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 inThe Finalsisthe Defibrillator AKM Medium combo and the RPG shields Heavy combo. These two builds are dominating The Finals in really annoying ways. This is compounded by the fact that if you’re new to the game, you won’t have some of thebest gear and weaponsas others. The game needs more balancing tweaks, but until we get them, here is how to make the meta Light, Medium, and Heavy builds.
What is the Light meta in The Finals?
When the game first came out, Light builds were some of the most annoying enemies to face since they were extremely overpowered. Embark Studios has now taken that dial and flipped it the complete other waynerfing them into the ground. Now, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any Light players past the first or second rounds of a match.
That being said, if you have a good team behind you, a Light build can still be viable in certain situations. TheCloaking Deviceis always supreme in Specialization even after the nerfs. Just keep using this to weave in and out of the carnage and hope your team is there to back you up.
Since shotguns have gone down the drain, theXP-54 Submachine gunis a great alternative for dealing quick-burst damage. The only big change that has come with Season 2 is the new gadget for Lights:Gateway. This is the epitome of a Light build, as placing both ends of the teleporter allows you to zip across the map a la Wraith fromApex Legends.
What is the Medium meta in The Finals?
While Light builds once dominated the field, Medium builds are some of thebest in the gameright now. The playstyle is to stay back, but not out of the fight, andheal your Light, Medium, and Heavy teammates.Revive themwhen they are down anduse the AKMor FCARto mow down enemies. The choice of weapon is pretty subjective, as I can’t aim as well as others, I choose to go with the AKM. But for those deadeyes out there, the FCAR promotes a steadier aim, at the cost of less ammo in your mag.
The best Medium build in The Finals right now focuses on supporting your team.The Healing Beam and Defibrillator combo is insanely usefulfor any team composition. All I need to do is sit back and heal my Heavy teammates, while they soak up damage and deliver pain to the enemies.
Another brand-new Gadget,The Data Reshaper, is a much-needed breath of fresh air in The Finals, especially inTerminal Attack. Now when I am going to cash out, I don’t have to worry about there being C4 and mines waiting for me. So say goodbye to all those explosives and say hello to some friendly plants and boxes.The Jump Padis necessary to offer movement to yourself and your team. You can also use it to defend doorways and make the Cashout harder to steal.
What is the Heavy meta in The Finals?
Thisexplosive Heavy buildwith aMedium player for healsandanother Heavyis themost meta and overpowered teamin the entire game. The Lewis Gun 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 thisHeavy buildis torush into battle by shooting an RPG-7. Then, use your Mesh Shield tocover yourself and your teamas they shoot through it at enemies. Once you are playing defense, use yourDome Shield to dominate a Cashout and cover it with C4to immediately blow up whoever tried to take it. Make sure you have your team follow you when you do this, with at least one Heavy player being healed, this will mean certain death for the enemies.
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 thatneed to be buffed or nerfedto make the game more balanced.
In general, Light builds need to be more viable in more competitive matches. As I’ve seen happen, you may be the best Light player and stillget decimated by a HHM(Heavy/Heavy/Medium) team. This is a complete whiplash from one side to the other when it comes to how the game felt on release.
A good idea from The Finals Reddit suggested thatLights get the Defibrillator, while Mediums keep their Healing Beam. This gives Light players more of a reason to jump into battle to try and grab their teammate’s revive statue, while still giving Mediums the main healing option.
I would love to seea slight health buff to Lights, but I know even that is controversial.Heavys need a nerfbecause they are by and large too powerful. And while Mediums have a new weapon with Season 2, theFAMAS needs a buffin order to be competitive with the other mainstay Medium weapons.
The Finals isan 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 learnhow to counter Heavy shields.
Noah Nelson
From his early days of blog-style music, movie, and game reviews to working as the Esports Writer at Coastline Community College, Noah Nelson now works fulltime as a Staff Writer for Attack of the Fanboy and PC Invasion. He has been helping gamers everywhere with Destiny 2 god rolls, Warzone 2 DMZ missions, and collectibles in any indie game for over a year and a half. His Bachelor’s Degree in English Rhetoric and Composition with a minor in Journalism from CSULB has shaped him to be a strong writer and editor. His fondest gaming memory is playing Sly Cooper 2 after begging his mom (for hours) to play it before his birthday and he still cries myself to sleep remembering the time he accidentally saved over his 99% completion save file in Kingdom Hearts 2.
