Cyber Knights Flashpoint Tips and Tricks — *Image Credits: Trese Brothers*

Cyber Knights: Flashpoint looks like XCOM but plays like a tactical nightmare with extra attitude. If you rush in blind, the game will punish you hard, especially on Chrome difficulty or higher.

These tips will help you survive your first campaign, manage your team better, and actually turn a profit instead of watching your squad melt under pressure.

Let Time Heal Everything

There’s no base upkeep cost, no merc salary, and no penalty for waiting. Let time pass to heal wounds, lower stress, and reduce heat.

Unless you're skipping story-critical missions, your only real downside is slightly annoyed contacts. And that’s fine... just send someone on legwork later to fix it.

Small Team, Big Wins

More mercs means less money. Keep your team at around 8 operatives.

It’s enough to cover missions and legwork, but small enough that you’re not draining income on unused squad members. Idle mercs still take a cut of your pay, so don’t carry dead weight.

Hackers Are Mandatory

You need at least one strong hacker. Many missions include matrix layers, and a good hacker turns those into easy XP and extra loot.

Without one, you’ll leave a lot of rewards behind. Two hackers are ideal once difficulty ramps up.

Stealth Isn’t All-Or-Nothing

You don’t have to go full ninja... just clean up your mess.

Security levels update at the end of each turn, so if someone sees or hears you, just take them out or stun them before the round ends. Done right, you’ll stay silent while making plenty of noise.

Dead bodies do cause trouble though. Either hide them or use talents like Dissolve Body to remove them completely before their timer goes off and raises alerts.

Initiative Beats Everything

High initiative means your mercs act first. That means you kill before getting hit... or dodge entirely.

Use talents, delay turns, or gear to boost it. Playing around initiative order makes combat ten times safer and gives you full control of the flow.

Stack Action and Movement Points (AP/MP)

MP, AP, and movement speed are all huge in this game. They let you reposition, chain kills, or escape before things go bad.

Focus on talents that boost AP/MP, especially on your key units. And don’t forget enemies benefit from these stats too... slow them down whenever you can.

Avoid Useless Fights

If a mission starts to go sideways, abort the extra loot and extract.

Loot boxes are nice, but they’re not worth losing a veteran merc over. Failing to control escalation can spawn enemies in every room, and from that point on... it’s a scramble.

Shotguns Are Mostly Trash

Unless you’re using a Scourge with the Narotox Shell talent, shotguns just aren’t worth it.

Most heavy weapons outclass them. The one exception is that AoE stun talent, which is legitimately strong.

Armor Can Lie

An enemy with 500 HP and 78% damage reduction basically has 2,500 effective HP. Use weapons or abilities that strip armor or apply critical hits.

Stealth crits (triggered when you're unseen or in cover) can triple or quadruple damage, so build around them whenever possible.

Glancing Hits Save You

This isn’t XCOM. You won’t miss a 99% shot and throw your keyboard.

Instead, you’ll always land a glancing hit at close range or with decent accuracy. These deal partial damage and are perfect for finishing off low-HP enemies.

Stay close, and even low-accuracy weapons will help clean up.

Escalation Can Be Managed

If you’re at 19/10 on the escalation meter, consider pushing to 20.

Yes, it triggers a big event... but you’ll start the next round at 0. That’s often safer than hitting 19 multiple turns in a row and eating nonstop reinforcements.

Base Layout Actually Matters

The best builds keep high-power rooms near the core and support structures around the edge. You’ll save on resources and leave room to expand.

Skip the triage center unless you love it... and expect more rooms to get added later as the game updates.

Reaction and Tech Are King

When leveling, prioritize Reaction and Tech.

Reaction boosts initiative and movement speed, while Tech improves crit builds and helps with hacking. Strength is solid for melee or recoil reduction. Willpower... is there.

You Don’t Need to Hug Loot Boxes

To grab loot, you don’t have to stand directly on top of the container. You can loot from a few tiles away and save AP in the process. Small trick, but it adds up.

Final Blurb

Cyber Knights: Flashpoint rewards smart, careful players... and destroys greedy ones. Keep your team tight, don’t take unnecessary risks, and learn how initiative and escalation actually work.

If you're hoping to brute-force every mission, this game will bury your team under its reinforced concrete systems.

Good luck. And maybe leave the shotgun at home.