This guide will help you learn how to use weapons, kill players, and win at PLAYERUNKNOWN's BATTLEGROUNDS! Because the game is still in alpha, expect this guide to change throughout the development cycle, adding new strategies, new techniques, and new tips as time progresses.
Best Loadouts
Check out our suggested best loadouts for optimal gear choices!
- Best Assault Loadout for PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Best Defense Loadout for PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Best Close Quarters Loadout for PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Best Ranged Loadout for PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
Strategies
- PUBG is a game about survival of the fittest. While this can mean the most aggressive player wins, it is by far not the average case. Knowing when to engage and when to lay low is key in having your first chicken dinner.
- PUBG rewards an active playstyle. Just as much as being too aggressive will probably get you killed, being too passive will mean your opponents will have more and more of a tactical advantage through their gear.
- Making use of the ingame sound can make all the difference. Knowing where shots are fired, where cars are driven and listening to that all too careless player stomping around in his punk boots all make for a great way to either engage on your terms, or make sure you dont engage at all.
- Know your strengths and weaknesses. While most players would love to excel in every aspect of the game, every player has their own strengths and weaknesses. Be aware of what you are capable of and make sure the situations you get yourself in favor your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.
- Make use of every distraction. Sometimes you are pinned behind cover with no way out or you know where an enemy is, but cant get close without them seeing you. In those cases, using grenades is not your only option. Make use of the red zone, of the impending blue circle, of nearby gunfire, your teammates or even the loud sound of the airplane to get out of a bad situation, or into a good situation. Oftentimes, your opponent wont be able to track your movement.
Playing solo
- As a solo player, you will always have some blind spots. While some positions will allow you to make sure no one sneaks up to you, as soon as you are in the open field, you will often have to rely on knowing where other player are probably going to be. Always keep track of how far the blue circle is, where the new white circle is and how likely it is that someone is behind you
- Since you have no team to rely on, a single unsuppressed shot, even if it kills someone, can lead to your death. Players around your position will have a vague idea where you are while you probably dont know where they are. It is rarely advised to kill someone while completely exposed, even if your target is "an easy kill".
Playing duo/squad
- When playing with a team, it is important to make sure all players have the same gameplan. Some players enjoy playing fast and ending rounds quickly, while others have a more tactical approach and aim for the endgame. If the team does not follow the same gameplan, the players will oftentimes not work as a team
- When playing with a team, you can make sure all angles are secure at all times. This however requires communication. Make sure you use voice chat (or other methods of communication) to alert your teammates whenever something important is happening. Use the ingame compass (or notable site names) to inform your team where and what is happening.
- An early death of a teammate does not automatically mean a round is lost and dying early yourself can be a great opportunity to learn from your teammates. If you are really not interested in watching the rest of the match when dead, maybe do something else until the match is finished. Ranting will only inhibit your team even further.
How to Kill Enemies
BATTLEGROUNDS puts you right in the fray, and because of this, it might be hard to take down players. There's three basic techniques you can use though, dependent entirely on your style, that can make you an absolute juggernaut.
Ranged Fire
First and foremost is the ranged fire technique. This uses weapons with scopes to pick off distant enemies. Wait until your enemies are moving away from you in a clear line to open fire, as this will remove most areas for them to hide, giving you the most chance to deal major damage.
A big part of this strategy is the idea of the vantage point. Vantage points are areas on the map the are higher ground than the rest or otherwise give you more and better opportunities for aiming and firing. Second floors of buildings, tall hills, and wooden areas are all examples of great vantage points, as they give you a clear sight of the land and the ability to pick off enemies at range.
Close and Loud
Close and Loud is the principle of engagement where you fire on an enemy in quick, sudden bursts after disabling them in some other fashion. This can include using gas grenades or flash bangs and then turning around corners to lay down heavy fire and other such techniques. The big goal here is to disorient your enemies, making them confused and thus ineffective.
High-round weapons are important here, as you're going to need every shell and cartridge to carry out these sorts of attacks. Keep in mind that a very important part of your loadout is the sidearm, as it will allow you to put down resistance even when you've run out of primary ammunition.
