PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds tips and tricks

All the tips you need to dominate online

Introduction

Update: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has finally arrived on Xbox One! If you haven't had a chance to check out the game on PC then check out our top tips and tricks guide for everything you need to know to get started and earn your first Chicken Dinner. 

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If the last few years have proved anything, players really love third-person shooters with huge maps, unwieldy driving physics and a vitriolic fight for gear that would make most of the characters in Mad Max wince. 

But while the likes of H1Z1: King of the Kill and DayZ remain popular yet technically flawed experiences, the relatively fresh-faced PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds is actually pretty robust with far fewer hilarious/painful bugs. It’s also become one of the most played games of 2017, so before you jump into the next ‘in’ thing, check out our killer set of survival tips. 

Choose your landing zone wisely

Knowing when and where to jump from the plane in a match of PUBG can be a little daunting at first. The vast Erangel map is filled with a variety of different locations, and they each favor different styles of play. 

The locations with the highest rate of loot drops include The Villa and the port of Novorepnoye in the south; the Georgopol hospital and containers in the north; the central Rozhok school and the Military Island. 

However, you're likely to not be the only one with your eye on these areas, meaning they are likely to be filled with the danger of fellow loot-minded players.

While in the plane you can open up your map and indicate your destination by placing a marker by right-clicking. Doing so will allow you to pick the best time to jump from the plane, and will also make it easier for your whole squad to keep their bearings as they tumble from the sky. 

Keep control during freefall

Every time you jump into a game of PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds you quite literally jump from a plane and freefall/parachute into battle. There are two options here and each one will have a radical effect on how you impact on the match below. 

Generally we've found that our most successful matches start with us being the only one to land next to our building of choice. This gives you the maximum amount of time to loot it for the weapons and items you'll need for the fights ahead. 

To cover the maximum distance while falling, hold 'W' and shift your camera so it's pointing directly upwards in the direction you want to travel. 

Meanwhile, to fall as quickly as possible you want to hold 'W' again, but instead point the camera directly at the floor. 

We’d also suggest using FreeLook (hold the Alt key) to look around without changing your direction - this will allow you to take in your surroundings and spot both vehicle spawns and enemies that might be dropping in the same location. 

Get looting

Every player starts each game with no weapons and no items, meaning that the first couple of minutes of every match are spent frantically searching for weapons and equipment. 

You'll need to find a backpack pretty early on if you want to carry enough gear to get you through a match. Backpacks are available in three sizes. 

We'd suggest grabbing one long range weapon such an an assault rifle or sniper rifle, and one short range weapon such as a shotgun or submachine gun. You'll then find lots of attachments for these two guns such as better scopes or larger magazines. 

Melee weapons are pretty useless beyond the opening minutes of a match, but be sure to pick up a frying pan if you find one - your character will sling it across their back in a way that allows it to occasionally deflect gunshots. 

Know your map shrink timings

You’ll have only 5 minutes from the moment you leap from the plane before the map starts to shrink. 

The map is divided into a set of time zones, with each one lasting progressively shorter amount of times (the first lasts five minutes, the second is three and a half minutes, the third is two and a half minutes, the fourth and fifth are two minutes, the sixth and seventh are a minute and a half and the eight is one minute). 

This map shrinkage keeps the matches nice and short as you're forced into closer and closer proximity to your enemies. 

However, while staying outside of the zone for too long will kill you eventually, in the early stages of the match the damage dealt is minimal, and you can survive for almost three minutes outside of the first zone. 

Use this to your advantage as you gleefully mow down other players that are desperately running across open ground to stay inside of the zone while you take minimal damage while hiding in cover. 

Always, always, always equip a helmet

PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds is a game barely in its infancy, but it’s already full of players looking to pop your medulla oblongata like a peach given half a chance. With so many DayZ-style open plains and valleys, snipers are everywhere so play smart and never go into battle without a helmet. 

Helmets can be found in many buildings that you'll be trying to loot at the start of a match, so make sure you pick one up if you find one.

Most Level 1 and Level 2 helmets will automatically stop a headshot (and likely disintegrate soon after), essentially giving you a second chance at survival. However, a shot to the face will kill you instantly - unless you’re wearing a heavy duty Level 3 helmet. Keep your eyes peeled for those Level 3s!

