Enlisted already has a military rank system, but outside of showing progression, those ranks don’t really have much purpose. I think they could be used to introduce a simple team commander system , similar to the experienced-player system that existed in Red Orchestra 2.
How would it work?
At the beginning of each match, the highest-ranked player on each team could be offered the role of Commander .
The important part is that it would be optional . If the highest-ranked player just wants to fly, snipe, grind a particular squad, or simply doesn’t want the responsibility, they can decline and the offer passes to the next eligible player.
This would give the existing rank system more purpose because players who consistently win matches and earn Battle Hero awards naturally tend to progress further through the ranks.
The commander wouldn’t receive any combat advantage. Instead, the role would be about helping organise the team and giving newer players somebody experienced to rally around.
The commander could have a distinctive icon above their squad so other players can easily identify them on the battlefield. This could encourage newer players to follow an experienced squad rather than having everyone independently running around the map.
The commander could also receive some additional quick-chat commands, for example:
- Advance
- Fall back
- Attack this point
- Defend this point
- Need armour here
- Need air support
- Suppress this position
These could also create distinctive map markers so players immediately understand what the commander is requesting without requiring voice chat.
Another useful feature borrowed from RO2 would be the ability for the commander to give basic orders to AI-controlled squads .
Sometimes bots become stuck somewhere or simply aren’t contributing to the objective. The commander could give simple team-level AI commands such as attack this objective, defend here, move here, or fall back .
This wouldn’t allow the commander to control another player’s soldiers, only AI-controlled squads.
Commander spawning
One small benefit of accepting the role could be a separate commander deployment system.
The commander wouldn’t jump ahead of anybody or push another player out of the spawn queue . They simply wouldn’t enter the normal infantry queue.
After a short respawn cooldown, the commander could select an available infantry spawn and deploy.
This would allow them to get back onto the battlefield and continue coordinating the team without negatively affecting anybody else’s spawn.
I wouldn’t apply this to tanks or aircraft, so being commander couldn’t be used to bypass vehicle queues.
Best Commander
At the end of the match, there could also be a Best Commander award.
This could take into account things like winning the battle, successful objective orders, and team participation around commander markers.
It would give experienced players a little recognition for helping organise the team without needing to give the commander additional combat power or large score bonuses.
The commander should also be able to relinquish command during the match if they no longer want the role, allowing another eligible player to take over.
I think something like this could help with one of Enlisted’s biggest problems: there are a lot of players and squads on the battlefield, but very little actually encourages them to work together.
It could also help newer players learn the game naturally. Instead of needing to understand every map immediately, they can see the commander and think:
“That experienced squad is pushing this way. I’ll go with them.”
Importantly, most of the systems needed for this already exist in some form: ranks, map markers, quick chat, AI squads, spawn queues, and Battle Hero awards.
It would just give those systems another purpose while adding a little more teamwork and battlefield organisation.
What do you guys think? Would you accept the commander role if it was offered to you?
- Yes
- No