Wait
Perhaps the best combat strategy is one not even of combat - just wait. Because you're in a pool of many players, you can essentially wait out the clock, letting players kill each other before swooping in with one of the other techniques and clearing the area that way. This is a good technique, but keep in mind that as the game progresses, the battle area shrinks, giving you fewer options for vantage points and assaults.
Playing the Map
A big part of BATTLEGROUNDS is playing the map. Understanding the general concept of where people are likely to go, how to move silently, and so forth are key to your long-term survival.
Moving Silently
In BATTLEGROUNDS, everyone wants to kill you - literally. With enemies on every side, all bearing down on you, the ability to move throughout the map without attracting unwanted attention is incredibly valuable. Here are some tips to keep in mind that'll help you to this end:
- Not everyone needs to be engaged. Firing your weapon alerts everyone as to your location, and if you see an enemy who is particularly well-equipped, in a vehicle, or simply in a bad spot to fire on, don't fire on them. Track them, and follow until they are in a vulnerable location or alignment with their surroundings before opening fire. A well-placed grenade against an enemy in a building who you've been tracking will kill with a single loud shot as opposed to using a machine gun or assault rifle that will attract attention for your entire area.
- Move from cover to cover. Almost every path in BATTLEGROUNDS is lined with cover in the form of trees, rocks, or buildings. Moving through and between them is hazardous in the sense that you might not see trouble coming, but it also severely restricts enemy vision and their ability to engage. Limiting attention and visibility in this way will make your movement easier.
- Be aware. When you hear gunshots, even from afar, move to cover immediately. Do not line up to the line of sight of people in the distance, because you don't know their weapon ranges. If you hear vehicles coming, get to cover - if you see a single vehicle, consider an ambush if they are going slow, but default to grenades before engaging in light arms combat.
Choke Points and High Traffic Areas
There are a few areas of the map that are high traffic, and should largely be stayed away from. These areas can cause you to be ambushed by multiple players each looking for resources as well, so you need to wait and see whether or not the threat is worth the possible reward. These areas include most towns, buildings, and the military base. While items will spawn here more often, they attract players and thus raise the danger to new levels.
This is a good and bad thing, though. While the danger is indeed heightened, it also means you have a good spot to set up ambushes and create choke points. Choke points are when movement is narrowed in a small area, forcing players to move through a guided path. An instance of this would be in towns where buildings create a natural main street or avenue - if planned correctly, these natural choke points can funnel players into a good spot for tossing grenades or opening fire, drastically reducing the player count quickly.
Understanding Weapons
Weapons in BATTLEGROUNDS fall into one of three categories - RANGED, ASSAULT, and SUPPORT. Ranged weapons are those with scopes and other accouterments that facilitate engaging an enemy from far away, and are best used outside of urban environments where line of sight is preserved. ASSAULT weapons are those with medium ammunition counts and high mobility, but less accuracy. These are great for basic assaults and ambushes. Finally, SUPPORT weapons are those with high bullet throughput OR high damage throughput, ranging from heavy machineguns to shotguns. These are best for clearing wide areas and controlling your enemies' movements. Weapons are items used to deal damage to enemies.
Ammunition
- .300 Magnum Ammo
- .45 ACP Ammo
- .50 Caliber Ammo
- 12 Gauge Ammo
- 40mm Ammo
- 5.56mm Ammo
- 5.7mm Ammo
- 60mm Ammo
- 7.62mm Ammo
- 9mm Ammo
- Bolt
- Flare
Assault Rifles
Designated Marksman Rifles
Rifles
Submachine Guns
Sniper Rifles
Light Machine Guns
Shotguns
Bows
Pistols
Throwables
Melee Weapons
Miscellaneous Weapons
Related Achievements
| Achievement Name | Picture | Description | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent 48 |
|
Kill 50 players with suppressed weapons. |  |
| Ghost |
|
Equip a suppressed weapon in every weapon slot. Let's find out which weapon is suppressed! | |
See also
- Attachments
- Weapon Stats
- Rarities
- Monthly Weapons - list of weapons that PUBG Corp added in Early Access
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Items
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Equipment Types
 Common questions1) Q: How do you gather these new equipment/skins before PUBG Corp even announces them?
