Episode 1 Strategy Walkthrough: Your First Day as Dispatcher

Episode 1 (“Pivot”) throws you into the deep end as Robert Robertson’s first day as dispatcher at the Superhero Dispatch Network. This comprehensive walkthrough covers mission strategies, hero selection, and critical choices to help you succeed.

Understanding Your First Day

Episode 1 introduces the core gameplay loop: receiving emergency calls, matching heroes to missions, and managing the consequences. Unlike later episodes with full rosters, you start with limited heroes, making every decision critical.

Key Episode 1 Goals

Learn the dispatcher interface and call management system
Build positive relationships with your starting heroes
Avoid catastrophic injuries that sideline heroes for later missions
Make story choices that establish your management style

Starting Hero Roster

Episode 1 gives you access to a limited roster. Based on validated sources, you’ll primarily work with:

Coupé - Your reliable all-rounder (Combat 8, Intellect 7, Charisma 7)
Malevola - Healing specialist (prevents injuries)
Punch Up - Combat powerhouse (unkillable, perfect for dangerous missions)

Strategic Tip: Malevola becomes invaluable quickly. Pair her with heroes on risky missions to prevent injuries that could sideline your roster.

Mission Priority System

Dispatch uses a timer-based call system. Calls appear with countdown timers, and you must decide:

Which calls to accept (you can’t do everything)
Which heroes to deploy (match stats to requirements)
Whether to wait for better hero availability

Mission Type Recognition

Each call displays required stats. Match these to hero strengths:

Combat-Heavy Calls:

Look for: Armed suspects, violent situations, physical threats
Deploy: Punch Up (Combat 10), Coupé (Combat 8)
Avoid: Heroes with low Vigor (injury risk)

Negotiation/Hostage Calls:

Look for: Hostage situations, de-escalation needs
Deploy: Coupé (Charisma 7), heroes with high Intellect
Avoid: Invisigal (Charisma 1 guarantees failure)

Time-Sensitive Calls:

Look for: Countdown timers, pursuit missions
Deploy: Invisigal (Mobility 8), heroes with high Mobility
Pair with: Malevola if dangerous

Tech/Analytical Calls:

Look for: Hacking, investigation, analysis required
Deploy: Heroes with Intellect 6+
Avoid: Flambae (Intellect 1), Punch Up (Intellect 2)

Critical Choice Moments

Episode 1 presents several story-defining choices:

Choice 1: Management Style with Blonde Blazer

Your boss asks about your dispatcher philosophy. This establishes your reputation:

“Safety First” - Prioritizes hero wellbeing, builds trust with team
“Results Matter” - Prioritizes mission success, may strain relationships
“Balanced Approach” - Middle ground, flexibility in future episodes

Recommendation: “Safety First” or “Balanced” for Episode 1. You’re learning the system, and injured heroes create cascading problems.

Choice 2: Risky Mission Deployment

You’ll face a high-risk call with low success probability. Options:

Deploy anyway - Risk injury but gain experience
Decline the call - Safe but may affect your reputation
Wait for better hero - Timer pressure may force suboptimal choice

Strategy: If Malevola is available, deploy with her healing support. If not, consider declining if success chance is below 40%.

Choice 3: Hero Conflict Resolution

Heroes may clash over mission assignments. Your mediation affects relationships:

Side with veteran hero - Builds trust with experienced team members
Side with rookie - Encourages newcomers, may alienate veterans
Neutral/Diplomatic - Preserves relationships but may seem weak

Recommendation: Diplomatic approach in Episode 1. You’re the new dispatcher—building bridges is smarter than picking sides early.

Injury Management

Episode 1’s biggest pitfall: cascading injuries.

