How to Win PVP Battles in Undawn (even Free-to-Play)

PVP is a contentious topic for most gamers in virtually all MMOs. However, Undawn has managed to surpass all games I’m familiar with in terms of its utterly unbalanced mechanics, matchmaking, and rating calculation. Nevertheless, you can emerge victorious in Undawn’s PVP even if you are a fully (or largely) Free-to-Play player.

In this brief guide, I will teach you everything I’ve learned. But don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you’ll read this and suddenly become John Rambo. You’re in for a long and arduous journey, primarily consisting of pain, suffering, frustration, abundant disappointments, and constant emotional swings from “I’m the best!!!” to “I swear to God, I’m about to quit this cursed game!!!” And yet, in the end, you will succeed, and you too will proudly bear the honorable title of “Supreme Vanquisher.”

Who am I and what have I achieved?

First, let me tell you a bit about myself so that you, esteemed reader, have an idea of who’s about to provide you with advice.

As of the time of writing this post, I am 28 years old and I boast a rich experience in playing online shooters of all kinds, from PUBG to Warframe. You can see my equipment in the screenshot. Almost everything I possess in the game has been acquired solely through gameplay (free-to-play). In Ukraine, where I reside, we are currently engaged in a war against the invasion of crazed orcs, which has led me to lose about 90% of my business, and I’m currently facing some financial difficulties.

Despite this, I’ve managed to achieve a rating of 1600 and attain the coveted title of “Supreme Vanquisher.” Since then, my rating constantly fluctuates, mainly because I often play with random players against squads, and the variety of my opponents is far from diverse.

My relatively low win rate (around 48%) might surprise you. This is directly attributed to playing with random teammates. Nonetheless, if you do everything right, you can maintain and even increase your rating despite the low win rate.

Choosing a Main Weapon for PVP

While PVE prioritizes weapon DPS (damage per second), PVP introduces other factors into play, including accuracy, unique weapon perks, magazine capacity, and even reload speed. The choice of weapon depends on your preferred playstyle and the device you’re using to play.

In close quarters combat, the AK-47 stands out as the most potent weapon. This assault rifle boasts the highest DPS, and its special perk causes bleeding and slows the movement speed of your opponents upon hitting weak points (the head of a player).

However, when it comes to long-range combat, the AK-47 noticeably falls behind (in my subjective opinion) assault rifles like the HK416 and Scar due to its strong recoil and low accuracy.

The most crucial point is that Undawn players using mobile devices have a built-in “aim assist” feature that essentially does most of the aiming work for them. Some of you might be skeptical of players on tablets and smartphones, thinking they play “like bots” (one of my fellow players still believes this), but that’s not the case at all. Contrary to popular belief, players on mobile devices have a significant advantage over PC players.

For instance, they can get up close to you and continuously jump around while calmly dealing damage with an AK-47. Playing on a computer, you’ll find it nearly impossible to counter such an approach as you need to aim manually, whereas your opponent only needs to make slight adjustments.

Some particularly cunning players exploit this to the fullest extent. They take the M82 Heavy Sniper Rifle, get up close, fire one shot (easily hitting you due to “aim assist”), and then finish you off with an AK-47 or a submachine gun. I believe you understand that, playing on PC, you won’t be able to utilize these “approaches” (read as “blatant developer oversights”) as effectively.

This is why I personally prefer using the HK416, forcing opponents into long-range combat and adopting a more “defensive” playstyle rather than aggressive. However, you shouldn’t forget about the random team you might be paired with, who might completely disregard all your tactics and rush headlong to engage enemies at the first opportunity. You need to adapt and find a balance between your own strategy and your allies’ actions.

In simpler terms:

• If you’re playing on a PC, avoid close combat and use weapons that are most comfortable for engaging at medium and long distances.
• If you’re playing on a smartphone or tablet, aim to force close combat on your opponents, utilizing the “aim assist” capabilities to the maximum.

I’m not directly recommending the HK416 or various SMGs, but I do suggest acquiring epic versions of these weapons through auctions and testing them out in action. Ultimately, what matters most is finding a weapon that you personally find comfortable to play with. If you see that something isn’t working out, it might be worth trying something else.

Choosing Heavy Weapons for PVP

The choice of heavy weapons in PVP is similarly influenced by the device you’re using, the game mode, and your preferred playstyle. Here’s my subjective opinion:

• Playing on PC, use the M32 Grenade Launcher or the B39 Biotic Rifle.
• Playing on a mobile device, you can use anything except the M134 Heavy Machine Gun.

Despite the heavy sniper rifle delivering substantial single-shot damage and significantly increasing headshot damage with your main weapon, using it on a PC during 4×4 battles can be extremely inconvenient, unlike the B39 Biotic Rifle, which allows you to rapidly heal yourself and allies, and the M32 Grenade Launcher, which you can use to bombard enemies hiding around corners.

I’ll emphasize once again; this is just my subjective opinion based on my experience and playstyle.

