Best Light, Medium & Heavy builds for THE FINALS Season 2

In THE FINALS, you'll be using a slightly different class system from other shooters of its kind, in that it asks players to choose between a Light, Medium, and Heavy character build. Below, I've analysed the new meta for Season 2 and devised a couple of combinations for each build type that'll help you win as many matches as possible.

Not only does this build system affect your player's speed, total health, and physical size, but it also decides which weapons and equipment you can bring with you into the game. There are plenty of different ways that you can spec out your contestant builds, but there are certain combinations of equipment that stand head and shoulders above others.

As the designated hit-and-runners, the Light build can move quite fast, but they have much less health than the other classes. Due to the nature of the build, the best Light builds focus on maximising mobility while providing the user with plenty of tools to escape unfavourable situations.

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The meta hasn't changed much for Light players in Season 2, so much of what I picked out for Season 1 is applicable here. For starters, movement is king with this build type, so the Grappling Hook is a must-have for almost any Light player. You can use the Grappling Hook offensively to chase enemies or defensively to retreat and regroup.

As for gadgets, the Flashbang is great for breaching buildings and getting the jump on your foes. Then, when it's time to escape, toss a Smoke Grenade and make your getaway. 

However, thanks to Thermal Vision, you can use Smoke Grenades offensively, too! Thermal Vision allows you to see the heat signatures of other contestants. So, if you combine the two gadgets, you can sit in your smoke and fire out at enemies, and if they don't have Thermal Vision themselves, they won't be able to do anything but run away and take cover or fire back blindly. This is a popular strategy for Bangalore users in Apex Legends.

Finally, the V9S is the best all-around weapon for the Light Build. While you can definitely craft some interesting Light Builds focused on the SR-84 Sniper Rifle or the Sword, the V9S is by far the most well-rounded and flexible of the weapons available to the Light Build.

On the surface, the V9S looks like a basic sidearm, but this semi-automatic pistol is deceptively powerful and excels in close, medium, and occasionally, long-range engagements. One of the most underrated aspects of the V9S is its ammo capacity. With 24 bullets in the mag, you can fire off what feels like an endless number of rounds before you need to think about reloading.

The Medium build is a jack-of-all-trades that can assist its allies with healing, scanning, and/or support-based specialisations and gadgets. Furthermore, the Medium build boasts average movement speed and health, making it the most all-purpose class in THE FINALS.

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Much like the Light build, not much has changed between Season 2 and Season 1. In fact, the Medium class has arguably gotten less proficient since players are no longer instantly revived, and instead must wait a few seconds before speeding off. This reduces the effectiveness of the Defibrillator somewhat, but it's still worth having equipped as reviving a player quickly can often be the difference between winning and losing a team fight.

You'll also want to keep the Healing Beam equipped, as it functions like Mercy's Caduceus Staff from Overwatch, snapping onto teammates and continuously restoring their health from up to 15 metres away.

These healing-based tools alone make the Medium build a valuable ally, but the Medium build is arguably the best offensive class in THE FINALS, too! Pairing the Jump Pad and the Zipline gadgets gives the Medium build mobility that rivals that of the Light build. Movement is the skill gap in THE FINALS, so you want access to all the movement-enhancing specialisations and gadgets!

The other change we've made to this loadout since Season 1 is swapping out the AKM for the FAMAS. This might be a contentious choice, as there's a bit of a skill curve to master with this particular weapon. As detailed in our best weapons guide, the FAMAS is semi-automatic, meaning it fires in bursts. If you can time your bursts well, the FAMAS can almost operate with the fire rate of an SMG, while maintaining the damage output of an AR.

If you struggle with burst fire, stick with the AKM. But don't count out the FAMAS as in the hands of the right player, it's lethal.

As the name of the class suggests, the Heavy build sports the most HP of all the builds, but it's also the slowest. Essentially the tank of THE FINALS, it leads the charge on Cashout Stations and controlling objectives with its diverse toolkit.

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The Heavy build is lethargic and slow for the most part, but the Charge ‘N’ Slam gives it some much-needed manoeuvrability. You can use the Charge ‘N’ Slam to propel forward and break through walls and obstacles and deal damage to enemy contestants, or you can activate it mid-air to smash the ground in an area-of-effect assault.

Equip the RPG-7 to give the Heavy build yet another offensive-oriented tool. The RPG-7 is a must-have for any Heavy Build, thanks to its ease of use and sheer explosive power.

Lastly, the Barricade and the Explosive Mine allow the Heavy build to defend objectives single-handedly. You can set up Barricades at entry points to block opponents, and if they do get by, a well-placed Explosive Mine will make them regret their decision to set foot into your territory.

Unless you're trying your hand at a meme build or just messing around in THE FINALS, the M60 is probably your best bet regarding which weapon to use with the Heavy build. The M60 LMG is the best all-around weapon available to the Heavy build, capable of mowing down hordes of enemies at varied ranges of combat. Using the Sledgehammer or the Flamethrower with the Heavy build can be fun, but it's not exactly viable against competent contestants.

Much like the Light class, not much has changed for the Heavy between Season 1 and Season 2. It'll still be favoured by those who prefer to have a chunkier health pool to fall back on while bringing most of the brawn to firefights.

Now that you know the best builds in THE FINALS, be sure to check out our THE FINALS homepage, as well as our explainer of every game mode in the game. Need to know what the best crosshair is? We've got you covered there too. We also covered everything you need to know about what's new in Season 2, too.