If you’re just starting Trench: Decay and want to earn Medals, XP, and Sapper Skill Points faster, one of the best things you can learn early is how the game’s Modifiers work.
This method focuses on a melee-only setup that takes advantage of two particularly useful modifiers: Cold Steel and Fixed Bayonets. The combination can make a run much more rewarding while still being accessible to newer players.
The strategy below is based around completing the first major objective and then extracting, rather than trying to finish the entire run.
How to Get More Medals, XP & Skill Points in Trench Decay
Modifiers change the rules of a Trench: Decay run, but they can also significantly increase the rewards you receive.
For this farming method, the two important modifiers are:
- Cold Steel
- Fixed Bayonets
Cold Steel forces the run into melee combat, meaning you cannot rely on firearms for dealing with enemies.
Fixed Bayonets makes newly spawned New Order soldiers use melee combat instead of firearms.
At first, this sounds like it would make the game considerably harder. However, it actually makes certain enemies much easier to deal with because you can eliminate many of them with a charged melee attack.
This is especially useful if you’re comfortable fighting enemies up close.
Best Modifier Combination
For the highest reward potential, you can combine the melee modifiers with additional modifiers such as:
- Shock Troops
- Torn Map
- Stripped Kit
If you’re specifically looking for the largest possible bonus, Shock Troops + Torn Map is recommended.
The downside is that Torn Map removes some of your control over which map you receive, making the run more random.
If you’d rather have more control, Stripped Kit is another option. It sacrifices a small amount of the bonus but gives you increased movement speed at the cost of some health.
For a beginner, having a little more control over the run can be worth more than squeezing out every possible percentage of bonus rewards.
Recommended Beginner Loadout
You don’t need an expensive or highly upgraded loadout for this strategy.
A simple setup can work:
- Melee weapon
- Medkit
- Brass Bandolier, if available
- Any basic melee equipment you already have
The important part is having a melee weapon that you’re comfortable using.
You don’t need to worry much about ammunition because the modifiers prevent you from making meaningful use of firearms.
The Brass Bandolier can provide additional health, but its ammunition benefit isn’t particularly useful during a melee-only run.
Sapper Setup
This strategy is also useful for players working on their Sapper progression.
You don’t need a heavily upgraded Sapper to start experimenting with this method. Even a relatively basic Sapper can use the same general strategy.
However, your results can vary because some mission and reward elements have random factors.
If you’re a brand-new player, don’t worry about having the perfect Sapper build before trying this.
Best Upgrades During the Run
When you’re given choices during the run, prioritize upgrades that help you survive melee combat.
Some useful options include:
- Melee Damage
- Movement Speed
- Life Steal
- Fortified/survivability upgrades
Life Steal is particularly valuable because you’re going to spend most of the run fighting enemies at close range.
Every melee kill can potentially help you stay alive longer.
Movement Speed is also useful because it allows you to reposition quickly, dodge attacks, and create distance when an enemy is about to attack.
Don’t Waste Time Collecting Ammo
One of the easiest mistakes during this strategy is continuing to collect ammunition.
With Cold Steel and the other melee-focused modifiers active, ammunition isn’t particularly useful.
Instead, concentrate on:
- Medkits
- Health
- Melee upgrades
- Movement
- Life Steal
- Completing objectives
You want to spend as little time as possible searching for items that don’t contribute to the strategy.
Always Check Medical Crates
Even though ammunition isn’t important, medical supplies are.
Whenever you pass medical crates, make sure you check them and collect useful healing items.
Because you’ll be fighting almost everything at close range, you’re naturally going to take more damage than you would in a normal ranged run.
Having extra healing available can be the difference between completing the objective and losing the run.
How to Fight Enemies
The basic combat strategy is very simple:
Charge your melee attack → wait for enemies to approach → release the attack → reposition.
Against many weaker enemies, a single charged attack can kill them.
Don’t constantly swing your weapon without thinking.
Instead, let enemies group together when it’s safe to do so.
Then use a charged attack to hit several enemies at once.
This saves both time and stamina.
Manage Your Stamina
Stamina management becomes extremely important during a melee-only run.
A charged attack uses a significant amount of stamina, so don’t waste it by repeatedly charging attacks against individual enemies when you don’t need to.
If several enemies are approaching, wait until they’re close enough for one attack to hit multiple targets.
This is much more efficient than attacking one enemy, waiting for the animation, and repeating the process.
Melee Crates Are Worth Breaking
There’s another useful trick during the run.
Break the melee-related crates whenever you encounter them.
According to the strategy shown in the original run, these crates can contribute toward melee-related progression and may count toward melee kills/sacrifice points.
So if you’re farming progression, don’t simply run past them.
Use the Environment Against Enemies
You don’t always need to fight enemies in an open area.
When dealing with enemies around structures such as blockhouses, use the environment to your advantage.
Let enemies approach you through narrow areas or around obstacles.
Then move backward and use charged melee attacks when they get close.
This gives you more control over the fight and reduces the chance of being surrounded.
Complete Side Objectives for Extra Rewards
If you’re specifically farming Medals, don’t ignore objectives that provide additional rewards.
