How to Land First in PUBG: The Complete Drop Guide

There is nothing worse than losing a drop, watching the contesting player reload their weapon and knock you as you desperately try to get away.

I tend to land first in about 90 to 95% of my drops, but never really gave it any thought as to why.

So for the past few weeks I've been targeting the gym rooftop at School on Erangel and analyzing a ton of footage, collecting data on over 30 drops to see what the most optimal tips are that I could share with you to improve your landing speed.

So if you are tired of being beaten on a drop and want to improve your landing efficiency, you are in the right place.

Picking a Spot

Up first is picking a spot to land.

I cannot stress enough the importance of being detailed with where you intend to drop. You should be doing this in the lobby, before you are loaded into the plane.

And I'm not just talking about going to the Boat Yard or Pochinki, I'm talking about the exact spot your feet are touching the ground. Instead of randomly clicking on a random building, get very specific.

Select your building, then pick the closest doorway, window, or section of rooftop that aligns with the flight path, the one that is going to improve your chances of getting access to a gun before any other player.

Having an exact landing spot also gives you a dedicated target to min/max the rest of your jump around.

Exit Distance

On all 8x8 maps you exit the plane at 1500 meters above sea level, so these tips generally apply to every large map in PUBG.

Based on the data I captured, you want to make sure you are exiting the plane between 700 and 750 meters from your target landing spot.

While you can't measure the exact distance, you can use the 100m squares on the map to measure and estimate the best point of exit from the plane, using the path markers by pressing ALT + RIGHT CLICK.

As you exit the plane, use the nose of your character as the "crosshair" and point it directly at your designated spot. Try to avoid making any severe adjustments, keeping your character as still as possible to maximize your speed and trajectory. Only move or adjust if it is absolutely necessary, like if you miscalculated your jump or need to change landing spots.

Best Speed

If you've exited the plane between 700 and 750 meters away, you'll want to maintain anywhere from 200 to 210 km/h, with the minimum acceptable speed being 196 km/h if your jump was a little early.

This ensures you maintain the fastest freefall speed needed to optimize your descent.

In the event you've miscalculated your jump and were too early, just try to angle your character as best you can and maintain the fastest freefall possible.

It's always a good idea to press ALT and look around to see how many players are nearby, so you get a good idea of how heavily contested you are.

When to Dive

Diving is the moment you press shift to point your character straight down in an attempt to deploy your parachute.

There are 3 aspects to diving, each playing a critical role in when your parachute deploys and how quickly you enter the gliding phase.

1. When to Start the Dive

First is how far from your landing spot you press shift. Usually the best practice is to press shift and dive roughly 110 to 150 meters from your landing.

The next 2 aspects of diving are two huge caveats you need to be aware of, because they can impact how quickly your chute deploys and potentially throw the timing of your jump off.

2. Altitude

Second is altitude. When your character is descending parallel to flat ground, your parachute will always deploy at 250 meters above sea level.

3. Topography and Buildings

Since your parachute auto deploys at 250 meters on flat ground, diving down over hills and buildings of any size can cause your parachute to deploy earlier than 250 meters above sea level. The game adjusts when your chute pops to avoid crashing you into any buildings or ground.

Entering the Glide

A lot of players get hung up on thinking that on your dive you need to hit the max speed of 234 km/h before your parachute pops, so you sink as low as possible and end up closer to the ground. But this really isn't the case in current PUBG.

At minimum, you want to make sure you're hitting 230 km/h before your parachute deploys. Anything slower than that will impact how far you drop down when your parachute pops, and slows down your transition into the gliding phase.

Gliding

After you complete the dive, at 250 meters your parachute opens and you enter the gliding phase. You drop anywhere from 75 to 100 meters, depending on how fast you were going when your chute popped.

While pressing shift in the gliding phase, your character angles themselves downward. Pressing shift lets you reach a maximum glide speed of 54 km/h.

To maximize your gliding phase, you'll want to stay as straight as possible while approaching your landing.

Try to avoid gliding left or right while descending if you can, since that slows your speed down considerably.

Summary

So to summarize all of that, in short:

1. Mark your landing in detail, choosing a specific building and entry point.
2. Exit the plane 700 to 750 meters from your targeted landing spot.
3. Maintain a speed of 200 to 210 km/h.
4. Descend by pressing shift at roughly 110 to 150 meters from your landing.
   • Beware of topography that may alter the altitude your parachute deploys at.
5. Hit a minimum of 230 km/h while pressing shift before your chute pops.
   • The faster you descend, the farther you drop.
6. Try to avoid strafing left or right while gliding. Press shift and try to maintain the maximum of 54 km/h.

General Tips

Don't Follow

Unless you are running to take a leak or hydrate, you should never put yourself on follow just because a teammate is better at dropping than you are. Following another player places you far enough behind them that you will never be able to land competitively.

There Is No Shame in Peeling Off

If your spot is highly contested, there is no shame in peeling off, just don't stray off too far. You always want to be close enough to get some loot and help the team.

Cutting Your Parachute

There are certain situations where you can press F above your drop to cut your parachute early. This can send you to the ground even quicker, with no added fall damage.

No Guarantee

While there are best practices for getting a good drop, landing first is never guaranteed in PUBG due to several minor variables that can result in other players beating you by mere milliseconds. Like many things with this game, RNG can play a big role here.

Final Thoughts

Landing first isn't luck, and it isn't one single trick. It's a chain of small decisions that stack on top of each other: a landing spot you picked before the plane even took off, an exit at the right distance, a clean freefall that holds its speed, a dive timed to the terrain underneath you, and a glide that goes straight instead of drifting.

Get one of those wrong and you're a second late. Get all of them right and you're the one holding the gun when the contesting player lands.

Start with the two that cost you the most: exit distance and dive timing. Those alone will win you drops you were previously losing. Once those feel automatic, tighten up the rest. Give it a few games, watch your own footage back, and you'll start noticing exactly where you're losing your fractions of a second.