Insurgency: Sandstorm became available for Playstation and Xbox consoles on September 29th. Though the game has been playable on PC for much longer, this year marks its full release on console, coming with crossplay features between Playstation and Xbox, but not with PC. Insurgency: Sandstorm is a team-focused military sim with lethal weapons and limited lives across most game modes.
Nearly every weapon in the game kills in one or two bullets and common skills learned in games like Call of Duty or Apex Legends will not always carry over into Insurgency. It's slower-paced than most popular first-person shooters and requires patience, precision, and communication. First-time players might have a tough time with the game at first, as it does have a big learning curve. These are some mistakes to look out for when playing Insurgency: Sandstorm for the first time.
10 Underutilizing Smoke Grenades
Smoke grenades are one of the most important pieces of equipment in the arsenal Insurgency: Sandstorm provides. Sure, they aren't lethal or flashy, but their utility is unmatched in the meta of the game. Insurgency's maps are almost entirely based around lines of sight. Defenders will want to lock down different lanes as they wait for attackers to push forward. The defenders are often in good spots that make them hard to pick off from afar.
So, how can the average attacker make it past a seemingly impossible to cross street? Smoke. Lots of smoke. Smoke grenades block lines of sight and force defenders to spray hopefully into the endless gray clouds. Ammo is a limited resource in Insurgency so making the enemy waste it is always good. Smoke is the key to successful attacks (or successful defenses) and can often mean the difference between winning and losing.
9 Not Working As A Team
In a standard arcade shooter, communication and teamwork are often optional. There are plenty of lobbies with that one player who can single-handedly carry the team without saying a single word. This simply isn't the case with Insurgency: Sandstorm. Teamwork is critical in this game and something as simple as pinging danger on the compass can save a teammate's life. It's often a good idea to form small squads and push in sync with the team from different angles.
Running forward as a one-person army isn't going to work in Insurgency and will more often lead to the player sitting on the sidelines spectating the surviving teammates until the next respawn. In most game modes, respawns are limited and happen in waves. Unlike Call of Duty or Battlefield where a single player can respawn almost instantly, downed players in Insurgency have to wait to spawn with the other downed team members in the next wave. These waves are limited, so don't waste them for the team.
8 Misuse The Commander & Observer Roles
Insurgency features a loose class system where players choose from common roles like "Marksman" to "Demolitions." Two unique roles in the game are the "Commander" and "Observer" roles. The Commander can call down different special attacks as long as he or she has an Observer (the radio person) by their side. Commanders can call in support helicopters, chemical mortar strikes, and smoke bombs. These resources are limited and all require a good Observer to be close by.
These roles are best left to players that know the maps well and know when to use their abilities. Misusing these roles can be detrimental for a team and can easily compromise a team's chances of winning. There's nothing wrong with wanting to pick up the roles and learn them, but it's best to watch and learn from other players before jumping in with no knowledge of the game.
7 Overburdening The Soldier
Unlike many other shooters, Insurgency features a weight system. The more equipment the player brings, the slower their soldier will be. This might seem annoying, but it is actually quite realistic. This can lead to less stamina, slower movement speed, and slower vaulting. While these negatives might not be too bad for a heavy machine gunner who wants to stay back from the fight, they can cripple a Demolitions soldier trying to sneak in close to the enemy. Be wary of the selected class, and keep an eye on the weight bar at the top of the class setup screen.
6 Not Holding Angles
Holding down common crossing points and points of entry in an objective are some of the most important tasks players in Insurgency can undertake. This game isn't about sliding around the map getting triple kills. It certainly can turn into that, but it often won't work. Playing the objective and holding down good angles lead to more kills and wins than sprinting around like a madman ever will.
Holding the correct angles can take time, as it requires map knowledge and general knowledge of spawns. One great tip for getting better with this is to pay attention to areas when on one side and trying to find those spots when the sides swap. Common angles and flank routes will begin to reveal themselves, and map knowledge will increase over time.
5 Ignoring The Objective
Nearly every single game mode Insurgency: Sandstorm offers is objective-based. Modes like "Domination" are much more casual but still center around capturing control points on the map. Playing the objective is the only way to win in Insurgency. Luckily, most players will already be battling in or around the objective, so most new players will often be forced to play on site.
Unfortunately, players will often ignore an objective while it's being captured. They may want to preserve their K/D ratios, but this often doesn't mean anything in Insurgency.
4 Forgetting A Gas Mask
An easy mistake to make is forgetting to bring a gas mask into combat. The gas mask can be equipped in the class setup screen, just below the armor slot. Forgetting a gas mask can to a series of consequences. The most common will be the player character coughing up a storm when entering smoke. This doesn't shake the screen or impede aim like other games, but it can be heard by enemy players that are close by. This can reveal the player's position and lead to an untimely death in the game.
Insurgent Commanders also have access to chemical mortar strikes. Gas can be identified by its red hue, and it will kill players not protected by a gas mask very quickly. This applies to other Insurgents as well. There is friendly fire in Insurgency: Sandstorm and the chemical mortars take no prisoners.
3 Sprinting Into Combat
One of the easiest mistakes to make for players of all skill levels is sprinting into combat. The sprint-to-fire time of Insurgency: Sandstorm is quite long compared to many other shooters. For example, a player walking forward will be able to aim down their sights and fire before a sprinting player will even be able to fully aim down their own sights. Many players will choose to hold angles down and they will nearly always win against a player who's sprinting.
Now, this doesn't mean that the player should walk everywhere. When moving between buildings or getting to cover in an active firefight, spriting is a must. When heading into a gunfight though, players should be selective with sprinting, especially when they know enemy combatants are close. Running around like a headless chicken will almost always end with the player losing a gunfight, so be careful and choose when to sprint wisely.
2 Ignoring The Compass
By default, the in-game compass is not enabled. Players should be sure to check the settings to figure out how to bring the compass up. On PC, the default key is P. The compass is critical to communicate with the team.
Players with voice chat disabled can see red danger flashes on the compass if another player pings danger on the compass. This information can mean the difference between life and death, so be sure to pay attention to that compass.
1 Spraying The Weapons
Insurgency: Sandstorm strives to be as realistic as possible in most scenarios. The guns of the game feel weighty and the recoil is very unforgiving. Spraying nearly any of the guns in the game will result in the player shooting the sun up above. Most engagements should be handled with tap firing the weapon. Submachine guns and pistols will have less recoil and be much better for full auto, but they also lack range and bullet velocity.
Players uncomfortable with the recoil can jump into AI matches against bots and get a feel for the weapons of the game. They handle much differently than guns in other FPS games, and definitely take some time to master.