A jack-of-all-trades survivor with no particular weaknesses or standout strengths. Commando is the game's tutorial character by design - his skills are straightforward, his item synergies are intuitive, and he scales well with virtually everything. His alternate skills (Phase Blast, Tactical Slide, Frag Grenade) are all significant upgrades over his defaults and change his playstyle meaningfully.
Commando has no passive ability. His default kit is deliberately basic - straightforward guns, a roll, and a stun fire. The alternate skills transform him significantly. Phase Blast over Phase Round is the biggest upgrade in his kit at close range. Tactical Slide over Tactical Dive lets you keep firing mid-dodge. Frag Grenade gives the only AoE in his default loadout.
Commando is available by default from the very start of the game. No challenge required. Three challenges unlock alternate skill variants.
Rolling Thunder: land the killing blow on an Overloading Worm as Commando. Found more reliably on Monsoon difficulty or by using Shrines of the Mountain to spawn stronger bosses.
Godspeed: fully charge the Stage 1 teleporter in under 5 minutes. Rush straight to the teleporter on Drizzle difficulty - this takes about 2 minutes with any decent build.
Incorruptible: clear 20 stages in one run without picking up any Lunar items. Loop the game without touching any blue-glowing items from the Lunar pool. Challenging but achievable on Drizzle.
Commando's item strategy is straightforward: stack attack speed to increase Double Tap and Suppressive Fire's fire rate, then add on-hit proc items that fire on every bullet. His high fire rate and consistent proc coefficient make him one of the best carriers of items like Tri-Tip Dagger, AtG Missile, and Ukulele in the early game.
Commando's primary advantage is high attack speed and proc coefficient. Soldier's Syringe multiplies the value of every on-hit item by increasing how often each fires. Also increases Suppressive Fire's bullet count directly.
10% bleed chance per hit. With Double Tap firing 2 shots at base and Phase Blast firing 8 pellets per use, bleed stacks accumulate fast on any individual target. One of Commando's most consistent damage sources.
On-crit: +12% attack speed, up to 3 stacks. Phase Blast's 8 pellets each roll crit independently (proc coefficient 0.5). A single Phase Blast blast at decent crit chance can stack all 3 Predatory Instincts charges simultaneously.
10% missile on hit. Commando fires frequently and Phase Blast's 8 pellets each roll AtG independently per hit, giving the highest practical AtG proc rate of any non-burst survivor.
25% chain lightning on hit. Phase Blast's multiple pellets and Suppressive Fire's rapid shots make Ukulele procs frequent. Chain lightning handles the crowd-clear gap that Commando's kit otherwise lacks.
Commando has no reliable mobility beyond Tactical Dive and Slide's 4-second cooldown. Movement speed is his only passive survivability tool. Priority pickup, especially early when cooldowns feel scarce.
Adds an extra Phase Blast charge. Two Phase Blast charges on a 3-second cooldown is enormous burst on a single target. Fire both in rapid succession for 3200% potential damage before any cooldown.
18% chance on kill to drop an ammo pack that resets all cooldowns. Commando's high kill rate from Double Tap and Phase Blast triggers Bandolier frequently, letting Phase Blast and Suppressive Fire reset mid-combat.
Commando's loop is simple: keep Double Tap on the nearest enemy while moving, use Phase Blast or Phase Round whenever it's off cooldown, and use Tactical Slide or Dive to reposition when getting pressured. Use Suppressive Fire on heavy targets to stun and burst them down, or Frag Grenade on groups.
Secondary: Phase Blast once unlocked - 1600% potential at close range vs Phase Round's 300% is not close. Utility: Tactical Slide once unlocked - fire during the dash, same cooldown. Special: Frag Grenade is slightly better for AoE; Suppressive Fire is better if you want the stun interrupt and consistent single-target DPS that scales with attack speed.
Accuracy reset: Double Tap's accuracy degrades with sustained fire, but any other skill instantly resets it. Use Phase Blast, Suppressive Fire, or Tactical Slide between Double Tap bursts to maintain tight grouping at range.
Fall damage cancellation: Both Tactical Dive and Tactical Slide cancel fall damage if activated just before hitting the ground. Tactical Dive into a slope also generates a strong upward jump that can reach elevated areas faster than normal jumping.
Suppressive Fire cancellation: Suppressive Fire has a brief end-lag animation that blocks Double Tap. Cancel it early by firing Phase Round or Phase Blast immediately after the last bullet - this maintains higher damage uptime in long fights.
Backup Magazine with Phase Blast: One Backup Magazine gives you two Phase Blast charges. Fire both back-to-back at a boss for 3200% potential burst on a 3-second cooldown. This is Commando's highest single-window damage output against single targets.
Commando is available by default from the start of the game. No unlock is needed. Three alternate skill challenges exist: Rolling Thunder (Phase Blast), Godspeed (Tactical Slide), and Incorruptible (Frag Grenade).
Phase Blast is significantly better in close-range combat, dealing up to 1600% total if all 8 pellets connect versus Phase Round's 300%. Phase Round is only preferable at long range where Phase Blast's pellets spread out and miss, or in specific situations where its piercing and terrain-penetrating properties matter. Once you unlock Phase Blast, use it.
This one is genuinely a toss-up and comes down to preference. Suppressive Fire scales with attack speed for higher late-game DPS, stuns non-boss enemies, and can interrupt dangerous telegraphed attacks. Frag Grenade provides AoE damage that Commando otherwise lacks and has two charges. If you find yourself overwhelmed by groups, run Frag Grenade. If you want reliable single-target DPS that scales, run Suppressive Fire.
Soldier's Syringe for attack speed first, then Tri-Tip Dagger for consistent bleed on rapid-fire shots. Predatory Instincts stacks from Phase Blast's multiple pellet crits. AtG Missile and Ukulele proc frequently from Double Tap and Phase Blast. Paul's Goat Hoof for movement since Commando has no passive mobility. Backup Magazine with Phase Blast for doubled close-range burst.
Commando is solid but not exceptional. He is intentionally the most balanced survivor with no hard weaknesses or dominant strengths. His on-hit item synergy is genuinely strong, and Phase Blast is an excellent secondary once unlocked. He struggles in late loops compared to survivors with better scaling mechanics, but with the right item build he can clear the game comfortably on any difficulty.