10 dos and don'ts of being a good battle royale teammate

Credit: Treyarch

Gaming

10 dos and don’ts of being a good battle royale teammate

10 tried and true techniques for battle royalling, like everyone’s 9 year old cousin.

January 9, 2019

The current zeitgeist of gaming is imbued in the Battle-Royale subgenre: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, PUBG, and the pop-culture phenomenon known as Fortnite. Everyone, from your cousins in Norway to your 80-year-old grandmother is being exposed to Battle Royale, for better or worse. Even if you haven’t had an opportunity to play any of the titles mentioned above you’ve been exposed directly or indirectly, either by watching a family member at home or digitally, via social media; Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube yields a gluttony of online multiplayer matches rife with triumph, rage, disappointment, and “water cooler” moments.

The bread and butter of the Battle Royale genre is playing within a team/squad. Regardless of your game of choice, standard protocol for conducting oneself in squad battles has emerged. Consider it etiquette if you will; how to navigate the team environment and manage the nuances inherent to team play. A team working in concert can be immersive entertainment; you may even find a lifelong co-op ally. In Contrast, a team in disarray can detract from the gaming experience, turning players away from a title deserving of their attention.

This list goes beyond the simple endeavor of being “good” at the game itself: racking up kills, winning consistently, or having a remarkable KD ratio. It focuses on the team dynamic essential to playing in a squad, being a good ally is not the same as being on the level of a professional gamer. With that in mind, let’s consider some guidelines to be the best teammate you can be.

1) Do Embrace the Team Mentality

Credit: Treyarch

Joining a squad is like entering into an unwritten contract; each member is agreeing to play their part in having the team survive; as a whole. If this is a difficult concept to embrace than an obvious question comes to mind. Why are you playing in squads at all? If squad mates are incapable of adhering to the platitude of “There’s no ‘I’ in team” then play a solo match.

2) Don’t Assume Leadership of The Team

Credit: Epic Games

Unless you are the digital equivalent to John Wick, playing in a squad is your best bet to succeed in Battle Royale. In most groups, teams make decisions based on a consensus. Or so you thought. There is always a player who assumes leadership. He/she insists on taking point, giving directions, and will never miss an opportunity to tell you what you did wrong. The only exception to this rule is when players have agreed to a military style of hierarchy. Otherwise, you’re just that annoying guy that gives unwanted orders.

3) Do Play with A Good Headset

10 dos and don'ts of being a good battle royale teammate

Communication is vital in any team environment. The one necessary tool for communication is your headset. This seems like an obvious statement, but time and time again you will find players joining a squad with no headset. Problems arise; your headset breaks, you don’t have one, or there’s a technical glitch.

These issues are understandable, but the decision to join a squad is not. How do these silent warriors decide to communicate? Through charades and tactics that give away the team’s position. They fire bullets in a direction to get attention. They’ll hop up and down to signify… something. It is crucial to have a headset to clarify the many possibilities of ideas you want to convey. Use your words, friend, use your words.

4) Don’t Designate Yourself The team DJ

Credit: Epic Games

Silence can be a problem, but blaring audio can be worse. The polar opposite of a lack of sound is too much noise. Video games have their soundtracks; however, the background music is noticeably absent from Battle Royale. Why? Simple, because every echoing bullet, footstep, and motor vehicle can indicate a potential threat. Not to mention being able to hear your teammates’ callouts and discussions.

And yet, some players insist on blaring music. The squad doesn’t want to hear your latest mixtape. They don’t want you playing the newest dis track. They don’t need your “valued” musical choice to pump them up for the battle. What they do need is not to be bombarded by your blaring audio while trying to take on a swarm of enemies.

5) Do Revive Your Teammates When Possible

Credit: PUBG Corporation/Bluehole

A staple of Battle Royale is the capability to revive downed teammates. Success or downfall often boils down to numbers. When the final circle comes, four on two matchups in your favor can be the difference between triumph or defeat. So, it serves the team best to have the odds in their favor. Whenever within reason, try to save your friends.

