Uncharted 4: Beginner's Guide & Best Tips

Honest Take on Uncharted 4

Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I've been playing games since I was blowing into NES cartridges, and Uncharted 4 is one of the most visually stunning, tightly-paced action adventures ever made. But if you're coming here as a new player, you're probably already feeling it: Uncharted 4 isn't actually a cover shooter, it's not a climbing simulator, and it sure as hell isn't a puzzle game. It's a theater production where you happen to control the protagonist, Nate Drake, and the director doesn't always tell you the script.

I bought this game on a whim after a bad breakup, thinking it'd be a mindless popcorn flick. Four hours in, I was stuck on a rope-swinging chase sequence, death-looping because the game never told me I could aim while roping. I almost deleted the save. But once it clicked? Uncharted 4 became one of those games I replay every year. It's not hard because it's punishing. It's hard because the game assumes you've played the previous three. It doesn't hold your hand on mechanics that were "obvious" to veterans. So if you're frustrated, that's normal. This guide is the talk I wish someone had given me before my first run.

Why You're Probably Getting Stuck

Let's be real about the pain points. You're not bad at the game. The game just has some genuinely confusing design choices that make you feel like an idiot.

The biggest lie Uncharted 4 tells you is that it's a cover-based shooter. It isn't. Go ahead, try to hunker down behind a crate and trade shots with enemies on Crushing difficulty. You will die in three hits, and your enemies will magically flank you. The game wants you to be aggressive, but it never explicitly says that. I spent my first run treating it like Gears of War, and I died more than I did in the final boss of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — and that game is literal hell.

Another rage-inducer: the rope physics. The grappling hook isn't just a traversal toy. You can swing, hang, and shoot, but the game teaches you none of this in a real combat scenario. The training section is a joke. You'll get to Chapter 12, the big set-piece with multiple rope swings, and suddenly you're supposed to be Tarzan while people shoot at you. I failed that section seven times because I kept trying to swing normally instead of using the rope to flank.

Puzzles aren't hard, but the game hides solutions in the most annoying way. Nate will sometimes mumble a clue. If you have subtitles off, you miss it. If you're not facing the right direction, the clue doesn't trigger. I spent 45 minutes in the clock tower puzzle because I walked past a tiny journal page that was literally the solution. Forty-five minutes. I was ready to throw my controller through the wall. This game has a weird tendency to hide critical info in environment details that are easy to miss when you're looking at the pretty graphics.

And the stealth? It's broken in a way that feels intentional. Guards have cone vision that's inconsistent. I've had an enemy spot me through a solid wall, and then another time I stood three feet from his face and he didn't react. The stealth is fun when it works, but it's not reliable. If you're trying to go full stealth on a first playthrough, you're going to have a bad time.

What You Actually Need to Know Day One

Forget everything you think you know. Here's how you should actually approach the first five hours.

Play on Moderate, not Light. Light is too easy—you'll breeze through combat and miss how the systems really work. Crushing is for masochists. Moderate teaches you to think on your feet. I made the mistake of playing on Light my first time, and by the time I hit Crushing on a replay, I had to unlearn all my bad habits.

Your best friend isn't a gun. It's the Rope. In your first combat encounter (Chapter 4, the auction house), you'll see a yellow rope point. Use it. Swing to a high ledge, then drop down behind an enemy and choke them out. This sets the tone. The rope is your escape tool, your flanking tool, and your panic button. Get comfortable aiming while hanging. Go to the range in the main menu (yes, there's a firing range) and practice shooting while swinging. It takes about 15 minutes, and it'll save you an hour of frustration later.

The pistol is a sniper rifle. The Barok .44 or the standard Aegis 9mm are more accurate at range than most rifles. Conserve your rifle ammo for close-quarters sprays. The pistol does 35 damage per headshot on Moderate, which is a three-shot kill on most enemies. Use it. I rarely touched the rifle after Chapter 8 because the pistol is just that good.

Auto-aim is a trap. Turn off auto-aim in settings. I know, it feels scary. But auto-aim drags your crosshair to center mass, which gets you killed because headshots are king. On Moderate, a headshot with any weapon does double damage. If you let the game aim for you, you're missing half your damage potential. Trust me, spend 30 minutes in the firing range with aim assist off. Your brain adapts fast.

Upgrade your gear in a specific order. The game gives you upgrade points from treasures and combat. Do not waste them on "Stealth" upgrades first. Rush Aim Down Sights speed and Rope Speed. These are not flashy, but they make you survive encounters. Stealth upgrades are useful, but only if you're consistently getting into position. Most new players aren't. I upgraded rope speed to max before I even touched stealth, and it transformed the game.

Expert Tips & Tricks That Actually Work

Alright, you've got the basics. Now let's get into the stuff that'll make you feel like Nathan Drake instead of an amateur tourist.

Master the "Ninja Kick" fall. If you're hanging from a ledge and an enemy walks below you, press circle (or B on Xbox controller) to drop and instantly melee. This counts as a one-hit knockout on any standard enemy, even on higher difficulties. I learned this by accident while trying to climb down. It's broken. Abuse it.

The AK-47 is the only rifle you need. Forget the M14 or the copper-colored HK rifle. The AK-47 has the best balance of stability, fire rate, and damage at 40 per body shot. It's the workhorse weapon of the game. If you find one, never swap it. I've seen people drop an AK for a Gmal that looks cooler, and they regret it when they're reloading in the middle of a firefight.

