Battlefield 3 parachute use and minimum height

Credit: EA/DICE

If you’ve ever found yourself splattered on the ground after a fall, you’ll be glad you read this.

First off, the parachute uses the same key or button as Jump by default. This means you’ll use the following:

PC: Spacebar key
Xbox 360: “A” button
PS3: “X” button

If you’re jumping out of an aircraft or off the cliff at Damavand Peak, you have plenty of time to get your chute out, so I’m going to focus on parachuting from lower heights. Low-altitude ‘chuting can help you take shortcuts on maps or provide an escape route.

The most important thing to note with the parachute is that there is a delay before you can use it. If you jump off a 15 foot ledge, you won’t be able to use the parachute, so you’re going to take some fall damage.

The parachute becomes available at a height of around 25 feet/8 meters.

Now, the key is, there’s a moment when you’re falling that the parachute suddenly can be deployed. The goal is to get the parachute deployed the instant it’s available.

Make this a habit: when you want to use the parachute, mash the button repeatedly as fast as you can.

By doing so, you can jump off any building or ledge above the minimum height and take no damage. If you’re unsure about the height, just make sure you have plenty of health if you’re going to jump. Falls below the minimum height will do 20 or more damage.

For a visual of the height you can use the parachute at, look at the screenshot below. The rock is about as tall as the roof of a 2-story building. After leaping from this rock, the parachute deployed a couple feet from the ground and prevented all fall damage.

Credit: EA/DICE