Let’s face it. Beat Saber is tough. This game will grab you by the scruff and drag you through the proverbial mud if you let it. That being said, it can be mastered. It’s just going to take a lot of practice, patience and some insightful tips on how to beat it.
One of the largest mistakes new players make when getting into Beat Saber is not focussing on their fundamentals. Beyond that, the game leaves players in the dark concerning its advanced scoring system. To make things worse, many players have to change everything from their controller grips to their in-game floor height in order to play this game at its highest level.
It can all seem rather overwhelming, but don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Check out these 10 game-changing tips and tricks if you want to boost your high score in Beat Saber.
1. Adjust Your Floor Height
The world of virtual reality gaming is far from perfect. Consequently, one of the first challenges you are going to have to face in Beat Saber are the peripherals.
The game suggests that you adjust your in-game floor height to match the height of your actual floor. That being said, this is not always the best way to play.
Sometimes the standard floor height makes dodging obstacles more difficult, or it can even make blocks too far out of reach to comfortably connect with. The reason for this is your height.
Every person is a little different physiologically. As a result, some people will find the game far easier when the in-game floor height is set at their knee level or even at waist height. It all depends on the length of your arms, legs and torso.
Make sure to experiment with different floor heights to ensure you have minimal difficulty playing the game. This advice may seem marginal, but it can make a huge difference to your high score.
2. Take a Break
This game can be tasking on your body. At first, it may seem like a minimal physical stress. But, the wear and tear adds up.
If you want to perform your best in Beat Saber, you will need to be at your physical best. A unique challenge to VR gaming, playing for an extended period of time can leave you feeling a shortness of breath and achy muscles.
Take a break at least every 15 minutes to ensure you are always playing at your best. This practice is about more than simply keeping yourself from getting tired. It is also about making sure you always practice playing with good technique. After all, your technique will only become more sloppy the more tired you become. If you practice sloppy technique, then you will likely suffer for it in the long run.
3. Work on Your Fundamentals By Playing Slower Songs
When it comes to Beat Saber, it is all about fundamentals. Having a blistering fast reaction time is certainly beneficial when playing this game. However, you are going to want to master the basics before you begin to work on your speed.
Focus on hitting the center of each note and try to reach a score above 100 each time. Doing this can make a huge difference to your technique, which will prove paramount when you are trying to improve your high score on faster songs.
A great slow song to train on is “Midnight City.” Check out an expert run of the song down below.
4. Optimize Your Playing Experience
Many of the nifty lighting effects and background graphics within Beat Saber can be quite fun for spectators to enjoy. That being said, they can also be distracting to players. Beyond that, these features can also be unnecessary stresses on your PC. In order to reduce these distractions, you are going to need to make your way to the settings menu so you can take advantage of a few nifty features.
Once you are in the player settings, utilize the “Static Lights” feature. The platform will now no longer flash or move during songs.
If you are playing more chaotic and high-speed songs, activate the “Reduce Debris” feature. This will allow for dissected blocks to immediately disappear. If you are playing slower songs, consider leaving this feature deactivated. Being able to see how you cut each block can help you understand if you are cutting the notes at their dead centers of if your technique requires adjusting.
5. Here’s How the Beat Saber Scoring System Works
Beat Saber doesn’t truly break down how it scores your performances. Consequently, learning the game’s scoring system is paramount to improving your game.
Hitting each block is important. However, it is a little more complicated than that. All in all, there are three qualities Beat Saber is looking for every time you hit a note. Ultimately, based on technique, you can earn up to 110 points each time you land a note
- Your angle of attack matters. You want to swing at each block from a 90o angle. By swinging at the proper angle, you can earn up to 70 points per note.
- Follow through with your swing. Once you have cut a block, continue swinging for at least another 60o. This will earn you up to another 30 points per note.
- Cut each block at its exact center. The closer to the dead center of each block you strike, the more points you will earn. Completing this can earn you up to another 10 points.
Check out the video below for a visual breakdown of the scoring system.
6. Practice, Practice and Practice Some More
There is a practice mode in Beat Saber. But, not many players know about it. If you want to bring your high scores to the next level, then you need to be utilizing this feature.
First, select a song. As mentioned before, it is suggested that you initially practice with a slower song so that you can master the game’s fundamentals. “Midnight City” is a great choice, for example. But, there are of course many slow songs to choose from.
Next, pick your difficulty. Once again, it is important to prioritize your fundamentals over difficulty. Find a difficulty you are comfortable with and start from there.
As noted within the picture above, select the mortarboard icon to reveal the song’s practice options. This will give you greater control over the song’s many challenges so you can focus your training.
7. Warm Up
Between all of the dodging and arm flailing, Beat Saber can be quite the workout. So just like a real workout, you are going to want to warm up before you play.
Warming up can be as simple as starting out with a slower song on as easier difficulty. Or, you can take the time to perform some basic arm stretches. Check out the photo provided below for some examples of healthy stretches you can perform to warm up your upper body. Doing this can prevent injury and actually improve your performance.
8. Don’t Overthink It, Slow Down
One of the largest mistakes new players make when playing Beat Saber is hyping themselves up to play as fast as they possibly can. This will actually prove detrimental to your game more often than not.
Beat Saber offers some seriously fast-paced action. That being said, the game requires patience and rhythm more so than furious speed. Speaking to vrfitnessinsider.com, professional player Tetsu Kuro recently offered his insight on the matter.
“My personal tip for people who want to reach a high level of play is to not overthink the patterns.” Kuro said. “When I see people I think are capable of playing high difficulty maps who don’t themselves think they can, I’ll have them try Speed of Link, a song with (for the most part) simpler patterns, but high speed. Without fail, the response I get is ‘It’s too fast!’ or ‘I’m too slow!’, but at the same time, I observe them swinging the notes too fast. Once I tell them this and they slow down, they’re eventually able to beat it with practice, when previously they thought it wasn’t possible.”
9. Change Up Your Grip
When it comes to improving your abilities in Beat Saber, the key is to first improve your comfort level. While the standard controller grip works for most games, Beat Saber players can actually benefit from utilizing their controllers in more unconventional ways.
Many of the top 100 players in Beat Saber utilize one of the grips visible within the photos provided above and below. If you want to boost your high score, try testing out any of the grips illustrated here. There is no single grip to rule them all, so it will likely take some time and testing before you find the grip that best works for you.
10. Use Headphones
One of the most frustrating things a Beat Saber player can be forced to deal with is lag. Sometimes the sound from your television and the visuals from the game can suffer from this. Since the game is so heavily rhythm-based, suffering such a lag can be devastating to your playing experience. That being said, there is an easy solution.
Instead of listening to the game through your television, make sure you are using headphones. By using headphones, you will minimize your audio lag and likely greatly improve your playing experience. When it comes to boosting your high score, every advantage counts.
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