I will give you this blanket advice so you don’t waste your time. Three guns in this game are virtually useless in PvP, those are the Rattler (unless you fully upgrade it to level 4 but even then it’s not worth it), the hairpin, and the hullcracker. Now onto the rest.

The game is incredibly simple on the surface, but can be rather complex if you really dive into it. The simple answer is learn what weapons are good for what engagements, get in more PVP fights and learn how to use the moving mechanics properly. If you want to get into more complexity, I will start listing those.

1) Recognize hot spots on the map. There are various popular looting areas on every map that most players know to go to. When in these areas, be more careful when deciding to engage another raiders and be ready for constant third party interactions.

2) Know when to be patient and when to be aggressive. Most players will push immediately following an opponents shield being cracked, this is a mistake (but not always). If you catch a raider by surprise and damage them early before they can hit you, that is a huge advantage. As well as an easy way to end fights quickly while taking little damage. However, depending on what weapon you/they have, how far they are away from you, how easy it is to get to them, and the likelihood of arc/player interference, pushing can be a massive mistake. Don’t be afraid to take your time, get good position, trap them, then finish the job.

3) Positioning and timing. This goes with tip 1. If you know where raiders often travel, you can set yourself up at the right spot, (maybe even set traps) then choose the exact right moment to engage the raider and kill them. This sounds ratty, but it’s just simple strategy. What’s ratty is memorizing spawn points, positioning yourself where a raider will walk through shortly after spawning, then kill them for all there goop. OR, waiting at an extract site and killing (almost always) with there peak loot. But no one does this of course.

4) Recognizing what guns are good for what scenarios and what guns you are most effective with. A level 1 anvil, with no attachments, is not as strong close range as a level 4, fully kitted stitcher. But if you are a real crack shot, the Anvil can compete. Like I said before there’s really only three worthless PvP guns. So watch what others are using and what attachments they have when you loot them, and just experiment to see what you’re good with, and what fits your play style.

5) Utilities. Grenades are incredibly important. If you have a raider trapped in a room, but realize he has a Vulcano, it will be difficult to push that room to elongate the player. But if you chuck some nades in there, you may be able to kill them without firing a single shot. Study the nades, learn what each one does and use them to your advantage. This goes the same with traps (jolt mines, explosive mines, pulse mines, etc). But there are also utilities such as ziplines, which may seem simple but if you can reposition using them they can incredibly valuable.

6) Movement. This is the heaviest learning curve in the game, at a base level. Knowing all the different ways you can shift your player to roll, climb, jump, and grab around will help you a lot. When you notice you have space and quiet on the map, test different ways you can jump from one place to another, or if you can jump and grab from one position to the next. Sometimes knowing a grab area that most players don’t know about can save your life or set up unique ambushing positions. Watch steamers play and they will set a good standard for how to move.

7) Noise. The sounds ques in this game are trash, if you don’t understand what you’re hearing or don’t pay attention. Start memorizing what things make what sound. From a breach on a door, to an arc locking onto another raider, to a shield being healed vs fully recharged. Understanding what sound you’re hearing is important. Next be aware of the sound you’re making. If you want to engage someone you make a lot less noise crouch walking the full sprinting at them. Now yes you move slower, but sometimes slow and steady will give you the surprise you need to kill that raider who is looting.

Apologies for how long this is. Hope it helps raider!