There are quite a few different characters inConcord, and all of them play significantly differently from each other. While there are a few different roles each fit into, playing one character of a role and another character of the same role is going to be a significantly different experience.
There’s a lot to love about Concord, butfor someone new jumping in, deciding what characters you’re going to put the time into learning how to play in the early going can be a bit of a feeling out process. Some characters click quicker than others, and there are some characters that are a great fit for someone easing themselves into the game.
6Teo
Ranger
Teo is going to be the most familiar character for new players coming from other games, particularly those that are more FPS-minded. Teo has two different weapons, the ZEG-12 Guild Guard Rifle, which feels like a mix between an SMG and an AR, and the CL ROC 99 Guild Guard Sidearm, which is a pretty standard pistol.
His two active abilities are Smoke Grenade and Cluster Grenade; one provides an extremely dense smokescreen that Teo can see through when aiming down sights, the other causing an area-of-effect explosion, making him extremely comfortable to play for someone getting the grasp of a hero shooter for the first time.
Concord is more of a blend of hero shooter and FPS anyway, and Teo is very useful because of it. His primary weapon does quite a bit of damage and is very easy to use, and while he isn’t quite as mobile as some other characters in the game, he has a smaller frame and can double dodge, helping him stay out of the limelight and let other bigger teammates take the brunt of the fire.
5Emari
Anchor
For anybody who has tanking in mind for Concord, Emari is pretty easy to understand right from the get-go and isn’t lacking in ability for it. She has a Rotary Scrap Cannon which fires like a minigun, and does pretty solid damage at most ranges you’re going to see. Her Armor Generator ability grants allies near her Armor, and that Armor stacks over time, helping everybody’s survivability.
Her other ability is a Projectile Shield, which is a barrier she holds in front of herself that blocks incoming damage. It can take a pretty significant beating before going down, but it only protects Emari, and doesn’t extend past her body. Emari is not a 1:1 comparison to Reinhardt from Overwatch in the least, but players who play Reinhardt might gravitate toward playing Emari, at least in the beginning.
She has a good ability to take aggro from most of the enemies by walking in first with her shield raised, allowing her teammates to come in a second later and start opening fire at the other team. She can take a pretty good beating and stay on her feet, helping everybody else around her when her Armor Generator is up; for modes where you’re holding an objective, Emari is going to be a massive boon.
4Daw
Tactician
Daw is a fantastic choice for someone looking to play a support kind of role, without sacrificing their ability to deal damage along with it; he comes equipped with his .320 Sanctuary Burst Rifle, which is pretty easy to control and is a very good weapon for mid-range. In close range, it can be hard to keep the full burst on someone, especially fast-moving enemy Haunts, and you’ll likely need help in that situation. Daw also has a Healing Pad that he can drop, which restores health to any teammates in the vicinity for a time, and a Safety Dome, which blocks incoming and outgoing damage inside the bubble.
Daw has a unique ability to force enemies in closer if they want to engage with him and any teammates around him because of his dome, and once his Healing Pad is down inside that dome, it can be difficult to move off of it. He can ruin enemy snipers' days by forcing them to find a different fight, and as long as he isn’t playing on his own in the objective, can be the difference between a win and a loss for his team. He’s one of the easiest characters to use well, as long as you aren’t tossing your domes in areas that disrupt your teammates too much.
3Roka
Haunt
Roka is a Haunt, which means she’s a character that is best suited to ambushing or else causing damage when she isn’t the center of attention. Roka’s weapon is the SAL-90 Light Missile Launcher, which can lock onto enemies after aiming down sights at them for a short while. She also has Hover Thrusters that enable her to hover in place in the air, and a Blast Dive which slams her back down into the ground, dealing damage to enemies nearby.
Roka is going to be a target for enemies who see her because of her damage output and the fact that she’s flying through the sky. As long as she isn’t the center of attention and you choose the right moments to attack, she can wipe enemies off the map with some serious speed, even Anchors. She has a lot of maneuverability with her thrusters and her ability to both dodge in the air and triple jump, and you’ll need to use all of that mobility with her to avoid the enemies that are going to be gunning for you.
2Lennox
Warden
For anyone who sees a high-powered pistol in a game and gravitates towards it (Destiny hand cannon users, looking at you)Lennox is going to be a familiar good time. He has two different pistols: the HL-4 “Bell Ringer” Heavy Handgun, and the Chesterly Model 3 Revolver; the former packs a bigger punch and is better for medium ranges, and the latter fires quicker, but hits softer, making it less punishing to miss within closer ranges. He also has an Exploding Knife that deals significant damage to the enemy it hits, and Claxton Healing, which restores a bit of his health over time.
While every character in Concord has a higher ceiling when used in a team, Lennox is one of the most self-sufficient characters in the game, as he can deal high damage provided you hit your shots, especially if you manage headshots. He can also keep himself alive with his healing ability, as long as he can duck into cover for a second; Lennox isn’t the best at anything, but he’s a great all-around character who can play a variety of different styles.
1Vale
Players looking for a sniper need look no further thanVale and her Monarch “Long 52” Sniper Rifle; it is a bolt-action rifle, so missing a shot is going to mean a short time before your follow-up, but if you’re well-positioned and have teammate support, you should get the opportunity. She also has the Monarch Sidearm, a pretty low-powered pistol, a bionically enhanced Leap ability that can get her some quick verticality and montage-worthy kills from the sky, and Trip Mines that can help cover a flank.
Vale’s rifle does very high damage on a headshot, but it’s going to require more than one body shot for a kill on every character in the game. This is going to separate the real snipers from the tourists, but if you’re confident in your sniping abilities in other games, Vale is probably going to be a good fit for you.
If not, Vale can be a learned character, just keep in mind she’s going to perform a lot better as part of a group; lone-wolfing with Vale is going to have limited value, other than certain spots on the map where you have easy cover to duck into. For modes with one objective, pairing her with characters that can harass enemies and keep them from lining up a long-range shot on you is going to be important.
