You're a dad and you don't have much time to play.
A tough tactical shooter sounds like a lot, but Arena Breakout: Infinite (ABI) is different.
It's not a marathon, it's like a "snack-sized Tarkov.", the game is made for short, quick play sessions.

This Guide's Idea: "Play smart🧠, not long."

To do well in ABI, you don't need hundreds of hours you need to be efficient and smart with your time. This game is easier to get into than others like it, matches are short, about 15-30 minutes.
There is a map that shows extracts you can make quick loadouts, this means less frustration.
You can get right to the action and try to get out with loot.

How the Game Works

The game has a simple loop: Gear Up ➡️ Raid ➡️ Loot ➡️ Fight ➡️ Extract ➡️ Profit ➡️ Repeat

Each match is a "raid.", it's a gamble. You bring in gear, if you die, you lose that gear. You keep only what's in your small secure container.
Your main goal is not to kill everyone. Your goal is to survive and extract with loot. Getting out alive is a win.


Your Two Ways to Play: Tactical Ops vs. Covert Ops

Tactical Ops (PMC):

• This is your main character.
  
• You pick all your gear.
  
• This is high-stakes. You risk your own gear to find better gear.
  
• You do most missions this way.

Covert Ops (Scav):

• This is a free, random character.
  
• You can play this mode every 15 minutes. You get random, weak gear and join a match in progress.
  
• This is the no-risk mode. If you die, you lose nothing.
  
• Anything you extract, you keep. This is very important for new players.

Many new players have "gear fear." They are afraid to lose their items. Covert Ops is the fix for this. It lets you learn maps and fight with no risk. You can also make money. Play a Covert Ops match after you play as your PMC. This builds up your money and gear so losing doesn't feel as bad.


The Main Menu

You should know these four menu sections:

• Stash: This is your inventory. All your loot is here.
  
  
• Market: Players buy and sell items here.
  
  
• Contacts: These are NPCs. They give you missions and sell you gear.
  
  
• Gunsmith: This is where you modify your guns.

What "Progress" Means

Progress in this game is not traditional. There are no skill trees. Your progress is three things:

1. Player Level (1-30): You get XP and level up. This unlocks new traders (Contacts) and better gear.
   
   
2. Wealth: How much money (Koen) and valuable items you have.
   
   
3. Knowledge: Your own skill. This includes map knowledge and tactics. This is your most important stat. You don't lose it when you die.

The Economy for Dads

• Quick Money: The best way to make money at the start is to do missions from Contacts. Start with Joel Garrison. Missions give good Koen and XP rewards.
  
  
• Selling Loot: You have two ways to sell. You can sell to a trader for less money, but you get it fast. Or you can sell on the Market for more money, but it takes longer. Always use the Market for valuable items. A good rule: try to get loot worth 5,000 Koen per inventory slot.
  
  
• Good Common Loot: Don't just look for rare items. Grab common items that are valuable. Always check jackets for keys. Grab weapon attachments and high-tier ammo.

Stash Management

• Save Space: Your stash is small. You can put smaller backpacks and rigs inside bigger ones. This saves a lot of space.
  
  
• Keep or Sell: Sell dogtags, weapon mods you don't use, most food and drinks, and low-tier armor. Keep high-tier ammo, medical items, and items for future missions.
  
  
• Gun Storage Trick: To save space, remove the pistol grip and magazine from your rifles. This makes the gun take up one row instead of two.

Health System Explained

You have 440 HP split across your body parts.
There are four problems to fix:

• Wounds: You are bleeding and losing health. Use bandages.
  
• Injuries: A body part lost HP. Use a first aid kit.
  
• Breaks: A body part has zero HP. Broken legs make you slow.
  Broken arms hurt your aim. Use a surgical kit.
  
• Pain: Your vision gets blurry when you take damage. Use painkillers.

A good tactic is to "pre-painkill." Take painkillers before you think a fight will happen. This stops pain effects from slowing you down so you can fight back or get to cover.

Table 1: Basic Medical List

The Golden Rule: Ammo is King

This is the most important rule for combat: Your ammo quality is more important than your gun.

A cheap gun with good ammo will beat an expensive gun with bad ammo. Ammo has tiers (1-6). Always use at least Tier 3 (T3) ammo and use Tier 4 (T4) as soon as you can (it's a sweet spot for cost vs. penetration).


Gunsmith for Beginners

The Gunsmith has over 900 parts. This can be confusing. Don't worry about making a "meta" gun. Just make a "controllable" gun. Focus on two stats:

1. Vertical Recoil: Higher is better. The gun won't kick up as much.
   
2. Ergonomics: Higher is better. You can aim down sights (ADS) faster.

"Leg Meta": Your Secret Weapon

The "leg meta" is a great budget plan. You use a cheap, fast-firing gun (like an SMG) with "flesh damage" ammo (like "Dum Dum" rounds).

