The ever-enthusiastic Fio Germi is part of the starting roster inMetal Slug Tactics, and you’ll quickly find that her support abilities and versatile loadouts make her one of the best teammates to bring along for any campaign. Whether she’s moving units around the field like her own personal chessboard or stacking buff after buff, Fio is a perfect pick for beginners and expert players alike.

While Fio is perfectly capable of dealing plenty of damage on her own, she really excels when working together to perform Sync Attacks as often as possible.

Fio Germi plays an arcade machine at the base in Metal Slug Tactics.

Fio’s Core Ability - Enthusiasm

Fio’s gameplay isall about using her Special Actionsto take control of the battlefield situation. To that end, all of her loadouts have access to her signature Passive,Enthusiasm.

Whenever Fio uses a Special Action,she gets a Bonus Move.Many of her Special Actions also grant Bonus Actions, so it’s possible to shuffle Fio’s position several times throughout her turn, activating abilities at each stop before finally taking a shot with her weapon.

fio’s ability screen with nudge highlighted in metal slug tactics.

Bonus Moves don’t stack, so if you use another Special Action before using one that you already gained from the previous Enthusiasm trigger, you’ll forfeit the previous bonus. In many cases, this won’t be a big deal, but it’s important for big complex turns that require a specific setup.

Fio’s Special Actions

Since Fio’s unique gadgets are so central to her combat style, you’ll want to know how they all work and which ones to prioritize for your build when they become available in the field.

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Fio’s loadout screen in metal slug tactics.

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fio with her meticulous loadout in combat in metal slug tactics.

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Grants an ally within rangeExpertise, causing them to use their Special Weapon on their next Sync Attack.

Fio expresses doubt about Margaret’s strategy in Metal Slug Tactics.

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Grants an ally 2 Adrenaline andFlashback, which gives them a Bonus Action after their next action.

Fio readies an attack with her wrench supported by Leona’s Afterimages in Metal Slug Tactics.

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InflictsFragileon an enemy within range, causing the next attack against them to deal 2 additional damage from all sources.

Moves a unit within range (friend or foe) up to three spaces from their current position.

The new position does not have to be within Nudge’s original range.

Deals 4 damage to a single target within range.

If the target dies from this attack or a resulting Sync, Fio gets a Bonus Action.

Choose two units (friend or foe), both within range, and swap their positions.

The costs, ranges, and effects of Fio’s powers will improve as they level up.

Fio Classic Loadout

Fio’s standard kit includes a solid, no-nonsenseHandgun and Machine Gun. It relies on usingNudge, its starting ability, in tandem with the Bonus Move granted fromEnthusiasmto set up Sync Attacks and increase the damage that your entire team deals over the course of a turn. Equipping even a single Mod to either weapon can make Fio a force to be reckoned with in her own right, as well.

Nudge has a low Adrenaline cost, so it’s a good idea tounlock a new Special Action for Fio as soon as possible, ideally one like Adrenaline Boost or Overheating that grants her a Bonus Action. That way, she can make use of the extra Adrenaline that she builds up just by running around the map.

Meticulous Loadout

Once you’ve completed a run with Fio, you’ll be able to access her excellentMeticulousloadout. It can be used both offensively and defensively, and is sure to be a staple in your lineup. This build’s custom handgun and machine gun - namedScrutinyandPrecious- each get an extra shot if Fio has any status effect when she fires.

As it happens, Meticulous starts with Acupuncture Boost, which allows Fio to give herself theProtectionstatus, then take a Bonus Action to fire her weapons with extra shots. How convenient!

Protection sticks around for an extra turn if it isn’t needed to block damage, so if Fio gets to keep it, you may give Protection to another squad member for extra damage mitigation. Alternately, if Fio has a lot of Adrenaline built up, you can keep chaining the Bonus Actions from Acupuncutre Boost to shield your entire team.

A damage mod goes a very long way on a Meticulous weapon, since its effect is multiplied thanks to the extra shots.

Double Hits Loadout

This loadout is a combination of the previous two. It trades in a machine gun for theDouble-S grenade launcher, and itsAutomatic Handgunfires two shots for one damage each. Like Fio Classic, itrelies on Nudgeto get into position for Sync Attacks.

This loadout can struggle in the first few missions of a run. Prioritize missions that drop weapon upgrades and coins; once the Automatic Handgun is modded it’s a real monster, but until then the rest of the team will need to support Fio more than usual.

Cover Buster Loadout

Fio isn’t usually a melee character, but this unorthodox build can be a lifesaver on higher difficulty settings thanks to its ability to negate the effects of enemy cover. She still has access to her usual toolbox, but if you’re used to fighting at range with Fio you’ll need to make some adjustments to really get the hang of Cover Buster.

Both of Fio’s weapons in this loadout - the heavy-dutyWrenchand a wide-rangingGlitter Bomb -prevent any targets they hit from taking cover for a turn. High-HP foes who need to go down before they can deal too much damage should be priority targets when Fio takes on a sapper role like this.

Fio isn’t completely out of ranged options as a Cover Buster. She starts with Eagle, a no-nonsense Special Action that lets her ping a target from afar. It’s useful if you don’t need to apply Shred for a turn or put Fio on the front lines just yet.