This is a complete, player-focused breakdown of every Squad Leader currently available in MENACE (Early Access), covering both infantry and vehicle leaders.
Instead of dumping raw numbers that scale as the campaign goes on, this guide looks at how each leader actually feels to play. What their unique ability does in real fights, what kind of squad they belong in, and the situations where they quietly carry missions without you realizing it until much later.
Some talents are shared between leaders. To keep this readable, shared effects aren’t repeated every time unless they meaningfully change how the leader plays.
Infantry Squad Leaders
Darby
Unique Ability – High Value Targets
Darby’s attacks disable enemy special weapons for one turn.
Darby is less about raw damage and more about turning dangerous enemies into harmless ones. Knocking out rocket launchers, heavy guns, or exotic weapons before they fire can completely reshape a turn. This matters more on higher difficulties where a single enemy activation can spiral out of control.
Darby fits best in squads that already value patience. Long sightlines, concealment, and deliberate target selection make this leader shine.
Playstyle: Slow, controlled, information-driven engagements where positioning matters more than speed.
Pike
Unique Ability – Taking Command
Grants +40 AP to a nearby ally, even if they already acted.
Pike is one of those leaders who doesn’t look flashy on paper but quietly breaks the action economy. Letting a unit act twice in a single round opens up absurd plays, especially when chained with high-impact abilities or emergency repositioning.
Pike thrives in organized squads that already function well together. If your squad falls apart when things go wrong, Pike holds it together.
Playstyle: Defensive, disciplined, and extremely stable over long fights.
Tech
Unique Ability – Get Mother Effed
Most special weapons can be used without deploying.
This ability turns heavy weapons from static tools into mobile nightmares. Grenades, AoE weapons, and special equipment suddenly fit into aggressive flanking patterns instead of forcing setup turns.
Tech feels strongest against clustered enemies and faction types that rely on numbers rather than durability. The downside is that you’re almost always exposed while doing it.
Playstyle: High-risk aggression with constant movement and explosive pressure.
Kody Griefinger
Unique Ability – Gorilla
Bonus accuracy and damage against healthy targets.
Kody exists to erase threats before they get to play the game. The bonus against full-health enemies means the first shot often matters more than the second, especially against vehicles or elite units.
This leader pairs brutally well with perks that reward isolation and first contact. If something important exists on the map, Kody is there to delete it.
Playstyle: Fast, decisive strikes that remove priority targets immediately.
Jean
Unique Ability – Economics 101
Reduced supply cost for squad and equipment.
Jean doesn’t dominate combat directly, but over a campaign they quietly win wars. Cheaper squads, more loot, and better long-term economy let you take risks other leaders can’t afford.
Jean works especially well with item-heavy squads and defensive frontline setups that grind enemies down rather than rushing objectives.
Playstyle: Resource-efficient, campaign-minded play with strong sustain.
Yaz
Unique Ability – No Mercy
Increased accuracy and damage against wavering or fleeing enemies.
Once morale starts breaking, Yaz turns fights into executions. Fear effects, suppression, and bleed damage all feed directly into Yaz’s power curve.
Yaz feels weakest early in engagements and terrifying once momentum swings. If you enjoy snowballing turns where everything collapses at once, this leader delivers.
Playstyle: Aggressive momentum play that feeds on enemy morale collapse.
Vamplew
Unique Ability – Partir de Rein
Gains pressure stacks when attacked, which can be spent for bonus AP.
Vamplew wants to be shot. Every hit fuels future actions, turning enemy focus into offensive potential. With the right perks, this leader becomes a frontline anchor that punishes enemies for engaging at all.
Taunts, armor discounts, and suppression resistance all reinforce the same idea: stand there, absorb damage, then hit back harder.
Playstyle: Tank-first gameplay that converts damage into pressure.
Sachin
Unique Ability – Strength in Numbers
Accuracy and discipline scale with squad size.
Sachin rewards traditional squad play. Bigger squads, overlapping fire, and sustained suppression turn enemy formations into immobile targets.
This leader doesn’t spike early but dominates longer fights where positioning and numbers decide everything.
Playstyle: Classic squad-based suppression and area control.
Carda
Unique Ability – Out of the Craters
Starts weak but gains stacking accuracy and discipline over time.
Carda feels underwhelming at first, then slowly becomes unkillable. Morale bonuses, healing, and team-wide buffs reward survival over speed.
If the fight lasts long enough, Carda almost always wins.
Playstyle: Slow-burn endurance fights where patience beats burst damage.
Lim
Unique Ability – Aspiring
Reduced promotion costs.
Lim thrives in chaos. Grenades coming back, AP recovery, and constant repositioning make this leader feel unpredictable in the best way.
Lim fits best in skirmishing squads that don’t hold ground so much as constantly re-take it.
Playstyle: Mobile, reactive firefights with frequent repositioning.
J.G. Wetteroth
Unique Ability – Big Game Hunter
Bonus accuracy and armor penetration, especially effective against bugs.
Wetteroth is surgical. Guaranteed hits, melee executions, and trap setups reward careful positioning and timing rather than raw aggression.
Against wounded or disrupted enemies, Wetteroth ends fights decisively.
Playstyle: Precise, lethal execution over brute force.
Vehicle Squad Leaders
Bog
Unique Ability – Juryrigged
Removes the vehicle’s most severe defect.
Bog is insurance. Long missions, repeated engagements, and risky armor trades all become viable when defects don’t permanently cripple your vehicle.
Bog works best when you expect to take damage and keep going anyway.
Playstyle: Attrition-heavy vehicle play that values longevity.
Exconde
Unique Ability – Divine Intervention
Prevents all HP damage from the first attack each round.
This ability is quietly incredible. Alpha strikes, ambushes, and opening volleys lose their teeth, giving you breathing room to stabilize.
Exconde fits defensive vehicle builds that want control over tempo rather than raw damage.
Playstyle: Slow, deliberate engagements built around survivability.
Ivey
Unique Ability – Zero In
Chance to hit cannot fall below 30%.
Ivey removes the worst kind of RNG. Long-range shots, indirect fire, and penalty-heavy situations all become reliable instead of frustrating.
This leader doesn’t spike damage but ensures it always happens.
Playstyle: Consistent, reliability-first vehicle combat.
Rewa
Unique Ability – Revel in Slaughter
Gains accuracy and discipline for each enemy destroyed.
Rewa snowballs harder than almost any vehicle leader. Early kills matter, and once stacks build up, accuracy becomes absurd.
The downside is obvious: miss the early momentum and the leader feels flat.
Playstyle: High-tempo aggression that rewards early dominance.
Achilleas
Unique Ability – Spartan Duty
Gains AP as health is lost.
Achilleas turns damage into fuel. Close-range fights, drive-by attacks, and armor-penetrating weapons all benefit from staying in danger longer than feels comfortable.
This leader lives on the edge and expects you to do the same.
Playstyle: High-risk brawling that trades safety for action economy.