Marco Rossi was the first playable character in the original Metal Slug game, making it only fitting that he is the initial soldier you recruit in Metal Slug Tactics. While he boasts weapons fitting for his arcade legacy, Marco’s real power in this strategy game lies in his role as a team leader, orchestrating combined attacks for optimal damage output.
Marco excels as a cooperative player, yet he remains the main character—Player One. With the backing of his teammates, he can deliver impressive damage against both standard foes and formidable bosses, regardless of what weapons he carries.
Marco’s Core Abilities – Efficiency and Determination
Marco has two unique Passive Abilities present in all his configurations. These abilities enable him to execute a flurry of Special Actions at a much quicker pace than other characters, as long as he collaborates with his teammates.
Determination lessens the Adrenaline cost of all Marco’s Special Actions by one each time he participates in a Sync Attack. The discount applies to each Action individually and can reach a minimum of zero. When he uses a Special Action at a reduced cost, the reset occurs afterward, but it can be lowered again by future Determination activations.
Efficiency gives Marco a Bonus Action each time he utilizes a Special Action that carries no Adrenaline Cost. By reducing many or all of his abilities to the point of being free, he can activate them consecutively within the same turn!
Marco’s Special Actions
What abilities will you potentially execute for free? Marco has a range of offensive and supportive options available.
|
Name |
Cost |
Range |
Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alice Activation |
3 |
1-4 |
Activates an interactive element, such as a crane or empty vehicle, within range. If used on a vehicle, Alice pilots it for two turns. |
|
Boost |
3 |
5 |
Target ally within range gains 2 Adrenaline and Motivation, refunding the Adrenaline cost of their next Special Action. |
|
Forced March |
3 |
5 |
An ally within range receives a Bonus Move. Enhancing this skill allows it to target additional allies. |
|
Get Back Here |
4 |
2-6 |
Select an ally within range and move them to an empty adjacent space next to Marco, then grant that ally a Bonus Move. |
|
Knucklebox |
4 |
1-4 |
Inflicts 3 damage to a single target within range. |
|
Marco Salvo |
3 |
4 |
Imparts the Marco Salvo buff to an ally in range, enabling their next weapon attack to fire an extra shot. |
|
Ricochet |
6 |
1-4 |
Deals 4 damage to a target within range, then inflicts 4 damage to a second target within 1-4 tiles of the first. |
|
Tactical Strike |
12 |
2-8 |
Deals 8 damage to everything in a 3×3 area, centered on a tile within range. |
Consider using a Strategic Asset to summon a Metal Slug, followed by Alice Activation to enhance it without requiring a squadmate for piloting.
Marco’s Classic Loadout
Marco’s basic loadout isn’t overly flashy, but it gets the job done effectively. His Handgun and Machine Gun provide solid damage that can handle most encounters. As long as he consistently partakes in Sync Attacks, he can buff himself with Marco Salvo, allowing him to fire an extra shot every other round at a minimum.
Picking up an attack Special Action like Ricochet or Knucklebox to trigger Sync Attacks can be beneficial, enabling Marco to reserve his additional shot from Marco Salvo for contributions to other characters’ Syncs. Alternatively, he can grant the Marco Salvo bonus to a teammate to amplify the effectiveness of a Grenade Launcher or melee attack!
Recommended Passives
- Team Leader boosts the team’s Adrenaline levels overall, allowing other characters to use their skills more frequently. This is also useful for Marco when utilizing costly powers like Tactical Strike in prolonged battles against tougher opponents.
- Feedback delivers extra damage once Marco Salvo expires; if you reapply it before the damage boost ends, you can gain additional shots and increased damage!
- Audacity randomly reduces the cost of a specific Special Action every round, which can help trigger Efficiency more regularly.
- Versatility provides Marco with a Bonus Move every time he receives a Bonus Action, making Efficiency incredibly useful.
Explosive Leader Loadout
The Explosive Leader build plays similarly to the Classic Loadout but focuses more on boss battles and harnessing elevation. Marco Salvo remains central to this strategy, yet instead of bullets, you’ll be launching bombs.
The Focused Blast Grenade targets a single enemy and deals double damage to vehicles and obstacles. This becomes particularly effective against the game’s massive mechanized bosses, as an additional grenade from Marco Salvo can effectively quadruple damage against them.
The Double-S is a Grenade Launcher boasting an S-shaped blast pattern. Although it does not deal extra damage against vehicles, it also bypasses obstacles during attacks. You can modify its blast area with mods obtained from mission rewards.
Recommended Passives
- Transmission provides Marco with a damage boost whenever he receives a Bonus Action, typically stemming from Efficiency. Pairing this with Feedback leads to impressive damage outcomes with this loadout’s weaponry.
- Thick Skin grants Marco additional Dodge whenever he receives a Bonus Move or Bonus Action, improving his chances of survival as he’ll be engaging in closer combat than usual.
- Versatility and Audacity complement Marco’s core talents superbly just as in the previous loadout.
All-Out Syncs Loadout
Both of Marco’s weapons in this loadout feature the Max Syncs ability, allowing him to refund the cost of his next Special Action if he initiates a Sync Attack with two or more allies. This synergizes beautifully with teammates like Leona or Nadia, who can deploy temporary support troops to the battlefield.
Marco’s Special Weapon in this setup is the Flatline, a laser rifle that hits everything in a line, both allies and enemies. While this is excellent for triggering Sync Attacks, it can also destroy cover or detonate explosive barrels if used carelessly.
Instead of Marco Salvo, the All-Out Syncs loadout begins with Ricochet, offering Marco an additional attack option useful for firing around corners.
Recommended Passives
- Deputy Commander confers Ricochet the Instigator ability, allowing allies to deal extra damage on Sync Attacks it triggers. This advantage also applies to Knucklebox or Tactical Strike if Marco learns them throughout the game.
- Team Leader and Audacity help mitigate the higher cost of Ricochet and, should you obtain it, Tactical Strike as well.
- Optimized Algorithm allows you to use pricier Special Actions without resetting their costs until they reach zero and trigger Efficiency.
On The Edge Loadout
The On The Edge loadout opens up more opportunities for triggering Sync Attacks and, subsequently, Determination, by equipping Marco with a Handgun that fires in both forward and backward directions and a Flamethrower effective for spray shots. The catch is that you must position carefully to avoid affecting teammates with stray fire.
Commencing with Knucklebox provides a targeted strike option that carries no risk, unlike many of Marco’s other abilities that could inadvertently harm allies.
Recommended Passives
- Field Dressing can assist in healing allies when Marco targets them with a Special Action, which proves particularly useful when lightly hitting them with the Double Flick Handgun.
- Deputy Commander can enhance Knucklebox with Instigator, significantly boosting its damage when it triggers a Sync Attack.
- Perpetual Motion capitalizes on Marco’s enhanced attack range from this loadout, allowing for Sync Attacks while simultaneously buffing allies.
