If you want to become really good at shooters, you need to practice a lot. MeinMMO author Dariusz Müller shows you 5 tips on how to improve without hardcore training.
In the various shooters, there is a lot to consider, and fans of the genre constantly need to learn new mechanics when switching games. Those who do not learn and adapt will quickly find their limits exposed by opponents.
However, not everyone has time to master the different movement tricks, abilities, and special mechanics of the various shooters. That’s why we give you 5 tips that can help you improve in any shooter.
What are these tips? The tips are mainly aimed at casual players and those among you who do not have thousands of hours in the various titles. So, if you are veteran shooters or tryhards, you might not find anything new here.
The Right Crosshair
In many shooters, you can adjust your crosshair or at least the sight. The right crosshair can be the first step to better performance, which is why we have a guide on how to set your crosshair in CS2.
Various factors are important when it comes to the crosshair. For example, you want it to be clearly visible on different surfaces and not blend into the game’s color scheme.
At the same time, it should not be too large and should not occupy too wide an area of the visible space or even that of the opponent. A crosshair that moves excessively and swings based on your shooting sequence can also be distracting. Your focus should always be on the opponent whose head you are trying to hit. Anything that distracts or obscures the head is bad.
If you are unsure of what a good crosshair should look like, you can specifically look for and copy the crosshair of a professional e-sports player online. What works at the highest competitive level can also work for you.
The Right Sensitivity
Whether you play shooters with a controller or with a mouse and keyboard, the right sensitivity is one of the most important settings in any shooter. A sensitivity that is too high or too low negatively affects your aim and, therefore, your performance.
You need to find the ideal sensitivity for yourself and cannot simply copy the settings of another player. What is perfect for a professional e-sports player might be too fast or – especially when using a mouse – too slow for you.
With the following test, you can work on finding a suitable sensitivity with both a controller and a mouse:
- Find a point on a map that gives you at least 2 reference points: one at “12 o’clock” and one at “3 o’clock” from your position.
- Now aim back and forth between the two points. At first, it doesn’t have to be fast aiming or even a flick.
- If you oversteer when aiming at one of the points, your sensitivity is too high and you should lower it a bit. If you understeer when aiming at one of the points, your sensitivity is too low.
However, you should keep in mind that finding an ideal sensitivity is a time-consuming process. The perfect value will not suddenly fall into your lap. You may continually adjust your sensitivity slightly, increasing or decreasing values until you are fully satisfied.
- You can also read on MeinMMO how to find your perfect mouse sensitivity for Counter-Strike 2.
After addressing sensitivity and crosshair as two aspects that you should ideally adjust in the menu before starting a round, we now come to the tips you should keep in mind during a match.
Better Crosshair Placement
Crosshair placement is something you need to consciously pay attention to while playing, but you quickly benefit from it without much training. It’s also quite simple:
Always place your crosshair where an opponent might be – ideally directly at head height.
Good crosshair placement is especially helpful if you don’t have the best aim. Instead of flicking to an opponent who unexpectedly comes around the corner, your crosshair should ideally already be where their head is when they suddenly appear in front of you. If your crosshair is already on the opponent’s head, the time it takes to aim at their head is eliminated.
Best memorize at what height a head is in which area of a map. Do not aim at foot or chest height. The chance of mis-aiming is significantly lower when you don’t have to pull the trigger, because your opponent is already in your crosshair.
Additionally, besides height, the area being aimed at also plays a role in crosshair placement. You don’t want to stare at a “dead” area. Instead of looking at a wall, place your crosshair where an opponent can actually come from.
Communication and Teamplay
In virtually every shooter, communication and teamwork is a significant advantage – even if you are playing with random teammates and not with your friends. It can already help if you coordinate which point you want to attack together.
Do you need healing? Then ask for a medic. Do you need ammunition? Then signal to your supplier. Is an opponent holding a strong position while your teammates keep rushing to their deaths? Then propose an alternative.
The same goes for the other way around. If a team member wants to coordinate a joint attack, listen to them and participate. Communication in a team can only work if there are people who speak and those who listen.
In every shooter, there are situations where communication and teamwork can lead you to victory – even if that just means that you consistently challenge a powerful opponent together instead of repeatedly getting taken out in a 1v1.
Use the Minimap and Other Tools
In many shooters, you have various ways to orient yourself on a map. This includes the minimap in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. However, the minimap can do much more than just show you the way.
In many shooters, the minimap tells you where opponents are currently located. They are marked in red when they shoot or otherwise attract attention. Marking an opponent not only reveals their position but also allows you to anticipate their next movements, enabling you to intercept them.
Furthermore, a minimap, a compass, or a detailed map helps you with tip number 4: communication and teamwork. If you don’t know what a spot on the map is called, try to describe it based on the information available and use directions to be more precise.
In many games, you can even place markers on the map that your teammates can see. Even in tactical shooters like Valorant, you can mark the spike on the map, read names of map areas, or ping the last position of an opponent.
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