In addition to helmets, you can also find bullet-proof jackets which reduce the amount of damage you take. Like helmets, these can also be found in three levels. 

Beware of open doors

Since everyone begins a match racing to find the best equipment, you know most players will find their first few minutes sprinting to every house or abode in sight in hopes of bagging some sweet gear. 

With this in mind, be very cautious when approaching one yourself. All doors are closed when a match starts, so if you see one that’s open, chances are someone has already looted the house clean (and may well be waiting to cap you the moment you wander in). 

Of course, some players actively close doors behind them so watch those corners when searching any building. You can also sneak by holding the Ctrl button as you move. This ensures your footsteps make the minimum amount of noise, and you won't give away your location to any enemies lying in wait. 

Loot items and add mods faster

Time is of the essence, and that idiom rings true with every passing second of PUBG. So it pays to be able to pick up loot from boxes and fallen players and equip said items with the minimum of fuss. The best way to quickly siphon what items you need from a large stash is to press the inventory key (‘Tab’) when near a loot box and use ‘Right-click’ the items you want.

To quickly and efficiently add any mods you’ve found to your current loadout, open the inventory and right-click them to instantly add them to your current weapon. However, if a mod can be used with multiple weapons, you’ll have to manually drag it to the weapon of your choice. 

Remember to load collected weapons

Weapons spawned across the map won’t come locked, loaded and ready to use - you’ll instead find them with no bullets in the chamber and a full clip next to it. So when making a dash for a new gun, make sure you allow enough time to load it before turning your new shooter on a foe. 

There are few things more frustrating in PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds than finding yourself in a fresh firefight, flipping to your new weapon and getting the life shot out of when your gun clicks empty. Learn from our mistakes and load those weapons as soon as you collect them.

You should also make a point of keeping an eye on which fire-mode your current weapon is set to. Going into a firefight with an Uzi that you've accidentally set to single-shot mode. 

Boost your health with quick access

Boosts - be they energy drinks or bottles of painkillers - have plenty of uses, including helping you recover from bullet and explosive damage and mitigating the effects of operating behind the first barrier of the shrinking map. But having these items won’t count for naught if you don’t have access to them at a moment’s notice.

Did you know you don’t have to open your inventory to use them? The game will automatically map your boosts to the 7, 8, 9 and 0 number keys so you can quickly boost your health at the drop of a bullet-ridden hat.

Prioritise finding a vehicle

In the early portions of the match you're far more likely to be killed by the map shrinking than the enemies you encounter. 

Although as previously discussed you can survive for longer than you'd think outside of the zone, there's a limit to how long this is. 

If you want to actually have some time for looting then you're going to want to find a vehicle pretty early on in the match. 

Vehicles spawn in different places from match to match, but generally they're found on roadsides and occasionally in the garages of buildings. 

Once you've got a vehicle, try not to park it in front of buildings or you'll make it a target for snipers and other players looking for a ride. Instead, try to hide it round the back to hold onto it for as long as possible. 

Airdrops are a massive opportunity, and a massive risk

The way to get the absolute best equipment in the game is to retrieve it from an airdrop. 

Airdrops are distributed by planes that periodically fly over the island. You'll then see a box fall from the plane, and slowly float to the floor while attached to a parachute. Once they hit the floor they'll start to emit red smoke, allowing you to find it easily on the ground. 

While these drops present a massive opportunity, they're also very risky. Going for a drop reveals your position to any other players in the vicinity, and you'll also be very exposed while you root through the drop to find new items. 

As a result, you should only go for airdrops if you're prepared for a fight, and have a vehicle ready to make a quick exit. 

Check all gear for better levels

If you’re starting out in the world of PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds you’ll want to grab the first bit of gear you can find. However, just because you’ve grabbed some new clobber doesn’t mean you should just stick with it the whole match. 

Helmets, vests and backpacks all come in three distinct flavours (Level 1, Level 2 and - you guessed it - Level 3) with the highest providing the most protection/carrying capacity. So make sure you check every piece of gear you find. 

Armour also comes in three levels, but it also has a durability rating which reduces as it gets damaged. If its durability is the same or lower than the one you have equipped, leave it be.

Normally, everything you pick up takes up space in your inventory, but items that you wear are automatically equipped, and you'll automatically drop the item it's replacing. Your backpack's capacity won't be affected.