I move down the slope toward the valley, sand crunching under my boots.
The lower sector of the sand is looser, deeper. Footsteps are slightly muffled, and I notice my movement is a little slower when I walk through the denser patches.
Up ahead, a small circular depression catches my eye — a darker brown pothole in the sand. I avoid stepping in it. From experience, these holes can either make you fall through or trigger a slow sinking animation that delays everything. I go around it.
I crouch and check the right-side ridge. Nothing moves. I scan the horizon. The heat makes the air ripple slightly — a faint distortion over the sand.
On my left, there's a low sand structure, about 1.4 meters tall, like a makeshift wall or cover. I crouch-run toward it. Once close, I test it with a single bullet from my SCAR-L. The sand cracks, and a small section collapses. Noted. These things break fast, which matters if a firefight starts.
I scan forward. About ninety meters out, a player is crossing the open sand, heading toward a ruined gas station. I aim down my 2x scope, hold my breath, and fire a short burst.
Suddenly, a sandstorm gust hits from the left. I feel it push against me. Visibility drops. Aim sways. The new storm mechanic kicks in: small damage ticks per second, wind affecting movement, and my shots get less predictable. My first burst misses. I take a minor hit — HP drops slightly.
I go prone to reduce my profile and stabilize my aim. Adjusting carefully, I fire a second burst. This one hits. The enemy tries to sprint and zigzag, but the storm slows them too. I control the recoil, adjust for sway, fire again, and they drop.
The storm fades after a few seconds, sand settling back into place. I stand, check my HP, patch up a small red chunk with a bandage, then drink an energy drink to speed recovery.
I continue toward the gas station but pause before leaving cover fully. I test the burrow mechanic: crouch, go prone, hold the interact key — my avatar sinks slightly into the sand. Only my head sticks out, weapon lowered. The color blends with the sand. I stay like this for two seconds, confirming the camouflage, then cancel and stand back up. Useful for ambushes.
I move to the outer edge of the gas station.
The roof above me is partially broken. A section of the new mechanic building must have collapsed—this map keeps changing dynamically. Metal beams stick out from the rubble.
I hear automatic fire in the distance, behind a collapsed semi-truck. I crouch-walk behind a low concrete barrier, scanning.
One guy is holding position behind a broken car chassis, AR pointed down the road. I switch to 2x, aim, and start firing.
Tap… tap… tap.
He reacts, shooting back. Bullets slam into the sand wall in front of me. Half the wall collapses, and my visibility improves. I switch angle, strafing right behind a half-broken pump machine, keeping the fight on my terms. I fire again as he tries to retreat behind another car. Bursts keep hitting. He goes down.
I move quickly before another storm wave hits—the sky shifts slightly, a warning of what might come. The zone is moving northeast. I mark my path and head toward the broken pipeline field.
Running, I catch a huge building in the distance partially collapsing—roof segments fall, sending up a huge dust cloud. The map changes shape; rubble piles appear where there was nothing before.
I mutter to chat: "This map is insane… environment changes in real-time…"
The pipeline field is next. Pipes are half-buried, giving solid cover lines. I crouch behind one, hearing footsteps on the pipeline above. Someone's running on it. I wait, listening for precise location.
The footsteps stop mid-section. Maybe they crouched to look down. I burrow slightly into the sand—just the top of my head and the gun muzzle visible—and aim upward.
The enemy steps to the edge, trying to shoot down at the valley. I fire UZI bursts. Hit. They fall off the pipeline. I un-burrow immediately and push forward, finishing them with another burst.
Looting fast, I grab a 4x scope, a grip, and 90 more 5.56 rounds. I attach the 4x on the SCAR-L—long-range fights in the desert just got easier.
The next zone is a mid-range open sand ridge. I crouch behind a rock piece. A suppressed sniper shot comes from the far left, hitting the rock near my head. I go prone and burrow slightly to stay low.
The sniper shoots again—misses. I mark the direction. He's prone near a broken wall from the earlier collapse, around 210 meters out. I place the 4x on the SCAR-L, hold my breath, and fire controlled bursts. Hits connect to the chest. The sniper tries to move right, but the sand slides under him. I adjust, fire four more taps, and he goes down.
I relocate immediately, sliding behind another sand mound. To my right, I hear an AR spraying—someone else is fighting. I rotate to a better angle, crouched.
Two players are visible—one behind a fallen sandstone arch, the other in a shallow crater. They're exchanging fire. I wait for the right moment. The crater player wins, killing the one behind the arch. I immediately fire bursts into the crater player while they're healing—dead.
Zone shrinks again. I move toward the new entry point. I check for sand holes to avoid sinking. A deep, dark hole is directly in my path. I go around it.
As I move, a storm triggers again—heavy this time. Visibility drops sharply, a red warning icon flashes, and minor tick damage starts. I drink an energy drink and pop a painkiller to keep my boost maxed and compensate for the damage. I crouch-move through the storm.
A faint silhouette appears on my left, stationary—someone trying to burrow. I ADS the UZI at close range and fire. The enemy emerges, tries to react, fails, and dies.
The storm fades. I reload and move on.