Radio operators are very important in the Lethal Company. It plays an important role in finding the spoils, ensuring security and being cautious against enemies. You can find more details about radio operators in our Lethal Company Radio Operator guide.
This is the guide ZackTactical34 and 1 collaborators it was created by. You can find the author’s link at the end of the guide.
Lethal Company Radio Operator
Lethal Company is a team-oriented horror game that involves running headfirst into facilities in order to grab as much loot as possible while not getting killed in the process. While some may think that the “scavengers” are the most vital component, they are not. In fact, the most critical role in the entire game is in actuality the Radio Operator (despite being called the “laziest”). His job, first and foremost, is to help his team find as much loot as possible, avoid surrounding hostiles, and lead them to safety whenever possible. This Lethal Company Radio Operator guide aims to be a complete and thorough reference on the topic.
While your team is scrambling inside the facility hoping to find loot with no flashlights, you’re in the control center with a bird’s eye view on the whole situation, which is why this role is so important…
Preconditions & Setup
A good Radio Operator serves to keep his team alive and expedite the entire process so as to avoid hostiles both inside and outside the facility. However, it is important to recognize that for him to be effective, the following conditions must be met:
- Terminal should be configured to view the monitor (via: ‘view monitor’)
- Both the Scavenger Leader and the Radio Operator should have walkie talkies (too many walkies among the group can easily clutter comms as we will see shortly)
- The monitor should be primarily set to the Scavenger Leader while occasionally checking on other members (he is your direct link to the rest of the team inside)
- The Scavenger Leader is highly encouraged to follow to directions from the Radio Operator, but sometimes situations will rely on pure instinct
Goals & Objectives
Finding Loot
Loot via the monitor/terminal appears as a bright green triangle. You can scan via the terminal (i.e. ‘scan’) to determine the total estimated amount of scrap on the specified moon.
While guiding your Scavenger Leader to loot is generally straightforward, sometimes you’ll run into an issue of depth perception (i.e. it appears to be on the same floor but for the team inside, it’s on a different floor level). The most important thing is to actively communicate.
Keeping the Team Alive
The moment your team enters the facility, you should be constantly scanning for possible threats that may come their way. This can range from a simple Hoarding Bug to the deadly Jester. How you handle these threats is the critical difference between survival and death. Further in this guide, I’ve drawn some actual examples of deadly situations that my former crew have faced.
Your team may choose to approach these situations head on, and there is very little that you can do about it sometimes. The most important thing you can control is relaying vital information regarding the current predicament. If there is no teleporter available (which is an absolute must), sometimes this may involve leaving behind a teammate who is doomed to die to save the rest of the crew. This might mean telling your team to abandon a member who is completely surrounded or locking him in via a bunker gate to save the rest of the team. These are obviously last resorts, but they are the critical decisions you will have to make.
Remembering the Maze
As you’re navigating your team deeper and deeper into the facility, it’s important that you remember the way to safety via the main entrance or one of the emergency exits. Far too often teams will be led deep into the foundation only to be lost with no clue at all from the Radio Operator. Your job is to make it so that even if they have no flashlights with them, they can make it out to safety. The good news is that you have a wide perspective and should be taking note of the overall direction of where you are guiding your team.
How to Communicate
Now that you understand the core responsibilities of being a Radio Operator, it’s important that you begin to learn how to communicate like one. A common issue that people commit is either oversharing or being too ambiguous. Your goal is to provide only enough information that is necessary for your team’s purposes. The following are actual examples from prior experiences:
- Bad: “There’s a thing over there”
- Good: “Hostile on your left”
- Bad: “Ummm, just keep walking ok, and ummm, it’s over there….I mean right”
- Good: “Keep going straight. Go right”
- Bad: “Wait wait wait wait….you just missed it. Ummm, can you turn around for me and go left”
- Good: “Stop. Turn around. Take next left”
Generally speaking, the more succinct you can be, the better (assuming that information is not being lost in an attempt to be more “efficient”). We don’t be like Kevin from The Office where he chopped up his words to be more efficient.
While knowing how to effectively deliver comms is vital to the role of Radio Operator, it is fundamental that you do not ignore all the other core facets as mentioned prior.
Entity Identification (Outdoor)
Many entities in the game have distinct and memorable movement/attack patterns, which can be seen on the ship’s terminal/monitor. This section is dedicated to explaining and describing the way all entities within the game do so.
This section covers: Forest Keepers, Eyeless Dogs, Baboon Hawks, Circuit Bees, and the Earth Leviathan.
Forest Keepers
Appearing as a large blip on the monitor, these hostiles can be heard from very far. Most times, the Radio Operator will not see them on the monitor unless they are chasing a player. As these giants are deaf, it is safe to communicate with your allies that they are present. Besides being extremely loud, they are also one of the only outdoor entities that give you time to teleport during their attack animation. If you believe an ally is about to get eaten, hitting the teleport button quickly can save their life (and body) as Forest Keepers take roughly 3 seconds to kill someone after picking them up.