Some objectives may give you Dog Tags, which can then be converted into Medals.
The example run shows an objective giving around 30 Dog Tags, which works out to roughly 10 Medals depending on the current conversion rate.
That may not sound huge by itself, but repeatedly completing these objectives can add up.
Don’t Rush Through Groups of Enemies
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is trying to kill enemies immediately after seeing them.
Instead, consider letting several enemies approach you.
Once enough enemies are within range, use your charged attack.
This allows you to:
- Kill multiple enemies at once
- Save stamina
- Spend less time attacking
- Reduce unnecessary animation downtime
- Make better use of Life Steal
The goal is to make every attack count.
The Keep
When you reach the Keep, your approach changes slightly.
Normally, you might explore side rooms looking for ammunition and other supplies.
However, because this strategy is built around melee combat, ammunition isn’t a priority.
You can instead focus on clearing the enemies that are actually blocking your progress.
Use walls and other objects to your advantage where possible.
If an enemy is positioned on the other side of a wall and you can safely hit them through it, take advantage of that rather than exposing yourself unnecessarily.
Be Careful Inside Rooms
Don’t assume that clearing one enemy means the room is safe.
Check the area carefully before moving forward.
Enemies can easily catch you from behind when you’re focused on another objective.
This is especially dangerous in a melee-only run because you don’t have the luxury of shooting enemies from a distance.
Watch for Tripwires
Be especially careful around tripwires.
Since you’re relying heavily on melee weapons, you don’t have the same options for safely dealing with certain hazards.
Don’t blindly sprint through rooms.
Slow down when you see traps and make sure you have a safe path forward.
Dealing With Enemy Waves
Enemy waves are one of the more dangerous parts of this strategy.
The main enemy you need to watch for is the Exploder.
Exploders can be particularly annoying when you’re forced to fight exclusively with melee weapons.
The safest approach is to bait their explosion.
Move toward the Exploder enough to trigger its attack animation, then immediately create distance.
While backing away, use charged attacks against other enemies that are approaching you.
The important thing is to avoid getting caught in the explosion.
Holding the Door
During defense sections, you can use a simple loop:
- Stay near your defensive position.
- Let enemies approach.
- Use charged melee attacks.
- Retreat when necessary.
- Let Exploders trigger their explosions away from you.
- Return to the defensive position.
- Repeat.
You don’t need to chase every enemy around the area.
Your priority is surviving while preventing enemies from reaching the objective.
Buy Medkits When Possible
If you have the opportunity to purchase additional Medkits, take it.
A melee-only build naturally exposes you to more damage, and you shouldn’t assume that you’ll finish the run without getting knocked down.
Extra healing gives you a safety net.
Fighting the Commissar
Eventually you’ll reach the Commissar.
This fight can be difficult when you’re restricted to melee weapons.
The basic strategy remains the same:
Charge → attack → reposition → repeat.
Try to stay close enough that you can continue damaging the Commissar, but don’t recklessly stand in attacks that you can avoid.
If you get knocked down, don’t immediately assume the run is over.
If you have a Medkit or another way to revive yourself, you can recover after the enemy is dealt with.
The original run demonstrates that getting downed isn’t necessarily fatal as long as you have the resources to recover.
Life Steal Is Extremely Good Here
If you get a Life Steal upgrade during the run, it’s one of the better choices you can make.
You’re going to be killing enemies with melee attacks constantly, so Life Steal can provide a steady source of healing.
This makes it much easier to sustain yourself through the earlier sections.
Just remember that environmental objects and crates don’t necessarily provide the same healing benefit as actual enemy kills.
The Big Bertha Section
After progressing through the run, you’ll eventually reach Big Bertha.
At this point, you have a choice.
You can destroy Big Bertha, or you can attempt to seize it.
If your goal is simply to finish the run safely, destroying it may be the easier option.
However, if you’re specifically trying to maximize your Medals and XP, seizing it can provide additional rewards.
How to Seize Big Bertha
Before attempting to seize Big Bertha, make sure the surrounding enemies have been dealt with.
You don’t want to start the objective while enemy soldiers are still alive and capable of attacking you.
The general process is:
- Clear the nearby soldiers.
- Move toward the objective.
- Start the seizure process.
- Watch for enemies attempting to interrupt you.
- Activate the highlighted generators.
- Stay alert while completing the objective.
- Finish the seizure.
- Extract.
Don’t become so focused on the objective that you forget to watch your surroundings.
Extract After the Major Objective
You don’t necessarily need to complete the entire run if you’re using this specifically as a farming method.
The idea is to complete the first major objective, collect the rewards, and then extract.
This makes the strategy much more efficient than spending a huge amount of time trying to push through the entire game.
You can then return to the lobby and start another run.
How Many Rewards Can You Get?
In the example run, completing the first major objective produced roughly:
- Around 400 Medals
- A large amount of XP
- Additional Dog Tags
- Progress toward Sapper Skill Points
The exact amount can vary depending on the modifiers, objectives, performance, and other factors.
Even so, earning several hundred Medals from a relatively short portion of a run makes this an attractive farming strategy.