Ubisoft announced Ghost Recon Breakpoint on Thursday, and we’re still thinking about the critical survival tactics players are going to deal with during their time on Auroa island.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint is going to be all about players facing off against a foe who thinks exactly like them. They’re no longer dealing with drug cartels like they were in Wildlands. The stakes are higher, and because players are going to find themselves on a remote, hostile island with no passive NPCs, they need to rely on stealth, crafting, and using survival to keep alive. Ubisoft discussed these more substantial mechanics during their live stream Breakpoint announcement, and we’re going to go through them to speculate how they’re all going to tie in together.
The Survival Mechanics of Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Damaged Limbs
When a player’s Ghost character gets shot, it’s not only going to damage their health points, but they’re going to notice the damage on the character. Beyond graphical effects, a Ghost character is going to fight differently. If they got hit in the arm or the bicep, they might start to fire their gun less effectively or are forced to place it against their gut to aim correctly.
The same goes for if they get shot in the leg. The Ghost character will start to limp and won’t have the chance to run as quickly as they usually would. These mechanics are going to force players to rethink strategies and how they engage enemies. If they’re already damaged and want to try for a surprise attack, that’s great. But their character may not fight at 100 percent because they can’t aim down sights as well or run away if things get dicey. These mechanics place medicine and medical supplies on the top of the list of essential items to always be carrying.
Mud and Environment
Like any good hunter, players are going to learn how to use the environment to their advantage. If they find themselves getting hunted by the enemy, they may need to dive down into the mud and cover themselves up to blend in and avoid detection. It’s not going to be the prettiest way to avoid a patrol, but it’ll keep them alive.
Tucking bodies away from prying eyes is an excellent way for a Ghost to avoid detection, too. Players will have to rely on tall grass, bushes, and difficult-to-see-through thickets to effectively take out an opponent, and then hide the body. The less get found, the better.
Stamina Bars
Players are not going to have the opportunity to sprint forever. There’s a distinct bar highlighting how long they can do it. Additionally, if their Ghost character is damaged, they’re going to find sprinting much more difficult on an injured leg. The stamina bar is going to determine how well a player can dash away from an unfortunate encounter. Also, when running down a hill or sliding down through steep terrain, it’ll determine how well a Ghost can hold their balance.
If they make it down the hill without expending their entire stamina bar, they’ll land on the bottom, fine. However, if they consume all of it, they’ll crash and roll down it. If a player hits before they reach the bottom, this may lead to some health damage. But this was not expanded on during the live stream.
Crafting
Another big mechanic players are going to rely on when they’re spending time on Auroa is the crafting mechanics. Unfortunately, Ubisoft did not expand on this discussion as much during their live stream and post-live stream discussion with the developers. We’re going to speculate a bit more on this mechanic, without knowing too much about it.
Given how much of a focus on survival Ubisoft is placing for Breakpoint, we can guess players are going to have to go hunting for medical supplies, weapon and armor upgrades, weapon attachments, and even base upgrades. Because Auroa is going to have drones and other mechanical monsters marching around on the Wolves’ behalf, it wouldn’t be surprising to see these weapon upgrades coming from the robots. They’d serve as unique creatures to hunt, rather than the traditional wildlife many have come to expect.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint launches later this year on October 4 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC.
