Ah yes, its that time of the year again where a prestigious esports tournament is on the horizon. The words “Free Fire” pop up, piquing your interest in seeing what the fuss is all about. But then you pause to wonder whether or not you should research about the game in order to fully enjoy the watching experience. Well, worry not as watching Free Fire isn't as stressful as it sounds with these handy 7 ways of going about it.

1) Don’t worry about the details

Initially, it may be daunting when tuning in to just witness a plethora of teams and players that you may have never seen or heard of. On top of all that, there are unique logos to keep track of to boot. Sure, knowing about whose who does help, but just relax and take things slow if you’re just getting your feet wet into Free Fire esports. 

There’s no need to extensively research about who are the best teams or what are some of the greatest achievements a particular team. Instead, just focus on the action happening on screen, at your own pace. As you keep at it, you’ll start with remembering familiar faces, alongside their names as more time passes. 

2) Know the three letters of Free Fire: LLC

The best way to get up to speed on any Free Fire esports match is to just remember these three letters! LLC: Loot, Last, Circle. Any match mainly revolves around these three elements. 

Loot: Everyone loots a lot in matches

At the start of every match, everyone starts dropping unto a map at a preferred location of their choice only to proceed to loot everything in sight. This is a bread and butter exercise: the faster you get geared up to find weapons and protective gear, the better you’ll be at defending yourself. Nobody wants to bring a pair of fisticuffs against a fully loaded gun.

Last: Everyone is competing to become the last one standing

As the genre of Free Fire already suggests, it is dubbed as a “battle royale”. The glorious term resonates with the main objective of teams: to battle each other in glorious combat to emerge as the last one standing. It’s a straightforward concept that facilitates interesting playstyles. Some teams try to avoid conflict altogether while some just want to slam their fingers on their weapon triggers.

Circle: There is a circle that continually shrinks at intervals as the match progresses

You’ll notice that teams have to always be on the move, finding the next best spot to set up shop. That’s because of a circle mechanic that ends up making the entire playfield smaller for all teams. This deters players adopting a constant “camp-and-wait” approach, with everyone eventually encounters each other as the map shrinks. Should players decide to ignore the circle and stand outside it, they’ll take a significant amount of damage over time that often results in their demise.

3) It’s okay not having anyone to root for

The best part of Free Fire though is the absolute chaos that ensues as the clock ticks down. So in a sense, it’s perfectly fine to enjoy watching the esport and not be a fan of a particular team or player. It’s really all about enjoying beautiful mess of intense gunfights and compounded ballsy plays. However, should you ever decide to support a particular team or player,  for even the most ludicrous of reasons at that, it’s perfectly fine. You do you, do not feel pressured by the choices and recommendations of your peers.

4) Know how winning works

Spectators will notice that several rounds of matches are normally played in a day. Throughout each of these rounds, teams rack up points based on the number of kills alongside placement finishes and “last man standing” results (also known as a “Booyah”). The performance of each team is then tallied unto a table. Teams that placed the highest in terms of points qualify onwards for the next stage of the competition. If it is the final phase of the competition, the highest placed team ends up being the champion.

It’s also worth noting that teams have to play and cycle through different maps during each of these rounds (depending on the exact tournament format). And that kills aren’t necessarily everything, but they do play a part in racking up points just as much as getting the Booyahs. 

5) Being aware of how "death" works in this game

In Free Fire, it’s worth paying attention that when a player loses all hit points (HP), they often enter a “downed” state instead of dying outright. While in this state, teammates can still revive a “downed” player to get them back into action with a small amount of HP. However, should everyone on the team be “downed”, the whole team will immediately die since there would be no one left to revive them. This mechanic often results in teams baiting others into reviving players only to rack up the kill counter. The inverse also applies as sometimes teams are drawn in to finish off players, only to be met with a wall of gunfire on their flank.

6) Have some knowledge of in-game terms and jargon

There are some terms that are commonly used during broadcasts. Here’s a handy beginner list to get you started:

• Gloo Walls - A consumable portable wall that works better than flex tape. It provides cover for players, blocks lines of sights, and other wide variety of purposes in matches.
• Medkits - The character making a pinata on their arm is not just for fun and games. In order to heal in the game, players resort to using Medkits and that animation is part of its usage process.
• Danger zone (Red coloured) - A randomly generated map zone that is accompanied with randomized mortar fire. Getting hit doesn’t sound fun. Buildings and roofs provide adequate protection.
• Orange zone - A randomly spawned UAV moves along a certain part of the map. The UAV drone scouts out a player’s position should they end up coming into contact with the orange zone. Nobody likes being here.
• Airship - A randomly spawned air vehicle that passes by on the map to drop a crate of loot for players to plunder.
• “The Zone” - The area of the map that is within the circle. Teams will always strive to remain here and find favourable positions based on the real estate left available.
• “Out of the zone” - This commonly refers to teams or players that are outside the circle, being at risk of losing their life due to the amount of damage they will take.

7) When to not step away from the screen

In every Free Fire match, the best parts often take place during its final moments. Action tends to rack up as the circle closes, as teams have to play within the confines of an ever-shrinking map. It especially gets intense when there are a lot of players still left on the playing field during this stage. No one is safe, and this is where the big plays and go-big-or-go-home moments occur. Pro tip: this is also probably when you should not go for your toilet breaks.

It’s time to drop in

And that’s about all you need to know on how to enjoy watching Free Fire esports. These 7 ways should be a solid starting point for anyone looking to get involved. Through watching more and more tournaments, you’ll eventually find Free Fire is just another comfortable haven for esports viewing too. Be sure to share this handy guide with anyone who might be interested in jumping into watching Free Fire!

For anyone looking for recommendations on what to watch right now, the imminent Free Fire Continental Series: Asia Series features the best teams from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Catch all the action LIVE this 22 and 29 November, at 2:30PM (GMT+8) onwards at Free Fire Malaysia's Facebook and YouTube channel!

Other Free Fire esports coverage we’ve done so far:

D Entertainment: Free Fire streamer goes pro, forms his own team, AutoKnockout

Geek Fam Free Fire team announced, signs Tri-Nation Cup champions NOXSCAPE roster

Free Fire Continental Series 2020 returns this November with US$900,000 prize pool