Standoff 2 is a revolutionary sequel to Standoff Multiplayer and while the game is still in its beta stage at the time of this writing, it already has a lot to offer for fans of the first game as well as FPS game enthusiasts who have yet to check it out. Standoff 2 bagged more than 50 million downloads from the Google Play Store alone and has maintained respectable ranks within top lists of games in several countries.
Standoff 2 lets you dive straight into the action as soon as the game loads up. There are various game modes to choose from and you will be given a quick brush through the basic controls before the match starts. There are neither full tutorial sessions involved nor training sessions to get you up to speed and your initial match or matches will seem like a baptism of fire especially if you are totally new to similarly-themed FPS games.
If you are having a hard time getting a hang of the game and performing poorly in matches, then you should read our Standoff 2 beginner’s guide below for some much-needed tips and strategies!
1. Adjust The Settings
Preparation is always vital to any fps game. As much as you would want to immediately test your skills in an actual match, it is best to proceed to training first if it is an option and tinker with the game’s settings and customize it to your liking first. Since there are no training options in Standoff 2, your preparation begins and ends with tinkering with the game’s settings alone.
You can visit the settings by tapping on the gear icon at the lower left side of the main screen. There are 4 distinct tabs under the settings menu and while you do not need to change or even click on any item, it is best to at least scan through all the items and understand how each one can affect your performance. There are game settings, video settings, controls, and sound settings. The second and third options contain most aspects of the game you should look deep into.
Under the game settings, the only item that can impact gameplay is the option to switch to the picked up weapon. By default, this is turned on. While you may actually appreciate this option as a beginner, it can pose some serious effects on your performance especially if you only picked up a weapon by accident in the middle of a firefight. In our opinion, it is best to uncheck this option and be used to selectively being able to pick up weapons instead.
The video settings are generally okay as it is and typically sets itself automatically based on the perceived performance capacity of your device. If you feel some lags or any discomfort while in a match, you should definitely consider lowering the graphics quality based on each available option. Standoff 2 does offer high quality graphics that any mobile gamer should be able to appreciate but the game does not delimit much in terms of devices that can only cater to lower quality graphics settings. As such, just because your device can run the game on the highest graphics settings does not necessarily mean it will run in optimal capacity.
The controls settings is where you need to spend some real time on and may even be a set of options that you would want to revisit until you set it up as perfectly as it suits your preferences. As much as any developer would want to present the best button layout and key configurations on their game, it simply will not cater absolutely to every player. On the other hand, Standoff 2’s default button layout and general control configurations maybe good enough for you but you should still tinker with every possible option until you have set it up as best as you can before diving into a match.
There is a lot of liberty in Standoff 2 when it comes to customization of the button layout. Be sure to check out and utilize the customization options available under the button positions feature within the controls setting. You can adjust the size, visibility, and actual locations of each button on the screen and even make adjustments to the division between the shooting zone and the movement zone at the left side of the screen. Remember to apply the changes before exiting this menu.
The sensitivity and acceleration modifiers may take several revisits and adjustments before you finally set it to working best for you in a match. You can opt to double tap your screen to jump or include a button for it. There are various options to try as well for the joystick and the fire button and if you are not happy with the crosshair’s color, you can make adjustments to it as well. Once you have tinkered with these options, especially the ones that add or remove buttons to the screen, be sure to revisit the customization options for the button positions as you may want to make some further adjustments.
2. Master The Claw Grip
Some mobile games can be played with one hand, utilizing only one finger while most other games require you to hold your device with both hands and use both thumbs to play. Although Standoff 2 can be played well enough using the latter method, there is actually a more preferred technique utilized by experienced and advanced FPS game players across various games within the genre.
The claw technique is a method that utilizes both thumbs and index fingers, shaped liked a claw, while holding a controller or a mobile device. Although only both thumbs shifting across various buttons on each side of the device definitely works, this maneuver banks on multitasking and faster reaction times especially in combat. It will certainly feel awkward and uncomfortable for beginners on the initial sessions but once you get the hang of it, you will never play FPS games on mobile any other way.
