Surviv Help Center

Surviv.io might seem like a game in which you just randomly shoot, but that's not true, as you will need to have good knowledge of the game to get the Chicken Dinner and win. Hopefully, this page will help out the new and noob players.

Playstyles

 * 1) Sniper - This is simple to learn but hard to master. Basically stay far away, with at least a 4x Scope. Arm yourself (anything will do, but a Mosin Nagant, MK12 SPR, M39 EMR or SV-98 is preferable for their range, damage, accuracy and bullet speed). That's all there is to it. Stay away from everyone, and if they chase you, run while taking cover. Note that you can see farther to the sides of your characters than above and below. When fighting someone with a smaller scope than you, take advantage of their limited vision and shoot at them from above or below them, instead of to the sides. Further, take advantage of the environment by shooting barrels and ovens, destroying cover, or shooting people as they go for loot.
 * 2) Gunner - Get a fast firing gun (ex. Mac-10, MP5, M416, or DP-28). Now you have choices. 1. Charge like a savage and just hold down the fire button in the general direction of the enemy and hope they die before you do. 2. Hide around a corner, under the table, in smoke, the vault, etc. and when they come close, unleash the bullets. 3. Fight them normally.
 * 3) Close range - Get a shotgun (M870, MP220, Saiga 12 or SPAS-12) and target starters or snipers. Don't fight gunners if possible as they will overwhelm you with bullets. Snipers have a slow rate of fire, so get them right after they shoot. Starters don't have weapons except for fists, so if they come close, shoot them, and otherwise for kills, don't chase them as it is a waste of time.
 * 4) Melee - Use your fists or a melee weapon (When they are added) and get sodas, pills and maybe smoke grenades, if you know how to use them correctly. Be extremely cautious while fighting Gunners and Shotgunners and try to dodge their bullets, using the speed from adrenaline to your advantage to close the distance to attack them with your fists. Snipers are easier to fight, as they only fire one bullet at a time. Not advisable for new players.Passive 12dmg win.png
 * 5) Passive - Get a few weapons (preferably close range), then go to the middle of the map. Hide in a bush and stay there. If the play zone changes move inside and then hide. Keep waiting until there are only a few enemies left - There will be a plenty of leftover loots. Get them without being detected. Avoid combat as long as possible - The ideal situation is that you finish off the last remaining player when they are vulnerable after combat. This is a very good playstyle for those who are not confident and/or those who just want to get to the high rank at all costs. This may be very boring, so having something else to work on while hiding in the bushes might help.
 * 6) Guerrilla - This technique is similar to passive, but a little more offensive.  It involves hiding, but also involves attacking at the right time.  You need to find a good spot to hide, especially in bushes or overlapping trees.  When you see someone coming you attack, with full force.  whatever gun you use doesn't particularly matter, but it's better to use a small SMG or just an automatic weapon, like the MP5 or the MAC-10, because they have nice fire rates, and don't stick out of a bush while you're hiding.  Another way, which requires a bit of finesse, is smoking a grenade for about 5 and-a-half seconds, and then jumping out of the bushes when an enemy is near.  If the grenade is thrown correctly, you can end up injuring and/or killing at least one opponent.  If not, then you might die. (Note: This works especially well in close quarters, like in houses with bushes, because the enemy has nowhere to run.)
 * 7) Demolition Man - In this tactic, you must use mainly grenades to attack your enemies and smoke grenades to hide and confuse an enemy. Cooking grenades are vital in this playstyle as once you weaken your victim you can go in for the kill using a weapon of high power such as the SV-98 or an M870 or a weapon of high fire rates such as the MAC-10 or Vector. Always hide in bushes typically in-house bushes for a more limited area to escape for your enemy.

