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Learning how PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds works takes time, as there are many different factors and combat techniques in the game. This PUBG Guide is specific to locating and approaching an enemy around the map.

How to discover your enemy in a tight space

Provided you use headphones when playing PUBG, the best way to locate enemies is to listen out for footsteps and reload sounds when in a building. If a player is outside or entering your building, you should change the direction of where you’re facing to confirm where they are. What I mean by this is, if an enemy walks into your building and you’re upstairs, turn 90 degrees another way and confirm whether the sound comes through the other side of your headphones. Eventually, you will get used to the sounds and where they are coming from, and you won’t have to move around.

This method is the fastest and most efficient way to confirm the position of your opponent. Of course, how you use this information is highly dependent on your play style. You could stay quiet until they’ve gone. Or you could rush your opponent and unleash a volley of rounds into them.

PUBG enemy location guide 1

How to discover your enemy from afar

More thought is required when you hear enemies from afar. Grenades and gunshots are the most common sounds you will hear from across the maps. Erangel and Miramar are slightly different as they are spaced out. However, on Sanhok, you will more than likely hear more sounds and fights around you.

In order to locate an enemy judging by gunshots, you first need to identify the direction. You can use the same method as the tight space section by rotating your character.

Once you know the direction, you need to confirm the distance by walking towards the sounds. Use the terrain to your advantage. However, you still need to be aware of other players around you. You are less likely to be alone as other players will also the hear the sounds and decide to take them on, leaving you in a tough predicament.

Again, the result is highly dependent on your play style. From experience, following up on gunshots and waiting until the player moves to a new area seems to be the best method.

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How to approach an enemy

Close-range combat

So far, we’ve discussed how to locate an enemy via sound and location. However, the tables have turned, and now it’s your turn to sneak up on an enemy. The player could be walking into a house, and you just happened to notice. Or a player could be running across a field, while you’re behind a tree.

Once again, your next move revolves around your play style. However, in my experience, every time I’ve followed up on an enemy, they’ve always spotted me from a window. To avoid this, you should wait until the enemy comes out of the building and then follow them. Not only will they be less wary of you, since they will make the same noise as you when running to a new area, but you will also receive the loot they’ve just taken from the building if you kill them. This will leave you with more time and a much better chance of being the hunter rather than the hunted.

Long-range combat

In the event that the enemy you have spotted is far away, be aware that any shots you take could be heard from other players. You pretty much have two options. One: fire away accurately, getting the kill and moving on quickly. Two: take a slow approach by shooting and then changing position to take another shot from somewhere else.

My personal favorite method of catching a player out is to fire one shot in front of the target and then retreat back to shoot from another angle at a tree or behind a hill. This is efficient since shooting in front of the target will often trick the player into thinking the shots came from in front, giving you time to retreat and shoot from behind.

However, the shot will still be far away, and the player’s skill level will determine if they instantly locate you and return fire. This will leave you with a gunshot situation and attract more players to your area, reducing your chance of survival.

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What happens if an enemy spots you as well?

A common problem in PUBG is players think they always have the upper hand when an enemy doesn’t see them straight away. This can be frustrating because you make a move and all that happens is death!

This typically happens when players aren’t smart about their approach. Most of the time, you will spot another player and run in a straight line to get to them. To reduce disappointment, always use the terrain to your advantage, whether that is a height or cover advantage. Trees and different levels of terrain weren’t just added to the game for an aesthetic purpose; they’re for you to use.

For example, if you see an enemy run into a cluster of trees and you’re relatively far away, you will need to get close and have enough space and time to unleash some bullets into them. Inaccurate shots will give the opponent time to adjust and get behind something to heal or return fire. It’s important to remember to have as much cover as possible and to allow as little cover as possible for your opponent.

Tree-to-tree combat

Lastly, there is tree-to-tree combat, the most common type of combat in PUBG. This can occur when you shoot or get shot and both players take cover behind a tree. You always need to be aware of the angles you can get shot from. Typically, I would take cover behind a tree, fire a shot, and then move up to the player. This will often cause them to panic and move from their position, giving you a chance to mow them down.

However, a common death is when a player is behind the same tree for too long. This gives the opponent enough time to throw a grenade or push up. In other words, always keep on the move and avoid tree-to-tree combat.

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I hope you found this guide interesting and useful. If you’d like to see a part two to this guide going into more detail about combat, leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you. In the meantime, you can check out our other PUBG content here.