Eyeless Dogs
Eyeless Dogs appear as a mediocre-sized red blip on the monitor. They make straight, smooth lines of movement before stopping to turn and can also be identified as when they charge at a player, they do so in a straight line, which the player can run perpendicularly to, avoiding a swift death. As these are the only hostile entities that are reactive to sound, it may be best not to communicate this information to any person outside when you have identified they are near.*
Baboon Hawks
An entity that will remain docile until provoked or when they are in a group that outnumbers yours. These entities make unique staggered bursts of movement as they hop around. Most times, they will not be an issue, but if you manage to spot a crewmate being attacked by one, it may be the best course of action to teleport them out of there.*
Circuit Bees
Circuit Bees are the only stationary hostile located outdoors. As a Radio Operator, you can ignore these entities as in-player, they make an audible buzzing noise, which is enough to alert a player to their location. They appear as a lone piece of scrap on the monitor with small particulate dark red interference.
Earth Leviathans
When observed on the monitor, these entities are the biggest blip you’ll see. They make erratic movements and will lock onto any player they move under. When near a player and as a Radio Operator, you are advised to teleport anyone who’s near one, as a swift death may occur.
Entity Identification (Indoor)
Where most of the dying happens, being a Radio Operator, this is the most important part.
The section is composed of: Spore Lizards, Snare Fleas, Hoarding Bugs, The Bracken, Bunker Spiders, Coil-Heads, Hygroderes, Jesters, Thumpers, Mines, Sentry Turrets, and The Ghost Girl.
Spore Lizards
Starting with the most harmless, the Spore Lizard will retreat after noticing a player. They walk around the facility at a steady pace and appear as a medium-sized red dot. When backing away from a player, they will take slow steps and gradually speed back up to their normal pace; this is what helps you to identify them.
Snare Fleas
Small stationary dots on the monitor, they appear in corridors hard to distinguish from the Bunker Spider which tends to hang around on the walls. Other than that, all you can do as a Radio Operator is to tell your crewmates to look out for them.
Hoarding Bugs
Hoarding Bugs initially appear as your average enemy on the monitor. They are identifiable by their smooth movement around corners and can be seen in groups of up to 3. They can also be identified as they are the only indoors entity that can carry scrap, storing it in their stash. They should not be perceived as a threat unless a player has stolen from their stash or aggravated them.*
The Bracken
Spawning only once per moon, the Bracken can be hard to identify. It stalks and creeps up on players, directly crawling towards them at a quick, sinusoidal pace, similar to that of running. As the main way of alerting your allies of entities’ presence, you should immediately attempt to notify them of its presence once identified.*
Bunker Spiders
One of the only entities that lie stationary. Upon finding them as they make their nests, they will make staggered movements, setting up their webs as they go. When they are finished, they will prop themselves onto a wall and sit there, waiting for prey. The only way to tell the differences between them and a Snare Flea is the size of their dot in which a Bunker Spider’s one is bigger.*
Coil-Heads
Quite possibly the easiest indoors entity to ID, Coil-Heads traverse the facility in quick, short bursts when searching for a player. Upon locking onto a player, they will quickly dash towards them, stopping only if the player looks at them; this is evident as seen from the monitor. You are recommended to teleport anyone who’s dealing with a Coil-Head if:
- You believe they lack sufficient brain cells to escape
- There are multiple other dangerous entities surrounding them
- Their life is worth more alive than dead
Hygroderes
A sizeable dot on the monitor, the Hygroderes are the biggest indoor enemy. Moving at a slow steady pace, they won’t pose a threat to your teammates (Unless they are dumb). But if paired with other entities, they can be much more threatening. A teleport in this case is situational and should only be carried out depending on what other threats may lurk nearby.
Jesters
Not much of a threat unless your allies are in the facility deep. The Jester will creep up on players and follow them for roughly 20-40 seconds; they will then stand stationary and begin their winding phase, in which it’s your job to quickly guide your allies to the exit, assuming you have remembered where it is.*
Thumpers
One of the more annoying enemies, Thumpers can be a roadblock if your team wants to search for more scrap. Most times, if there is a player trying to escape a Thumper, they will be stood on a railing; when they are doing this, it’s ideal for you to communicate with your teammate as to how they will escape.
- Teleporting them but losing all the scrap
- Using a whackable object to kill it
- Letting them try to escape (can lead to death to the pit instead)
- Staring at them on the monitor until you are satisfied they’ve waited long enough
- Leave them behind
Mines
Tiny dark red dots that have an access code attached to them. They stay stationary and can be disabled just like turrets. If an unfortunate player steps on one, there are 4 ways to get them off, 2 relevant to a Radio Operator:
- Teleport them off (Safest)
- Deactivate the mine from the terminal and get them to step off
- Drop the same weight on the mine as the player is carrying
- Let them blow up
Sentry Turrets
Similar to the mine, they appear as a small red dot with a translucent red cone in front of it. They can also be deactivated temporarily with their access code. The best thing you can do is to warn your crewmates of their presence and disable them whenever needed.
The Ghost Girl
The Ghost Girl does not appear on the monitor and can also appear outside; this can make it hard to decipher which player she is haunting without communication. Otherwise, you will need to rely on your teammate’s competence to not die from her.
*Pending Gif
Advanced Concepts
In progress…