Tips

 * 1) Take cover - This is obvious, but it will reduce the amount of damage you take drastically.
 * 2) Use scopes wisely - If you can see the enemy and they can't, you'll be the one choosing to fight or not. Also very good for spying. And if an enemy gets too close to you and you have a long range scope switch to a scope with less range to make it easier to aim.
 * 3) Drink up - Sodas might seem useless, but when used in conjunction with bandages, more sodas, or pills, they are very useful. Their fast use time also helps in a tight situation when you need a quick boost.
 * 4) Adrenaline helps - Adrenaline, which comes from sodas and pills, will make you recover health faster. The more adrenaline you have, and also will boost your movement speed when you have more than 50%. This means you can dodge bullets better and stay in battles for prolonged periods of time. It's usually best to get your adrenaline as high as possible once there are few enemies left and to keep it up whenever possible. A high adrenaline also allows you to advance into the red zone and recover precious amounts of forgotten loot, as it will buff the red zone's passive damage.
 * 5) Lead your shots - Don't just fire where enemies are now -- fire where they will be when your bullets reach them. Try to predict their movements and act accordingly.
 * 6) Frags - Grenades are very good for convincing people to leave and in small spaces...so long as you can get away in time. After pulling the pin, count to four so that the grenade explodes immediately when it lands. Be careful not to hold it for too long, or it will explode before/when you throw it.
 * 7) Speed - Especially at the beginning of the game, rush to get the equipment. Avoid combat zones, unless there is something rare or something that you absolutely need. In all situations, speed can give you advantages of all sorts. To increase your speed, practice using the controls quickly, and use pills and sodas whenever you can. It should be noted that you run the fastest with fists equipped. So if you're in a hurry, and there's no nearby threat, you should just run with no weapon in your hand.
 * 8) Stay in the circle - This is obvious, but unless you want to grab anything or revive a teammate, stay in the white outlined circle.
 * 9) Don't go for useless clothing - If you are in a dangerous place, don't go for useless clothing unless it is Forest Camo or the Ghillie Suit, as those provide adequate camouflage. Try to avoid: Target Practice, Coral Guise, and The New Black if going for stealth, as you are easily seen.
 * 10) Reload your weapon - If you just finished killing a person or are coming to a building, make sure to reload your weapon (R key). If you run out in the middle of gunfire, you will have to waste time reloading it and possibly die. Usually, you need to do this with shotguns and duals. Reloading is especially useful with internal magazine weapons like the M870 or Mosin-Nagant. You can also cancel reload with X. Basically, if you're not shooting, reload.
 * 11) Be Aware Of Your Surroundings - Take note of any obstacles around you. This may help save your life later on.
 * 12) Fast Shot - A common setup is to have a shotgun for close range and gunner for long range.
 * 13) Always account for DPS - When you find a new weapon, maybe don’t judge by clip size, but by Damage Per Second. Like the MP5 or MAC-10, for example. The MP5 has less clip, (being 30 shots) but has better damage per bullet. The MAC-10, on the other hand, has more clip, (being 32 shots) but has slightly less damage per shot. If you’re Mid to End game, always take the better DPS.
 * 14) Pick your fights well - If you have a better scope than somebody and if they have better gear, decide when to fight or not
 * 15) Take cover under tables - Some tables you can hide under.    Just walk up to it and keep walking, you should be invisible for anyone walking into the house allowing you to jump out and shoot anyone.
 * 16) Destroy Cover - Certain walls can be destroyed by shooting them, you are never 100% safe behind walls.
 * 17) Destroy Cabinets - Cabinets and drawers can drop stuff if you punch them enough times, so keep this in mind while looting houses.
 * 18) Conserve Ammunition - If you have a gun and come across a crate or whatnot with loot inside, DO NOT use your gun to break it open. Use your fists. By using your gun, you are wasting precious ammo which should be used for combat. Even if you have a surplus of ammo, try to be conservative with it. If you happen to be in a situation in which you must break crates with your gun, say if someone has a shotgun and you don't want them to turn it on you when you are vulnerable, feel free to do so. This strategy will help if you are low on ammo, and conserving it will increase your odds of winning. If you wish to not use this technique, you do not have to, but keep in mind that your chances of being in a situation in which you are ammo-less will skyrocket.

