Population: One tips and tricks

Population: One is an exciting, addictive new battle-royale game played in virtual reality. From Big Box VR, the game was released on October 22nd 2020.

Squads of 3 play against each other to be the last team standing.

Many have compared Population: One to another popular battle royale game, calling it Fortnite in VR.

Here are some tips for those just getting started

1. Communication is key.

Use your words…. 

Communicate where stuff is. You can mark locations and objects using the”B” button on Oculus touch controller. Quick tap B to drop a marker, or hold B for a moment to choose which kind of marker you want to place. For me the most useful is the “enemy spotted” marker.

If you are not quick or efficient with using markers, call out compass degrees which you see at the bottom of the screen.

Eg. “There’s another squad at 240°.”

2. Pick a good drop spot.

Use the map. See where you are jumping from, and what’s nearby.

You don’t have to use the launch pods. Sometimes you just want to do a hot-drop. Charge off the edge and start looting right away. I urge you to make sure your team knows that’s the plan so they don’t hop in a pod and go across the map without you. Also, watch who else is dropping and where they land. When you hot drop into a contested zone it becomes a mad race to be the first one with a gun.

Don’t always just rush to your favorite spot. Some zones are popular and will quickly become contested. You could find yourself pinned down between 2 or 3 squads which will wipe you out before engaging in battle with each other.

Hold the high ground. Don’t get Anakin’ed. It’s much easier to defend, and attack, from above your enemies. It makes it harder for them to find cover from your rain of bullets.

3. Loot up

Maximize inventory by grabbing backpack upgrades.

Get better guns. This is going to be subjective to what weapons you are most comfortable with, but try to make sure you switch your one-star weapons (white) out for better ones (blue purple and gold). Better rated guns have advantages like better accuracy or bigger magazine. Also keep in mind whether you can cover short/mid/long ranges.

You can zoom in with the sniper rifle by pressing forward on the stick while sighting down the scope. It took me way to long to learn this one.

Pistols are better than you expect for medium range combat. Make sure with all guns to grip with both hands to improve accuracy and reduce recoil.

Keep a health item handy. Always try to have at least one banana or soda in your bag. Chugging a soda and running for cover when you find yourself outgunned can be the difference between life and death.

One of my friends has a strategy (the one who always has the highest weekly kill count). He seems to be comfortable living out in the storm for long stretches of a match, with just one good weapon and a backpack full of sodas. He can pick people off who think they are safe from behind.

4. Decide when to engage.

The winner in this game isn’t the squad with the most kills, it’s the last one standing.

It’s often best to just ignore the nearby gunfire for a moment to move to a better location and get more loot or  set up an ambush.

Let the other squads already in battle kill each other, then pick off the survivors.

Push harder when you hear defibrillators charging. This almost always means there’s an unarmed enemy, with at least one teammate already down. Don’t let them revive!

4. Save your downed teammates

Getting killed isn’t the end. As long as one member of your squad remains alive you can be saved. Retreat to safety, and break out your defibrillator. (Hold “A” to bring up the weapons select, and choose the cross.)

The fastest way to charge the defibrillator seems to be making bigger, slow circles. Experiment with different size and speed of  circles to figure out what works best.

Speak with the dead. A downed squadmate can be a great spotter. As long as they’re a good communicator, they can let you know where enemies are while they make their way to you. One of the best ways is for them to shadow the enemy while on the move then just say, “hey squad, I’m down, but they’re right where I am at. Coming your way. Watch out, they are flanking your right. etc…”

4. Glitches that people may be taking advantage of.

High-holding weapons: Some people hold their guns above their heads to cancel recoil. I think it has to do with being out of view of the Oculus Quest sensors or something.

Lamp-launch: Climbing out to the edge of a street light, grab on with both hands and pull into your chest. When done correctly, it launches you into the air where you can glide away. Fixed in the harvest update.

Store charged defibrillators. You can charge a difib to nearly full and quickly put them away. Then when you are ready to save a teammate, you’re already charged up except the last tiny bit required to activate the revive. Fixed, but never really worked for me anyway.

Teleporting. You can teleport by putting your hands through an object with the defibrillators equipped, then hold both grip buttons and run away. While still holding the grips, tapping “A” will teleport you back to where you first pulled the grips—-with the possibility of launching you into the sky. Fixed in the harvest update.

Invisible people. There’s been a glitch where people, who unlocked a certain skin before it was supposed to be available, are invisible while the skin is temporarily removed from the game.

5. Don’t be that guy.

The worst kind of player in this game the silent, premature quitter. This is the player who always just runs out guns blazing, and never talks or even marks anything. Whether out of rage or obliviousness, they don’t make it to the end of the match.

It’s hard to tell whether they are wearing a headset because you can hear them muttering to themselves or talking trash, but they never respond to their squad.

After they get quickly dispatched, they leave the match because they realize that they are kind of far away from help, or perhaps don’t understand that they can be revived (because they don’t hear/aren’t listening to a squadmate who is telling them that they are on the way to revive them).

So what do you think? These basic tips should help total noobs and beginners. What tips do you have, or what glitches have you seen? Please comment below.