9 best Squad Busters strategies to win more today

Making small adjustments to how you play the game can take you to big wins.

Screenshot from Squad Busters showing characters gathered in a desert environment with cacti and other terrain features. The characters include a Barbarian, Colt, and Medic.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Squad Busters can get complicated when you start facing real players in the later Desert and Royal worlds. While I believe the game does have a slight pay-to-win aspect, there are some strategies you can use to get better placements and keep your top-five streak alive. Here’s what I recommend.

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Best strategies to use in Squad Busters

Screenshot from Squad Busters showing the selection of a character to join your squad. Options include Bo, Colt, and Shelly, each with their stats and abilities displayed.
Your first unit pick is important. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Here are some of the best ideas you can put into practice in your next Squad Busters match to improve your rankings. Keep scrolling to read my explanation of each point.

  1. Prioritize All-Rounders or Supplier units early.
  2. Make a Fusion unit as soon as possible.
  3. Keep an eye on enemy positions.
  4. Avoid or flee battles you’re not sure you can win.
  5. Save your Turbo for critical moments.
  6. Change your playstyle to take advantage of the Battle Mod.
  7. Have at least one utility unit.
  8. Pick up and use Spells often.
  9. Aim for the top five instead of first place.

Prioritize All-Rounders or Supplier units early

Characters like Greg and Barbarian are great first picks. Suppliers like Greg can gather Coins and Gems quickly without taking damage, while All-Rounders like Barbarian have decent health and attack to solo monsters at a reasonable pace before you can draft a second unit. Attackers take too much damage alone, and Defenders take too long to kill monsters by themselves.

Make a Fusion unit as soon as possible

Screenshot from Squad Busters featuring the Fusion version of the character Witch  with abilities and stats displayed.
Fusions are massive. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Prioritize picking copies of characters you already have early in the game so you can make a Fusion. Fusions have higher attack and health and will reduce the cost of your next chests, which is based on the number of units you own.

Keep an eye on enemy positions

As you move around in Squad Busters matches, you’ll see balloons on the corners of your screen indicating the direction of players with the most Gems. Check them periodically to avoid that direction if you’re not ready to fight or to move toward them for an aggressive play if your team is strong.

Avoid or flee battles you’re not sure you can win

Survival is key in Squad Busters. If an opponent with a massive team is coming your way and you think you can’t win, run away. If you pick a fight and see your squad getting crushed, flee before you’re wiped out and rebuild with monster and environment Coins and Gems. It’s better to retreat than to be defeated.

Save your Turbo for critical moments

The boots that increase your movement speed have a cooldown, so ensure you have them for fights against other players, either to engage or disengage. If you use them to move around, let them fully refill before picking a fight. Remember, you can also use them to increase your attack speed when you’re not moving.

Change your playstyle to take advantage of the Battle Mod

Image from Squad Busters showing the 'Whack-A-Mole' battle mod with a mole-like character and green gems in the background
Battle Mods give you a hint on the best way to play. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Think of Battle Mods as an alternative win condition. For example, you might want to get an Attacker as your first unit during Goblin Rush because goblins don’t attack back. Or you may ignore Speedster units during Turbo Overload since it’s easy to get extra charges of your boots, so you don’t need to use a unit slot for that.

Have at least one utility unit

Healers, Speedsters, and Suppliers are utility units that will help you gather Gems and Coins indirectly, so you want to have some of them on your team in most matches. Healers are almost always welcome to help you win more fights, Suppliers are great for an early-game boost, and Speedsters help you move around objectives more efficiently.

Pick up and use Spells often

Spells spawn all the time, so use them often if you need a damage boost on a mini-boss or need to disrupt an opponent chasing you. It’s better to use a Spell to increase your chances of winning than to die with it in your bag.

Aim for the top five instead of first place

It’s tempting to go for first place all the time, but any placement from fifth to first gives you extra Reward Chest units to make your army stronger for the next match. If you’re safely in second or third place and can only get to first by aggressively attacking, it might be better to stand your ground and take that placement instead of risking everything and losing.


If you apply any of these strategies in your next Squad Busters match, I’m sure you’ll get better placements and keep a long streak alive. Good luck!

Author
Image of Bhernardo Viana
Bhernardo Viana
Staff Writer
Bhernardo is senior guides writer and strategist at Dot Esports. He's been working in the gaming industry for over 9 years, with works published on Destructoid, Prima Games, ESPN, and more. A fan of Pokémon since 6 years old and an avid Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch player. Now writing strategy and quests guides for several mobile and PC titles.