As an example, using only your thumbs in Standoff 2 can have you do 2 actions at a time with ease. You can move while shooting, shoot while you are aiming, or move while jumping. This will be as far as how much you can multitask in a match. Utilizing the claw technique, however, you can do up to 4 actions simultaneously, which means you can shoot, move, jump, and even throw a grenade at the same time.
Given that encounters in a match require speed, precision, and agility, being able to multitask across a variety of actions will enable you to perform better, at least in theory. Multitasking is just one of the many techniques and strategies you need to master.
3. Get To Know Each Map As Best As You Can
Battle arenas in almost every FPS game stay constant across all matches. There may be different playing fields in a given game, and sometimes maps may even be randomly selected for a match, but each location stays consistent all throughout. In contrast with some RPGs and dungeon crawlers that randomly generate dungeons to offer something new, FPS games like Standoff 2 provide a consistent battleground that players can get familiar with and for good reason.
Reaction times are always an important factor to consider in gauging the potential of every player in an FPS game. Practice may improve it over time but some players simply have faster reaction times than others and can have an advantage in an encounter. Relative to the topic at hand, having a solid memory of the battle arena’s layout and details in your head can further extend your advantage over the opposing team or, in some cases, may even obviate the need for faster reaction times.
Instead of purely focusing on which player reacts faster in an encounter, what you should go for in tandem with fully knowing the map details, is being able to accurately predict where enemies can spring from. If you are on the offensive, then the same knowledge about the map should provide you insights on where enemies may set up an ambush or flank you and your allies.
What every player needs to understand is that typical maps in any FPS game like Standoff 2, are not just some random walls, platforms, and structures lodged together to fill an otherwise empty space with distinctive looks that gives a sense of realism. The layout down to the full architecture of each battle arena is designed to elicit strategic options for each player, whether from an offensive standpoint or a defensive play.
Although you may feel the itch to wander around aimlessly if you are a total beginner, each step you take in later matches should be a product of a strategic approach you have in mind based on your knowledge of what to expect along the corridors and hallways that come your way. Carefully analyzing every bit of detail on the map from one section to another and having a good enough memory of its entirety is a challenging feat but nonetheless an important one. As such, every player who wants to perform very efficiently in each match needs to accomplish this at the soonest possible time.
4. Consider The Initial Dives As Practice Matches
There are various hallways and areas with multiple entry and exit points to take note of as you scope every inch of the map. Standoff 2’s maps should not be as difficult to memorize given its sizes but can still take several immersive matches to accomplish. Relative to this, your performance on the initial matches should serve as practice sessions and your goal in each one should be focused more on familiarity with the gameplay instead of actually trying to secure victory.
Beyond the map’s layout and certain spots to take note of, another set of details to keep tabs on are the various weapons you can use within each match. You will grow more accustomed to certain weapon types but having decent knowledge in utilizing each type of gun will be advantageous for you.
On top of limited budgets to work with within each match, you will often have to rely on pickups and other guns within your inventory as you may not always be able to purchase. As such, it is only practical to know how to best use each gun and which scenarios they will be more advantageous to have.
For your first jumps into matches, explore each type of gun you can get your hands on while scoping the map as well to familiarize yourself with important spots. You can still actively participate in eliminating members of the opposing team but your priority should be noting down details on each area where you can take cover, where grenades are best utilized, camping spots for snipers, and so on.
As far as weapons are concerned, recoil and ammo are essential details to master early on. Consider winning within these matches as extra bonuses and ensure that you have learned something new from each session.
5. Add Friends And Join A Clan
Standoff 2 focuses on team play more than anything else. Even if you are at the top of your game, you can still lose matches if the rest of your teammates are sloppy and uncoordinated and no amount of exceptional skills can compensate for a non-synergistic team. While it is always a great experience to play with random players, you simply cannot expect the same performance in matches with your team having constantly shifting team members.
You can consider yourself very fortunate if you have friends and real life who are into Standoff 2 and you can consistently team up with them. There are, however, various means for you to earn some in-game friends and if you want to perform well on succeeding matches, you should make an effort sooner to add more friends and join a clan.
