The Finals offers one of the most intricate and fluid movement systems in any FPS today. While the tutorial gives you just enough to get by, the real finesse lies in a set of hidden mechanics, smooth chaining techniques, and advanced tricks that most players never fully discover. This guide is your complete breakdown of how to move smarter, faster, and deadlier than your opponents — whether you’re scaling buildings, juking shots, or bouncing off ziplines.
Sprinting & Sprint Queuing
Let’s get one thing straight: if you’re traveling in a straight line with no obstacles, just sprint. No fancy jumps or slide cancels — pure sprinting is the fastest. That said, sprinting is foundational to every other trick in the book.
Sprint queuing is key. If you’re airborne and hit the sprint button while holding forward, your character queues the sprint animation. This means when you land, you’re already sprinting, allowing you to immediately slide or chain into another move.
Whether you’re hopping off a jump pad, changing your mind mid-air, or dropping from a zipline — queue your sprint to maintain momentum and stay unpredictable.
Jump Slide & Slide Jump
Jump slide is the reverse of slide jump. Instead of sliding then jumping, you jump first, add a sprint queue mid-air, then crouch as you land. Done right, you’ll hit the ground sliding — a vital juke mechanic in fights.
Slide jumping is more classic — slide, then jump near the end for a burst forward. Just remember: if you jump too early, you’ll trigger a slowdown penalty.
Rebind sprint to toggle instead of hold. This frees up your fingers and makes chaining movement smoother.
Advanced Sliding: Techniques and Chaining
Sliding gives a quick burst of speed but punishes you if mistimed. Here’s how to make it work:
- Slide off edges or down slopes to get a boost without the end-of-slide slowdown.
- Start a slide into a jump pad to amplify its launch speed. The velocity multiplies, flinging you further than a regular jump.
- You can aim, shoot, and look around while sliding without affecting direction or speed. Use this to track enemies mid-slide.
Pop slides right after beginning a sprint. The delay is brief, and mastering the timing helps you break ankles mid-fight. For added value, slide while reloading or cocking your weapon to stay mobile.
Tap Strafing & Directional Tricks
Borrowed from Apex Legends, tap strafing in The Finals allows you to shift direction rapidly:
- Slide forward.
- At the slide’s end, jump while holding sprint and forward.
- Then flick your movement input in a new direction (up to 180°).
- Repeat with another slide or movement trick.
Used well, this allows you to juke opponents in fast 1v1s or chain movements through the map like a parkour master.
Air Strafing & Bunny Hopping
While the game lacks aggressive air acceleration, you can influence direction mid-air:
- While airborne, look and strafe in one direction to gently curve your path.
- Jump pads amplify this effect massively, letting you arc across large map sections.
Bunny hopping (BHopping) lets you maintain speed after landing. Time your jump as you land (within a few frames) to keep moving. It won’t chain endlessly like in other games due to fatigue, but combining a few hops with air strafes or slides adds flow to your movement.
Tip: Don’t bind jump to scroll wheel — it can rob you of momentum here.
Climbing Mechanics and Cancels
Despite different builds, all classes climb the same height. But there are major climbing nuances:
- Always look straight up to maximize climb height.
- Initiate climbs by holding both forward and jump — pressing one often doesn’t work.
- Cancel the climbing animation by pressing jump again once your character reaches the ledge. This skips the wind-down animation and lets you shoot, jump, or climb again instantly.
You can chain multiple climb cancels together — useful when scaling debris or buildings. This works especially well in ruined structures or when navigating broken geometry.
Window Climbing
One of the most powerful vertical movement tricks in the game:
- Stand in a window frame.
- Look straight up.
- Jump backward slightly, then hold forward mid-air to climb into the window above.
With practice, you can chain multiple window climbs and scale entire buildings. You can also counter low balconies or slanted roofs with slight directional jumps. For cluttered ledges, shoot away flower boxes or railings blocking your path.
Bonus: Closed window shutters can be climbed through if they’re mantle height. Just look up and climb.
Zipline Mastery
Beyond simply riding them, ziplines in The Finals have a ton of hidden tech:
- Change Direction Mid-Zip: Jump off, turn 180°, and reattach instantly.
- Super Jump: Jump off a zipline mid-ride (not at the start or end) to gain a boost in distance and height.
- Elite Jumping (Zipline Spam): Ride the zipline, jump off, turn around, reattach, and repeat. You’ll be extremely hard to hit.
ADS works while zipping — your shots go exactly where you’re aiming. Use this to beam people while flying past them.
You can also combine Sprint queues and directional inputs to control where you land after dismounting. Movement inputs override your facing direction for landing trajectory.
Bonus: Certain vertical ziplines — like those in stairwells or on Las Vegas rooftops — can be used for bounce launches by spamming jump and looking straight up while jumping onto them from a side platform.
Size Matters – Class Hitboxes and Movement
Heavies can’t fit in vents. That’s not just for lore — it affects traversal. Certain techniques like stair cancels and tight climbing spots become trickier for bulky builds. Light builds will find more openings and shortcuts.
If you’re reviving or stealing a cashout, don’t stay still. Spam crouch and gently move your aim side to side to make yourself harder to headshot. This tiny trick can be the difference between getting the channel off or getting blasted.
Bonus Tricks & Useful Spots
- Stair climb cancel: Climb, jump-cancel, turn 180°, climb again — great for scaling winding staircases.
- Climb boost: Sprint into a climb, jump-cancel, slide — gives a small speed burst.
- Skylight access: Break the glass roof, climb railings, and jump straight up while looking up.
- Cathedral climb: Double window jump + slanted roof run-up to reach the top.
These techniques stack — and once you’re fluent in chaining them, you’ll start moving through The Finals with pro-level grace.
Final Word
Movement in The Finals isn’t just a means to travel — it’s a weapon. Knowing how to sprint, slide, strafe, climb, and bounce better than your opponent gives you the edge in every engagement. Practice chaining these mechanics, learn the map-specific tricks, and start thinking of movement as part of your strategy, not just your style.
Whether you’re juking with a heavy, scaling rooftops with a light, or abusing zipline tech as a medium — every movement decision matters.
See you on the move.
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