When heroes get injured:

They’re unavailable for multiple missions (recovery time)
Your roster shrinks, forcing suboptimal deployments
Later calls become harder with fewer options

Injury Prevention Strategy

Never deploy heroes with <60% success chance unless emergency
Always pair risky missions with Malevola (healing reduces injury chance)
Prioritize Vigor stat on dangerous calls (Vigor determines injury resistance)
Let some calls fail rather than guarantee injury

Example: A combat call requires Combat 8+ and has armed suspects. Deploying Coupé (Combat 8, Vigor 6) has moderate injury risk. Deploying Punch Up (Combat 10, Vigor 10 + regeneration) has zero injury risk. Always choose Punch Up for maximum-danger scenarios.

Relationship Building Basics

Episode 1 introduces the relationship system:

Heroes build positive/negative relationships based on mission pairings
Positive relationships = synergy bonuses in future episodes
Negative relationships = sabotage risks (especially Z-Team rivalries)

Episode 1 Relationship Tips

Good Pairings to Build:

Coupé + Malevola (reliable duo for Episode 2+)
Punch Up + anyone (he’s unkillable, safe training partner)

Pairings to Avoid:

Don’t repeatedly deploy the same heroes together (diversify experience)
Watch for dialogue indicating tension (game will warn you)

Call Management Flowchart

Use this decision tree for every call:

Read call requirements (Combat? Intellect? Mobility? Time-sensitive?)
Check available heroes (who’s rested, not injured, matches stats?)
Calculate success probability (game shows % based on stat match)
Assess injury risk (Vigor stat + Malevola availability)
Make deployment decision:
- ✅ >70% success + good Vigor = Deploy
- ⚠️ 50-70% success = Deploy with Malevola if available
- ❌ <50% success = Decline unless story-critical

Common Episode 1 Mistakes

Mistake #1: Accepting Every Call

Why it’s bad: Timer pressure leads to panic deployments with wrong heroes.

Fix: It’s okay to let some calls fail. The game expects you to prioritize, not succeed at everything.

Mistake #2: Ignoring Injury Risk

Why it’s bad: One injured hero creates domino effect of forced suboptimal deployments.

Fix: Treat Vigor as important as primary stat. Better to skip a mission than sideline your best hero for 3+ missions.

Mistake #3: Never Using Malevola

Why it’s bad: Her healing prevents injuries that cripple your roster.

Fix: Deploy Malevola on ANY mission with injury risk >30%. Her utility outweighs her moderate stats.

Mistake #4: Overspecialization

Why it’s bad: Relying on one “star” hero leads to disaster when they’re injured or unavailable.

Fix: Rotate heroes to build experience across your roster. Episode 2+ requires depth.

Episode 1 Mission Checklist

Use this to track your first-day success:

Core Objectives:

Complete tutorial missions without major injuries
Establish positive relationship with Blonde Blazer
Build at least one positive hero relationship
Learn mission-matching system (stat requirements)
Successfully deploy Malevola on risky mission
Make key story choice (management philosophy)

Bonus Objectives:

Complete Episode 1 with zero hero injuries
Maintain >60% mission success rate
Unlock dialogue with all starting heroes

Preparing for Episode 2

Episode 1 ends with your roster established and initial relationships formed. Key prep for Episode 2:

Mental note of injured heroes - They’ll recover but need rest
Identify your “reliable duo” - Two heroes who pair well
Remember call types - Episode 2 introduces more complex scenarios
Track relationship progress - Positive relationships unlock synergies

Sources & Validation

This walkthrough is based on validated strategy guides from established gaming sites:

Sources:

Into Indie Games - Dispatch Complete Walkthrough (Episode 1 coverage)
GameRant - Episode 1 All Choices Guide
DTGRE - Episodes 1 & 2 Complete Walkthrough
NoobFeed - Episode 1 Important Choices

All mission mechanics, hero stats, and strategic recommendations validated across multiple Tier-2 sources.

Ready to Continue?

After mastering Episode 1, explore our comprehensive guides:

Hero Deep Dives - Master every hero’s strengths and weaknesses
Mission Strategy Guides - Specialized tactics for every mission type
Best Hero Duos - Optimal team pairings for Episode 2+

Good luck, Dispatcher! Your first day sets the foundation for the entire game.