Having a bit of a hard time in Approved matches? Have no fear!
I am here to tell you how to get a good KDR in Approved Maps. I would like to say that these steps are not in order, and may vary on what the map is.
1. Stay calm and focus
Seriously! You are in a shooting game, but remember, it's all not real. It's just a game. So whether you're the target dummy or the alleged "hacker noob", just stay calm. Focus on the game. If you're screaming behind your screen (like I occasionally do), then do so, but don't express it onto the game via chat. Please be considerate of other gamers: Most gamers came to play.
2. Study the terrain
First, observe the Map ID so you can remember it when you're in the lobby. Second, if you want to, host a private map and look around the whole map. Observe what weapons you can find, what "flaws" are in the map, and where opponents are likely to hide. Strategize. A Pistol C-01p may seem useless to most gamers who use Shotgun C-01s or Sniper Rifle CS-YippeeKiYay, but it is able to penetrate through walls thicker than the CS-Pistol or the Assault Rifle C-01r. This also goes to the Alien Rifle and the Ray Gun C-01y.
If a map has grenades, it is meant that the map is likely to have campers. Use your grenades wisely at your disposal.
3. Observe your strengths and weaknesses
Find out what your proficient weapons are. If you're focused on getting the job done quick, you're probably likely to use assault rifles. If you're about giving the heaviest of damage, shotguns, rockets, and snipers/railguns. If you're more of a support, the Plasmagun CS-Bloom, shotgun, sniper, and defibrillator are good choices. (sarcasm) If you're killing your own teammates, rocket and CS-BNG are very good choices. (end sarcasm)
Don't always use your weapon. If you want to be quick, use the "Q" key on your keyboard to switch from swords to your choice of weapon. Once your opponent appears, hit "Q" and fire.
If you want to be sneaky, use the same strategy above, but avoid using swords and gunfire. Remember, sound is just as important as sight.
Now, every gamer has a weakness: Lag, gun can't kill enemy, asking how to use Portnades and Shieldnades (C and Z), cannot use defibrillator, the usual. First of, if anyone lags, it does not count as hacking or anything else. Everyone lags, nobody has a perfect internet connection... Yet.
Second, if your gun can't kill an enemy, it's more than likely because of lag, or you missed. If any one of them is the case, switch to your other weapon. Whenever I am lagging, I follow what I call the "shotgun test". If my shotgun doesn't fire bullets, I am lagging. If it fires, I am normal.
You can always use your weaknesses to your advantage, especially if lag is a major weakness.
Remember, you cannot win a battle without knowing your strengths and weaknesses.
4. Observe your opponents
All gamers are the same, no matter what. Whether they are a Guest, a Newbie, a person in the Top 20, ALL GAMERS are the SAME.
As mentioned in #2, you must have studied the terrain in a map. Now, if the game is in Cooperative Mode, you must follow every opponent's path and strategy. While there are many different strategies, there are 5 common and separate strategies your opponent may use:
1. Camping
2. Hiding near teleporters (also camping)
3. Roaming
4. Rocket/BNG/Grenade Spamming
5. Speedkilling (I am guilty of this)
To solve camping opponents, if you have teammates, LISTEN to them. They are likely to tell you which direction of gunfire they are shooting at, and where they are. If it still in an open area, use your grenades.
To solve enemies near teleporters (example: neelfrost-rvb), first analyze what weapons they might be using. If they aren't using weapons, assume they are using swords, so instant death is very likely. If you are able to, enter the portal, and jump away from any gunfire/sword as fast as possible, switch to your preferred weapon, and fight. This is not guaranteed to always work, but always take a risk.
Roaming opponents are the ones that travel the whole map in different pathways to find you (and your teammates). First, analyze where each of your opponents travels. If it's a Cooperative match, check their best player, and find out their path/pattern. As long as you can disrupt an opponent's path/pattern, you have a chance of winning easier, and your teammates will thank you for it. This strategy is important if the map has different levels, such as underground and overground.
Rocket/BNG/Grenade Spamming are very hard to deal with, are very distracting, and can be very infuriating. Let's start in order of weakest explosion to largest. To solve grenade spamming, remember that every map has a limited amount of grenades: 1-3 (in special cases, 6). Also, grenades have three seconds until they blow up, giving you time to evade, unless you are in a confined space, in which case, you must run for your life or use a teleporting grenade (if available). Rockets are a pain, but if you're lucky when hit, you have a 10% chance of not being killed, but in a "Dying You" state. A rocket launcher has one second to reload, so take that time to your advantage. Every second counts. Also, rockets go in a straight line in any direction fired, so don't worry about it moving up and down every time. For the BNG, this is harder, as the energy around the projectile can also kill you. If one was to head toward you, you must run as fast as possible, as the damage is massive. They take 3 seconds to reload, so use that time to figure out where it was fired from and eliminate the target (unless it is a friendly).
Speedkilling is when an opponent (I use this tactic) manages to run across a map in a short time to eliminate you and your teammates. Depending on the map size, usually small maps, players who use the speedkilling strategy are hard to stop, especially if they or you lag. Once you are hit, you have no chance. The easiest way to stop a speedkiller is to use an assault rifle, as the fire rate is almost equivalent to how fast the player should go. The bullets will also force the player back when hit. A speedkilling opponent will usually take the same path until they are repeatedly killed, in which case, they will form a new path, making it harder for you.
5. Teamwork
As mentioned numerous times before, teamwork is important. Yes, you can have camping teammates, AFK teammates, or teammates that do all the work, and that's fine. It's who is on the other team that matters the most.
Deathmatch, you have no worries for teams, but maps that are TDM/Coop are challenging, especially Coop. If one player on the enemy team can take down your whole team in less than 1 minute in a match, you really need to work together to prevent that from happening in a consecutive row, because as long as the enemy gets kills, you'll gain deaths and your KDR decreases. Cooperative maps aren't about winning, it's about who gets the most kills.
Use the same strategies in Section 4 to help solve this problem, which falls under "Speedkilling".
6. Important quotes
Here are some important notes I have found in-game or from other users that can help you focus on a game:
- Hikarikaze: "If you take damage and leave a match, that counts as a death."
- "Never heal a friend when gunfire is near; The consequences will be real." - A Guest
- "Don't always trust the dot on a sniper. It only blinks green for a second in sniper maps." - McKayla14 (no longer online)
- "Being bodybroken is much safer than being revived." - Charlie 5 Lives
- "It's only a game." - Probably over 75% of the site's user population
That's all the advice I can give you guys for now. I really hope this helped you become better at PB2. If you ever find me in a match, and you followed these steps, I hope you will be either my teammate or a worthy opponent. Good luck, guys!
If you have any other tips or strategies, feel free to add onto this below.
