The meta, or “most effective tactics available,” in The Finals include the builds that if used produce more wins and kills than losses and deaths. Until a new patch comes that rebalances the game, here is the current meta in The Finals.
I’ll walk you through the meta builds for Light, Medium, and Heavy, but to get it out of the way, the current meta in The Finals is the shotgun invisibility Light combo and the RPG shields Heavy combo. These two builds are dominating The Finals in really annoying ways, which honestly is a bad thing. The game needs more balancing tweaks, but until we get them, here is how to make the meta Light, Medium, and Heavy builds.
Related: Best ways to unlock weapons and gear quickly in the Finals
- Specialization: Cloaking Device
- Weapon: SH1900
- Gadget 1: Stun Gun
- Gadget 2: Breach Charge
- Gadget 3: Goo Grenade
The current menace in The Finals is the Light class with Cloaking Device and the SH1900 sawed-off shotgun. Truthfully, the Gadgets don’t matter here because of how strong that combo is. If you want to play a more fun Light build that isn’t as powerful, I’ve got the guide for you.
The playstyle is to go invisible, sneak around an enemy, and shoot them twice (and maybe add a melee attack) to get a kill. Then, turn invisible again and run away. Rinse and repeat, and I promise you’ll have the most kills at the end of the match.
Like I said, the Gadgets don’t matter, but the ones I recommend start with the Stun Gun because it allows you to slow down your target and keep them from using their Gadgets. Since you’re sacrificing your movement Specializations, Breach Charge is necessary to get to where you want to go to with ease. Lastly, I recommend Goo Grenade to block people from chasing you and hitting you with easy shots, and it’s great when defending a Cashout.
- Specialization: Healing Beam
- Weapon: AKM
- Gadget 1: Defibrillator
- Gadget 2: Explosive Mine
- Gadget 3: Jump Pad
While Light and Heavy are currently dominating the meta, Medium is also really powerful. Balance-wise, I think Medium is in the best spot and this build proves it. The playstyle is to stay back, but not out of the fight, and heal your Light, Medium, and Heavy teammates. Revive them when they are down and use the AKM to mow down enemies.
The best Medium build in The Finals right now focuses on supporting your team. The Healing Beam and Defibrillator combo is insanely useful for any team composition. I’ve even had success using this Medium build with two other Mediums.
The Explosive Mine is extremely dangerous; as a Light player, I’ve died to it numerous times. I like the Gas Mine, but the Explosive Mine is better to defend an area and score kills. The Jump Pad is necessary to offer movement to yourself and your team. You can also use it to defend doorways and make the Cashout harder to steal.
- Specialization: Mesh Shield
- Weapon: SA1216
- Gadget 1: RPG-7
- Gadget 2: Dome Shield
- Gadget 3: C4
This explosive Heavy build is just as broken as the Light build right now. The SA1216 shotgun is crazy good at mowing down enemies, the RPG-7 is broken since it almost always grants you a one-shot kill, and the Mesh Shield and Dome Shield combo is almost unbeatable.
The playstyle for this Heavy build is to rush into battle by shooting an RPG-7. Then, use your Mesh Shield to cover yourself and your team as they shoot through it at enemies. Once you are playing defense, use your Dome Shield to dominate a Cashout and cover it with C4 to immediately blow up whoever tried to take it.
Even without this meta build, Heavys are the most overpowered class so far. Yes, they are supposed to be spongier than the other classes, but they are a little too tanky. Most of their Gadgets, including the RPG-7 and Dome Shield, are way too overpowered — if they don’t get nerfed, Lights and Mediums need buffed Gadgets or new Gadgets to counter.
What needs to be buffed and nerfed in The Finals?
From personal experience and watching community feedback, I can tell you that there are a few key things in The Finals that need to be buffed or nerfed to make the game more balanced.
In general, the meta builds need to be nerfed. They are meta for the wrong reasons; they are overpowered. The first thing that needs nerfing is the Light Shotgun and (hopefully not by too much) the invisibility. Also, Dome Shields and RPGs need a nerf.
I would love to see a slight health buff to Lights, but I know even that is controversial. Heavys need a nerf because they are by and large too powerful. Mediums need another gun, but for now, the FCAR needs a buff to the magazine.
The Finals is an incredibly fun game despite those necessary buffs and nerfs. I hope balancing changes come soon, and when they do, I’ll update this article to reflect the new meta. For now, you should learn how to counter Heavy shields.
