This is the experience of many of new player, and yes, even sometimes over ambitious vets. They are often left wondering ‘what am I doing wrong?’ and sadly many rage quit. We like our new berries because it means we eventually get more good berries. So we fix this through some simple insight that is hard to hear, but important to learn.
First, you need to take every FPS experience you’ve ever played and throw it out the window. Aside from the somewhat similar controls, that’s as far as the similarities will cross over. Many players come from platforms where sneaking up on victims end in almost assured victory. Dust514 is vastly more complex than the physics of other games where 2 bullets in their back equal death. We have armor, armor repair, shield extenders and regulators, weapon damage with differing bonuses against shields and armor and effective weapon range of varying lengths. All that math adds up to a very complex set of variables which really just boils down to:
You need to know when to pick your battles.
When I first started, using sights was something I didn’t do as often as I should have. Hip fire creates much bigger dispersion than most newberries realize. Check out this video where I demonstrate each gun. Even if you have fired all these guns before, pay close attention to the bullet spray pattern when I fire from hip versus down sights.
Lock and Load: A preview into the weapons of Dust514
Big difference, right? Nothing worse than firing a gun from your hit that ends up having as much accuracy as a musket rifle from the Civil War.
However, that’s not the only variable to why your bullets feel like they’re made of kisses. Every time you take focus on an enemy, there is some critical intel that many of us without realizing don’t even bother to use.
Take a look at the below screenshot:
Notice the readout towards the bottom of the screen. Sometimes we often see this pop up but we never really take much notice. I mean, com’n, who has time to read when I’ve got stuff to kill amiright? But if we look closer at these numbers, we immediately start to understand where we’re failing.
In that screen above, I’m in my BPO Dragonfly Scout Suit with the BPO Toxin SMG. Notice the output tells me what suit they’re wearing, the amount of armor and shield they have, their current range and the efficiency rating. So…in short, I’m an idiot for thinking this was ever going to work out for me. One, I’m not on his flank to begin with. He’s kinda staring right at me but even if he wasn’t let’s look at some math:
| Me | Him (...or Her) |
| Dragonfly Scout | ‘Neo’ Logistics ak.0 |
| Shield: 100 | Shield: 140 |
| Armor: 90 | Armor: 225 |
Starting to see the problem, right? It gets worse. The range is 47m. My optimum range on the Toxin SMG is about 26m. I'm almost twice the range from being close to effective against my opponent. You can’t see it from the screen but after his first shot at me, I already know he has a rifle. I’m WAY out classed.
| Current Range from target: 47m | Optimum Range of the gun I have on: 26m |
Now the important last number: Efficiency Rating. This number means a whole lot of things.
The amount of damage your gun can do at the range of the target is taken into consideration. Your spot on aim also effects that number. The enemy might be in my reticule, but if I’m not spot on, my efficiency drops. See the screen below. I’m not even on the redberry so my efficiency rating is very poor.
On top of that, it takes into account your gun which may or may not be more effective against shields or armor versus their build which may or may not have resistance to said things. Also, the body part matters. The head on an infantry man is going to have a better efficiency rating than a shot to the body. Same with a tank whose belly is its weak point. All of these numbers and variables specific to your exact situation is the culmination of that beautiful number. You’re going to notice that number a lot more now aren’t you?
| Efficiency Rating: 26% | Ideal Efficiency Rating: 90%+ |
This intel is often overlooked and yet speaks volumes to why your bullets are playing tickle instead of murder with your desired victim. The next time you see a redberry with his back turned, turn your sights on him and do some analysis. Is that a proto heavy with over 800 armor? Yeah…you’re not going to be doing any slaying here. Instead, call it out to your fellow greenberries. Let them know a proto heavy is stocking up and heading their way.
Be valuable. Not greedy.
Know your gear. Know your favorite weapon. Understand what your weapon is really good at. Really take to heart if your weapon is CQC or meant for long distance domination. Getting to understand these principles is what is going to change your spray-and-pray-rage-quit style into a much more fun playing field and a great asset for your team.
