Rescue & Assistance
Rescue missions include:
- Emergency gear for a fresh spawn HERO to prevent hypothermia, starvation, etc
- Survivors needing medical attention
- Survivors being actively harassed by infected or bandits
Not every rescue attempt will be successful, but with a lot of experience and a little luck, squads will increase their chances of performing successful rescue missions. HERO squad members should have the minimum recommended equipment before attempting rescue missions.
A public resource for finding rescue missions is the Reddit Rescue Force subreddit.
Locating Rescue Objectives
If the victim is a HERO, they should be able to accurately relay their last known location and work with the squad to pinpoint their exact location over HERO communication. Any additional survivor and infected activity should be briefly relayed to the squad before the squad arrives.
On longer distance rescues, HEROs more experienced in navigation techniques should be in charge of leading the direction towards the objective to reduce stopping time due to navigation. The squad should move as fast as possible to minimize risk to the victim.
HERO Victims
Should a HERO suffer injury or casualty during a squad mission, it will be up to the Medic and Leader to determine when it is safe to attempt rescue. If a Medic determines that it is safe enough to attempt rescue, and the Leader is not aware of a casualty or has not attempted rescue, the medic may veto the Leader’s order to rescue a fallen HERO.
Leaders should make the squad’s primary objective a HERO rescue mission once they have been vetoed by a Medic. Fallen Medics are not able to veto the Leader’s orders due to the lack of information about the situation and environment.
Other Survivor Victims
The squad should work effectively and treat every rescue & assistance mission as if there is active combat in the area.
The Leader should not risk the squad’s safety to attempt rescue of other survivors. Threats should be eliminated first, then assistance provided. Medics are not able to veto a Leader’s order for other survivor casualties, they are only able to veto the Leader for HERO squad member casualties.
Securing a Perimeter
Approach all rescue victims with tactical caution. The squad should generally behave as if the rescue was a High Level Threat:
- (Squad) Locate and identify hostile targets. Be careful not to mistake innocent survivors for hostile forces!
- (Leader) Work to make the area around the victim a “safe” zone. Give clear and direct orders to the squad for movement and actions.
- (Medic) Prepare your kit before assisting the victim. This should include moving medical items into convenient locations such as your action bar. Determine a safe time to move into action and assist the victim. Inform the squad as you approach the victim and start providing assistance. Remember to check an unknown victim’s pulse first to ensure they are still alive.
- (Assist) Return fire immediately upon detecting hostile forces during the encounter. Be prepared to locate and assist the Medic and Recon if necessary.
- (Recon) Move to a position to overlook the Medic’s activity if possible. Be prepared to relay incoming targets to the squad.
The Medic’s sole focus once the perimeter is secure will be to rescue the victim. The squad must be able to react to any approaching threats and protect the Medic.
Providing Aid
The Medic should be able to provide any medical attention required by the victim. Should the Medic run out of supplies, the Assist should collect any available required equipment from the squad and bring it to the Medic.
Once the victim has been stabilized and resuscitated, the Medic should provide available food, water, blood, or saline to assist in the victim’s recovery. The Assist should be prepared to collect additional food and drink items from the squad and bring them to the Medic.
If the victim is in a dangerous area, the Leader may decide it is safe enough to escort the victim a short distance to a safer location to recover. The squad should also perform a threat assessment and act accordingly after the rescue mission is complete.
