14 Enfield
Webley-Fosbery
1908 E-Tool
Fusil Colonial MLE. 1907 Berthier Senegalais
Senegalese Machete Sabre D’Abattis
OF1 Grenade
Petard Explosive

Your character can shout out voice commands to communicate. These commands can be accessed by holding the voice command button which is 'X' by default.

A choice wheel will appear, and you can click through to your choice of voice command. It will be heard by everyone around you and show up in the squad chat.

Each squad has its own native voice over for the commands.

World War One was infamous for the use of chemical weapons, and gas is represented in Verdun as well. If you see a cloud like the image below you should put on your gas mask before running through it. This can be done by pressing the gas mask button which is '4' by default. If you do not have your gas mask on, you will suffer from the four stages of gas effects and eventually die. The four stages are determined by exposure.

1. Tearing: Your eyes begin to tear very quickly and you will notice a blur across your screen.
   
2. Blinding: You will slowly become blinded and see your screen turning black more often.
   
3. Asphyxiating: This means you can't breathe any longer and are unable to move, leading to...
   
4. Death.

There are four different gas types distinguishable by their color, which each have a different lethality exposure time which you can read about in the section 'NCO Abilities' below.

Every squad NCO can place an order and call in a special ability based on their squad type. This can be done by bringing up the command menu by pressing the default button 'Q'. A menu will appear with two options. Left clicking will place the order. This order will give extra points if squad members follow it and is needed for some abilities. Right click will call in a special ability on the position of the red marker which is placed on where you look at. There are five different squad types:

• Recon
  
• Infantry
  
• Assault
  
• Sentry
  
• Engineer

Recon can depend on air support which can perform aerial observations and air attacks. The recharge time is 60s.

Recon Plane - Standard
A recon plane will fly over target sector, revealing all enemies present.

Patrol Plane - Level 60
A Plane will drop a bomb at target position and reveals all enemies in the target sector.


The infantry squad can call in artillery strikes as support. There are three kinds of strikes available.

Mortar Shot - Standard
Fires one mortar round on given target.
Recharge time: 45s

Sector Artillery - Level 50
Fires a number of shells into the target sector.
Recharge time: 70s

Creeping Barrage - Level 100
Fires shells in the first sector then in a targeted second.
Recharge time: 100s

This squad type can call in gas shells on the battlefield. Gas clouds have an area of around 14 meters. There are four different gas types available which you can distinguish based on their color, see 'Chemical Warfare' section.

Xylyl Bromide Gas - Standard
Artillery shell fired, releases xylyl bromide gas cloud on impact, lethal in 8 seconds of exposure.
Recharge time: 180s

Chlorine Gas - Level 5
Artillery shell fired, releases Chlorine gas cloud on impact, lethal in 7 seconds of exposure.
Recharge time: 180s

Phosgene Gas - Level 35
Artillery shell fired, releases Phosgene gas cloud on impact, lethal in 6 seconds of exposure.
Recharge time: 180s

Mustard Gas - Level 75
Artillery shell fired, releases Mustard gas cloud on impact, lethal in 5 seconds of exposure.
Recharge time: 180s

This squad uses mortars for support, they have 3 types.

Mortar - Standard
Fires a single mortar round at the target.
Recharge time: 80s

Heavy Mortar - Level 50
Fires a single heavy mortar round at the target.
Recharge time: 120s

Super Heavy artillery - Level 100
Fires a single Big Bertha(Central Powers) or Railway artillery(Entente) at the target.
Recharge time: 240s

This squad uses smoke to cover their advance and phosphorus to harrass the enemy.

Smoke screen - Standard
Fires a smoke shell at the target.
Recharge time: 45s

White Phosphorus shell - Level 50
Fires a white phosphorus shell at the target.
Recharge time: 100s

White Phosphorus Barrage - Level 100
Fires multiple white phosphorus shells at the target.
Recharge time: 240s

So you are dead... but don't worry, you will respawn soon! In Verdun you always respawn in waves with everyone else who has died. The wave respawn time is 16 seconds. The position of your spawn point depends on your squad type and the position of the enemy. It first tries to spawn you on your squad. The squad mechanic depends on the type of squad:

• Recon: You will spawn on anyone alive as close as possible to the enemy trench.
  
• Infantry: You can spawn on the NCO if he is alive.
  
• Assault: You can spawn on anyone in your squad if they are close to an assault order given by the NCO.

If this is not possible it will try to spawn you as close as possible in a friendly trench but only if there are not any enemy players nearby. If there are enemies nearby you may be spawned further back.

The war was brutal and violent, and gore has been added reflecting this. It is an option you have to enable in the games graphic settings. Here is a test gif so that you can see if it's for you – just mouse over the little black square to show the gif:

Questions? Feedback? Want to talk about the game? Join us on the forum!

If you have any bugs to report you can:

• Type '/reportbug description' in-game to directly report bugs, for instance:
  /reportbug My gun won’t reload but I have ammo.
  
• Or talk with us on http://discord.gg/dUY5DSu.