If you have met random players in some matches and would want to play with them again as a member of your team, do not hesitate to send them an invite via the friends feature in Standoff 2. You can tap on the friends ion at the left side of the main screen and simply key in their player ID on the search bar under the find friends tab. If you consistently perform well, you may even receive friend requests from other people who have witnessed your combat prowess in the field.
There are numerous active clans in Standoff 2 and you can quickly apply to join each one by sending them a join request via the clan icon on the main screen. Clans can only hold 10 members so you may want to check the clan’s profile to see how active the members and leaders are. On top of friends you can join up with, you clan will serve as the primary source of squad members you can have on your future endeavors and having more sources of allies you can consistently play with is already an advantage in the game.
6. Stick With Your Team
It can be a challenging feat to stay consistently coordinated with your entire team most especially when you are playing with random people. Standoff 2 currently does not support voice chat so a constantly progressing plan of action for the team can be difficult to pull. There is text chat but at best, this feature is best used to device general strategies for the whole squad before diving into a match.
A good alternative is to stay close to your teammates as much as you can. This is most especially important as a beginner as you will each benefit from the extra sets of eyes and trigger fingers in an encounter. The better each member is with regard to the above tips and strategies mentioned, the better this consideration will be for everyone. Moving close to one another with each player keeping an eye on a different opening will be very advantageous to your team.
There are always grenades you should especially watch out for as a team but keep in mind that staying with your team does not necessarily mean being too knit up-close. It simply means that you are close enough to provide support and serve as a backup in the case of an encounter. Random spawn points can also be a challenge towards staying close to your teammates but among other things, checking where they are should be among the important reasons you have to constantly be glancing at your radar at the upper left corner of your screen.
Even if you are playing with random people in a match, make an effort to stay close to at least one of them. You will still be in a better situation with someone who may not be as good as you than being all on your own in a match. Encountering 2 enemy players on your own will almost mean instant defeat and regardless of how good you are, there will always be players capable of taking you out all on their own, so keeping a buddy by your side will curve the statistics in your favor.
7. Know When To Engage And When To Flee
As a highly competitive tem play FPS game, Standoff 2 brings a lot of players, specially beginners, into a frenzied state of aggression that can continue to grow as soon as an encounter has been made with the opposing team. IF you manage to shoot down the enemy in front of you, you would naturally be more confident and probably thirsty for another one. On the other hand, if you have been gunned down especially from behind, then you would likely respawn charging for vengeance.
While kills do matter on your overall rating at the end of each match, it does only in relation to your kill/death ratio. What you would want is to naturally boost the number of kills you make but never at the cost of risking yourself to die in the process. As such, it is always important to maintain a relaxed composure throughout each match, and immediately assessing the circumstances in an encounter to identify whether it would be best to engage and when to fall back.
In general, more of them and less of you in an encounter automatically calls for fallback. If it is a one-on-one encounter, then there are a lot of points to consider to tell you if you can take out your opponent. His aim and movements will often speak of his expertise in combat and an over-aggressive opponent can easily be lured into an ambush point.
Another important point to consider is how close or far you are from your allies. If it is possible, you can lure enemies back to where your teammates are and even without verbal warning, you should be confident enough that your teammates are also aware of where you are and can offer cover fire to you as you retreat towards them.
Note that some guns that you may currently have are not as good as others in a showdown, depending on the circumstances at hand. Having an SMG in hand would be preferable in most situations but it will still depend on your skills and the enemy’s skills as well. In any case, being on the defensive when it matters will go a long way so be sure to always consider that there are other options than charging forward.
Standoff 2 is a type of game where practice and immersion will certainly pay off. There are no in-game limitations as to how much time you can spend on it so more dedication and time from your end will likely mean faster progression in terms of skill development.
That is all we have for you as far as our Standoff 2 beginner’s guide is concerned. Hopefully, with the help of your tips and strategies you will be able to progress in your quest towards becoming a dominant force in the battle arena. If you have immersed yourself heavily in the game and uncovered some unique tips, tricks or strategies we have yet to uncover, feel free to share them with us via the comment section!