Zero to Hero looks harmless on the menu, then Zero Dam reminds you very quickly that empty pockets change every decision. In Season 10, a two-player run began with Shepherd and Luna, no guns, no armour, no medical kit, and barely enough gear to feel prepared. The first raid wasn't about looking brave. It was about finding anything useful before the map found them. That mindset matters when building a stash of Delta Force Items, because a cheap med supply or spare repair part can matter more than another flashy weapon.
Why the Opening Raid Feels So Unforgiving
Zero Dam punishes players who sprint straight towards noise. The duo started by checking medical boxes, bot bodies, quiet rooms, and familiar supply points. It sounds slow. It is. Still, slow beats lying behind a wall with a damaged leg and no surgery kit. Forceps, injectors, bandages, and repair materials had more practical value than early kills. A single injury can turn a normal escape into a desperate crawl, especially when the nearest extraction point sits across open ground.
Shepherd and Luna helped cover that weak start. Their abilities created breathing room, but they didn't replace sensible movement. The pair avoided fights they couldn't finish quickly, listened before crossing doorways, and kept enough space to retreat. You soon notice that an empty inventory makes confidence dangerous. Every bullet spent has a cost, every loud exchange attracts attention, and every unnecessary push can wipe out ten minutes of careful searching.
What Most Players Try, And Where It Falls Apart
The Meta: Run recon operators, stack strong ammunition, and take every fight near valuable rooms.
The Snag: Loud wins draw fresh squads, while heavy armour turns rushed pushes into expensive losses.
The Fix: Take clean angles, leave early, and keep one escape route open before shooting.
Reality check: Gold ammunition won't save a player who swings a doorway with broken armour and no exit plan.
How Each Extraction Should Improve the Next One
Stage Main Goal Useful Focus
Easy Stay alive Medical supplies and repairs
Normal Build value Positioning and selective fights
Hard Protect the kit Sound awareness and patience
The Question That Usually Comes Up
A lot of players wonder whether expensive ammunition is enough for Tide Prison once the difficulty climbs.
Not really. It helps, but weapon control, armour, timing, and a safe route out matter just as much.
Hard Mode Shows Whether the Build Is Ready
The Normal raid gave both players more than three million in value, which was enough to assemble a proper kit: a QJB, improved armour, a purple helmet, repairs, medical supplies, and high-grade ammunition. Selling spare loot was the right call. Keeping every random attachment would only have filled the stash without helping the next objective. A useful rule is simple: if an item doesn't support your planned weapon, healing setup, or route, turn it into funds while its value still helps.
Tide Prison exposed the remaining gaps. The duo had plenty of ammunition, yet fully equipped opponents still controlled the pace. The QJB's setup wasn't ideal, and aggressive movement made the problem worse. Hard mode asks for more than preparation in the menu. You need to know recoil, understand when armour is too damaged to trust, and recognise when a fight has stopped being worth the risk. Extraction zones and major buildings are never truly clear after one engagement. Footsteps can arrive from anywhere.
For another attempt, start with a modest objective: leave with more than you entered with. Learn medical locations, keep repair items, and upgrade only when the change suits your hands. Some players prefer to save time by checking Delta Force Tekniq Alloy for sale before preparing a serious kit, but the purchase should still match the mode, weapon plan, and budget you're actually using.