PUBG Mobile: Beginner’s Survival Guide

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile is a battle royale (BR) survival game that focuses on map awareness, getting better items, and tactical advantages. Like many BR games, PUBG Mobile has a lot of weapons, exciting maps, and an option to play with either a team of up to four players, duos, or as solo player.

In this beginner’s survival guide, I will show you the basics you need to survive in PUBG Mobile and, someday, reach the highest rank in the game. Learning the fundamentals of surviving and winning Chicken Dinners will be your advantage after reading this guide.

Basic Information of PUBG Mobile: Gameplay, Maps, Weapons

To understand the mechanics of PUBG Mobile, you must first know the gameplay. This includes the game modes, the difference between First-Person Perspective (FPP) and Third-Person Perspective (TPP), and optimal loadouts.

Game Modes

Unranked

PUBG Mobile features a handful of game modes that you can enjoy. There are Unranked games where players can get accustomed to PUBG Mobile without risking their rank. In Unranked, there are game modes that you can choose.

For Classic BR experience, there are

• Solos: A free-for-all mode for solo players who wants to jump right in without dealing with a squad.

• Duos: This game mode pairs you up with another player to compete as the last duo alive.

• Squads: Play with up to four players in this mode. Can be played alone, with a duo, trios, or a full four-stack squad.

Each of these game modes has either a strictly FPP or strictly TPP mode. FPP is the classic first-person perspective found in many shooters. TPP puts you in the third-person perspective. The main difference is just the field of vision where TPP has a bigger field of vision than FPP. Choosing which perspective works for you will help you win more matches. Personally, TPP works for me.

Other Unranked game modes are found in the Arena and Other tabs in Unranked mode:

• Assault: This Arena game mode pits players against each other in a free-for-all deathmatch. The first to reach 40 kills or the highest kill count within 5 minutes is the winner. This is played in the Ruins map.

• Domination: Domination is a 4-vs-4 team game where the objective is to capture 3 different points on the map. Played in Town.

• Gun Game: This mode takes players in a deathmatch where everyone starts with the same gun and players progress through different guns by getting kills. Played in Library or Hangar.

• Team Deathmatch: Just your old-school 4-vs-4 team deathmatch mode. Played in Library, Hangar, or Santorini.
• Arena Training: This is where you can hone your skills.

Ranked

A ranked game is where players compete for rank. There are currently 8 ranks – lowest to highest: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crown, Ace, and Conqueror – and each rank from Bronze to Crown has 5 tiers (lowest: V, highest: I); while Ace and Conqueror ranks do not have tiers. Note: The Top 500 players in Ace rank are considered Conqueror.

Maps

PUBG Mobile hosts 8 maps for Ranked and 4 maps for Unranked, while Arena games have 5 maps. Each map has a specific size that can accommodate a certain number of players (up to 100). The maps are

• Livik (Ranked, Unranked; 2km x 2km) – A medium-sized map with a maximum capacity of 52 players, Livik is intended for fast plays with minimal camping. Unique to this map are edible fruits, treasure maps leading to high-tier loot, hidden locations near the waterfall, and a soccer field that adds interaction to the map. Definitely worth checking out.

• Aftermath (Ranked, Unranked; 2km x 2km) – This is Livik after the volcano has erupted. This map has ziplines that makes traversing through the map easier. It also features a respawn point (Recall Tower) which gives players a chance to revive after being killed. This map also introduces a core mechanic unique to this map called “AC Core Module” where weapons will have more stability and faster ADS time. This makes scoping faster and  easier.

• Erangel (Ranked, Unranked; 8km x 8km) – One of PUBG Mobile’s biggest maps with a maximum capacity of 100 players. Erangel is a very wide map with diverse terrain. A small, separate island can be explored.

• Nusa (Ranked, Unranked; 1km x 1km) – The smallest map in BR mode is the latest map, Nusa. Situated on an island with a Ferris wheel and a Science Center, Nusa is a map that is fast and frantic. There are a lot of areas to explore despite its size, and looting will definitely reward the player. The Science Center located on the map is definitely worth investigating. This map also features vehicles to traverse around the map and a recall function where players can respawn with a different loadout. Unique to this map is a regeneration pool that restores players’ health, and elevators on some buildings that take players up or down.

• Miramar (Ranked; 8km x 8km) – Miramar is a Ranked-only map that features sandy mountains. The terrain and elevation changes mean that it’s meant, primarily, for long-range combat. Getting into an optional sniping position will be the primary battle in this map. Fighting on the ground is the last thing you want.

• Sanhok (Ranked; 4km x 4km) – Sanhok has three islands connected by bridges. It is a medium-sized map that offers fast action while making the map more interesting. For example, there are sections in the map where the weather changes as if you’re in a real battleground. And there’s an underground passage that can be explored.

• Vikendi (Ranked; 6km x 6km) – The icy tundras of Vikendi and the abundance of structures to hide on makes this map exciting to play in. Its size, however, is its main difference among the maps. As the only map in the 6km x 6km layout, Vikendi can be played fast, with kills left and right; or slowly as you build up your loadout.

