Splitgate is a completely unique multiplayer experience that has come back to life in recent months. Players can utilize weapons, portals, and boosters to outplay opponents. Because of Splitgate's pace and the learning curve for beginners, it is inevitable that gamers will make a number of common mistakes.
Most of these beginner mistakes are easy to avoid if people understand how to play Splitgate. Everyone has made at least one of these mistakes while playing. The chaos in beginner-level games is hard to watch, and new players will want to have a leg up on the competition. Here are some of the most common things players do wrong in Splitgate and explain the best ways of preventing them.
Update September 14, 2021 by Christine Angelica Mendoza: No one's an expert at a game when they first pick it up and that's what tutorials are for. However, even after learning the ins and outs of a game, actually being on the field is a completely different experience from trying things out in the practice room. Splitgate is a prime example of this phenomenon, with players discovering new strategies all the time. Newcomers and seasoned players alike are always susceptible to making the occasional flub. Since more and more people are jumping into this multiplayer game, this beginners tips guide has been expanded to include a few more common mistakes Splitgate players should avoid.
16 Throwing Grenades At Opposing Players
Grenades do not inflict damage in Splitgate, even on direct impact. The grenades are actually EMP blasts that destroy enemy portals. Throw one near an opposing player's portal and it will collapse.
However, these grenades will not destroy friendly portals. Only the user or opposing player can take down that person's portals. Everyone should make sure to throw their grenades to control strategic points on the map and cut off the enemy team.
15 Taking The Portal Bait
Experienced players will bait opponents by placing portals right next to them. This is often a trap to get the player to focus on the portal. Opposing teams will then take out the distracted player while they stare aimlessly at the portal.
Make sure to check the portal, but turn to ensure it wasn't just a bluff. Notably, bullets will travel through portals. If there is an enemy on the other side of a portal, the hip-fire reticle will appear red.
14 Staying On Foot
Beginners always make the mistake of using their portals sparingly. Splitgate is a movement-based game. All of the power weapons are in contested areas, and the opposing team will be porting to them immediately. People need to push weapon locations by sending portals to distant pads as soon as they spawn.
The faster gamers move around the map, the better chance they have of surviving. Using portals to block objectives or power weapons is another underutilized tactic that will force the other team to stay on foot.
13 Depending On Jetpack For Mobility
While the player's kit includes a jetpack, it's not made to be the main means of transportation in a match. The portals in Splitgate are the primary means of mobility and the jetpack shouldn't be used in place of them. When in a situation when trying to get from point A to point B, nine times out of ten, it's much easier (and safer) to portal over instead of taking the risk and use the jetpack boosters to close the distance.
Many of the Splitgate maps include holes or pits that lead to a quick and avoidable death. It's best to play it safe and only use the jetpack to jump smaller distances or getting up to a small ledge rather than depending on it when crossing large gaps.
12 Reloading Instead Of Swapping
Weapon swap speed is almost instant in Splitgate. One of the recurring mistakes players make is reloading their weapons in a tight gunfight instead of swapping to their secondary. It is possible to swap weapons and kill an enemy before the reload animation finishes.
Always swap when the clip is low to finish off kills. Similarly, it is faster to use a secondary after getting a hit with the sniper than waiting for the next bullet to exit the chamber.
11 Sticking To Default Weapons
The default weapons aren't weak by any means and are definitely capable of getting kills. However, it's a waste of potential to just ignore the rest of the weapon roster. Every player is different and can have different preferences or strengths; grab a sniper if long distance is the way to go or remember to pick up the shotgun if close range is preferred.
Don't be afraid to explore other options; try picking up every gun at least once on a map. After finding which one is the best fit, take things to the next level by memorizing that weapon's spawn location on each map.
10 Hip Firing With The Sniper
When hip firing the sniper, the actual size of the bullet box is much smaller than while aiming down sight. No scoping is not a good way to get kills in Splitgate. Instead, gamers can practice quick scoping or flicking while hard scoping.
The chances of connecting with a target are much higher when aiming down sight. Far too many players with FPS experience refuse to ADS and get killed as a result.