Instead of shooting at armor, you aim for the legs. Legs are not protected. This does huge damage. A player with cheap gear can kill a player with expensive gear this way.


Armor and Helmets

Armor helps you survive one or two extra bullets. Tier 3 (T3) armor is good enough for most raids.

For helmets, a "high ricochet chance" is sometimes better than a high armor level. The SH12 Military Helmet is a good budget choice. It has built-in headphones, which saves you money and a gear slot.


Table 2: Three Good Loadouts

Covert Ops is Your Best Friend

Your goals in Covert Ops mode are simple:

1. Make money: Everything you extract is profit.
   
   
2. Get free gear: Sell it or use it on your main character.
   
   
3. Learn maps: You can explore with no risk.
   
   
4. Practice fighting: You have nothing to lose.

As a "scav," AI enemies won't shoot you unless you shoot them first. Use this. Hunt players (PMCs) or check for loot they left behind.


"Stack" Your Missions

Before you start a Tactical Ops raid, go to "Contacts." Accept all available missions for the map you are playing. Many missions overlap. For example, you might need to kill enemies and find an item in the same place. This saves a lot of time.

• Do missions for Joel Garrison and Avita first.
  
  
• Focus on "passive" missions (like "Kill 10 enemies"). You finish these just by playing.
  
  
• You can do some "find item" missions in no-risk modes like Secure Ops.

"Zero to Hero"

When you feel confident, or if you are broke, try a "Zero to Hero" run. You go into a raid with just a knife or a cheap pistol. Your goal is to kill an AI (scav), take his gear, and build up from there.


Choosing Your Map

Not all maps are good for new players. Focus on two:

1. Farm: This is where you learn to fight. It's small and open. Players are pushed toward hotspots like the Motel and Stables. Fight here to get confident.
   
   
2. Valley: This map is bigger and has more cover. It's better for solo players who want to avoid fights. It's good for long-range combat.

The game pushes all players to "Points of Interest" (POIs). These places have the best loot and are needed for missions.

First 5-10 min: Players run to the POIs.

Last 10 min: Players run from the POIs to an extract.

If you understand this flow, you can choose your fights. Go to POIs early for action. Go late to avoid players.

IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER A FEW THINGS, REMEMBER THESE:


✅ Play Covert Ops first and last. This is how you make money and learn without stress.


✅ Ammo is more important than the gun. Always buy the best ammo you can.


✅ Always bring painkillers. Use them before a fight.


✅ Surviving is winning. The goal is to extract.


✅ Watch the Killcam. Learn from how you died.


✅ Don't fear losing gear. It's just part of the game.


✅ Have fun. It's a game, not a job. If you have a bad run, just extract and try again later.

Settings for a Smooth Game

You want a high, stable frame rate (FPS) and to see enemies clearly.

• Upscaling (DLSS/FSR): Turn this ON. Set it to "Quality" or "Balanced." It gives you a big FPS boost.
  
  
• Shadow Quality: Set to "Low" or "Balanced."
  
  
• Vegetation Quality: Set to "Basic" or "Low." This gives more frames and makes it easier to see enemies in grass.
  
  
• Post Processing Quality: Set to "Low" or "Medium."
  
  
• Light Quality: Set to "Low" or "Balanced."
  
  
• Turn off effects: Disable "Firing Blur" and "Head Shake." This keeps your screen clear in a fight.

Audio Tips

Sound is very important.

• Turn off Virtual Surround Sound: Any 7.1 surround sound software can mess up the game's audio. Use stereo mode. This is best for hearing footsteps.
  
  
• Use good headphones: Headphones with a flat sound (like IEMs) are good. They don't have too much bass, so you can hear quiet sounds like footsteps.
  
  
• Equalizer (Optional): If you use an EQ, try boosting the 1.4 kHz to 1.8 kHz range. This can make footsteps louder.

Extra Tips

• Crosshair Placement: Always keep your crosshair at chest or head level. When an enemy appears, you are already aiming at them.
  
  
• Leaning: Always lean ("peek") around corners. A right-hand peek shows less of your body than a left-hand peek.
  
  
• Looting Faster: Be efficient. You can do multiple things at once. Learn item prices so you can decide quickly.
  
  
• Sound Cues: Every action makes noise (aiming, healing, opening inventory). Listen for these sounds to know what enemies are doing.
  
  
• Playing Solo: Be patient. Don't rush into fights. Let teams fight each other, then attack the winner ("third-partying").
  
  
• Mentality: Every death is a lesson. Use the killcam. See how you died. Analyze your mistake and learn from it.

Alright, that's all I've got for you, thanks for sticking with it.

Look, I know there's a thousand other tips and advanced tricks we could get into,
but that's not what this is for.

My goal was to make this guide short and effective,
just like our play sessions.

If it helps you survive a few more raids, great. If not, oh well.

See you at the extract.

p.s. Good luck in Kamona 👍