• Karakin (Ranked; 2km x 2km) – Karakin is another fast map to be played with intense action. Its hilly terrain is its main feature but, unlike Miramar where the change in elevation is essential to how the map should be played, Karakin’s hills have little effect on how the map is played.

Arena Maps

These maps are smaller than the Classic BR maps. As such, each map can accommodate up to 8 players for faster matches. These maps can be used for warming up before entering a BR match. Maps in this mode are Library, Ruins, Hangar, Santorini, and Town.

General Weapons Guide

PUBG Mobile has a lot of weapons in every class. It is essential to know the properties of these weapon classes so you can build your playstyle around your weapons.

• Pistols – Pistols are the basic weapon class available in PUBG Mobile other than melee weapons. They make good secondary weapons aside from your two main guns, and a great primary when you do not have a high-powered one. If you’ve just landed on the map, and there are no high-powered guns around, always be on the lookout for a pistol. 

• Assault Rifles (AR) – The AR is an essential weapon for all skill levels. Most of the guns in this weapon class have the option for full-auto, burst, or single fire. Its high fire rate and customizability make the AR a versatile weapon of choice, even for beginners.

• Bolt-Action Rifles – Guns in this weapon class have a very low fire rate but deals consistently high damage at long range. Because of this, bolt-action rifles are very weak at close-range. This is also the dedicated sniper rifle guns.

• Designated Marksman Rifles (DMR) – The DMR weapon class is primarily played for long-range combat. It has guns that have a relatively high fire rate (semi-automatic), since guns in this class are slotted between an AR and a bolt-action sniper rifle. It is also efficient even in medium-range combat.

• Submachine Guns (SMG) – SMGs are staple weapons in any shooter game. PUBG Mobile has an interesting take on the SMG by making them have fewer firing errors even when bursting (three to four consecutive shots). This means that the first few shots from your SMG will not spread out as much compared to ARs, and thus will be accurate. Ideal for close to medium-range combat. Like the AR, some guns in this weapon class have the option for fully automatic, burst, or single fire.

• Shotguns – In every BR game, shotguns have been a real contender on which gun to pick for building an optimal loadout. PUBG Mobile is not an exception but the game actually has balanced gunplay across the board. Shotguns are still a viable choice when clearing close angles like behind doors or when you’re rushing the enemy for the kill. Recommended for close-range combat.

• Light Machineguns (LMG) – High rate of fire and somewhat higher damage are the LMGs advantage over ARs. However, because of these traits, the LMG is not exactly a good choice because the trade-off is that it only has a limited range that it is useful, and it has a lower magazine capacity overall. Still viable for medium-range combat with some care towards bursting shots than spraying.
• Melee Weapons – From your fists to crowbars, and the ever so-handy Pan, melee weapons make up for the most basic non-firing weapon in PUBG Mobile. Ideal for face-to-face combat and there are no guns in sight. Take your chances.

Essential Tips

In this section, I will list down some tips for you to survive and win Chicken Dinners. This is by no means an absolute guide.

• Turn on “auto pick-up items” in the Settings menu.

This is probably the only “authoritative” tip in this guide. Turning on auto pick-up and having it prioritize the items of your choice will definitely help you get a worry-free PUBG Mobile experience.

• Test out weapons.

While I recommend playing with one AR and one SMG, there are situations where a shotgun could do much better than the SMG. Try different loadouts per match or during matches so you can mix and match your playstyle to your weapons of choice.

• Look at the minimap and the visual indicators on the screen.

Both the minimap and visual indicators provide excellent and accurate information of your enemies whereabouts and go to where the action is. For example, when you hear footsteps, the visual indicator will tell you if they are near or far from you by its opacity. Solid color means they are very near, while a fading and almost opaque color mean they are far from where you are. This is also good info-gathering especially when staying in one place (“camping”).

• Do not be afraid to camp.

While camping is a debatable strategy, the main goal of playing PUBG Mobile is to survive by any means necessary. Do not be afraid to camp. Just don’t get caught in the storm.

• Getting more kills does not equate to surviving and winning.

My first three matches in PUBG Mobile got me at least 8 kills per match. But those kills did not matter because I land in the top 20. You can get 1 kill and be the winner, or get 20 kills and be the MVP. Kill count in BR mode does not matter if you’re not at least in the Top 10.

• Warm-up in the Arena game mode.

While this is really optional, there will be times when just playing Arena can scratch your itch for some PUBG Mobile. In the event you want to play longer, this may serve as your warm-up. 

• Know all the available customizations for your weapons.

You pick up a Holographic Sight and think that maybe a simple Red Dot Sight can suffice. But, you’re holding an AKS… Knowing what weapon customizations are there in PUBG Mobile, the better you can build your ideal loadout. [Author’s note: If auto pick-up is enabled, the “better” option, or the ones you specified in the Settings menu, will be picked for you; but the principle of knowing optimal weapon customizations for your playstyle will go a long way.]

In conclusion…

PUBG Mobile is a fun game to play either solo or with friends. The balanced gunplay and variety of maps make this a really enjoyable experience. I hope this guide will help you towards your victory.

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