BF Hardline: Blood Money

Introduction

Battlefield Hardline is still in its closed beta phases, but if you have access or if you just want to prepare for October, in this guide we’ll take a look at how best to approach one of the game modes: Blood Money.

When people say Battlefield we think of huge spaces, vehicular warfare, C4, kamikaze jets and cops and robbers? Hardline certainly isn’t your typical Battlefield game. Taking on the role of the criminals or the police in each game mode you have a specific objective. Think of Blood Money as being a bit like Capture the Flag, ok a lot like Capture the Flag. Only you’re capturing money not flags which, to be honest, makes more sense. As the criminals your goal is to steal as much of the money from the cash pile as possible, as the police it is your objective to collect as much of the money as you can to bag as evidence.

As with any game mode it is key to focus the objective and team work is vital. You should come up with a strategy to win the game. First thing is to make sure your map awareness is good; once you’re in the game a circular objective icon will show you where the cash pile is. Obviously, this is your main objective however, be aware that both teams will try and rush the cash pile. Your best bet is to go to the objective and hide, setting up an ambush for the opposing team is always a good way to start the game. You see, you can stay at the cash pile and take as much money as you can, but while you’re stuffing your pockets be warned that you can’t shoot at the same time and you are incredibly vulnerable to attack. So, if you let the opposing team get to the cash pile first and let their greed get the better of them – that is the perfect opportunity for you and your team to open fire. You get some free, easy kills and you can approach the cash pile to get some money.

Once you have picked up some of the money it doesn’t just magically go to your team, you have to carry it back to your vault – also marked on the map as a blue square. While you’re carrying money if you’re killed you drop it and either team can take advantage of that. You’ll see the money dropped by a dead guy and you can just run over it to pick it up. Try not to move on your own to minimise the risk of the enemy team collecting the money that you just went to the trouble of grabbing. Generally moving in squads is a good way to win the game. Have half the squad collect the money while the other half watch your backs and you will be more likely to get away and maybe pick up some kills while you’re at it. It also helps when taking the money back to your vault. After all four guns are better than one.

Getting hold of the money and getting it back to your vault isn’t the only thing you have to worry about though. Similar to Capture the Flag matches, the enemy team can also help themselves to your vault and vice versa. This means that you may well have collected $700k but while you’re busy filling your evidence or swag bags at the cash pile, the enemy team is busy sneaking off with the contents of your vault! So, yes this means you must defend as well. A good tactic is to work like a tag team with other squads. The simplest method is to just focus on capturing the objective and defending. I’ll use four squads as an example. Say squads A and B go to the cash pile to get as much money as they can and defend each other. In the meantime squads C and D defend the vault from the enemy. Make sure you put the car park bollards up at entrances so that enemies can’t just drive in. When your collection squads return you can switch over roles so everyone gets a turn at both offence and defence. Of course you might not actually need two squads to defend your vault, it all depends on how the enemy team decides to play.

Say the enemy team isn’t bothering trying to raid your vault, but they are doing a great job of taking money from the cash pile and you’re getting into a bit of a bad situation. In this case you might not even need a whole squad defending the vault, it is always good to at least have a couple of people there just in case some sneaky ninja comes along and tries to steal your hard earned money. It might not be the most fun job in Blood Money but it will help you to secure a win. So while a couple of people guard the vault you need to turn your attention to the cash pile and how to stop the enemy from getting any more money while you still manage to collect some yourself. Firstly try and hold down the area where the cash pile is, if you secure the area the enemy team will have a tougher job getting in. This may force them into looking to your vault for money though, so be prepared to adapt your gameplay at any moment. If there is a lot of pressure at the cash pile then there’s not likely to be many people guarding the enemy vault (marked by a red triangle on the map), this could be the perfect opportunity to sneak in there and grab some of their money and put it in your own vault.

If your team is overcome by the cash pile and the enemy manages to grab some money you have two options. You can either use the environment and vehicles provided to intercept the enemy on their way back to their vault, you can kill them and take their money for yourselves. Just be aware that sometimes it isn’t always wise to chase the enemy team, make sure they don’t outnumber you and they’re not just leading you into a trap, if they’re already close to their vault it probably isn’t worth the chase. Your other option is to just ignore them, while they’re making off with the money you should have the time to grab more than they got away with and return it to your vault.

Teamwork is the key to winning this game quick and easy. However, it is not a perfect world and we all know the horrors that soloing in team games can bring. If this is the situation you can still use the advice above. Talk to your team. Work with them and adapt to the flow of the game. If the enemy team is being super aggressive at the cash pile and your vault, focus on defence and if possible take a trip by their vault and sneak back with their winnings. If your team doesn’t listen and is just constantly fighting at the cash pile this can be a good method to try and tip the game in your favour. You might not win but at least you’ve done your part.

So, pick up your evidence and swag bags and start collecting that money!