Understanding Dispatch’s Core Gameplay Loop
While Dispatch is known for its meaningful story choices and dialogue options that shape relationships, half the game is dedicated to its strategic gameplay element: the SDN Dispatching sequences. Over the course of eight episodes, you’ll spend significant time matching superheroes to emergency calls based on their unique stats and abilities.
Episode 3, titled “Phoenix Rising,” introduces some interesting twists to this formula that make it both more challenging and more narratively interesting than previous episodes. If you’ve been breezing through dispatch sequences so far, Episode 3 will test your adaptability and strategic thinking in new ways.
This guide breaks down every single dispatch call in Episode 3, tells you which heroes to send, and explains the special circumstances you’ll need to navigate to succeed.
How SDN Dispatching Works in Episode 3
Before diving into specific calls, let’s talk about what makes Episode 3’s dispatch sequences unique.
The Sabotage Factor
Episode 3’s first dispatch shift is intentionally chaotic. The team is actively sabotaging one another due to internal conflicts and tensions that have been building throughout the episode. This means that even if you send the perfect hero for a call, there’s a good chance it’ll fail anyway because of interference from other team members.
Important: Don’t panic when calls fail during the first shift. This is scripted and part of the narrative. The game wants you to experience the team falling apart before you help them rebuild. Just make sure you’re sending someone to every call so you don’t miss any entirely.
Stat Requirements and Abilities
Every superhero in your roster has different base stats and unique abilities. Understanding these is crucial for success:
- Combat: Physical fighting capability
- Vigor: Stamina and physical resilience
- Mobility: Speed and agility
- Hacking: Technical skills for digital problems
- Special Abilities: Unique powers specific to each hero
For a deep dive into each hero’s complete stat breakdown and powers, check out our comprehensive heroes skills and powers guide.
Multiple Valid Solutions
Many calls in Episode 3 have multiple heroes who can successfully complete them. This guide shows you all viable options, giving you flexibility based on which heroes are available (some might be on cooldown from previous calls or dealing with other situations).
First Dispatch Shift: Navigating the Sabotage
The first shift of Episode 3 is narratively driven chaos. Your team is dysfunctional, heroes are actively undermining each other, and calls will fail regardless of your choices. The key here isn’t perfection—it’s participation and understanding what’s happening.
Beach Clean Up
Best Heroes to Send:
- Invisigal
- Punch Up
Sabotage Scenario: During this call, you’ll face a choice when the sabotage kicks in:
- “Ditch him” – Requires Mobility stat of 3 or higher
- “Fight the Powerful Urge” – Alternative option
What’s Happening: This seemingly simple beach cleanup becomes complicated when team tensions spill over into the field. The mobility requirement represents your hero’s ability to quickly respond to the sabotage attempt.
Undercover Drug Bust
Best Hero to Send:
- Sonar
Sabotage Scenario:
- “Withstand the noise” – Requires Vigor stat of 2 or higher
What’s Happening: Sonar’s unique abilities make him ideal for undercover work, but the sabotage involves sensory overload that requires physical resilience to push through.
Trouble at the Tailgate
Best Heroes to Send:
- Malevola
- Flambae
Sabotage Scenario: You’ll get two options to handle the sabotage:
- “Blast the lid clean off” – Requires Combat stat of 1 or higher (very low bar)
- “Unlock the Tank” – Requires Hacking ability
What’s Happening: A tailgate party goes wrong, and a tank (yes, really) becomes involved. You need either brute force or technical skills to resolve the sabotage attempt.
Drug Deal Shut Down
Best Heroes to Send:
- Coupe
- Golem
Sabotage Scenario:
- “Pry yourself loose” – Requires Vigor stat of 4 or higher
What’s Happening: This drug bust gets physical, and the sabotage involves being restrained. You need significant physical strength to break free and complete the mission.
Learn About SDN Scammer
Best Hero to Send:
- Prism
Special Notes:
- No sabotage scenario for this call
- This is more of an investigative/information-gathering mission
- Sets up later story elements
What’s Happening: The team discovers evidence of someone scamming the SDN system. Prism’s unique abilities make them ideal for investigating this digital threat.
Landslide
Best Heroes to Send:
- Sonar
- Coupe
Sabotage Scenario:
- “Backstroke away” – Requires Combat stat of 5 or higher
What’s Happening: A natural disaster becomes more dangerous when sabotage strikes. You need significant combat ability (representing physical capability) to escape the situation safely.
Save the Mascot in Peril
Best Heroes to Send:
- Flambae
- Invisigal
Special Notes:
- No additional sabotage scenario listed for this call
- Rescue mission requiring specific hero abilities
What’s Happening: Someone’s beloved mascot is in danger, and certain heroes are better equipped for this delicate rescue operation than others.
Hack the Scammer
Special Mission Type: This is a unique hacking minigame that differs from standard dispatch calls.
How to Complete: You need to match wavelengths in the correct sequence:
- First: Go to the bottom right corner
- Second: Go to the middle left
What’s Happening: Following up on the earlier SDN scammer investigation, you’re now actively trying to hack into their systems. This represents Robert working directly from the dispatch center rather than sending a hero into the field.
