PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is one of the year’s best-selling and most-played games on Steam. Players have been flocking to the title, with dreams of outlasting their opponents in the large-scale Deathmatch and taking home that elusive chicken dinner.
We’ve previously covered some of the best tips for surviving in the game, as well as some of the best landing zones. Now it’s time to move on to some more advanced tactics. These tips are a bit less obvious than the stuff we’ve touched upon in the past, but they can still be the difference between life and death. So let’s get started:
7. Use your car as cover
The first trick we’re going to cover is about vehicles in the game, more specifically how to exit them when enemies are around.
Picture this: you’ve just pulled up in a Dacia and there’s an enemy approaching from the left hand side of the driver seat. Your first instinct may be to exit the vehicle and take some quick pot shots with a rifle, but by doing that you’ll be completely exposed to any return fire coming your way. So, what can you do instead?
A good way of handling this situation is to use your car as cover. You can do this by holding down CTRL and 2 to move to the opposite side of your vehicle. This will allow you to exit from the other side of the car and use it as a shield.
6. Know about vehicle spawns
The next tip is about how to spot a vehicle that has been used by another player. This is super simple to find out once you know the trick and can help you avoid locations and buildings where enemies are held up, waiting to stage an ambush
At spawn, cars and bikes will always face east, whereas boats will always point west. Look out for this while you’re doing your rounds.
If you spot a vehicle pointing in any other direction, it’s likely been used by someone else recently, so exercise caution or try to avoid it entirely. Being aware of your surroundings, like this, can save you from an untimely death.
5. Disable the HUD
One problem that players often have on team battle is the HUD obstructing their view. This occurs when another member of your squad dies or is injured near an enemy, leaving a big marker in the way of your sights.
If this happens to you, you don’t need to panic. Just disable the HUD to get a better shot. You do this by pressing CTRL and U together. This will remove the offending message and leave your screen free of any clutter. Pressing this shortcut again will return the screen back to its default. It’s a small adjustment that makes the game so much easier.
4. How to jump higher
Jumping is another issue that a lot players have in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. It’s difficult to get enough height to clear obstacles, without building enough momentum first. This can leave you open to attacks, as you fumble to clear a barrier. The crouch jump is the perfect solution to this problem.
If you press down W+C+SPACEBAR simultaneously, then release them at the same you’ll get far more height on your jump. This is useful for getting on top of obstacles, and over fences and balconies, in situations where you’re exposed.
3. How to accelerate quicker
Another technique that comes in useful in squad games is spinning the wheels on a vehicle before moving.
Say, for example, your teammate is looting a house and you’re waiting in a car, you can spin the wheels on the car prior to taking off, to cause you to accelerate quicker when you do. You achieve this by holding SHIFT, SPACEBAR and W down and releasing it when you want to go.
It’s extraordinarily useful for those stressful moments when you have to reach a new safe zone, but you’re waiting for teammates to catch up to you.
2. Drop items to set traps
The following move is a little bit evil, but that’s just the nature of the game, right?
If you want to goad a player into a trap, a good way of doing this is to drop small items around, to make it appear like a building hasn’t been raided. Just plant some painkillers, bullet loops, or a health kit here and there. This will hopefully lure the player into a false sense of security, allowing you to blast them from behind a door. If all goes to plan, you’ll then be able to pick up anything you dropped.
1. Take a dip to avoid damage
The best way to avoid gunfire in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is to submerge yourself in water. For some reason, the water in the game acts as an impenetrable shield against bullets, even if you’re only an inch below the surface, so try to exploit this fact whenever you can.
If you’re ever on the coast and start taking shots, aim to reach the nearest body of water and dive down. This way you should be safe from getting hit. Just keep an eye on your oxygen though, as you only have a limited amount.
When not glued to the latest release, Jack Yarwood spends his time writing and talking about videogames online. You can follow what he’s up to on his Twitter and on his blog.