Use the environment as a weapon, not just cover. In the Madagascar chapters, there are explosive barrels everywhere, but also hanging crates and gas pipes. Shooting a gas pipe causes a brief stun and does 50 damage to anyone nearby. The game never tells you this. I discovered it during my third playthrough when an enemy shot a pipe near me and I almost died. Then I started using it constantly. Every encounter has at least two environmental kills available. Look for blue gas canisters, red barrels, or hanging sandbags. Shoot them when enemies cluster.

The pickaxe in Chapter 8 is a combat weapon. When you get the pickaxe for climbing ice, don't put it away. It counts as a heavy melee weapon. If you're in a tight corridor, one swing with the pickaxe kills any standard enemy. I cleared the entire mansion section using the pickaxe because I ran out of ammo. It's slow but hits like a truck.

Stealth kills regen your health faster than hiding. This is a hidden mechanic. After taking damage, your health ticks back up faster if you're in a "stealth state" (crouched and undetected) vs. just behind cover. The difference is about 50% faster regen. If you get hit, break line of sight, crouch, and wait for the bar to refill. Don't peek. I used to panic-pop out and get shot again. Now I just crouch in a bush for three seconds and I'm back to full.

Car chases: don't shoot the driver. In the vehicle sections (Chapter 13 onward with the jeep), shooting the driver does nothing. The game still counts the vehicle as "alive" until it takes enough damage. Aim for the tires. Two shots to a tire disables a vehicle instantly. I spent my first jeep chase emptying clips into windshields and getting nowhere.

Aiming while sliding. You can slide (hold circle while sprinting) and aim at the same time. This is critical in Chapter 10's escape sequence. If you slide and shoot, your accuracy is actually better than if you're standing still while moving. Sliding also makes you a smaller target. I trained myself to slide before every headshot in open areas. It looks cool and it works.

Common Mistakes That Got Me Killed (Repeatedly)

These are the bonehead plays I made so you don't have to.

• Hoarding heavy weapons. I carried a rocket launcher for three chapters because "I might need it later." You won't. Heavy weapons slow your movement speed by about 20%. The game never tells you this. You'll find more explosives later. I dropped a heavy on Chapter 7 and immediately played better because I could dodge enemy fire.
• Trying to clear every encounter with stealth. The game punishes you for this. In Chapter 11, there's a huge open area with patrols. If you attempt full stealth, the game just spawns more enemies when you think you're done. I spent 20 minutes sneaking around only to have a guy walk around a corner I'd "cleared." The game intends you to go loud after the first kill. Learn when to abandon stealth. A good rule: if you've been spotted and you reset, the game doesn't forgive you. Go loud on second detection.
• Ignoring the journal. Nate's journal isn't just flavor text. It contains puzzle solutions, treasure locations, and visual hints for climbing paths. I skipped reading it because I thought it was atmospheric fluff. On the island in Chapter 14, I spent 30 minutes trying to find a climbable wall. The journal had a drawing of the exact route. I felt like an idiot. Check it after every major event.
• Not using grenades. Grenades are not rare. You find them constantly. But I held onto them because "I might waste it." Throw them at clusters of enemies behind cover. A well-placed grenade kills up to three enemies on Moderate. It's also the only way to break the shield enemies on higher difficulties. I avoided grenades my whole first run. On my second run, I learned to cook them (hold the throw button) and toss them at the big armored guys.
• Climbing too slowly. In climbing sections, you can climb faster by pressing X (or A) to jump up two handholds at once. The game shows this in the tutorial, but it's easy to forget. When you're being shot at during a chase, slow climbing is death. Mash that button. I failed a chase sequence because I climbed one handhold at a time like a turtle, got shot, and fell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I keep dying on the jeep chase in Chapter 17. What's the trick?

A: Stop trying to drive and shoot at the same time. You're terrible at multitasking (we all are). Let your AI partner drive while you focus on shooting. Press triangle to switch to passenger seat when prompted. Then aim for the tires of the following cars. Two shots per tire, four per car. You'll clear the chase in under two minutes.

Q: Is there any way to get the Chapter 5 treasure without burning the painting?

A: No. You have to set it on fire. The treasure is in the hidden compartment behind the painting. You'll get a unique trophy for it. There's no way to save the painting and get the treasure. I tried for an hour. Just burn it.

Q: What's the best weapon for the final boss fight?

A: The Barok .44 revolver from the arena area. The final boss is a multi-phase fight where you need to hit specific weak points. The revolver does 120 damage per shot to those points, which stuns him for longer than the rifle. Most guides say "use the rifle," but the rifle has a longer reload animation that leaves you open. Trust me on this one. I beat him on my first try with the revolver after dying three times with the rifle.

Q: How do I unlock the multiplayer cheats? They're grayed out.

A: You need to beat the game once to unlock "Bonus Mode." Then you can toggle cheats like infinite ammo and one-hit kills. But note: using cheats disables trophy progress for that playthrough.

Q: Is the climbing in Chapter 19 actually impossible or am I missing something?

A: You're probably missing a handhold behind the waterfall. Literally every player gets stuck here. There's a climbable section behind the water that's visually hidden. Move your camera up and to the left when you reach the ledge. It's not marked. I had to look up a walkthrough for this one.

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