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Marco Rossi was the original playable character in the very first Metal Slug game, so it’s only natural that he’s the first soldier you recruit inMetal Slug Tactics.While he certainly has an arsenal worthy of his run-and-gun arcade legacy, Marco’s true strength in this spinoff is as a team leader, coordinating synchronized strikes against targets for maximum damage.
Marco is a team player, but he’s still Player One, the star of the show. With the support of his squadmates, he can dish out some really remarkable hits against regular enemies and bosses alike, regardless of his loadout.
Marco’s Core Abilities - Efficiency And Determination
Marco has two Passive Abilities that are unique to him and present in all of his builds. They work in tandem to let himunleash a barrage of Special Actionsat a much higher rate than other characters, provided he’s working together with his squad.
Determinationreduces the Adrenaline cost of all Marco’s Special Actions by oneeach time he contributes to a Sync Attack.Each Action’s discount is tracked separately, and can go to aminimum of zero.When Marco uses a Special Action at its discounted cost, it resets afterward, but can be reduced again by later Determination triggers.
Efficiencygrants Marco a Bonus Action whenever he uses a Special Action whose Adrenaline Cost is zero. This means if you can bring most or all of his skills down to the point where they’re free, you can activate them one after the other, all on the same turn!
Marco’s Special Actions
So, what are those powers that you’ll potentially be popping off for free? Marco has a host of attack and support options available.
3
1-4
Activates an interactive element, such as a crane or empty vehicle, within range.
If used on a vehicle, Alice pilots the vehicle for two turns.
5
Target ally within range gains 2 Adrenaline andMotivation, which refunds the Adrenaline cost of their next Special Action.
4
2-6
Choose an ally within range and move them to an empty space adjacent to Marco, then grant that ally a Bonus Move.
Applies theMarco Salvobuff to an ally within range, which causes their next weapon attack to fire an additional shot.
6
Deals 4 damage to a target within range, then deals 4 damage to a second target within 1-4 tiles of the first.
12
2-8
Deals 8 damage to everything in a 3x3 area, centered on a tile within range.
Try using a Strategic Asset to summon a Metal Slug, then use Alice Activation to power it up without having one of your squadmates pilot it.
Marco Classic Loadout
Marco’s standard kit isn’t anything flashy, but it certainly gets the job done. ItsHandgunandMachine Gunoffer decent damage that can handle most situations, and as long as Marco is contributing to Sync Attacks frequently, he’ll be able to buff himself with Marco Salvo to get an extra shot every other round at the slowest.
It can be worth picking up an attack Special Action likeRicochetorKnuckleboxto trigger Syncs with; that way, Marco can save his extra shot from Marco Salvo for when he contributes to other characters' Syncs. Alternately, he can give the Marco Salvo bonus to someone else to double down on a Grenade Launcher or melee strike!
Recommended Passives
Explosive Leader Loadout
Explosive Leader plays very similarly to Marco Classic, butspecializes more in fighting bossesand taking advantage of elevation. Marco Salvo is still key to this loadout’s strategy, but instead of bullets you’ll be hurling bombs.
TheFocused BlastGrenade doesn’t have an AoE, instead hitting a single target. However, it ignores obstacles and can attack different elevations, and dealsdouble damage to vehicles and obstacles.That includes most of the game’s enormous mechanized bosses, so getting an extra grenade with Marco Salvo effectively quadruples the damage against them.
TheDouble-Sis a Grenade Launcher with an S-shaped blast pattern. It also ignores obstacles when firing, but doesn’t get the damage bonus against vehicles. You can change its AoE shape by applying mods that you find as mission rewards.
All-Out Syncs Loadout
Both of Marco’s weapons in the All-Out Syncs loadout have theMax Syncsability, which allows him torefund the cost of his next Special Actionif he triggers a Sync Attack with two or more allies. It works well with teammates like Leona or Nadia, who can summon temporary support troops to the field.
Marco’s Special Weapon in this build, theFlatline, is a laser rifle; it hitseverything in a line, friend or foe.That makes it great for triggering Sync Attacks, but if you aren’t careful it can destroy cover or detonate explosive barrels.
Instead of Marco Salvo, All-Out Syncs starts withRicochet, giving Marco an additional attack option that’s great forfiring around corners.
On The Edge Loadout
On The Edge provides more opportunities to trigger Sync Attacks, and by extension Determination, by giving Marco a Handgun that firesahead and behind simultaneouslyand a Flamethrower forspray shots. The drawback, of course, is that yourpositioning needs to be spot-on, or you risk catching teammates in the fire as well.
This loadout starts withKnucklebox, which admittedly isn’t as impressive as many of Marco’s other Special Actions, but it does give you anoption for hitting single targetswithout any riskif your other attacks would inflict friendly fire.
