5 Tips For Mastering 'The Order'

You might struggle with The Order: 1886.

It's not that it's an unforgiving or exhausting challenge - it's just that it's so darn attractive. The twisted Victorian London of Ready At Dawn's fantastical shooter is so rich with detail, so dashingly handsome, that you might miss the odd quicktime nudge and find yourself becoming intimate with an eager lycan (which you really don't want). 

We were given a head start in bringing about peace to the streets of the quasi-historical capital after Ready At Dawn's creative director and CEO Ru Weerasuriya shared his own tips on mastering the game. 

From key tactics to crucial power weapons, you'll want to make a note of these insights if you're going to stand a chance against the half-breeds and rebels. And do try not to get distracted by the pretty vistas - you'll last much longer.

Deploy your Blacksight

"Never forget Blacksight", says Weerasuriya of TheOrder's sense-heightening, time-slowing drink. "In the heat of battle, players can actually forget that they have an option to use Blacksight - it's crucial against certain foe, like the shotgun guys that might attempt to rush you."

Grab cover and play the waiting game

"And don’t forget cover, ever", says Weerasuriya - an obvious point in a cover-based shooter, but enemies have a habit of luring you into a room only to pick you off from unseen vantage points. "Stay covered and wait for your foe to fire the first shot. It gives you a good leg up to try and attack them afterwards." By exercising some patience, tricky enemies like snipers can be easily taken out in the moments they're reloading between shots.

Don't overlook your side arm

"The single shot handgun will literally decimate an enemy with a single shot. They’re best deployed when you have multiple enemies, rattling off quick shots across them."

There's a better way to use the Thermite Rifle

"You'll see that enemies are actually pretty smart about getting behind cover when you try to rush them," says Weerasuriya. That's when the game's cover-busting Thermite Rifle comes into its own. "Test players often used it to just shoot the front of the enemy's cover, but they don't realise that you can just break the thermite over people’s heads and rain down fire on them - it's actually a pretty cool trick."

Run'n'gun

"While running with your gun, remember that you can still hit fire. It's an amazing tactic when you have a shotgun. It's a strategy that gives you the biggest bang for your buck: you can rush at three enemies at the same time and kill all of them with one single shotgun blast."

The Order: 1886 arrives on PlayStation 4 on 20 February