Beginner's Guide

Before delving into the chaos of all-out warfare, there are a few things that players should do and keep in mind. *War Brokers* is fast paced with a variety of modes to play in. New players are recommended to start with Classic. Players will experience the bulk of content here.

Regardless of a player's experience with *War Brokers* or other first-person shooter games, this page will provide many useful points.

## Controls

Controls are listed in the in-game menu, via the help and settings tabs. It is from the settings tab that players may view and change their keybinds to have full custom control of how they play the game.

### Mouse sensitivity

Arguably one of the most important factors in any first-person shooter game, the mouse sensitivity can make or break a player and their ability to adequately react to gameplay quickly and efficiently. Higher sensitivities enable players to change directions faster, while a lower sensitivity allows for small gradual movement that grants greater precision at longer ranges. The key is to strike a balance between the two. It is generally recommended to be able to do a 180° or 360° turn within one mouse stroke (mouse travels whole mouse pad distance, or finger travels full track pad on laptops). A lot of it will then come to settling into muscle memory.

Don't forget to change the sensitivity for both `Mouse` and `Scope` settings. The former is for general camera movement, while the latter is for when you are aimed down the scope or sights of a weapon. Additionally, a third sensitivity option called `Jet` exists which grants separate control over the camera while in the high speed Jets. It is recommended to have this set to max for quick turns.

If playing on a Steam Deck or are using a controller through Steam, a `Joystick` sensitivity is provided.

### Keybinds

Note that arrow keys always function as an alternative to movement keys.

* Person
* APC/Tank/Car
* Helicopter
* Jet
* Spectator
* Advanced

 F | Exit vehicle

 F | Exit vehicle

 L. Ctrl | Move at 16× speed

## In-Game User Interface

Shown is a diagram of the UI during a match of War Brokers, with numbered parts.

1. Hotbar (aka weapon select bar)
2. Minimap
3. Chat box
4. Timer/Scorecard (time in round, points earned, and game mode objective listed) and kill feed
5. Streamer URL (toggled in settings)
6. FPS and jitter graph
7. Health bar
8. Ammo bar—ammo type (BR and DMR only), ammo left, and firing mode are listed from left to right
9. Basic controls
10. Hip fire reticle—color adjustable in settings

### Menu

The Menu can be viewed at any time once the game has fully loaded by pressing M. From here a user has full control over their loadout from the available arsenal and access important elements like the settings. Weapons have no level wall or kill wall to access. They are equally available to all players.

## Game Performance

*War Brokers* is designed with Chromebooks running the game on a browser in mind. All players should be able to reach the minimum of 24 fps that human eyes comfortably perceive smooth motion at. If using a lower-end device with low processing power, ensure that all graphics settings like shadows and tone mapping are disabled from the settings tab. While running on browser, use the zoom function (shortcut is Ctrl +) to reduce the resolution. Do this until a balance of performance versus visual clarity is met. Ideally a player should be able to read important text elements, however it may be the player's preference to through that away in return for more frames per second (fps). The Steam client of *War Brokers* will by default run better. It features resolution control in the settings tab.

To further increase performance, ensure that no background apps are open so that the game has as many resources as possible. Browser extensions may also eat up processing power and memory, so disabling them when playing may also help. Some browsers have inbuilt settings that should be enabled (such as hardware acceleration on Chrome).

On the networking side, being connected via ethernet instead of WiFi will allow for a more stable connection. Players should not download something while playing. A common problem players may face is a background update queued that they are unaware of. If there is a noticeable effect on networking performance, users should check for these updates and restart their device if they cannot be found.

## Strategies

### Basic movement

Movement is used for much more than just getting around the map in this game. Crouching and staying in one place is handy at times, but when an engagement involving an exchange of fire is going on between you and the enemy (which is, needless to say, quite common) you need to know how to land your hits without getting hit. Moving from side to side, also called strafing, is a basic strategy that you can employ to avoid getting shot up in firefights. While strafing, attempt to keep the crosshairs on your target as best as you can. This may be difficult in this game, especially if the opposition is doing the same, but with time this is mastered.

### Advanced movement

Advanced movement techniques are key to winning gunfights. Jumping is important for getting around the map and during firefights. While skilled players can accurately track a target moving horizontally across their screen, adding in a bit of vertical movement may be enough to throw your opponents off, even slightly. It's also important to move unpredictably, even if you are not engaged in combat. If you move predictably, then you make yourself an easy target to pick off, and the fight is over before it even begins. The same applies even more so during a gunfight. Moving with a pattern will only get you killed faster. Instead, during a firefight, you should constantly be vying for the superior position. Employ sudden changes in direction to throw your opponent's aim off. If possible, flank it out and attack from a different angle. With superior movement, you can delay an untimely death and turn the fight around.

