No game genre has swept the world more thoroughly than the battle royale, and it is all thanks to one game in particular for this genre’s rise to popularity. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds took gamers by storm, and to this day, it still hasn’t let go. It has become a game that streamers utilize to gain more viewers, that consoles jump at the opportunity to feature, and that other companies strive to copy. (Call of Duty, anyone?)
It’s no mystery as to why PUBG, as it is known colloquially among gamers, is so popular. It’s fun, simple as that. A mass of players compete and struggle to survive as the map they are playing on shrinks until only one person is left standing. The map and the objective may always stay the same, but the skirmishes between players are always new. In one game, you may make it to the top five. In another, you might have gotten eliminated at the get-go. In one game, you may stealth your way to victory. In another, you might have shot every player you came across while riding in a speeding vehicle. The possibilities are practically limitless.
For those who have played PUBG relentlessly since its inception, the methods to a win are as clear as sunshine. However, for the unlucky newcomer, success may seem as distant as the horizon. That is what this list is all about. Several handy tricks to get that chicken dinner are listed below. Read on if you want to become more than a casual fan of the game known as PUBG.
25 The Early Car Gets The Worm
If you’ve driven a car in the intense atmosphere of a PUBG match, you might have noticed they make a ton of noise. Driving a car is like sounding a beacon to other players that lunch is served. However, that doesn’t mean you should avoid cars like the plague entirely.
Only use a vehicle early on in a match.
If you use a vehicle when the circle is already too small, it is an easy thing for enemies to spot you. Use a car when the match is still fresh. They can help you rush to a better location more quickly than taking a stroll.
24 Damaged Armor
High-level pieces of armor can blind us to their actual utility. New players of PUBG often scramble to keep their Level 3 vest even when it might be in their best interest to let it go. Damaged high-level armor is typically not as good as undamaged low-level armor.
If your Level 3 vest has taken a beating, don’t hesitate to slip on that Level 2 vest. That piece of low-level armor that you were reluctant to put on may just end up saving your life when the final battle comes.
23 Jump And Punch
Early fights in PUBG, when no one has had the time to collect any weapons, can sometimes turn into punching matches. If you find yourself in this situation, start jumping and aim to punch your opponent’s head.
You may look a bit like an idiot, but your high punches will have a better chance of landing on your enemy’s face. In essence, you will be getting “head shots” with your fist. Your opponent will take more damage from a hit to the head than a hit to the body.
22 Stick The Landing
New players to PUBG seem to think the game only truly begins once they’ve landed on the ground. I beg to differ. The game starts as soon as you jump from that airplane. Picking and choosing where you are going to land is just as important as what you do for the rest of the game.
Always have a destination in mind and aim for it. Learn the pros and cons of each location on the map and be prepared to deal with the consequences of your choice.
21 You Are Never Alone
Have you ever heard that expression, “you’re never more than three feet away from a spider?” In PUBG, replace “spider” with “enemy,” and then play the rest of the game that way. Always act as if an enemy is somewhere around you even if an area seems deserted.
It may stress you out worse than a late homework assignment, but it will help you survive to the end. Besides, anyone who wants to play PUBG to relax is definitely playing the wrong game.
20 Open Doors Are Not Welcoming
A fresh map always starts with closed doors on all the buildings. If you land somewhere, approach a building, and see that a door is open, that means someone has been there. Be wary. Someone could still be inside.
However, you can use this knowledge to your advantage. If you want to lay a trap for someone in a building, close the doors behind you and lie in wait so that your victim will think that no one has yet entered. Be proactive when it comes to door knowledge in PUBG.
19 Give The All Clear Before Looting
The buildings scattered throughout the map are often filled with all sorts of loot. They are gold mines of resources for the hungry player.
Don’t let your excitement cloud your better judgment when searching these buildings. Even though you may want to grab all the loot you can as soon as you see it, it is always better to check the building thoroughly before looting. Once a building is cleared and you secure the doors, then you can loot to your heart’s content.
18 Wiggle, Wiggle
A moving target is harder to hit than one that is standing still. That’s just common sense. Most players think this trick is strictly relegated to when you are sprinting out in the open or when you are already engaged in a firefight.
Actually, you should always be moving at all times when playing PUBG.
Even when you are looting or sorting through your inventory, move your character from side to side at the very least. Those smallest of motions can save your bacon when a surprise attack does come.
17 The Worst Kind Of Ambush
New players to PUBG always become too smug when they set up an ambush. As they lie in wait for an approaching player, they become overconfident because they think they have the element of surprise. Even with surprise on their side, these players are making a huge mistake.
I don’t know how many times I’ve been watching a game only to wince when I see a player trying to ambush another player while directly in their line of sight. Never ambush another player when you are going to be directly in their line of sight. They might have a shotgun and know how to use it. Do us all a favor and stand to the side.
