Tips and tricks on How to Master Onward VR on Quest 2

by Tannar Thompson
Onward VR

Onward is one of the most popular VR shooters to date, and it has a hardcore fanbase that runs missions on Elite and takes PvP to a new level. It’s not top-notch aim or suitable guns that make the difference between the elite Onward players and newer players. Here are seven steps to take you from newbie to elite.

Step One: Adjusting controls & mic

Many people find the default controls in Onward to be a bit rough. Everyone uses different custom controls. However, having a working mic is crucial to teamwork, and teamwork is a mandatory tool for success. There is a setting to change if your knife needs button input to kill the person it touches, I’d recommend turning this on. It prevents you from scavenging through a wounded teammate’s inventory, grabbing their knife, and accidentally stabbing them to death in your tragic attempt to revive them. This is more common than it sounds. 

Step Two: Practice aiming with rifles & pistols

Knowing how to quickly prop up your rifle and fire quicking and accurately is a no-brainer. But as the saying goes, “Switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading,” rings true in Onward. Aiming a pistol with iron sights or a red dot sight is far more difficult than aiming a rifle.

When in a pinch and when things go wrong, having a lightning-fast response to danger and being more than adequate with your pistol can be the difference between mission success and mission failure.

Step Three: Learn Ammo Management

All too often players are unloading 5-10 bullets per enemy they spot. In Onward it only takes an average of two bullets to kill an enemy and you do not have ample amounts of ammo. Switch to firing semi-automatic by clicking in your right joystick and only fire 2 or 3 shots per enemy.

If you insist on firing in fully automatic then try to just squeeze out a few shots. That all said, those rules hardly apply if you are using a light machine gun. This is your time to shine and blast as many rounds down range as your heart desires to ensure all hostiles are neutralized. 

Step Four: Improve Awareness

Being aware of your teammates’ locations is key to avoiding friendly fire but it’s also useful to narrow down where your enemies are not.

This is the mindset needed to figure out where your enemies are and what action you and your team can take to defend or attack accordingly. But at the end of the day awareness is important because you can’t do anything, if you have no idea what’s going on, on the battlefield.

You will find yourself sitting tight waiting for something to happen only to be killed by someone who does know what’s going on.

Step Five: Hold Angles, Even if it’s Boring

Being the unsung hero who watches flanking angles and narrow angles which gathers less information and rarely gets to fire their rifle is no one’s dream. But it’s often the most important as it’s your team’s only chance of avoiding ambushes and surprise attacks. You’ll find yourself bored and sore from holding your arms up for a long time waiting for an enemy who may never come. It’s not glorious but in the times when you are needed, you’ll be proud to say you saved the team. 

Step Six: Work as a Team

There is no easy way to say this… you’re not John Wick. You can’t do it alone, it will take countless hours to hold a candle to movie stars when playing a realistic shooter in VR. You’ll need a team who communicates and is on the same page. Some teams work fast and are aggressive, others are extremely passive.

It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you work together like clockwork. This often means one person is leading the rest. It may sound fun to be the leader, but after a while of intense missions and PvP matches, sometimes you’d rather not be given such a burden as calling shots that may result in a crushing 0.

Step Seven: Practice

You knew this was coming, but sadly yes practice makes perfect. There are no shortcuts, only tips and tricks to help you. When the going gets tough, try and try again. Persistency is key, after all a diamond is made under pressure over time. 

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