### Aiming

Movement alone cannot win a fight. Rather, War Brokers tests your ability to coordinate multiple skills and operate them simultaneously. The most important element to winning battles is your aim. However, good aim alone is often not enough to win gunfights. Rather, your aim and movement must work together to ensure success. So yes, you will have to learn (and practice) how to move and shoot with precision and track an enemy who is likely doing the same. Aiming and accuracy is a broad category with many elements to it, but hopefully, these tips will help you improve.

* Weapon familiarity is key to aiming well with whatever gun you're using. Weapons in War Brokers fire actual projectiles; it takes time for a projectile to go from point A to point B. Other guns employ more complex mechanics such as bullet drop, and all in all different guns shoot differently. In addition, different weapons are at their best at various distances, so it is important to equip the right one for the job.
* There are two ways of shooting most weapons: hip firing or aiming down sights (ADS). Hip firing is the default way of shooting a gun. Aiming down sights requires you to hold down a special button (right mouse or E by default). Generally firing from the hip is less accurate than firing while ADS, but aiming down sights will decrease your situational awareness. It is recommended to ADS for distant targets and hip fire enemies from up close.
* Reaction timing is key to winning fights. React too slowly, and the fight ends before it even starts. If you're just a little quicker to the trigger, then you have a much better chance of survival. While reaction timing is something that can only be practiced, there are ways to ensure you're always ready for whatever comes around the corner - literally. Pre aiming is the act of placing your reticle where you expect the enemy to be or appear from. Keep the reticle at chest or head height at all times. If an enemy decides to appear in front of you, then they'll already be staring down your gun barrel. In addition, know your surroundings. The enemy may attack from the side, behind you, or above or below you depending on your position, so take the time to quickly scan your surroundings.
* By holding shift while ADS, your character holds their breath and immediately stabilizes the weapon, stopping it from swaying around your screen. This applies to all weapons with the ADS function. You can only hold your breath for a limited amount of time, as indicated by a bar on the right that appears when you aim. This is especially useful for weapons with a high power scope, such as the Sniper Rifle, as they inherently have more muzzle sway or other weapons that are high precision. It's not always necessary to hold your breath for weapons with a lesser zoom or lower precision weapons unless taking long-range shots.
* Finally, it is important to maintain your cool. Panicking will only worsen your aim. It's okay to be momentarily surprised when bumping into an enemy, but after that, a calm composure has to take over to get yourself through the firefight. Regardless of what happens, try to keep a level head and figure out the best course of action. War Brokers require split-second actions and that can only be achieved with calm composure.

### Playing style/loadout

When equipping a primary and secondary weapon, you should try to make your character as versatile as can be. At least one slot should be dedicated to mid to short-range firefights. Assault rifles and shotguns are good for this. Your other slot should be your specialist weapon. Are you a tank killer or a sharpshooter? Depending on which you should equip a weapon accordingly. Starting out, try out different weapons and see which ones suit you best. And depending on the map, you may want to switch your loadout up. For example, a map with a lack of vehicles that possesses distinct vantage points will render your RPG useless, but you may be able to make use of your sniper.

It is recommended that you try all weapons in the game to see what weapon you like best. If you just start playing using a random weapon, that will surely get you killed. However: all weapons have a downside, whether it's scope sway, low hipfire accuracy, or high damage dropoff at long range.

### Positioning

The most dangerous way to rush an enemy is head on. Why? If you have a clear line of sight to the enemy, then so will he or she, and that means he can shoot you, hit you, and kill you. Obviously, it's a lot easier to defeat someone who is not firing back at you. Flanking the enemy so that you put yourself in a position to hit them from an angle or behind them is vital to being a successful player. Knowing the best ways to flank and the best flanking routes requires you to be familiar with the map. Map familiarity takes time to build up, but in a couple matches, you can easily memorize several maps.

### Vehicles

Vehicles can be found at their respective maps. They can be taken and used by you and your teammates. Certain vehicles can hold more than one person. Getting run over is a thing in this game, so make sure you keep your distance from enemy vehicles. And no, you cannot ride enemy vehicles, nor destroy them if they have a purple health bar. Once they get controlled, however, they are fair game. Remember that different types of vehicles operate differently, all with unique weapons, stats, etc.