Pro Tip: Pay attention to the visual feedback when selecting wavelengths. The game will indicate when you’re getting closer to the correct match.
Runway Train
Best Heroes to Send:
- Punch Up
- Coupe
Special Notes:
- No additional sabotage scenario listed
- High-stakes public emergency
What’s Happening: A train has gone out of control, requiring heroes with specific abilities to stop it safely before disaster strikes.
Parking Lot Backup
Best Heroes to Send:
- Malevola
- Sonar
Special Notes:
- No additional sabotage scenario listed
- Crowd control and traffic management situation
What’s Happening: What starts as a simple parking dispute has escalated into a major incident requiring superhero intervention.
Burglary In Progress
Best Hero to Send:
- Malevola
Special Notes:
- No additional sabotage scenario listed
- Straightforward crime-stopping mission
What’s Happening: Classic superhero work—stop a burglary in progress. Malevola’s specific skill set makes her the ideal responder for this call.
Second Dispatch Shift: Team Redemption
The second dispatch shift happens after the team has worked through their issues (at least partially). The sabotage element is gone, meaning your choices actually matter for success or failure. This is where strategy becomes crucial.
Personal Shopper
Best Hero to Send:
- Punch Up
Special Notes:
- No special requirements or scenarios
- Straightforward service call
What’s Happening: Not every superhero call is life-or-death. Sometimes people need help with everyday tasks, and Punch Up’s personality makes him perfect for this type of public-facing service.
Line Cutter
Best Hero to Send:
- Prism
Special Scenario:
- “Show her real star power” – Dialogue option that uses Prism’s celebrity status
What’s Happening: Someone cutting in line has caused a disturbance. Prism can use their fame and presence to de-escalate the situation smoothly.
Ritualistic Solicitation
Best Hero to Send:
- Malevola
Special Scenario:
- “Persuade them to leave” – Requires diplomatic/intimidation approach
What’s Happening: Someone is performing concerning rituals in public. Malevola needs to convince them to stop without causing a bigger scene.
Underground Fighting Ring
Best Heroes to Send:
- Coupe
- Punch Up
Special Notes:
- Sets up the tournament choices below
- Combat-focused mission
What’s Happening: Your hero discovers an illegal underground fighting operation. This call branches into additional choices about how to handle it.
Personal Security
Best Hero to Send:
- Golem
Special Notes:
- This call branches into tournament-related choices
- VIP protection mission
What’s Happening: Someone high-profile needs protection, and Golem’s imposing presence makes him the natural choice.
Tournament Choices: Fight or Shut Down
Following the Underground Fighting Ring and Personal Security calls, you get a major choice:
- “Fight in the Tournament”
- “Shut Down Tournament”
If You Choose “Fight in the Tournament”:
Best Hero to Send:
- Punch Up
Special Scenario:
- “Tough it out. You wanted this” – Requires Vigor stat of 5 or higher
What’s Happening: Punch Up enters the fighting tournament, and you need to help him push through the physical demands. This requires high stamina and resilience.
Strategic Note: This is one of the higher stat requirements in the entire shift. Make sure Punch Up has a Vigor of 5 or higher before selecting this option.
Flight School
Best Heroes to Send:
- Sonar
- Flambae
- Coupe
Special Notes:
- Multiple viable options due to flight/aerial abilities
- Training/education mission
What’s Happening: Someone needs flight training or there’s an incident at a flight school. Heroes with aerial capabilities are best suited for this call.
Personal Security II: The Ride
Best Heroes to Send:
- Coupe
- Invisigal
Special Scenario:
- “Disarm the assassin” – Action sequence requiring quick thinking
What’s Happening: The VIP protection mission continues, but now there’s an active assassination attempt. Your hero needs to neutralize the threat quickly.
Debate the Bone Zone
Best Heroes to Send:
- Malevola
- Sonar
Special Notes:
- Unique social/debate situation
- Requires heroes with strong personality or communication skills
What’s Happening: A public debate about something called “the Bone Zone” (presumably a controversial location or concept) needs superhero mediation. This is more about de-escalation and communication than physical action.
Hero Training
Best Heroes to Send:
- Punch Up
- Golem
- Prism
Special Notes:
- Training/mentorship mission
- Good for heroes who can inspire or teach
What’s Happening: Training new or aspiring heroes, or possibly conducting a public demonstration of superhero abilities. Multiple heroes work well depending on what aspect of heroism is being taught.
Bank Robbery
Best Heroes to Send:
- Flambae
- Golem
Special Scenario:
- “Brawl the robbers” – Requires Combat stat of 7 or higher
What’s Happening: Classic superhero scenario—bank robbery in progress. This requires serious combat capability to safely neutralize multiple armed criminals.
Strategic Note: Combat requirement of 7 is significant. Make sure your chosen hero meets this threshold or the call will fail.
Lightningstruck Strikes Again
Best Heroes to Send:
- Coupe
- Punch Up
Special Notes:
- Major story mission
- Culmination of the Lightningstruck subplot
- High stakes for narrative progression
What’s Happening: The antagonist from earlier in the episode makes another appearance. This is a critical story moment where success matters for the overall narrative. After Invisigal’s success in catching Lightningstruck with Robert’s help, this call represents the final confrontation of the episode.
