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Ralf’s design inMetal Slug Tacticsis Rocky meets Rambo, and that gives a pretty clear indicator of his playstyle. If you need to hit a target as hard as conceivably possible, he’s your man. Ralf is the game’s premiere single-target damage dealer, making him a perfect pick for tearing bosses to shreds.
Whether you’re deploying his big guns or his stone-shattering punches, Ralf is an incomparable short-range fighter with plenty of options for closing the distance to his next target. With the right setup, he’ll be the focal point of your strategy.
Ralf’s Core Abilities - Bursts And Bonuses
Unlike most other characters in the game, Ralfisn’t built around any key power. Instead, he relies onfrequent Bonus Moves and Actionsto strike repeatedly and from multiple angles. As the campaign goes on, he’ll eventually get access to powerful moves likeVulcan Punch, which has theBurstkeyword.
Burst
While Burst isn’t exclusive to Ralf (Tarmamakes use of it as well), the burly boxer makes the most use of it. Attacks with Burstremove any dodge that the character has built upand deal extra damage for every Dodge that was lost. It leaves Ralf vulnerable, butin most cases it’s a guaranteed kill. Using Burst attacks strategically is one of the best ways to get the most out of Ralf.
Ralf’s Special Actions
Apart from a few movement techniques designed to ensure he always has a target, Ralf’s Special Actions areall about dealing damage- usually lots of it, or to several enemies in one turn.
4
1-4
7
Self
Deals 4 damage to all targets within 2 spaces of Ralf.
Ralf gains 1 Dodge for each target hit by Explosive Strike.
Enemies hit are inflicted withProvocationand must attack Ralf on their turn if possible.
1-6
Ralf charges in a straight line, up to Galactica Phantom’s range, until he hits a target, which he then deals 4 damage to.
5
Moves a target that is adjacent to Ralf to an empty tile within range, and deals 4 damage to them.
This attack ignores Cover.
Ralf and any allies that contribute to a Sync Attack from this action get a Bonus Move.
2
1-3
6
Hits every target in a straight line from Ralf up to Power Surge’s maximum range, dealing 4 damage plusBurst.
1
Deals 2 damage plus Burst, twice, to a single target within range.
3
Ralf gains 2 Dodge andEscape, which allows him to keep his accumulated Dodge for the next turn.
Special Actions become cheaper and more effective as they level up over the course of a run. That’s especially true of Vulcan Punch, which eventually adds more hits as well as damage.
Ralf Classic Loadout
Starting out with Ralf, you’ll need tomake heavy use of Galactica Phantomto manage the extremely short range of his weapons. The Knife and Shotgun both have great damage ratings, but positioning is even more essential with this loadout than it is with most others.
Ralf’s Shotgun in this loadoutonly has six shells, so look for mods that increase its ammo capacity and take every opportunity to refill.
As long as you can keep getting full moves to keep Ralf’s Adrenaline up,Overheadcan be useful for lining up charges and attacks.
Recommended Passives
Power Up Loadout
Unlocked after you finish at least one run with Ralf,Power Upmakes great use of his combo potential. As long as Ralf is able toconsistently land hits and score kills, he gets more powerful as his turn goes on, allowing him to finish off multiple enemies orend the turn with a big finisher against a boss or elite.
TheBrute ForceHandgun has a middling range and damage, butgrants Ralf 1 Dodge for every enemy it eliminates.This can be used defensively, but the real intent behind the weapon is touse it to build up a giant Burstwith either Power Surge or Vulcan Punch.
Warm-Up lets you save Dodge from one turn to the next, potentially pushing that Burst attack even higher.
TheAfterburn Riflehas the longest range out of Ralf’s weapons with an astonishing eight. Itfires two rounds for three damage each, which is impressive on its own, but it becomes truly mighty when itsOvertimeability triggers. If Ralf fires the weapon as a Bonus Action (a blue Action icon as opposed to an orange one), both bullets get +2 damage. If you can get more shots, like withMarco Salvo, those extra bullets get the bonus damage as well.
Power Up has a built-in method for getting Bonus Actions; just get a kill withDynamite Punch, and the Afterburn will be ready to fire at full power.
Remote Punches Loadout
If you’ve already got a melee character on the team but want to bring Ralf along,Remote Punchesmakes him great for supporting fire. TheFlying Punchgrenades don’t have area damage, buthave Impressive built in at level 2, which saves you from having to hunt down a valuable mod.
Grenades in general have some great modification options, so you’re able to really make some fun builds with this loadout depending on what you find. Save those coins for Rumi’s Shop between regions!
ThePunchpackerGrenade Launcher, by contrast,has a very large AoE, though this does mean you’ll have to be careful not to accidentally blast your squadmates or blow up useful cover. When in doubt, there’s always Dynamite Punch!
Tag Team Loadout
Tag Teamplays very similarly to Ralf Classic, but has a bit more versatility at the cost of slightly lower damage overall. ThePunisheronly deals four damage to the Knife’s five, but it hitstwo targets instead of one.TheInferno flamethrowerhas a longer range than the Shotgun, leaves flames in its wake, and can help save Adrenaline if you get the entire squad to attack together thanks to itsMax Syncability.