Techniques

 * 1) Quickswitching- With this technique, you can quickly fire a delayed gun (such as M870 or Mosin Nagant). To perform the technique, make sure you have two loaded guns in your inventory. When it comes time to use it, shoot and switch to the other one. Reload, shoot again and switch again, and so on. This is good for applying a quick burst of damage at the beginning of combat.
 * 2) Sneaky Explosives - When your opponent next to a barrel, computer, or other explosive objects, shoot the explosive, dealing massive amounts of damage to the enemy.
 * 3) Explosive Smoke - If your opponent is hiding in smoke, run in the smoke, drop a few grenades, and run out. Your opponent will have no idea you threw grenades and will get exploded.
 * 4) Explosive Bullet - Although this works for all play styles, it works best for snipers. Drop some loot near a damaged explosive and hide nearby. When the opponent walks up to take the loot, shoot the explosive, killing them.
 * 5) Door Mastery - This is a technique that is very useful while inside a building. This technique requires you to be behind a door with a breakable wall. Stay at a safe position around the door, making it so if the other person pulls out a shotgun, they won't be able to shoot you if they open the door and fire. However, you can also close the door every time the other person opens it up. What you want to do is to take a fast firing gun, MAC-10 or Vector recommended. Shoot at and break the wall with the door and pull out your Shotgun to fire at the other person. They will either die or lose a tremendous amount of health. From here you can finish them off with your fists, or another Shotgun.
 * 6) Door Surprising - EXTREMELY effective technique. Find any bunker, like the Storm Bunker or Hydra Bunker, and peek inside to make sure there either is an inhabitant, or extremely likely to be one. Close the metal door leading up the stairs and back up. IMPORTANT: be entirely clear of the stairs or the person downstairs can see you! Take any close range weapon (MP220 preferred, but any shotgun, or even spray gun, will work) and wait for someone to poke out. As soon as that noisy door opens, you blast them. NOTE: Basic Bunkers are one room and fairly obvious if you peek in on someone, and Conch Bunkers have two possible exits.
 * 7) * Also works - when inside Hydra or Conch Bunkers, camping behind automatic sliding doors when you see/hear another person entering the bunker (noisy stair doors), or in the Vector room with known people looting the Hydra Lab (they'll check the room eventually, its principle). Works because each room in a Hydra or Conch Bunker is revealed separately as you walk around them, but beware some visibility between rooms from ceiling grates.

Combos

 * 1) Two MP220's: This combo is not the best but will do as a saiga. If you're quick with the Q, this can be for you. Its quite useful if you are bad at close range quick clicking as you have 4 chances instead of 2.
 * 2) SV-98/Mosin and the SPAS-12: A sniper and a sniping shotgun. What could be better than that if you have a great scope? It is recomended to shoot with the SPAS first then the SV/Mosin. If the target is moving perpendicular from you, shoot with the SV/Mosin as they might go for you.
 * 3) The Saiga 12 and the M249: KFC, here I come!
 * 4) MP5 and the MP220: MP5 is used for long range combat and M220 when they get close. Not much to explain here.

Frequently Asked Questions
For a different list, see Surviv.io for Newbies

Q: MP5 or the MAC-10?

A: MP5 is accurate and is useful in all situations but MAC-10 is good in close range as its a Spray N' Pray weapon. MAC-10 is also useful in bunkers but the MP5 is good in bunkers if you are good at ricocheting. Be careful when using the MAC-10 for ricocheting, as its unpredictability could turn the weapon against you.

Q: AK-47 or the M416?

A: Again, these are two similar weapons in the same category. Just like the MAC-10 vs MP5 debate, the AK-47 is accurate and longer ranged, but the M416 has a higher fire rate and is less accurate. It really depends on what your secondary weapon is, and how much ammo you have.

Q: My Vector uses ammo up too quickly!

A: It says it uses ammo faster than you can say "reload" but you should try shooting in bursts. Additionally, 9mm is very common and your player can carry more of 9mm than any other ammunition type.

Q: How do you drop items? My teammate needs a Med Kit.

A: Right click on the item you want to drop. Works on everything except for fists, 1x scopes and your current Backpack. Note that bandages and ammo drop in large quantities.

Counterattacks For Playstyles and Techniques
Snipers - Try to get up close and personal as their DMR and/or Bolt Action will be useless at close ranges "Gunners" - Sniping is a good idea try to be hidden or have cover grenades are also useful for making them back off.