Games

How Audio Helps You Get Your Chicken Dinner in PUBG

With great audio comes increased chances of a chicken dinner!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

DrDisRespect gets a win in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds while wearing a Turtle Beach Stealth 450 gaming headset.

It’s the phrase every PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds player strives to see at least once in their PUBG career, if not every single game. Securing your own chicken dinner can be a difficult task, especially when trying to find loot you need, contend with the ever present blue zone, or deal with pesky opposing players. While you might not be able to control all these elements, there is one thing you can control: your audio.

If you want to use audio to your advantage in PUBG, you need to know what you’re listening for and what things you should be focusing on. Keeping these tips in the back of your mind and practicing them every match will help get you one step closer to victory, and seeing those majestic words at the top of your screen as you win.

Sounds Guns Make

Each gun has its own distinct sound, learn what these are so you know what guns enemies are firing in the distance.

Guns are the bread and butter of PUBG. Without guns, there would be no survival of the fittest, no battle royale, and no burning desire for you to fill your belly with poultry. However, understanding the guns of PUBG is more than just knowing where to find them or how to use them, it’s about how to hear them.

When you’re using a gaming headset like the Elite Pro PC Edition, you will be able to hear the distinct sounds a weapon makes, how far away, and what direction they’re coming from. The reason this is so important is because it will allow you to recognize the gun an enemy is shooting. If you hear the crack of a single-fire weapon, you might be able to pick up that someone is using a Kar98k to snipe, which is critical information that will help you plan your next move. Had you been planning on running through an open field to reach a house? Well, after hearing the Kar98k, that might not be a good idea.

Similarly, rapid-fire shots might inform you that someone nearby has an Assault Rifle, and a keen ear will be able to distinguish what type of AR they’re using. The more you know about your enemy before you engage in combat, the better chances you’ll have of a positive outcome.

Listen for Enemy Locations

An empty town or enemies lying in wait? Listen out for enemy footsteps and gunshots to hear where they are.

More often than not, you will hear your enemy before you see them in PUBG. People make a lot of noise as they move about and shoot their guns, so keeping an ear out for these audio markers will help you figure out where your enemy is.

For example, in the event you’re approaching a town on foot and looking for a place to begin looting, take a moment to listen out for gunshots. As we mentioned above, this will help you know what guns they’re using, but more importantly, it will help you figure out what side of the town they’re fighting on.

This piece of information, gathered only from listening to the audio, will help you predict enemy movements and maybe even allow you to sneak up on them if they’re distracted in another fight. On the flip side, if you’re the one shooting, consider relocating after taking shots and get in the mind set of thinking that as soon as you shoot, someone knows where you are. A gunshot is essentially a flare indicating your position.

Listen for Cars

The sound of an approaching vehicle can be scary if you're in an open field, but it should give you enough time to locate it and take out the driver.

The sound of an approaching vehicle can be scary if you’re in an open field, but it should give you enough time to locate it and take out the driver.

When listening for gun shots and trying to discern your enemy’s location through triangulation, it’s also crucial that you listen for any type of vehicle, whether it’s approaching you directly or merely passing by.

An uncontested vehicular approach can often spell disaster for a team not willing to engage. As far as combat effectiveness goes, vehicles are not suitable to fight from and as such, the passengers within a vehicle are vulnerable to attack. However, if you are not listening out for vehicles and fail to hear one arrive, these players – who would be unable to shoot accurately while in the vehicle and moving – will have an opportunity to get out and move into an offensive position.

Taking out a vehicle as it’s heading directly to the town or houses you’re holding is a simple process, especially if your squad is able to quickly get into position to fire for full effect. A few bursts from an Assault Rifle and the driver can be taken out, leaving the other players at the mercy of the car – and it’s all thanks to the fact you were listening out for vehicles!

Footsteps and Movement

The rustling grass isn’t a snake, it’s an enemy crawling around.

Sometimes being quiet and sitting still is the best strategy, especially in built up areas and in the final few circles. Being stationary will test your patience, but it could help you detect another player’s movement.

Every surface in the game gives a different sound depending on whether someone is walking, sprinting, or even crawling along it. Sitting outside a house and waiting to see if you can hear movement within will often save your skin. Another player walking around the second story of a house creates loud thumping noises as their boots hit the floorboards. This sound alone will let you know if the downstairs is safe, giving you an opening to toss a stun grenade upstairs and rush them with a Vector.

At the same time, if you’re inside an attic looting, and happen to hear the crunch and rustle of boots on gravel and clothing against bushes, you have just given yourself an advantage. These sounds will help you locate an enemy outside and given you precious moments to get into a position where you can hit them as soon as they come in.

Focusing on the audio created by movement in PUBG is also important in the final circles, where everyone tends to crawl along on their belly. Lying patiently and listening for the shuffling noise can help you locate your enemy well before you see them.

All the intricate audio in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds can be difficult to take in when you first begin, but with enough time you will start to recognize important sounds. Gunshots in the distance will inform you of an enemy’s location and the weapon they’re using, an approaching car becomes an opportunity to wipe a squad, and the shuffle on the ground will let you know your final enemy is mere feet away, netting you that supremely delicious chicken dinner.