16 The Two-Story Flank
Verticality isn’t something promoted in PUBG. There is a certain amount of fall damage you can take, which doesn’t entice players to do a lot of parkour.
However, you should still try to use height to your advantage.
If you are in a building and you see a player enter, try to flank them by getting off of the building from the roof and then re-entering the building. Remember, don’t try this if the building is higher than two stories. Also, keep an eye on your health if you do attempt this.
15 It’s Not Cowardly To Run Away
New players have a tendency to duke it out in gunfights. As soon as they encounter an enemy player, they think that they have to fight it out to the end.
If you feel a fight going south, don’t hesitate to cut your losses and run.
The whole point of PUBG is surviving. You don’t win the game by eliminating the most players. You win the game by making it through to the end. Do yourself a favor and flee if you have to. But remember to flee like a smart person. Don’t run away in a straight line à la Rickon Stark in Game of Thrones.
14 Look Before You Snipe
Having a sniper rifle in your hands can be a bit of a power rush. This is true in any video game. You’re like a god, dealing out devastating punishment one bullet at a time. Still, in PUBG, it never pays to be cocky.
As you’re scoping out enemies to eliminate with your sniper rifle, be sure to check out what kind of helmet they are wearing. It could end up being bad if your first shot does not bring them down, and they now have an instant awareness that you are out there.
13 Save First Aid For Later
There are several kinds of items in PUBG that can help you regain health. The ultimate item for getting your health back is the First Aid Kit. You may be tempted to use them as soon as you are injured, especially if you are injured grievously.
Don’t give in to that temptation. Save those First Aid Kits for the end game or for when you are in the middle of a fight. In the meantime, use up those Bandages, Painkillers, and Energy Drinks as if there were no tomorrow.
12 Soar Like An Eagle
When I first tried PUBG, I had a tendency to get stressed out as soon as I jumped out of the airplane. As such, I would always dive as quickly as I could to the place I wanted to go, regardless if I regretted jumping into area that would be filled with a bunch of people.
Don’t resign yourself to a crowded area like I did. In order to get more horizontal movement while using a parachute, tap your forward button (or stick, in console versions) to increase the amount of distance you can cover. Use that horizontal distance.
11 The Compass Is Actually Useful
Those cardinal directions that grace the top of your screen when you’re playing a game of PUBG are not just for show. Any player worth their salt knows to use that compass to survive the battle royale.
Use the compass to help you locate enemies.
If an opponent shot at you from the east, circle around them using the compass to help you bear their location in mind. If you are working in a team, use the compass to coordinate your movements with them.
10 Open Doors From The Side
As you may have noticed already, doors play a key role in PUBG. Knowing how to handle them is paramount to your survival. We already covered initial door positions, but if you are opening a door yourself, never open it head-on.
Stand to the side of the door and open it from there.
Players lying in wait can shoot through the door. Use a wall for cover when opening a door, not the door itself. The icon that appears to let you know you can open a door will still show up if you are standing to the side.
9 Prime Parking
If you decide to risk the noise of a vehicle, there may come a point where you need to step out of it to grab a few things. The terrain on the map is not always smooth and flat, so never park a car on a hill, parallel to the slope. Your car will roll away from you faster than a barrel.
Worse still, it may hit something on the way down and explode. If you absolutely must stop your vehicle on a hill, park it sideways, perpendicular to the slope, to prevent any sliding.
8 Keep Space For The Loot
Lucky players will never find their inventory empty during a PUBG match. (I am all too frequently an unlucky player.) With enough items, your inventory can fill up fast. Rather than give up on some sweet, sweet loot, equip your larger items so that space in your inventory can be filled with other things.
Just try not to have your inventory completely filled up. Then you might have to take the time to drop something in order to pick up something of more value, wasting precious time.
7 Stealth Experts Don’t Always Win
New players might enter a match thinking to themselves, ‘I’m just going to hide away for the whole match and not get seen. That’s how I’m going to get that chicken dinner.’ Stealth tactics work great, but more often than not, as that circle shrinks, gun skills are going to come into play.
Do not ignore your guns in favor of stealth.
Sneaking around and being stealthy is all well and good, but what happens when it’s you and four other guys in a tiny circle, and you don’t know how to handle yourself?
6 Smoke Grenades Are Not Useless
Granted, smoke grenades don’t often provide the cover you think they would. There have been times I couldn’t see an opponent through the smoke of my grenade, but, for some reason, he could see me perfectly.
However, don’t let that turn you off from using them. I’ve found that using them as a distraction or to obscure an enemy’s position is far more useful to me than making my own cover. The smoke grenade is a tool. Use it. Don’t ignore it just because it might have burned you a few times.
