[b]*Caution Very Long Post*[/b] Before I waste anyone's time, here are my KDRs for my characters: Hunter: 1.22 Warlock: 1.15 Titan: 1.08 So, for the people that only care about kill to death ratios I gave you less work to do. I know I don't have the greatest KDR out there. However, what I do have and what you can take from me (even if you have a higher KDR): is my experience in defeating other players. I have a lot of multiplayer experience and my...[i]mentor[/i] that I play with and observe has much more. [b]First things First:[/b] Having a high KDR does not necessarily make you a good player. Don't worry if you keep on dying. I'm not going to say: "as long as your having fun it doesn't matter," which is true but, for you to have entered this thread, it's obviously not enough. [b]Adaptability:[/b] The one and only true virtue to a good player is their ability to adapt. It is their ability to adapt to the map they spawned into and the flag they start with. Their ability to adapt to the behaviours of their team, full of randoms, and that of their enemies' behaviours. A great player never dies the same way twice. [spoiler]exceptions are sticking an enemy with a trip mine that is too close to you. Or when your double jump quits on you and you fall to your death[/spoiler] It doesn't matter if you start out dying a lot. As long as you [b]objectively[/b] ask yourselves why? And then come up with a solution to avoid it. It doesn't have to be the correct solution, as long as you have something to work from. You'll find the correct answers the more you die and tweak your solutions. [spoiler]A great player can be given any random gun, immediately adapt and do well with it. So you can put down your Red Deaths and thorns. If you find using the same gun over and over again is getting monotonous and boring.[/spoiler] Now that we got that out of the way, lets start: (I did warn you that this is a long post) [u][b]Sheep, Shepherds, and wolves:[/b][/u] [u]Please note:[/u] I play control and this metaphor is best illustrated when using control as a setting. Also, I'm going to assume you [u]are all sheep[/u] (I'll explain what they are soon and it's easier to start there even if your not). And I mean Shepherd as a dog. These are the three main categories that players fall into. There is a presence of other smaller minorities also. [b]Sheep:[/b] If your doing bad in crucible games, consider yourself a sheep. Two ways you can tell that you're a sheep is if: [b][u]1.)[/u][/b] you tend to try and capture lots of flags, and [b][u]2.)[/u][/b] you travel with the herd. There are some other signs but those are the main ones. The last thing you want to be, is a sheep and that's what we are going to fix. Don't get me wrong though, sheep are the backbone of the team and they are essential to winning. But It won't break the game if the few of you reading this ditch your sheep days. [b]Break off from the herd:[/b] This is the most crucial step and is the one that'll jump start your progress. I don't like it when people split from the team and don't contribute to the team work but it is very important that you do. There are some attributes that you can only learn when you're alone with no one to help you. It will be tough and you will be out numbered but that is the only way to learn. you can rejoin the team later in your training. I would compare this next step to the matrix. You can pick the [u]blue pill[/u] and continue being a sheep clueless to the biodiversity of the players of the game and pretend pvp is just about people running around killing people senselessly and at random. Or, You can chose the [u]red pill[/u] and realize that there is a complexity to the killing. It's time to take a step back, literally. Spend a game and just observe and do not use major routes. If you don't know what the wolves consider a major route, just imaging a place on the map that you want to go to and the route that you'd take to get there. Then use [b]any[/b] other route to get there. Put some distance between you and the rest of the team...the herd. Doing this will keep you away from the sheep and keep you from reverting back. [spoiler]At this distance you will see a few other players around you and thats fine. They are your shepherds and wolves. [/spoiler] If you didn't see the diversity before you will soon. You will see the sheep that will rush to the objectives. But be carful because when you use the back routes and the less trafficked areas, you will run into wolves. Some will be your own and some will be the enemies. They won't be expecting you to be behind the scenes so you might catch a few off guard, but you don't want to mess with them right now. Just observe them this is what you want to be (I would assume. However I would recommend you to become a shepherd. More on them later). Look at their routes and tactics. You'll see them flank the helpless sheep. You will see that they tend to [i]hunt[/i] alone. You will also see some peculiar creatures that don't act like sheep but are not wolves either; these are the shepherds. [b]The difference between a predator and prey:[/b] One word: intelligence. [spoiler]no matter how many biology or entomology majors try to say otherwise; I don't care if it's true or not...I'm trying to make a point[/spoiler] Now we all are humans behind our guardian avatars and we are all smart. But let's put that aside. The higher up the food chain you go, the more intelligent people will become. You want to become something better than a sheep? Well you're going to have to stop and take the time to think. It's time for you to become a Shepherd in training. At this stage just forget about the objective and forget about winning. Just focus on your prey: the sheep. Take the game slowly here. You are no longer a sheep blindingly running with the herd to the objective. Be deliberate in your actions. Every mistake you do is on purpose. Be very cautious of the number of teammates around you. You don't want to mix back into the herd, your not a shepherd yet and that may not even be your end goal (I'll explain later). Try to stay away from your teammates (having one around is fine but the more around you the more [i]profitable[/i] it would be for an enemy wolf to use their super.) If you see two of your teammates near you, leave immediately. A wolf has already set their sights on your group. Leave before he launches his attack. Unless you're a shepherd (you're not yet) or you just happen to be running with a bunch of them, [u]the safety in numbers notion is a lie[/u]. Trust me when I tell you not to trust your team. [spoiler]trust me[/spoiler] Use the knowledge that you gained while you did your observations. Use all the back routes and flanks. Be cautious of wolves though and be prepared to get into dangerous 1v1 gunfights. You will use the flank routes to go sheep hunting for yourself. Hopefully your team is busy with the B flag or your home flag because the safest place for you to hunt right now is the enemies flag. The wolves will be in flanking positions either to spawn trap all the way at your home. Or they will be picking off people trying to get to B. The enemy Shepherds will be where all their sheep are trying to protect them. What are you left with? The unsuspecting sheep that spawn alone and rushing to get back into the action and not thinking. These are your prey surprise them into 1v1 gunfights using your flank routes (there may be times when they spawn in pairs or trios try your best to entice a single sheep at a time) , come at them at awkward (for them) angles. Stay moving. That is - find prey, get into the trafficked area, kill, get back into a flank route to go somewhere else. Do not camp. You might increase your KDR, but your skill in actual gunfights will diminish. You need someone to shoot back (even if it's frantic because you popped out of nowhere and scared the hell out of them) for you to learn. Not to mention, kill enough sheep by camping and you'll get an angry shepherd, who knows exactly where you're hiding, after you. [b]Back to intelligence,[/b] here are somethings too keep in mind when you get yourself into a conflict: Keep your cool. I know it's easier said than done but don't get exited. Keep your heart rate down and keep your thoughts clear and collected. This will only come to you through [b][u]practise and simulations[/u][/b] in your head. Use cover and be conservative and deliberate in your actions. If I were to replay the footage of one of your kill cams (if destiny had them). You should be able to clearly justify every little action, every little millimetre move you made. You will not win every gunfight. Run away, either to safety or to a much better position and kill him when he comes after you. Have the humility to know immediately when you're outgunned and get the hell out of there. Only engage in gunfights you know you can win. If someone shoots at you from across the map, yes he just challenged you and he may not be far. You two could be equally matched but just leave him alone. Your time is better spent on a gunfight that has better odds than (50/50) Thinking and being deliberate is a slow processes. In the crucible, every millisecond counts so [u][b]practice[/b][/u] until it becomes second nature. I hit the character count. [spoiler]wow[/spoiler] When you finished learning you can re-join the team a better player. The next part explains this better. Here's part 2 (almost done): [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/113764454/0/0]link[/url]