9 Being Too Predictable
To become a skilled player in Splitgate, learning to become unpredictable is essential. Portals are the key to creating uncertainty and making opponents guess. People should be looking for alternative routes and angles that the other team will not expect.
Intelligently using the portal will often result in easy kills due to exposed enemies. Get creative to catch enemy players off guard and control the contested areas of each map.
8 Not Crouching
Contrary to popular belief, crouching is worth the effort even outside of the Teabag Confirmed mode. In casual matches, the radar can be a huge help, especially to newer players. It's always important to take note of the red dots that appear and which level they're on (indicated by the small arrow either above or below the dot).
However, it's equally as important to ensure to conceal one's own location on enemy radars as well. Crouching isn't just for Teabag Confirmed, it can be used to disappear off of enemy radars to throw them off for the perfect sneak attack.
7 Failing To Strategically Occupy Portal Space
When camping out to protect a fellow teammate or defending an objective, there are few places to call safe as enemies can portal in from almost any direction. Make sure to keep portal spaces occupied (even if they're not needed) as this effectively blocks the enemy team from being able to shoot a portal of their own to ambush the team.
Although the enemy team can use EMP grenades, only a few of them are given to a player upon each respawn. Portal blocking is most effective when the entire team does their part, so make sure to play nice.
6 Falling While Triple Portaling
Even pro-level players do this from time to time. While balancing between portals one and two, it is really easy to walk too far and fall out of the portal. This will usually lead to an untimely death. To avoid falling down, people should practice the minute movement of the stick or keyboard to maintain balance.
Eventually, the amount of movement required will become muscle memory. Being able to travel to three different locations is one of the most important aspects of gameplay, and beginners will need to practice their triple port skills to improve.
5 Shooting At Every Enemy
One of the common misconceptions people have when they first start playing Splitgate is that you have to instantly fire at an opposing player on the map. Positioning and timing are far more important than aim and constant gunfire.
If an enemy is visible, but the enemy is not aware of a player's presence, it is usually better to get positioning before shooting. That way, the enemy does not have an escape route. Always make sure there is enough time to finish the enemy before firing, otherwise, it will just be a waste of bullets. By using positioning, gamers will be able to secure more kills and get a lot of free shots on opponents.
4 Leaving The Portals Open
When portaling to escape gunfire, a lot of people forget to close the portal and get killed as a result. As stated, bullets can travel through the portal, and closing them will prevent enemy fire from making its way through.
Also, leaving portals open all the time may block teammates from portaling to and from contested areas. Leaving these portals causes a ton of clutter and makes an already difficult game more confusing. Every member of the team should make sure to close their portals periodically while traversing the map.
3 Getting Stranded
A ton of players make this mistake in the Arena. One of the benefits of having the portal gun is the ability to go from a dangerous area to a safe one instantly. Getting caught on areas of the map without portal pads is a rookie mistake. This is especially true when there are multiple enemies nearby.
Using portals is often the only way to win while outnumbered. As gamers get more familiar with the maps, they will remember which areas to avoid and where to portal to. If there are no pads nearby, keep moving and find one.
2 Ignoring Teammates
When playing team modes, it's key to cooperate with one another and for all players to understand the objective. In VIP, for example, on top of defending the team's VIP, it's also vital to make sure to provide them with various portals as they can only use weapons as a means to defend themselves but cannot spawn portals.
Another way to help in any mode is portal blocking the surface behind a teammate that's trying to snipe a few enemies.
Working together is always something that many players can find themselves forgetting, but try and keep in mind that each objective often isn't a one-man job.
1 Not Utilizing Portals Enough
This may seem like a no-brainer and even silly to mention but this is something that many beginners struggle with during their first handful of matches. Many Splitgate players were quick to draw comparisons to the Halo series play style and may have boxed themselves in.
Getting back into the groove of Halo-like gameplay (or learning things for the first time) can be overwhelming on its own. Often newbies will focus on getting kills and ignore the portals altogether. Portals can be used for mobility, to flank, to gain vantage points, to gain momentum, peek corners, escape pursuers, and much more.
It takes a bit of time to get used to getting the full potential out of the portals but is well worth the learning curve.