In a battle royale game, timing is everything. In fact, the initial few minutes pretty much dictate how your game will go. If you land in the wrong location or worse, miss the location entirely, then the odds are stacked against you. Which is why the first five minutes of a match are vital.
Between the time the plane flies over the map to the appearance of the first circle, Garena Free Fire players have about five minutes where they need to land, gather supplies and move towards the safe zone. So as you may imagine, it can get quite hectic. Don’t worry as we have compiled a list of five things should need to keep in mind in the five minutes you get before the first circle appears. Think of this as a short checklist of things you should be doing by the time the first circle appears.
Your main objective should be to land in your desired location as soon as possible. However, you may not be the first one to land there all the time. Keep an eye out for any parachutes that may be landing in an area. If you see one, avoid landing in the exact same area as them. But keep in mind where they landed. You may be able to use that information to get catch them by surprise once you find your own set of weapons.
If you have landed away from other players, then quickly glance up. There could be someone landing with you. If there is someone coming in, make a note of the direction they are landing in and prepare yourself for a battle. If you already managed to find a weapon, then you could try shooting them down before the other player lands.
This one is pretty obvious. Once you’ve confirmed that there is no one in the immediate vicinity. Head to cover immediately. You should ideally head to the nearest building as it will also give you loot to scavenge. I think most of you would already know this, but you’d be surprised how many people land on an open spot and decide to run across open terrain.
The biggest dilemma you will most likely have while landing is choosing which building to loot first. Ideally, you should look for the largest possible building, but also one with other buildings close to it. This should allow you to quickly amass a small arsenal, which is just what you will need for the next step.
By now, you the safe zone should have appeared on your map. If you’re outside the zone, you should plan your move to the circle. If you’re in the middle, consider setting up shop and prepare to camp. If you’re along the edge, then you should either move to a better spot, or you could camp and wait for other players outside the zone to rush into the area.
More Garena Free Fire guides
More tips
If you’re new to the game, you can check out our beginners guide here.
Those with a fair bit of experience can check out our advanced guide here.
If you want to avoid an embarrassing death (who doesn’t), click here to know some common mistakes that you should avoid.
If you prefer playing on Bermuda, then you may want to check out these landing zones here.
Playing the Kalahari map for the first time, read our beginner's guide to the map.