Alliance of Valiant Arms (A.V.A) Beginners Guide

I may have recommended Alliance of Valiant Arms to hardcore players only, given its difficult-to-master shooting mechanics and arcade-like speeds. However, that doesn’t mean that gamers who decide to try this free-to-play MMOFPS out won’t need a little help when it comes to picking the right guns and playing it smart to win. And trust me, you’ll definitely need to play it smart to win in this game, otherwise you'll always be someone's "noob" bait during deathmatch and an easy target for players who prey on newbies to quickly up their score.

A.V.A isn’t one of those games that’s particularly forgiving to new players. And even though it has a tutorial -- which is somewhat helpful -- it's the only moderately paced shooting that gamers will get out of the entire game. A.V.A’s “practice is for noobs” policy will be sure to leave a lot of new players frustrated at getting used to the learning curve. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when starting off:

1.) Escort mode is the best for new players. Even though the beginner channel is there for new players, you might find yourself being overwhelmed with a lot of head-shot experts in the standard deathmatch mode. This is why it’s important to stick to Escort mode to get a feel for the weapons and how opponents typically behave in A.V.A

2.) Point Man is an essential class to get acquainted with when starting off in the game. While the Rifleman class seems convenient and balanced, the rifles in this game take serious adjusting to. The recoil of the standard rifles will often leave new players missing prime shots at taking out opponents, which is why it’s good to stick with the Point Man and the SMGs, which can take out opponents in short bursts with very little recoil.

The best way a new player can hold their own in deathmatch is to acquire a shotgun. Being that there are only two deathmatch stages -- and both stages are fairly compact -- the perfect weapon for a beginner is a shotgun. During team deathmatch the one thing you can count on is continuous close encounters because of the small environments. With a shotgun you can take out foes in one well placed shot. If you save your money at the start of the game and do a few Escort missions, you should have enough to purchase a shotgun and a barrel modifier that increases the pellet damage.

Playing as a sniper in deathmatch is dangerous as a newbie. Most players look for campers in the Cold Case stage and unless you can shoot and dodge on the fly, you’ll spend most of your time watching the respawn counter as a sniper. The best place to master the sniper rifle is during Escort missions…usually when going against the tank. Since most players who escort the tank are busy repairing it or trying to keep it from being flanked, they make for easy targets for watchful snipers. It’s best to get as far back as possible and practice picking off targets and getting acquainted with the recoil and targeting.

When starting off in Alliance of Valiant Arms, you don’t want to get caught up in a bunch of Demolition team missions that will more than likely guarantee a drop in your kill/death ratio. This mode is for gamers who are skilled enough to track down opponents and can lay waste to them with a few well placed shots without dying. The mode is entirely reliant on team tactics and an army-of-one kind of proficiency. If you can’t hold your own it’ll be tough to make the most out of this mode due to the high rate of campers lounging around in corners, waiting for newbies to run through a doorway completely unsuspecting of the dire results that lay ahead.

Only bother with demolition after you’ve found a weapon that suits your style and you can manage to pick off opponents while staying on the move. Otherwise, as a newbie, you'll be camped off like a turkey during a Thanksgiving hunt.

With the tips under your belt and some knowledge carved into your Kevlar spectra helmet, it’s time to hit up the A.V.A channel of your choice and lay down some of your new found knowledge of ownage. Hopefully this guide will help give a few newbies a slight advantage when entering the intense battlefields of Alliance of Valiant Arms, and just maybe you can score some wins as if you were playing in the novice channel of Combat Arms.

For more information on this free-to-play MMOFPS by ijji Games, be sure to visit the Official A.V.A Website.

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