The popular tactical RPG series returns with Valkyria Chronicles 4. The fourth installment of the series brings back all of the core classes and gameplay that fans have come to recognize but with some slight changes. The biggest tactical change is the addition of the grenadier, a class which can attack any enemy that moves within their range, eating away at their movement. While the story of Valkyria Chronicles 4 looks to be in line with previous installments, it is also the first game to not take place in Gallia. It will instead take place during the events of the first Valkyria Chronicles but far, far away in a snowy land.

Players will control Ranger Corps’ Squad E, a unit led by Claude Wallace and his allies. As usual, the gameplay will focus on the tactical elements of 20th century war with fantasy twists. Most of the combat will be ranged with select classes, like Fencers, able to charge into battle with greatswords and deal devastating damage. The grenadier will certainly change strategy for the title, but the game has also reworked the battle system.

Already, the Valkyria series has been challenging for many tactical RPG fans. The combination of classes with their weaknesses and strengths as well as reliance on ranged combat has made the series a tactical experience that always requires thinking ahead. Scouts primarily served as the unit that sped across the battlefield to get vision through fog of war, but the addition of the grenadier complicates that, as they can not only dish out high damage but will limit the movement of units they attack. As always, the key to victory will be in a balanced team.

The game also attempts to make leveling less arduous as a trade-off for the increased difficulty. In past Valkyria games, players had to continually grind to level characters. Valkyria Chronicles 4 gets rid of this by having players level up entire classes rather than just characters. This will help spread levels across an entire team so that leveling up one Medic on your team will level up them all accordingly.

All of the classes have also received minor changes, with the biggest changes coming from the flow of combat. Scouts are the class the most unchanged but the one most affected. Damage in Valkyria Chronicles 4 is higher than in past games with increased attack ranges for most classes, making Scouts all the harder to keep alive. Grenadiers also severely limit a Scout’s usefulness unless properly paired with a sniper to give them support. It creates an air of caution that previous titles did not have.

Engineers are a similarly affected class as the higher damage output makes them more vital than ever for keeping a team alive. Lancers will play a bigger role as well with vehicles more common across battlefields. Increased damage range of units have also put a greater priority on classes like Sniper while units like Shocktroopers will be best kept for holding forts and utilizing cover. Of course, the most fun will still be in turning a unit into a Fencer and giving him a massive sword to charge in recklessly, but it does seem like the game is trying to make that harder to pull off.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is set to release in Fall of 2018 on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Pre-ordering will also net a 100-page artbook and two side missions from the original Valkyria Chronicles. The title will also launch with a DLC – Joint Operation with Squad 7. It has been teased that an old favorite, the hero of Valkyria Chronicles, Welkin Gunter, will make an appearance.