2) Q: Where can I see region specific equipment skins?
Common questionsQ: How do you gather these new vehicles before PUBG Corp even announces them? A: Mostly thanks to Reddit, more specifically the /r/PUBATTLEGROUNDS subreddit. Dataminers look at the game files every time the game updates and see what new content, files or even code that's in-game. Update historyUpdate #52 (Season 11 - Update 11.2)
Drive-by Shooting Balance Adjustment Several patches ago, we implemented quality of life change to heavily improve stability and overall smoothness of aiming while in vehicles. As vehicles are a core part of our Battle Royale experience, we want to encourage vehicular combat, while also ensuring balance and allowing for proper counter-play. Listening to all your feedback and digging through gameplay data, we have seen a greater rise in the effectiveness of drive-bys and overall vehicle to player gunplay than intended. Our first step to address this is increasing weapon recoil in vehicles and we'll continue to closely monitor your feedback, so please, keep it coming!
Update #47 (Season 9 - Update 9.2) Driver Shooting It's been requested for a long time and we're finally happy to add shooting functionality to vehicle drivers! The new system allows you to fire sidearm weapons while driving and maintaining control over the vehicle (albeit with slightly reduced response while reloading). This functionality works for most vehicles and there are a couple of limitations which you can read about below. We're excited to see the new kinds of gameplay that emerge from these additions, and please let us know how it feels!
Update #42 (Season 7 - Update 7.3)
Update #34 (Season 5 - Update 5.1)
Pre-release #32 (Season 4 - Update 4.2) - vN/A
Pre-release #28
Pre-release #27
Vehicle categories
Erangel is the first and primary playable map of BATTLEGROUNDS. Development of Erangel began sometime in early 2016 when Bluehole was in talk with PLAYERUNKNOWN about making a Battle Royale game. Later that year, PLAYERUNKNOWN asked his fans to sign-up (Arma 3 Battle Royale players got immediate access) and test out his newly announced game in June - September of 2016 (Pre-Alpha (NDA)) and then an Alpha (No NDA) in October - December of 2016 which introduced Duo's and Squad's to PUBG. A few months later Closed Beta happened in February - March of 2017 (most content creators had access to this build) and later that month in March it launched in Steam Early Access in March 23, 2017 and full release (out of Early Access) on December 21, 2017 (Originally, the game was suppose to get out of Early Access 6 months from March 23). SummaryErangel is the base map for the game. An 8x8 km map dotted with small outcroppings of buildings, the distance between major landmarks necessitates the use of vehicles to move between areas. As the game continues, the map area will be restricted to a smaller and smaller play area. A red circle will appear on the map from time to time, marking an area for offshore artillery to bombard. Erangel has varying weather, sometimes affecting visibility and requiring a change in tactics. Cities and the local military base have plenty of decent loot, but you won't be the only one thinking the same thing. A mix of urban areas and wide open farmland create a wide variety of battles, ranging from intense close range firefights in streets and buildings, to long range sniping duels taking place across wheat fields. The name Erangel was chosen, using PLAYERUNKNOWN's daughter's name, Eryn, as inspiration.[1]
</noinclude> Update historyUpdate #31 (Season 4 - Update 4.1)
Pre-release #28
Pre-release #27
Official release PC 1.0 Update - v3.5.5.6
Early Access (Week 30 Update) - v2.6.36.7
BackgroundErangel is a fictional island in the black sea abandoned near Russia where a military occupation was controlling it. The military occupation tested chemical/biological experiments on the local populace. After a resistance attack on a biological facility, the island had to be abandoned. Erangel was originally occupied by Soviet forces from the 1950s onwards and was used as a military testing facility, which explains the military base as well as the hospital and storage facilities. A local resistance movement fought to reclaim the island which eventually lead to the island becoming abandoned. The electrical field seen wreaking havoc on the island is powered by electrical emitters which were used to contain towns that were showing signs of revolting against the Soviet forces.[2] MapGraphical map -
Major citiesMinor citiesMajor landmarksVehiclesErangel features the following vehicles:
WeaponsErangel features the following weapons: WeatherDynamic weather? Yes Map Erangel has this type of weather;
Gallery
References
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