Let us be honest – there are only a handful of realistic first-person shooter games. Some might even call it a dead genre. However, in 2014 indie studio New World Interactive released their game Insurgency, which hooked many players worldwide. Insurgency: Sandstrom is a sequel to the indie breakout FPS, boasting on intense action and skill-based tactical combat.

The game was released last December and many new players are currently trying it out for the very first time. Here are 5 things you should know about the game before playing your first match:

1. Insurgency: Sandstorm is a REALISTIC shooter. If you are used to games like Call of Duty, then this game isn’t for you. Insurgency: Sandstorm’s gameplay and pacing are wildly different. When you sprint you get exhausted, aiming is much harder, and one bullet means a difference between being dead or alive. It goes without saying that you probably shouldn’t expect executing a bunch of 360 no-scope snipes.

2. This is a team based game. Each class has its own purpose, and so you should act accordingly. Please, don’t pick a Commando or an Observer if you’re planning to run and gun all around the map. You’ll die and die a lot, thus your team won’t get any Air Strike calls (Commando and Observer have to be together to call for Air Strikes).

3. Like we’ve mentioned before — you will die, A LOT. No, this is not Dark Souls, but this game is harsh for newcomers. You will have to learn to hide and use cover, take it slow, use smoke grenades and even with all these tips in mind, you’ll still die. Just consider the fact that death is part of the game and you shouldn’t worry too much.

4. Inappropriate voice chat. Game’s voice chat might be mandatory in some cases, but in casual games, this in-game feature can become unbearable fairly quickly. Like with many widely popular online titles, there are plenty of screaming, swearing and blaming. Mute it if you wish to just enjoy the game.

5. Game’s optimization is a bit off. While our hardware is very decent, the game had some FPS issues playing on Epic graphic settings. We sincerely suggest tuning down the game settings at least a bit if you wish for a smooth gameplay.

Have any additional tips? Share them with us!