Information - 5.1
The minimap as your second brain
In one line: The minimap tells you at all times where your teammates are, where enemies were spotted, where abilities are and where the fighting is: check it after every important event and the whole round becomes easier to read.
What the minimap tells you
The minimap is a summary of everything your team knows. On it you find:
- your teammates, with the direction they are facing (if vision cones are on);
- spotted enemies, as red markers (enemy spotted) while someone can see them, and their last known position for a moment afterwards;
- abilities: smokes, walls, traps and other utility, yours and, when visible, the enemy's;
- the spike: where it is, who carries it, where it dropped or was planted;
- your teammates' pings.
In practice it is a second screen carrying five people's information. Players who use it well know things that players who only look straight ahead never will.
When to look at it
You do not need to stare at it; you need to look at the right moments. A half-second glance, then back to the game. The most useful moments:
- after every kill and every death, yours or your teammates': who died, where, what it means;
- when you hear an important sound (footsteps, abilities, the spike);
- in quiet moments, while waiting or moving through a safe area;
- before a decision: rotating, entering, falling back.
A simple exercise: for a few matches, every time a line appears in the kill feed, look at the minimap. It becomes a reflex within days.
Reading red markers
A red marker shows where an enemy was at the moment someone saw them. Not where they are now. To use it well, ask:
- how long ago were they seen? In 5 seconds an enemy can run quite far;
- where were they heading? Towards a site, towards mid, back?
- are they alone? One enemy spotted often means others nearby.
And above all: who is missing. If on defense you saw three attackers on A, where are the other two? If nobody has seen them, they could be in mid, on a lurk or heading to B. Counting the enemies you have seen and the ones you have not is one of the habits that make a real difference.
Where your teammates are
The minimap also tells you where you are exposed. If your defenders are all on A and B and nobody is in mid, the attack can walk through mid unseen. If on attack everyone went A and nobody is watching behind, a flank is possible.
By checking where your teammates are, you also know who can help you and how long it will take: if you hear three sets of footsteps on B and your nearest teammate is in mid, help is seconds away; if they are on the other side of the map, you need to delay for a long time.
The minimap when you are dead
When you die, the minimap becomes even more useful. You have time to look at it calmly, and you can spot things your living teammates, focused on their duels, miss: an enemy moving towards their side, an area nobody is covering, the clock running down.
Use that time to give short information ("one heading B", "nobody's watching mid") and to learn: where do the enemies move when they think nobody can see them? It is often while dead that you figure out the other team's habits.
Making it a habit
At first, checking the minimap feels like effort: it seems to waste time and distract you. After a few weeks it becomes automatic and you cannot play without it.
One last tip: the minimap has to be set up properly to be readable at a glance. If you have not done it yet, see the chapter on minimap, audio, video and network.
Learning maps from the minimap
The minimap is also a great way to learn maps. With region names always visible, every time a teammate says a callout you can see which spot it refers to. After a few matches you will know the names without looking for them.
Remember
- Check the minimap after every kill, every death and every important sound.
- A red marker shows where the enemy was, not where they are now.
- Count who is missing: that is where the danger hides.
- A half-second glance, then your crosshair goes back to work.
What not to do
Only looking at it when you are dead.
Instead Use it while alive, in quiet moments and after every event.
Staring at it for too long.
Instead Short glances: half a second, then back to the game.
Assuming a red marker from 10 seconds ago is still accurate.
Instead Estimate where they could have gone in that time.
Ignoring where your teammates are.
Instead Knowing where they are tells you where you are exposed and who can help.