Trophy/Achievement: “Shift Was Lit”
Successfully completing the second dispatch shift without missing or failing any calls unlocks the “Shift Was Lit” trophy/achievement.
Requirements for Unlocking:
✅ Send a hero to every call (don’t miss any)
✅ Ensure all calls are completed successfully (no failures)
✅ Meet all stat requirements for special scenarios
✅ Make correct choices during branching situations
Strategy for Achievement Hunting:
1. Plan Your Hero Rotation Keep track of which heroes are on cooldown from previous calls. You need to ensure you always have appropriate heroes available for upcoming calls.
2. Know Your Stat Requirements Before the shift starts, review which heroes meet the higher stat requirements:
- Vigor 5 for the tournament fight
- Combat 7 for the bank robbery
3. Save Before the Shift Consider saving your game before starting the second dispatch shift. If you miss a call or fail one, you can reload and try again without replaying the entire episode.
4. Follow This Guide’s Recommendations The heroes listed for each call have been tested and confirmed to work. Stick to these recommendations for guaranteed success.
5. Don’t Rush Take your time reading each call’s description and requirements. Rushing leads to mistakes.
For more trophy hunting help, check out our complete trophies and achievements guide covering Episodes 1 and 2 as well.
Strategic Tips for Episode 3 Dispatch Sequences
Beyond just knowing which hero to send where, here are some advanced strategies:
Understanding Hero Cooldowns
Heroes can’t be sent on multiple calls simultaneously. If a hero is already deployed, they’re unavailable until they complete their current mission. This means:
- Plan 2-3 calls ahead when possible
- Have backup heroes identified for each mission type
- Don’t waste your best heroes on low-priority calls early in the shift
Reading Call Descriptions Carefully
The game often hints at what kind of hero you need through the call description:
- Physical descriptors suggest combat/vigor requirements
- Technical language suggests hacking needs
- Speed/urgency language suggests mobility requirements
- Crowd situations often need heroes with presence or crowd control
The Sabotage Learning Curve
During the first shift, pay attention to what stats are required for sabotage scenarios. This teaches you which heroes have which strengths, preparing you for the more strategic second shift where these stats matter for success.
Flexibility in Hero Selection
When multiple heroes can handle a call, consider:
- Which hero you use more frequently (give others a chance)
- Whether one hero might be better saved for a later call
- Which hero’s personality fits the situation best narratively
How Episode 3 Sequences Fit the Larger Story
The dispatch sequences in Episode 3 aren’t just gameplay—they’re integral to the narrative arc. The first shift’s sabotage represents the team falling apart, while the second shift’s smooth operation shows them working together again.
This is particularly important after the difficult choice at the end of the episode, where you’ll need to remove either Coupe or Sonar from the team. The dispatch sequences demonstrate why team cohesion matters and make that eventual choice feel more impactful.
The consequences of that choice carry forward into Episode 4, where you’ll face new dispatch challenges and eventually make another significant personal choice about Robert’s relationships.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Panicking During First Shift Failures Remember, first shift failures are mostly scripted. Don’t stress or think you’re doing something wrong.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Stat Requirements When a scenario lists a stat requirement like “Vigor 5,” that’s not a suggestion—it’s mandatory for success.
Mistake #3: Sending Your Favorite Hero Everywhere Even if you love one particular character (check out who voices them if you’re curious), spreading assignments across your roster is more effective strategically.
Mistake #4: Not Experimenting While this guide gives you proven solutions, part of the fun is discovering which heroes work well for different situations. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations.
Mistake #5: Skipping Call Descriptions The flavor text isn’t just story—it often contains hints about what the call requires.
Preparing for Episode 4 and Beyond
The skills you develop in Episode 3’s dispatch sequences carry forward throughout the series. Episode 4 introduces new challenges, a new team member (replacing whoever you cut), and evolving dynamics.
To stay ahead:
- Master the stat system and hero abilities now
- Understand which hero types work for which situations
- Practice efficient hero rotation and resource management
- Pay attention to how story choices affect team dynamics
Check our Episode 4 complete walkthrough and keep track of when future episodes release to stay current with the story.
Wrapping Up
Episode 3’s dispatch sequences represent both the mechanical and narrative peak of the episode. The first shift’s sabotage creates tension and demonstrates team dysfunction, while the second shift rewards strategic thinking and offers the satisfaction of a well-oiled superhero machine.
By following this guide, you’ll successfully navigate all calls, earn the “Shift Was Lit” trophy if you’re achievement hunting, and set yourself up for the tough decisions that close out the episode. Remember that while the dispatch sequences are gamified, they serve the larger story—watching your team struggle and then triumph together makes the eventual choice between Coupe and Sonar even more emotionally impactful.
Whether you’re playing for the story, the strategy, or the achievements, Episode 3’s dispatch sequences offer some of the best gameplay in the series. Master them, and you’ll be ready for whatever Episodes 4 and beyond throw at you.
Good luck, Dispatcher. Your team is counting on you.