As for the M134 Heavy Machine Gun, it greatly boosts Critical Hit damage for your main weapon, but that’s where its advantages end. In the top leagues of Training Match, hardly anyone uses it. However, of course, you can and should try it. Perhaps the M134 Heavy Machine Gun fits your playstyle the best.

Skills for PVP

The main issue with PVP in Undawn is that the game “forgives” newcomers for their mistakes. In other words, even if you notice an opponent first and start shooting at them, it doesn’t mean you’ll kill them. To defeat pay-to-win players in the mid-game, you might have to empty nearly your entire ammo magazine into them. Also, keep in mind that in higher leagues, you’ll often be playing against squads with random teammates. I believe you understand that fairness doesn’t really exist in PVP in Undawn.

I’m sharing this so that you understand that, as a free-to-play player (or a player with minimal spending), your only chance to defeat pay-to-win opponents is to impose your combat style on them.

For this, you need control skills.

• Mines (Simple Mine, Claymore Mine) knock opponents to the ground upon explosion. You have around 4 seconds to shoot them without repercussions while they helplessly lie on the ground. I personally prefer the Simple Mine.
  
• Foam Bomb immobilizes opponents in its blast radius for 3-4 seconds. An immobilized target is very easy to kill in Undawn.
  

You can also use other skills like Stun / Smoke Grenades, Frost Pulse Mine, Electric Device. Personally, I prefer the combination of Simple Mine + Foam Bomb. With these, I try to keep opponents at a distance.

Once, using Simple Mines and Foam Bombs, I managed to defeat an entire squad of top players while being alone against four.

Of course, luck played a significant role, but the fact remains: controlling opponents is the most crucial aspect of PVP. If you learn to apply these skills skillfully and timely, you can neutralize not only opponents’ equipment advantage but even their numerical superiority.

Food for PVP

Some players believe that food buffs do not work in PVP 4×4, Aeronautical Base, and similar game modes. Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to definitively test this, but based on my subjective feelings, they still work. In a separate guide on character stats in Undawn, you can review the meaning of each attribute to understand if it’s worth enhancing through food.

I’ve thoroughly examined some attributes, while others I haven’t. Therefore, I recommend using what has been definitely researched. For example, you can confidently use food for Armor Piercing, Crit. Chance, Damage, Armor, Max HP, and Skill Strength.

Tips for Winning in PVP

Now that we’re done with the theory, I’ll provide some brief tips. Individually, they might seem minor or too obvious, but your overall progress depends on the sum of such details. After all, in the top leagues, you’ll be playing not just with “good” players but with the best of the best.

Form a PVP Team

Teamplay in Undawn (especially in 4×4 battles) is far more important than anything else. If you have the opportunity, form a team. Use voice communication to inform allies about enemy movements. Keep an eye on your team’s synergy. If you’ve assembled a team but still can’t win, it means the synergy is very low. In simpler terms, the playstyles of your team members don’t align well. This doesn’t mean someone is a “noob” and doesn’t know how to play. You’re just incompatible. Therefore, someone might need to be replaced.

First SURVIVE – Then think about how to win

This is such an obvious thing that it’s strange to write about it. But the more I play shooters, the more I notice that players couldn’t care less about tactics. Their “tactic” mostly boils down to barging in somewhere with their whole gang and overwhelming everyone with firepower. It somewhat reminds me of some sorry “denazificators” who tried the same tactic in reality, and now they’ve been getting trounced on the battlefield for a year and a half… 🤨

In any battle, the main thing is to survive, and PVP in Undawn is no exception. You’ll be surprised, but you don’t have to kill anyone to win in 4×4 battles. If no player has been killed, the team that dealt more damage wins. That’s what you should be doing: dealing damage and avoiding it.

If you’re up against a knowingly stronger opponent (for example, a pay-to-win squad), charging head-on is pointless. The opponents have more powerful gear, and you’ll definitely lose – it’s simple math. Using clever defensive tactics is your only chance at victory. So, as an old guy once said, first make yourself unbeatable, and then think about how to defeat your opponent.

Always carry medkits with you!

This is another obvious thing, but some players don’t even do this. I often see my teammates losing health and not even attempting to restore it, continuing to engage enemies head-on. A big mistake.

In the new version of the game, you can not only craft medkits from materials but also purchase them with Assist Points and Combat Points. A timely medkit can completely turn the tide of battle, as teamwork is crucial in Undawn.

Disable the Western District Map in Training Match

This is a subjective piece of advice. I’ve noticed that winning on the Western District map with a team of random players is much harder.

If you’ve noticed this pattern too, simply disable this map by clicking the “Random Mode Selection” button in the Training Match interface.

Change Your Approach

This applies to everything: weapons, skills, playstyle, even the direction you run at the start of the battle. If you see that your current actions aren’t yielding the desired results, try something different: run through the center of the map instead of the flanks, place a mine in a different location, use a Grenade Launcher instead of a Sniper Rifle, and so on.

Continuing to do the same thing will result in the same outcomes. This is a straightforward principle both in life and in the game. If you’re not succeeding, change your approach to the game.

