Leaning Battlefield 1 Guide
Last update: 13 December 2016
Every time you lean out of cover you risk being killed. This is something you do all the time, and since your opponents are just waiting for that, you should learn how to lean out in a way so to give them as little chance to kill you as possible. This is what you are going to learn from this chapter.
Basics
Whenever you lean out you must assume that someone will just be waiting for that. This means that while doing it you must always be taking aim. Check all positions by setting the crosshair in the right spot before leaving cover, so not to waste time on moving the mouse when you are exposed (see the picture). Slowly lean out and check all the positions where an enemy may be hiding. If you know exactly where they are, lean out so that you can only see one at a time - this way only half of your body is exposed. Do not walk away from the cover too far, because you might be going to need to get back there soon. Do not try to lean out and shoot a couple of enemies at once, because you can only shoot one opponent at any given moment.
If you lean out, but fail to kill your enemy, take cover again, but do not lean out from the exact same spot. If it is only possible, change your position in order to catch your opponent off guard, gaining a couple extra seconds to kill them. If you have no other choice but to lean out from the same spot you did before, use the so-called prefire, explained in the next subchapter.
Prefiring
Prefire is a technique that may give you much advantage on the battlefield. This means you have to start shooting before seeing your opponent. This way you can kill enemies who are waiting for you to lean out.
Prefiring comes in handy when you have to lean out, but you suspect there is an opponent waiting for you. Nothing bad happens if it turns out there wasn't anyone after all. A much worse mistake is to wrongly assume that there is no enemy. In theory, prefiring doesn't seem difficult. You just lean out and start shooting before you can see an opponent, so that first two bullets hit the cover you are leaning out of. The crucial factors that will determine whether you succeed or fail are how well you know the map and the position of the crosshair. You have to set it in a way so that it is not necessary to move it too much after leaning out in order to kill your opponent. This requires practice and lots of hours spent on each map. You should also remember to be pointing the crosshair at the head level.
Quick lean outs
If you are in the heat of combat, your enemies may be everywhere, so when you lean out you must check all possible positions, as it was described in one of the previous subchapters. However, if you are in a safer position, don't waste time. In such situations lean out twice. At the first one don't take aim, just try to map your opponents. Do not shoot just yet. When you see an enemy, take cover again. Then lean out and use prefiring described in the previous subchapter.
Checking two sides
If you are alone and have to check two sides, you should pick one side that you are going to check first. Then approach the wall on the other side from the one you chose (so if you want to check left side, approach the right side of the wall). Then slowly check the left side so that the player on your right could not see you. If it's clear, lean back, approach the left wall and check the right side.