Welcome to your first steps into the wild world of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. With 35+ hours clocked in and the heat of the Afghan sun still seared into his memory, Dan Dawkins from GamesRadar lays down a wealth of practical, spoiler-free beginner advice that’s essential for maximizing your early enjoyment. These aren’t just tactical tips — they’re the kind of quality-of-life tweaks and subtle insights that change the feel of the game from complex and clunky to fluid and empowering.

First-Person Perception: Soak in the Details While sitting in the helicopter, press R1 to enter first-person view and look around Big Boss’s surroundings. It’s not just flavor — you’ll spot photos, character snapshots, and environmental clues that evolve as the story progresses. Tap R3 to zoom. These tiny interactive moments serve to immerse you in the world and foreshadow deeper narrative elements. (Hint: That folded photo on the right? Maybe it’s not just sentimental.)

Interpreter Extraction: Your First Tactical Priority After Mission 1, immediately pursue the Side Op to extract an interpreter. Until you do, you’ll be unable to understand or extract meaningful intel from Russian-speaking guards. Once he’s on your team, you can hold up enemies to get locations of items, blueprints, or even key mission objectives. This one upgrade drastically transforms how you interact with the world and should be considered essential.

Loadouts: Customize for Efficiency The character equip screen might feel overwhelming, but don’t overlook the ability to set multiple Loadouts. Toggle between them with L1 and R1 before missions. Have a utility Loadout (say, machine gun and rocket launcher) for chaos-heavy ops, a stealth loadout with a sniper rifle and suppressors for infiltration, and a third hybrid setup. Even mid-mission, you can request an air-dropped Loadout swap — making your flexibility a real-time weapon.

Sprint-Mounting Dehorse: Flee Like a Pro Need to flee during an alert? If D-Horse is nearby, hold L1 while sprinting and keep pressing the button — Big Boss will automatically mount the horse mid-run, fluidly turning escape into art. It’s little techniques like this that keep the tension high without pulling you out of the moment.

Tactical Landing Zones: Choose Wisely Accepting a mission doesn’t mean locking yourself into a single landing zone. Experiment with different LZs — they shape your approach entirely. For example, in Mission 5, one LZ offers a cleaner flank on enemy defenses, helping you avoid high-density patrol zones. Positioning is half the battle.

Tranquilizer Mastery: Aim High, Fire True Standard MGS knowledge still applies: headshots are king. When aiming with the tranquilizer pistol, press R1 to enter first-person mode — it vastly improves your accuracy. Remember, darts have a flight arc, especially at long range. Aim slightly above the target’s head to adjust for drop. With practice, you’ll land silent takedowns like a ghost in the night.

D-Pad Shortcuts & Quick Menu Navigation As you acquire more weapons and tools, cycling through gear on the D-Pad can get messy. Instead of opening the full radial menu and dragging the right stick, simply tap Down (or the respective direction) repeatedly to cycle quickly between key items, like your pistol and bionic arm. It’s a subtle control refinement that keeps the action flowing.

Quick Resupply Tactics Ammo short? Instead of slogging through the iDroid menus, open the Map, zoom in with L2/R2, and drop a supply near your position. Make sure you’re hidden — enemy patrols will investigate suspicious deliveries. To speed up delivery, use the Phantom Cigar: activate it with R3 and fast-forward time until your gear drops. But be alert — as shown, a guard waking during your cigar session can ruin your stealth run.

Interrogation 2.0: Post-Knockout Tactics Knocked someone out? It’s not too late for intel. Walk up, press R2 to boot them awake, then wait for the prompt and grab them. Press L1, select “Spit it out,” and you might gain access to blueprints or guard placements. Afterwards, slam them down or let them be. For sleeping guards, wake them first, then hold them up. They’ll freeze prone with hands raised — just as good as a KO.

Mother Base: Micromanagement Made Easy Back in the chopper? Visit Mother Base anytime. Later, you’ll unlock the animal conservation platform — a mobile zoo of rescued wildlife (and a few inside jokes). If you’re wondering which critters you’re missing, open the iDroid > Database > Encyclopedia.

For staff assignments, skip the tedium: press R3 to auto-assign your best recruits. For more control, sort by skill (R2), and use L2 to lock staff to specific teams — handy when the game reshuffles people unexpectedly.

Disguises & Distractions: Cardboard Box Shenanigans Change box posters using Square: pick a female model or a guard image depending on your plan. Standing up with the guard poster fools dumber enemies into thinking you’re one of them. Combine that with a pop-out shot and you’ve got a hilariously effective tactic.

Pro tip: Sprint, then press Square — you’ll dive and toboggan in the box. It’s not just funny, it’s fast.

Hidden Features: Learn Through Overlays Confused by the map or a Mother Base screen? Tap the bottom-left of the touchpad to overlay a help menu explaining everything. Scroll through with the D-pad. Don’t overlook this — it can save you a dozen web searches.

Cassette Tapes: The New Codec Story, backstory, and flavor are delivered via cassette tapes. Press R2 to pop out the tape player and play them in sequence using “All.” It’s perfect for background lore while you wander around or fly the chopper.

GMP Management: Sell to Fund Your Arsenal Out of money? Open your resources and sell fuel or biological materials. They’re everywhere, and converting excess into GMP lets you develop weapons and upgrades faster. Don’t hoard what you can easily reacquire.

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Conclusion: Mastery Is in the Details These aren’t flashy boss strategies or plot exploits. They’re the things you learn 35 hours in — the nuanced bits that separate casual infiltration from smooth, stylish mastery. With these in your toolkit, you’re not just surviving The Phantom Pain — you’re owning it.

See you on the battlefield. Stay sharp, stay sneaky.