This rule stands true with one caveat in place; you can’t always get to someone for the revive. Situational awareness determines your opportunity to save them from death. Many circumstances can prevent partners from reaching one another; the downed player can be exposed, gunfire is too heavy, or its apparent a sniper is using them as bait to take out the entire squad. It is understandable if you can’t be saved, but gamer rage is a real thing, which leads us to our next tip.

6) Don’t Get Upset When You Can’t Be Saved

10 dos and don'ts of being a good battle royale teammate

Bullets tear into your avatar, and you drop to your knees in a bloody display of sluggish demise. You are in the middle of an open field. There’s no cover in sight, and your teammate is 100 yards away. For most, its time to accept the loss and wait for the next round. For others, it is time to be bitter and blame your team for failing to reach you in time.

Losses happen, plain and simple. How you handle the aforementioned loss is reflective of your character. Avoid being the player who drones on about how the team failed him and how they only died because someone couldn’t (insert ridiculous excuse here). Granted, sometimes you might be right, you could’ve been saved, but starting an argument over the incident is never worth it. Move on; there’s another round waiting in the wings.

7) Don’t Hide from Conflict

Credit: https://imgur.com/gallery/FiOis

Battle Royal can easily be mistaken for a game about racking up kills. It’s a game of survival; if that means waiting out your enemies to clean up the remains of a gun battle then so be it if you choose to seek out engagements at every opportunity, that okay too.

However, excessive hiding can deteriorate to something far more negligible, avoid battle altogether. You’re too timid to back up your squad when they needed you the most. Does it ever seem like every time the team gets into a battle there’s that one player that is nowhere to be found?

It is not my place to tell you how to play, but when the time comes to join in on a battle, and you are too fearful to lend a hand, then your game style is detrimental to the team. It benefits no one. Get in the game; your team needs you.

8) Do Share Your Ammo

Credit: Epic Games

Looting as a team and sharing items is a great way to survive. Grab ammo for a squad member and bring it to them. If you’re maxed out on what you can carry, then call out the item’s location. It benefits the entire team to be loaded up on ammo. Managing your loadout during battle becomes a breeze when inventory management isn’t a worry.

Weapons rarely (if ever) spawn without ammo. There are Scars with no ammo, Shotguns with no shells, RPG’s missing the grenade part of the acronym. These are the lies told by the “Ammo Hoarder,” players that snatch up every bit of ammo they come across. You struggle with 25 bullets, and they have 300. Sharing is caring, even in the digital realm.

9) Don’t Be a Monday Morning Quarterback

Credit: Treyarch

Your squad is crushed in battle by a dominating force. Learn from it and get better right? Wrong? This is when the Monday Morning Quarterback steps in. He has all the answers for how the team should have handled the situation… after the fact. If only his advice were introduced during the match when it was needed. He doesn’t hold back either; every “wrong” decision you made is under the microscope.

You used a shotgun, and you should have opted for the SMG. You took cover behind the tree; you should have leaped behind the rock. Your weapon was on burst fire; single fire was the way to go. Hindsight is 20/20, and these little “pearls of wisdom” art often too little, too late. Spare the team your antics and focus on how to improve on the next round rather than dwelling on what could have been.

The best bet is to ignore this person and ultimately decide if your team needs him.

10) Don’t Be A Team Killer

The best bet is to ignore this person and ultimately decide if your team needs him.

It’s hard to believe that at this point this has to be stated; Killing your teammates is frowned upon. Imagine your running along, 25 combatants remain. You’ve looted well and your armored up. BANG! You hit the ground. Was it a sniper? Where’s the enemy? The enemy was right behind you, too bad he/she is also in your party.

Team killing happens, it can’t be avoided, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it. It is hard to speak for every scenario, but in most cases, team kills are dealt out with malicious intent. You’ve wasted your squads time and your own. What you gained from this? Nothing. Teamwork makes the dream work, usually.

There you go, 10 Do’s and Don’ts for playing in squads. Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know if there are any additional Do’s and Don’ts that should have made the list.