This page contains PUBG tips and strategies straight from the team working on PlayerUknown’s Battlegrounds and PUBG Mobile. The images below feature the Mirabar map (new to PUBG Mobile), but are equally applicable to the Erangel map as well.
This is the first in a series of ‘PUBG Mobile Survival Guides’ produced in collaboration with Tencent and their partners at Armed Mind. The series will contain valuable tips for new players and veterans and alike for surviving from the first moments aboard the drop plane to the final moments before a chicken dinner.
EditStraight From the Jump
This week’s guide focuses on your initial drop into the map, and survival tactics for these first seconds to help set you up for success. These opening moments are hectic, and having a plan can be the difference between reaching the mid-game or being sent back to the Lobby.
EditPick a Spot and Get There Fast
Speed is key at the onset of every game. Your goal should be to get to the ground as soon as possible. Don’t want waste time on the plane seeing where other players are getting out. Decide where you want to drop and once you’re as close as possible, jump. Once you know the map well, you should be thinking about where you want to land before you even board the plane.
EditBig City, Better Loot
As a general rule of thumb, cities, urban areas and military base-type locations hold the best loot. Aim for those if you want your pick of potential load-outs. Shacks and small outskirt towns can be safer areas to drop into, but offer less powerful loot. No risk, no reward, right?
EditMind Your Surroundings
As you get closer to the ground, take in your surroundings. See a building with an open door? Use caution entering these buildings, as there might already be players hiding inside. Keep your eye on enemies dropping near you and always keep an ear out for nearby firefights.
It’s a good idea to try to keep a loose count of how many players might be alive near you. You should also let other players eliminate one another before leaving your drop zone.
EditEyes to the Sky
Always look up in the opening seconds of the match. No, you’re not bird watching—your competitors might not have been as decisive as you were. If they dropped late, that means they’re slowly, helplessly descending to the ground…to where you’re all geared up for an easy kill.
EditSurvive First, Stockpile Later
The opening fray can be hectic and dangerous. Many a player has died trying to meticulously organize their inventory or decide between a UMP or an M16.
In the opening minutes, worry less about finding the perfect loadout and more about getting something — seriously, ANYTHING — to defend yourself. Shotguns are perfect in this scenario, often granting 1 shot kills on unarmored players at close-to-medium range.
EditRoad Trippin’
No drop is perfect. Maybe you planned well but dropped early, only to discover 50 other players had the same idea. Maybe you got a text from your boss that cost you a precious 30 seconds. Either way, if your landing zone seems a little too hot, look around for a car as you descend.
Drop on top of the car, put the pedal to the metal, and drive to a city that was far from the plane’s path. More loot for you, less enemy players to worry about—and when the circle finally shows up, you can drive back into the play area in no time.
Hopefully, these tips will help you feel more confident in your skills during the opening moments of a match. Dropping next are four more Survival Guides, each of which will help you master maps and be the last soldier standing.