Camping is one of the most prevalent strategies used by players in online shooting games, including popular games like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
It’s incredibly frustrating when you are running about actively looking for players to kill, and you suddenly get blown away by a person carefully hiding in a corner of the map. Coming across campers can frustrate you, but that’s exactly what campers want.
Let’s look at how to beat those pesky campers.
What Is Camping?
Simply put, camping is the act of finding a space on the map which prevents other gamers from flanking the camper, protecting their position. Campers look for tight spots on the map from where they can take potshots at other players.
Ideally, campers look for hard-to-spot areas or nooks that most players don’t think about looking in. Then they just wait. Instead of running about the map looking for kills, campers generally sit at one point, and wait for the kills to come to them.
And, while this may seem like a viable strategy in real-life combat, it can infuriate players in online games. How many times has a camper shot you while they are sitting at a choke point, scoped in and just waiting?
Most Shooter Maps Have Strategic Camping Spots
Camping often seems like a viable strategy for players who find it difficult to get kills in open combat. It’s always easier to kill more experienced players when they don’t know where the first shot’s coming from.
However, while most players think of camping as an obnoxious practice that indicates poor sportsmanship, it seems that game developers don’t really hate it as much.
Call of Duty: Warzone is a prime example. The map is littered with tiny nooks and crannies where players can hide and get quick kills by shooting at unsuspecting teams.
By design, most maps in online shooting games feature a mix of large, open spaces that encourage combat, and tight spaces or corridors where camping runs rampant.
What Is Spawn Camping?
Another popular technique is spawn camping. This strategy requires players to camp near spawn points on the map. Basically, once you figure out the enemy team’s spawn points, you just wait for the players to spawn.
As soon as an enemy player spawns, you kill them. Though it’s not against the rules, spawn camping is universally frowned upon, and many custom servers expressly ban it.
What Is Base Camping?
There’s also base camping, in which players generally camp in their own starting area. Instead of going out to meet the other team, they just wait for the opposing team to come to them.
Certain games, especially Battle Royale games, actively discourage camping by randomly narrowing the play area as the game progresses. This leaves players with no choice but to leave camping spots and move to different parts of the map.
How to Beat Camping Tactics
There are quite a few countermeasures that players can take to defeat campers. Here are a few.
Note the Camper’s Position
Instead of losing your cool and shouting expletives at the screen, stay chill and note the camper’s position. Most shooting games make it easy for you to figure out where the shots are coming from.
Just make a mental note before you respawn, so you know where the camper is likely to be. Most campers also change their position after every kill, so you’ll have to be cautious. This becomes easier if you have learned the map.
Inform Your Teammates
You don’t have to worry about a camper alone. Once you spot one, just let your teammates know via voice chat. This way, everyone will know the camper’s general location and can take a shot if they encounter them.
Use More Indirect Weapons
You don’t need to snipe a camper out of pure spite. There are better ways of dealing with them, such as using more indirect weapons like grenades or a rocket launcher. If you are playing an arena shooter, for example, it’s quite easy to find a decent loadout to deal with campers.
You don’t need to go one on one with a sniper if you have a grenade in your arsenal!
Coordinate a Team Attack
If you have a sniper on top of a building taking shots at your entire group, a little teamwork is just what you need to get rid of them.
If you have a sniper in the team, have them get the camper’s attention while you and your team members try to flank or climb up the building, for a better shot.
Losing Your Cool Will Affect Your Gameplay
Campers thrive on frustrating other players. If you lose your cool, you’ll probably make irrational decisions throughout the rest of the match. Stay focused, and use these strategies to get rid of campers.
There are plenty of shooters out there you might want to try out, especially if you are looking to add a bit more diversity to your gameplay and improve teamwork. Plus, with your new knowledge about campers, you can deal with them easily!
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About The Author
Najam Ahmed (26 Articles Published)
Najam Ahmed is an experienced content marketer and copywriter with a focus on SaaS offerings, startups, digital agencies, and ecommerce businesses. He’s worked closely with founders and digital marketers over the past eight years to produce articles, eBooks, newsletters, and guides. His interests include gaming, traveling, and reading.