The Finals Getting Started: Rivendale Map, Loadouts, and Your First 10 Hours
New to The Finals in 2026? This guide covers the Rivendale map (added in the Riven Tide update), 3-class system, loadout customization, and a 10-hour roadmap that gets you into ranked Cashout matches.
TL;DR: The Finals is a 3v3v3v3 arena shooter where you destroy buildings to win. The new Rivendale map (Riven Tide update, 2026) is a vertical tropical island. Light class is the most forgiving for first-timers. Cashout is the main mode — destroy the enemy’s vault.
Who this guide is for
- You just installed The Finals on Steam / PlayStation / Xbox
- You are unsure which class (Light / Medium / Heavy) to pick
- You want to know what the Rivendale map looks like
- You do not need to read this if you already have Diamond rank in Cashout
This is the first guide in our zero-to-rank The Finals series. Read the others in any order:
- Core Mechanics: Classes, Weapons, and Destruction — coming soon
- Rivendale Map: The New Vertical Battlefield — coming soon
- Cashout Strategy: How to Win Tournaments — coming soon
1. The game format: 3v3v3v3 arena shooter
The Finals is a multi-team arena shooter where four teams of 3 fight on a destructible map. The goal depends on the mode.
| Mode | Teams | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Cashout | 4 teams of 3 | Deposit cash into your team’s vault by killing enemies and stealing their coins |
| Bank It | 4 teams of 3 | Deposit cash pucks into your team’s ATM |
| Power Shift | 2 teams of 5 | Push / defend a moving platform (like a Payload mode) |
| Tournament | 4 teams of 3 | High-stakes ranked Cashout |
The unique twist: full destruction
Every building, wall, and floor in The Finals can be destroyed. This is not a gimmick — it’s the core mechanic. You can:
- Break through walls to flank
- Collapse floors to drop enemies
- Create new sightlines by destroying cover
- Cause buildings to collapse on enemies
Common pitfall: treating destruction as cosmetic. Destruction is your main tool. A player who uses destruction effectively wins fights against better-aimed players.
2. Pick a class: 3 classes ranked for first-timers
The Finals has 3 classes, each with unique gadgets, weapons, and playstyles.
The 3 classes
| Class | Health | Speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 150 HP | Fast | Mobility, flanking, getting picks |
| Medium | 250 HP | Medium | All-purpose, support role |
| Heavy | 350 HP | Slow | Tank, area denial, demolition |
The Light class — easiest for new players
- HP: 150 (lowest)
- Speed: highest
- Weapons: SMGs, sidearms, throwables
- Gadgets: cloak, grapple, dash
- Playstyle: flank, get picks, run away before you die
- Why it’s easy: you can run away. Bad players don’t die as Light because they kite.
The Medium class — the most versatile
- HP: 250 (medium)
- Speed: medium
- Weapons: assault rifles, shotguns
- Gadgets: healing beam, flashbang, sonar
- Playstyle: support the team, hold angles, rotate
- Why it’s medium: you need to be in the fight. Bad positioning = death.
The Heavy class — the hardest for new players
- HP: 350 (highest)
- Speed: slowest
- Weapons: LMGs, miniguns, rocket launchers
- Gadgets: shield, mesh shield, charge
- Playstyle: lead the push, demolish buildings, absorb damage
- Why it’s hard: enemies WILL focus you. You need to know how to take space.
The recommendation
- First time: Light. The speed and mobility let you make mistakes and survive
- After 10 hours: try Medium. Versatile, supports the team
- After 30 hours: try Heavy. Highest skill ceiling, highest impact
Common pitfall: starting as Heavy because “tanks are easy.” They’re not — every enemy targets you first. Start Light, learn positioning first.
3. Loadout: customize before each match
The Finals has a deep loadout system. Before each match, you pick:
- 1 weapon (Light / Medium / Heavy variants)
- 3 gadgets (varies by class)
- 1 specialization (passive ability)
- 1 throwable (grenade, fire, gas)
The recommended starter loadouts
| Class | Loadout | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Light | V9S (SMG) + Cloak + Grappling Hook + Dash + Smoke Grenade | Get in, get a kill, get out |
| Medium | AKM (AR) + Healing Beam + Sonar + Flashbang + Frag Grenade | Support your team |
| Heavy | Lewis Gun (LMG) + Mesh Shield + Charge + Dome + C4 | Lead the push |
The customization rule
- You can change your loadout before every match
- Save your favorites in the loadout menu
- Try new combos in Tournament practice or Quick Cash
Common pitfall: sticking with one loadout forever. Customize for the map and the enemy team.
