PUBG is a game like any other competitive eSports game, the fundamentals come down to individual skill and team play. But in clutch situations or any fight that's on an uphill slope, it's absolutely key to have all of your individual skills on point and the right weapons to go with them of course!

We sat down with Timothy 'Uncivil' Ebarb from the brand new PUBG squad from North America to make a guide on how to improve your aim and to discuss what the most optimal weapons in the current meta of PUBG are, since the newest patch has just been released!

Improving your aim

"I believe that the key to improving your aim is consistency and practice." - Uncivil

There are many clips with insane kills that streamers made while streaming and that gives the wrong picture. In a game like PUBG, there are many scenarios that can unfold and not having your aim on point almost all the time could be your downfall - especially against other high-level players.

It's highly recommended to use the "War" game mode you can find in custom lobbies and when the event comes back. It's currently the only mode in the game that engages you in gunfights quickly with other players but it isn't perfect, since most fights are close-range and won't help you much with sniping.



Controlling Your Spray

Dragging your mouse down is insanely important when it comes to spraying with both ADSing and Hip-firing. This mostly depends on the sensitivity and DPI on your mouse that you play with, but practice what's right for you and you'll quickly find success. On top of that, look up graphs, watch informative videos, or try out the spray patterns in-game yourself and see how they're affected by attachments you use.

A comparison of all the AR's spray patterns currently in the game. Note that these are affected but not fully altered by attachments.

Recoil analysis credit to Wackyjacky101 (VIDEO). Full resolution image here.

It's also important to make it easier for yourself to control your spray when it's actually possible. Picking up attachments like the Compensator or Flash Hider can make the learning curve more friendly. Try to do this as much as possible with the AKM since it's the hardest weapon to control in the game while spraying as of now.

The Red Dot Sight gives a large advantage when you're spraying due to the size of the actual attachment and ease of watching where your bullets are actually landing when spraying at someone.

Uncivilz supported this statement by saying: "The Red Dot Sight should be used for all close-range combat. It gives the most vision and can really change the outcome of any close-range encounter."

Long Distance Fights

Long distance fights are harder to learn since there are a lot of different possible outcomes and conditions that you're fighting in. Always use single-fire mode on targets that are distanced more than 150m away from your position to decrease your recoil.

It's crucial to get the intel of your opponent's position as soon as possible and know what object/structure is the destination that he's currently running/driving to. Aim in front of the direction that he's running to by calculating the distance that your bullet has to travel and the velocity that it has mid-air, which are obviously different with every weapon that's in the game.

Uncivil on using Zeroing distance for your fights at a further distance: "I personally don't use zeroing distance, since it's not viable when you only have a small time window before the enemy found cover or you lose line of sight in general. Train yourself to play without zeroing distance (if you do use it) because it'll only get easier later on!"

Some scopes make aiming a lot easier as well since it's generally harder to exactly pinpoint where your bullet will land with the 4x scope that's on the AKM (The Circular one shown below) and the removal of the 8x compatibility with all ARs.

If the enemy that you're currently focused on is running in random directions, make sure that you lead him to the certain direction that you want him to run and line up your shot so it's easier to hit.



Weapon Choice

It's definitely important to get attached to certain weapons that'll help propel you forward even more quickly. With the ever-changing meta that PUBG has, and especially the recent patch changing weapons that were clearly favoured in the professional scene because of the superior consistency and reliability that the ARs had.

A quick note to always keep in mind, check which attachments are best for the weapon you're currently using because some improve the weapon drastically. In the image shown above you can see the Half Grip and the Vertical Grip having the most stable spray patterns on the M416, currently one of the most used AR's in the game.



Grip comparison credit to Wackyjacky101 (VIDEO). Full resolution photo here.

With the meta being blown open, it's even more interesting to compare the different setups that you can take and delivers us more surprising strategies possibly being performed in the future.



5.56 Weapons vs 7.62 Weapons

These are the most used weapons in the game, and they're both good on their own fields but are definitely different. First off, let's get the main difference of the two ammunition types out of the way, 7.62 has more damage per bullet compared to the 5.56 but in PUBG there are more weapons that can actually use 5.56 rather than the 7.62 ammunition.

Uncivil told us that: "I prefer to use the 5.56 ARs (i.e. the M416 and the M16A4) for long-range engagements. In particular, the M16A4 is great to use for these actions since its bullet velocity is higher than any other AR currently in the game."

The 7.62 weapons are generally close-range weapons except for the DMRs and SRs. Due to the extreme amount of recoil from the AKM and the DP28, it's better to refrain from using them at greater distances since it's a lot harder to tap quickly with these weapons.

Uncivil wanted to assure you that: "The AKM has the most vertical recoil out of all the AR's, so it's important to pull down when shooting! Trust me, it will get easier overtime."

With the recent addition of AR attachment compatibility on the DMRs, they are now a more viable pickup.

The DMR's clip size is crucial because more bullets equal more kills. This gives the Mini-14 a clear advantage over the Mk14 and SKS. Using these three weapons gets a lot more interesting and evens out the field between the 7.62 variants and the 5.56 variant when you've found an extended magazine. Definitely consider using and mastering these weapons if you like them.



Double AR setups

Previous to the most recent patch, the double AR setup was by far the most used kit in the game on a professional level. It's still viable but it's less good then it was before. This is because the other weapons got buffed in such a fashion that those weapons get used for other purposes then the AR's best for.

Uncivil added that: "I would recommend trying to find a constant loadout to best suit your play style.

When you're choosing a setup, keep these things in mind.

• What do I use both weapons for? Do these purposes overlap in any kind of way?

• What weapons have I played the most with?

• Do I expect to use a lot of ammunition or is little ammunition fine? (Especially in the case of deciding to use an AWM or not which only has 20 bullets)

• When looting, look at the circle and try to think about the terrain you're going to play/rotate on. Fields/mountains favour long-range weapons and cities heavily favour SMGs and ARs.

• If you play with your squad regularly, you should know what weapons they prefer. If there's a lack of DMRs/SRs try to focus more on those weapons rather than the weapons that is being used most within your squad.





Concluding

Aiming is not everything in this game when it comes to the squad mode that gets played in almost every tournament, but it's definitely something you can improve on your own or with your friends. Aiming skills don't appear out of thin air and always remember to practice and try your hardest!

We want to thank Uncivil for his essential input that he's provided us with to make this guide. We wish him the best of luck in the future!

You can find Uncivil here:

Twitter

Twitch

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Image Source: Wackyjacky101