As the game is still very new it has become apparent that Brawl Stars has attracted a crowd that is unfamiliar with the strategy of shooting games. What may seem like a good play to make may be a very poor play. This article aims to provide a guide on basic skills, strategies, and techniques for the new player. The focus of this article will generally be geared towards team game play, however a lot of these will be transferable into the Showdown free for all mode as well.
Power positions and map control are likely the most vital aspects to team success in any shooter game. Power positions are strategical positions where you set up shop in a map. These positions are generally spots that allow you to shoot at the enemy without receiving much fire back. Power positions are generally close to the middle of the map, and allow for a safe path to retreat in the case that you should be overrun by a big enemy push. This then stems out to map control.
The key to winning in any game mode in any shooter game is to maintain map control. To do this you have multiple players on the same team in multiple power positions. These positions should allow you to shut down any paths for the enemy that would allow them to get behind you. For example, in a map with three lanes you would have a player with lines of site to each lane. The lanes of sight must be able to see the enemies when they come out of there spawn, which is why power positions are strongest in spots that are in the middle of the map or slightly onto the enemy half of the map depending on the size of the map.
One of the most important tips anyone will ever give you is DO NOT CHASE for a kill. When you are in a power position you will often land enough shots on an enemy that they will be one shot away from being dead. This sounds like easy pickings until the enemy retreats into their base. You may be tempted to chase them down to finish off the kill. That is a terrible idea as you are taking yourself out of position into a more vulnerable spot where an enemy has the opportunity to gang up on you. That then opens up part of the map which allows the enemies to make a big push and take out your team mates. Next thing you know the enemy has map control and you’re stuck in your spawn. The only time it is acceptable to chase is when the enemy manages to slip by you, and your team mate is able to hold down your power position momentarily. The other case where it is acceptable to chase is if you’re losing in the dying seconds of a game and the enemy is camping in their spawn, however you should be pushing as a team in that case.
We all know how important teamwork is in team based game modes. Which brings up the concept of team shooting. The premise of this is that if you focus fire on one enemy at a time as a unit that you will take less damage and kill the enemies quicker. Suppose you and a team mate run into two enemies, the ideal situation is that you both focus fire on the bigger threat and eliminate him then target the remaining opponent. With the bigger threat gone you will take less damage because he was attacking for less time. As well it is likely the damage will be dispersed among the two of you because they probably won’t utilize team shooting. If they do, use those team work skills by having the team mate with more health tank some shots for the near dead teammate.
So now that we’ve got basic positioning down, let’s talk about more technical strategies. To start this off let’s talk about joystick vs. tap controls. Now a lot of this is personal preference, but in all honesty the joystick offers much more versatility over all. This is because the joystick allows for more effective strafing. Strafing is the side to side movement a player makes when they are in a gun battle to avoid shots. The best way to strafe is to mix up the distances and angles going each way. It is bad for the predictable movement of two side steps left, then two side steps right repeatedly. Against close range troops such as El Primo another strafing method is used where you try to constantly move behind him to make his punches miss. So essentially you walk on top of him and slip behind him when he punches. These are techniques which tap play doesn’t allow for.
The one joystick mistake which can be detrimental to your play is where you place it. Make sure its not right on the edge of your screen otherwise you won’t be able to extend it fully to the side which limits your movement. Also remember that when no fingers are on the screen, a tap is a shot, and hold/move brings the joy stick. In the case that you press the screen at the same time with two fingers the first finger to touch the screen is the joystick finger.
There is a common misconception that the joystick makes it harder to aim shots at the whole screen. This is why the joy stick which can be used anywhere is such a great feature. There is a strategy which has been developed called the two-finger joystick. You use your typical fingers to push upwards on the map, but if you need to move downwards on the map you switch fingers so your joystick finger is now on top of the screen and your aiming finger is on the bottom. It is very difficult to get used to at first, yet once you have mastered the technique you have a huge advantage in a lot of scenarios.
On the topic of shooting, there are plenty of techniques that you need to utilize as much as you can. The first being to leaf your shot, especially with long range characters. It sounds obvious; however, many people don’t realize that you should be aiming ahead of your enemy and not at your enemy. This is because these are projectiles which don’t connect with the intended target immediately, so you need to aim and time your shots to where your opponent will be when the projectile reaches their vicinity.
Another important shooting strategy is the prediction shot. This is a concept that will be more easily applied with more experience. The idea of this is to place your shot to where an enemy will be because you know they will be there whether they are there or not. This is especially helpful in acquiring your super ability. The most obvious example of this is off the start when the enemy is rushing the middle for an objective. It is easy to fire a shot into the middle before you can even see anyone and still connect. Other times might include when you walk around a corner, or in the grass where you believe an enemy might hide.
The next strategy is pre-firing. This is an excellent strategy to maintain gap control, and deny enemies access to an area. To pre-fire is to shoot into an open area where you see any enemy might be attempting to move into. They have two options, walk into the shot, or wait it out. Either way you will get the first shot. However, it is very important to not waste all of your shots at once. Allow your gun to reload after one shot. If you waste all three shots, the enemy then has the opportunity to pop into that area and they then have a three-bullet advantage over you.
The final shooting strategy which will be explained in this article is a technical tip on aiming called path aiming. It is always helpful to hold your finger down to see the bullet pathing before you shoot. Rather than tapping, as this allows you to see where exactly it will go. It also prevents you from spamming your bullets and missing shots, while also allowing you to have an extra bullet in the chamber in case of an emergency.
Next, we will talk about edge walking which is very useful in Showdown. Edge walking is when you walk along the edge of a wall which has grass on the other side of it. Doing this allows you to see if anyone is hiding in that grass which allows you to know whether it is safe to start heading into that spot. It is possible for the enemy to be further into a patch of grass making it impossible to see them. However, it is more likely that they will go tight to the wall to avoid any stray bullets. However, any advantage you can get in terms of enemy positioning is valuable.
The last tip of this article is forcing your opponent into tilted battles. Suppose you are in a standoff with an enemy around the corner from you. Neither of you wants to make the first move, because you know whoever lands the first shot is likely to win the battle. This is where you will utilize the versatility of the joystick. By slightly walking up to the corner, and testing the limits of his patience by backing up. You will keep repeating that action until they waste their first shot and miss. Then you have a three shot to two shot advantage over the opponent. With this advantage, it is much safer to actually go around the corner and fully engage the opponent.
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