4. The Rivendale map (Riven Tide update)
The Riven Tide update (mid-2026) added Rivendale as a new map. It’s a vertical tropical island with 3 distinct zones.
The 3 Rivendale zones
| Zone | Style | Tactics |
|---|---|---|
| The Lagoon | Open central plaza | High-traffic fights, watch for snipers |
| The Plantation | Treetop walkways + ground buildings | Vertical combat, use grapple |
| The Ruins | Half-destroyed stone structures | Heavy demolition plays |
The vertical combat rule
Rivendale rewards vertical thinking:
- Use grapple points to reach high ground
- Demolish floors to drop enemies below
- Watch your sky — Light players will drop on you from above
Common pitfall: fighting on the ground floor of Rivendale. The high ground is the win condition.
5. The 10-hour first-run path
Hours 0–2: Tutorial and Training
- Play the tutorial — it teaches the destruction system
- Spend 20 minutes in the Practice Range — get used to your class’s movement
- Pick Light class with the V9S + Cloak loadout
Hours 2–5: Quick Cash
- Queue into Quick Cash (casual mode)
- Don’t focus on winning — focus on learning:
- How to use destruction
- How your class’s gadgets work
- How the map flows
Hours 5–8: Tournament Practice
- Queue into Tournament Practice (unranked Tournament mode)
- Same rules as ranked, no rank loss
- Learn the 3v3v3v3 combat loop here
Hours 8–10: First Ranked
- Unlock Ranked by reaching level 20
- Cashout Tournament is the main ranked mode
- Do your placement matches — you’ll be calibrated to Bronze / Silver
- Stick with one class for placements
Common pitfall: switching classes during placement matches. Pick one class, master it, then experiment.
6. The 10 settings to change in your first hour
Display
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frame rate display | On | Free FPS counter |
| V-Sync | Off | Adds input lag |
| Motion blur | Off | Destruction makes everything chaotic already |
| Render scale | 100% (lower if FPS drops) | Destruction is GPU-heavy |
Gameplay
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Crosshair color | High-contrast (cyan / yellow) | Visible on any background |
| Aim assist | On (console) / Off (PC) | Mouse aim doesn’t need assist |
| Damage numbers | On | Know your TTK |
| Auto-pickup cash | Off | Pick up manually to know your economy |
Audio
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SFX | High | Destruction sounds = enemy position |
| Voice chat | Push-to-talk | 4 teams in one match = open mic chaos |
Common pitfall: playing with low SFX. Audio tells you where enemies are collapsing buildings on you.
7. The 5 basic rules of every match
Rule 1: Always have an escape route
- Light players especially: never push into a corner
- Always know where you’ll retreat before you engage
Rule 2: Use destruction proactively
- Don’t just shoot at enemies — destroy the cover they’re using
- Open new sightlines by breaking walls
Rule 3: Stick with your team (sort of)
- The Finals is 3v3, so you have 2 teammates
- Don’t be alone, but don’t all clump either — one enemy ultimate wipes 3 clumped teammates
Rule 4: Pick your fights
- 3v1 = you win (almost always)
- 1v3 = you lose (almost always)
- Pick fights where you have numbers advantage
Rule 5: Cash > Kills
- The objective is depositing cash, not killing
- Don’t chase kills when there’s cash to grab
Common pitfall: chasing the kill feed. The objective is cash. Get the cash.
8. Frequently asked mistakes (the first week)
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Playing Heavy first | You get focused and die constantly | Start as Light |
| Ignoring destruction | You miss the game’s core mechanic | Break walls to flank |
| Chasing kills | You lose the objective | Get the cash, not the kill |
| Clumping with team | One ult wipes 3 people | Spread out |
| No escape route | You die in a corner | Always have a retreat path |
| Tilting after losses | You play worse | Take a break after 2 losses |
9. Next steps
You are ready for your first session. The natural next read is Core Mechanics: Classes, Weapons, and Destruction — once you understand the underlying rules, you’ll climb faster.
If you want to learn the Rivendale map, see Rivendale Map: The New Vertical Battlefield.
Version note (2026-07-18): Based on The Finals Riven Tide update (mid-2026). The Rivendale map and Riven Tide content are the current headline additions. Class balance and weapon balance shifts every patch; check the launcher for the latest. The 3-class system (Light / Medium / Heavy) and the destruction mechanic are stable.
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