Hell Let Loose Vietnam Squad Leader Guide — Spawns, Markers & Command

Being a squad leader in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam means accepting that your kills don't matter. Your squad's spawn does. A squad leader is part infantryman, part radio operator and part map nerd: you place the outpost that keeps your squad in the fight, coordinate garrisons that anchor the whole team, relay intel up to the commander and down to your soldiers, and decide — every few minutes — whether the next five minutes of movement actually accomplishes anything. The jungle makes the role harder and more important. This guide covers everything from the loadout to tunnel warfare.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The squad leader's real job (it's not the rifle)
• The squad leader loadout and unlock progression
• Outpost placement: the most important decision you make
• Garrisons and how supplies build them
• Markers, unit chat and command chat etiquette
• US field-pad insertions and NVA tunnel warfare

Official resources: Steam store page · Official site · IGN game page

What a Squad Leader Actually Does

The squad leader is the link in the chain of command between the Commander and the six soldiers in your unit. Equipped with an SMG, a pistol, binoculars and a watch — the tool that places deploy points — the SL directs the squad: where to attack, where to defend, where to spawn, what the enemy is doing.

Two hard responsibilities define the role:

1. Keep a good Outpost up. The OP is your squad's personal spawn. Forward, concealed and relevant — that's the standard. A bad OP wastes minutes; a great OP turns a failed assault into an instant flank.
2. Contribute to Garrisons. Garrisons are team-wide spawns. Placing them is a combined operation with the commander, other squad leaders and Support roles — and a team with no forward garrisons is a team that loses every defense.

Per the official Important Launch Info announcement: "If you want to play as a Squad Leader or Commander, you'll first need to complete the tutorial associated with that role." The SL tutorial is mandatory — it teaches OP placement, markers and the command chain before you take a squad into a live match.

Squad Leader Loadout

Note the Field Pad in the utility list — that's the deploy-point tool, and it's central to the US helicopter insertion play (below). The IZH 58 at Lv. 7 is an NVA shotgun that turns jungle ambushes into one-burst kills.

Outpost Placement: The Most Important Decision You Make

• Forward, not exposed. Place the OP close enough to the objective that fallen soldiers return to the fight in seconds — but tucked into vegetation, buildings or terrain folds so it survives.
• Concealment beats convenience. An OP the enemy finds and destroys is worse than none — it forces your whole squad to redeploy from garrison. Mark it, remember it, and relocate when the frontline shifts.
• Think about where the fight is going. An OP placed on the current hard cap is great; an OP placed where the sector will move next is genius. Watch the capture bar and the map.
• Don't squat on it. Move the OP as the battle moves. A static spawn network is a doomed one.

Garrisons and Supplies

Garrisons are team assets — anyone on your team can spawn there. They require supplies, which come from Support roles and commander supply drops, and they need coordination: the commander and other SLs should agree on where the team's spawn network goes, spreading garrisons so the enemy can't wipe the team's reinforcements with one flank.

• Coordinate with Support. If your squad has a Support player, supplies can build a garrison on the spot. No Support? Ask command for a supply drop — that's what the logistics pipeline exists for.
• Spread them out. Garrisons in two or three different sectors limit the damage of an enemy sweep. One garrison behind a captured point is a disaster waiting to happen.
• Hunt the enemy's. Finding and destroying an enemy garrison or outpost is worth more than a dozen kills — it collapses their reinforcement flow at a critical moment. Report every destroyed spawn to command.

Markers, Unit Chat and Command Chat

The SL has two communication surfaces: markers on the tactical map (visible to your unit) and the leadership radio (the X channel on PC — see the keybindings guide). Command chat etiquette:

• Report what matters to the team: enemy armor, mortar positions, destroyed spawns, major pushes, supply activity. Don't narrate your squad's every firefight.
• Use the Who-What-Where formula: "Enemy squad, pushing north, 030, toward the village" — usable intel beats a wall of noise. Command channels get busy in 50v50; five-second messages win.
• Mark before you shoot. A marker on the enemy position gives your squad a visible target reference and survives even if you die making the callout.
• Give orders, not requests. "Rifleman, cover the treeline east, we're pushing the north flank" is a decision. "Someone should maybe check over there" is not.

US Squad Leader: Helicopter Insertions and Field Pads

Vietnam gives US squad leaders a new tool: the field pad deployment after helicopter insertion. The developers confirmed in Dev Q&A #1 that "Officers can now deploy spawn points with their Field Pad upon exiting the helicopter." In practice:

1. Coordinate a Huey insertion with a pilot (see the helicopter pilot guide) to a flanking LZ.
2. On landing, move into cover and place the field pad immediately — that first spawn is often the difference between a clever flank and an expensive ride.
3. Use the in-air spawn system: troops can spawn into an orbiting helicopter, so a field pad at the LZ plus an orbiting Huey creates a two-way reinforcement flow the enemy can't solve simultaneously.

NVA Squad Leader: Tunnel Warfare

On the NVA side, the squad leader's playbook changes completely. The tunnel network replaces much of what the US gets from helicopters:

• Place tunnels where the enemy will look last. A tunnel exit near a flank, behind an advancing force or close to a key route turns an apparent US push into a nightmare.
• Ambush and fade. After a successful strike, leave — the enemy will mortar the entrance. Disengage, reposition, and come back from somewhere unexpected.
• Know the balance changes. Since the playtest, tunnels are auto-destroyed when the enemy captures your territory, travel time was increased, the max connection count dropped from 5 to 4, and the Emergency Tunnel commander ability was removed (per the official Road To Launch Update). Place tunnels where you can hold the ground, and expect slower redeployment than the beta.

Leadership Psychology: Leading Random Players

You're often leading strangers. Some will follow every order; some won't. The habits that work:

• Keep movement purposeful. Every squad movement should have a reason: attack, defend, flank, recon, build, reinforce. If you're doing none of those, ask why.
• Build a useful composition. A squad with no Support can't build garrisons; no Medic bleeds momentum; no Anti-Tank folds to armor. Ask for switches when the situation demands — the roles guide explains who covers what.
• Praise the unglamorous. The medic who revives, the support who supplies, the rifleman who holds the flank — those players carry your squad. They'll follow you again if they know you noticed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a squad leader do in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?

The SL leads a six-player unit: place and maintain outposts, coordinate garrisons with the commander, relay intel up and down the chain of command, place map markers for the unit, and decide the squad's movement. The SL tutorial must be completed before you can take the role.

Where should I place outposts in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?

Forward, concealed and relevant — close enough to the active objective that fallen soldiers return in seconds, hidden in vegetation or terrain so it survives, and moved as the frontline shifts. A good OP is worth more than a good aim.

How do garrisons work in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?

Garrisons are team-wide deploy points built with supplies from Support roles or commander drops. They anchor the team's spawn network — spread them across sectors, coordinate placement with command, and destroy enemy garrisons whenever you find them.

How do I communicate as squad leader in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?

Use markers for enemy positions, the unit radio for your squad, and the leadership radio for command-level intel (armor, spawns destroyed, pushes). Keep command reports short and specific with the Who-What-Where formula.

Related Guides

• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Guide — Fly, Land & Survive
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam All Roles Guide — Every Role Explained
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Medic Guide — Revives, Smoke & Score
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Tips — 15 Tips That Win Matches
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam All Maps Guide — Every Battlefield Explained
• Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Keybindings — Complete Key List & Recommendations

Last updated: August 14, 2026