Hey guys I am Huawind. In this guide today I will be teaching you how to (possibly) improve your pvp skills. From my V1 tutorial in skywars, I got some feedback to post it this in duels which is better because its the most relevant in this gametype. I'll also be going over strategies to go with the techniques, thank you guys for this!
Disclaimer: Advanced pvpers might already know some of these techniques, I am skilled in pvp but of course not even close to being the best. This guide is meant for people that are new, have trouble pvping, or just want to maybe expand upon what they can do in the world of pvp. I might state some of my opinions in this thread, just a fair warning.
Before we get into any techniques, a proper set up is required to do your best.
An armor hud mod such as 5zig is very useful, being able to let you know your armor status or potion effects. I will not link 5zig but you can find it on google and download your version, then proceed to run and install it. You can find a tutorial for this HERE.
Pictures:
Next is sensitivity, I think that sensitivity is very important otherwise you won't be able to hit the person.
Begin by going into a singleplayer world and setting up the contraption as shown. Run left and right doing your best to keep your cursor locked onto the villager as shown here. If you see yourself not being able to lock onto the villager smoothly try to lower your sensitivity. If you can't keep up with your running then you must higher your sensitivity. Please take your time with this and find the perfect sensitivity for you.
Next is sprint key, with this you can get hit and not have to double tap W to sprint again. Default key is set on CTRL, but you can change yours to shift and make your sneak key something else but its completely up to you as long as you have one and are able to use it comfortably. You can also get a mod that will sprint for you when you press W such as @OrangeMarshall SimpleSprint mod. You can look more into this cool mod at his thread he made HERE. After all this is done we can move on the some techniques and strats.
In this setup you should have done the following:
- Get a Armor Hud Mod (5zig, StatusEffect, etc)
- Have your perfect sensitivity for aiming
- Have your sprint key that you are comfortable with using
The first technique you will learn is the simple A + D strafe. This is one of the techniques that if improved upon over time you can dominate your opponent severely. To start this, you need to land the first hit to get them into a combo, even though its possible to fight your way out of their combo and start yours. Its really preferred you get the first hit in which I will be discussing how to that a little later. To A+D combo your opponent you must make yourself hard to hit so you run left, right, left, right and so on.
Example:
The next technique is called the Sidebuster. With this technique to go head on with your opponent and then choose one side you want to attack from. Once you attack them then you can straightline combo or just attack! The reason this works is because when you hard turn and start to straightline them they would also have to turn in time to be able to hit you. This technique if improved upon is powerful but I personally do not use it.
Example:
YIKES! Cover your eyes from my poor attempt
The last technique ill be talking about is W tapping. Some professional pvpers and I are able to W tap without even realizing it, its just muscle memory. So when I actually tried to W tap it was hard since I did it I guess "manually", but I still managed to be able to get a tiny clip of this. With W tapping you are able to slow yourself and reduce their chance of hitting you while still being able to combo them. To be able to W tap, you guessed it! You W tap! (at a steady pace)
Example:
In the techniques you should have a good idea the following:
- A+D Strafe
- SideBuster
- W tap
Practice makes perfect when it comes to these!
I will now go over some useful strategies and some other things.
Rodding is without doubt one of the biggest game changers if used right against your opponent. You can use the rod to play both offensively and defensively. When your combo ends you can fishing rod to stop their sprint and knock them up to start a new combo. Or If you are low on health or taking too much kb you can rod your opponent away. There is no secret to being good at rodding except straight practice and predictions. The example you are about to see is me playing defensively because I saw my opponent activated their golden head.
Example:
Speed plays a big role in making combos happen. You can make yourself UNTOUCHABLE if you can continuously hit the opponent and dodge their hits. Since speed makes you catch up to your opponent faster you can get first hit almost every time and have longer combos that could end the fight. You can see an example of this at A+D Strafe when I activate a golden head to get my speed. Counters to this include being rodded or having them counter-speed you.
Being able to get the first hit and combo them as much as possible is what will decide your win. The first way you can get first hit is picking a side to attack them from whether it be left or right, you might cut in the middle of it to fake them out. Next is if you have a rod or speed available. The rod is the easiest way to get your first hit and my advice is play defensively and wait for your rod to hit the player before going in for a combo. If you are feeling confident you can waste a golden head at the beginning for speed, but I suggest saving it for the regeneration and close quarters combat when you really need it.
In strategies/misc you should know the following:
- Rodding is useful and should be learned to be used correctly and precisely
- Speed can play a big help in getting your combos
- How to get the first hit with and without items.
Thank you for reading the second version of my guide, I hoped this improves your pvp skills and I encourage you to practice at least 1 technique and everything in strategies/misc, it can only help you! Please share this with someone you think it would help and I will do my best to answer all of you questions you have. Thank you!