Know When to Stop

This advice directly follows the previous one. In the evenings in the higher leagues, it often happens that you’re thrown into the same battle against the same top squad multiple times, losing each time and decreasing your rating. You can avoid this by taking a 5-10 minute break.

Place Mines at Corners

I consistently use this tactic in PVP. You simply place a Simple Mine behind a corner of a wall or cover, then lure the enemy there.

The enemy triggers the mine, falls to the ground, and you can easily finish them off. The art is in learning how to lead your opponents into the mines. Over time, you’ll get the hang of it.

Throw a Foam Bomb at the Enemy Before Engaging in Close Combat

This gives you a small but significant advantage. When close combat starts and you throw a Foam Bomb right under the enemy’s feet, they have a choice: stop shooting at you and retreat, or keep shooting but get stuck.

Skillful use of this tactic allows you to defend against even stronger opponents. However, don’t get carried away thinking it will work always and everywhere.

Use Appropriate Weapons

As I mentioned earlier, in Undawn, some weapons are more effective up close (e.g., AK-47), while others are more effective at a distance (e.g., HK416). While the difference might not be too noticeable in 4×4 battles, you’ll feel it in full force in large clan battles on the island, where you’ll have to aim at enemies from 50-150 meters away. For this reason, I recommend using HK416 and B39 Biotic Rifle / M82 Heavy Sniper Rifle for island clan battles.

Attack from the Right Flank

If you’re right-handed, like most people, and your character is positioned on the left side of the screen’s center, you’ll find it much more comfortable to fight when your opponents are on the right side.

This might seem basic, but I think it’s important to mention. Always strive for your opponents to be on your RIGHT, not your left. In this case, you gain a slight advantage.

Your visibility and control improve, while your opponents’ visibility and control decrease.

Keep your enemies at a distance

A very simple thing, but for some reason, people don’t seem to understand it. When you’re at a distance from your enemy (for example, hiding behind cover at 20 meters), you have the most valuable thing in combat – TIME. You have time to reload your rifle, time to use a first aid kit, time to throw a grenade, or even switch your primary weapon (for example, switching from SVD to AK-47)!

So, if the enemy advances, you should retreat while actively defending, and if the enemy retreats, you should increase the pressure to prevent them from recovering and regrouping. Note that this implies a step-by-step tactical pressure, not jumping out from behind cover in a “kamikaze” style with a shout of “I’m Chuck Norris!!!! 🤬”.

Strive to Surround Your Enemies

In 99% of cases, smart positioning equals guaranteed victory. Therefore, your goal is to encircle your opponent and prevent them from surrounding you. Fortunately, this is such an obvious strategy that even some top squad players understand it.

The art lies in encircling your opponent without falling victim yourself. After all, if three of your allies are on the left flank, and you are alone on the right, the enemies will swarm you as soon as they realize it. So, when surrounding your opponents, your approach must be swift, powerful, and well-timed.

Ensure that your allies are also attacking from a different flank. It’s best to initiate such an attack with a Foam Bomb throw. This way, your adversaries will face a difficult choice: retreat into the line of your allies’ bullets or stay put and hug the ground.

Use Allies as “Cannon Fodder”

I want to make it clear that I don’t intend to offend anyone, but I believe we’ve all encountered players who rush headlong at the enemy and die right at the beginning of the battle. The essence of this advice is that you can use such “kamikaze-style attacks” to your advantage.

Simply follow the overconfident “rusher” but stay slightly behind at a safe distance, giving you the opportunity to retreat. If successful, you’ll collectively take down at least one opponent. In case of failure, you can fall back to your allies while luring pursuing enemies into mines.

Please don’t take offense if you suddenly realize that you’ve fallen into the “cannon fodder” category. It doesn’t mean you play poorly. The guys from the screenshots play well. However, like all of us, they make mistakes. Someone almost always runs to the left flank with a sniper rifle, while someone (from what I managed to observe) rushes into a frontal attack without thinking, trying to simply outdo opponents in DPS.

Just take your time. First, understand where the enemy team’s players are located, and then calmly seek a way to infiltrate their defense. You can’t just charge headfirst at a top-tier pay-to-win squad shouting “BANZAI!” and hope that it will work.

Conclusion

I understand that many of my dear readers might have expected something different from this guide, perhaps secrets like “get out of the map boundaries and snipe everyone with an AWP.” Unfortunately, there are no cheating methods to win.

PVP in Undawn is highly unfair, poorly balanced, and outright frustrating, offering little to newcomers except pain and suffering. For instance, you might be matched against players 2-3 leagues below yours. Winning grants you +1 rating, while losing deducts -8. It doesn’t matter if you dealt 10k damage while your allies did only 500 – nobody cares.

I hope you still managed to extract something useful for yourselves from my “treatise.” I genuinely tried to share all of my experience with you (if I come up with something new, I’ll definitely write about it). Perhaps in the mid-game, we’ll all be beaten – it’s inevitable… But the consolation lies in the fact that someday, we’ll all reach the cap and the gear difference between free-to-play and pay-to-win players will start to rapidly narrow. That’s when we’ll show them all who the real “Glorious Fighters” are, right? 😎