Rotation starts as early as the Jumpmaster. My approach is the following (Note: am prior Master but others will play differently/more aggressively):
Jumpmaster: Pick spot that is uncontested or max 1 team on edge of map. Don’t exit the dropship early
Awareness: Look where other teams land to know which teams are likely to third party/move to challenge your location. Know where multiple teams land nearby for possible third parties.
EARLY GAME (more than 15 squads left): Loot quickly and end the fight if you landed with another team. Look for an easy third party NEARBY if you landed near a contested drop and hear fighting. If not, loot up, scan beacon, and craft.
Don’t be afraid to disengage if any of the above goes awry.
MID GAME (less than 15 teams left): hopefully you’ve scanned a beacon and know where to rotate to. Move quickly and along the edge of the map. Avoid fights at all cost to preserve ammo and heals. Avoid heavy fighting areas and choke points (these will be map specific and every map has them - study the maps and there are guides for each).
LATE MID GAME (more than 8 squads) - keep rotating through beacons, valk ult, etc. Take buildings and HOLD. DEFEND. Caustic is useful for this. Don’t fully engage unless it’s a quick wipe and guaranteed reset.
LATE GAME (less than 8 squads): You should ideally be sitting in a building or defensible position early in Zone 3. Opportunistically peek teams from your defensible spot with late rotations for some long distance KP. Once Zone 4 starts moving teams will die very very quickly, keep holding and defending. DONT PUSH.
FINAL FIGHT: in an ideal scenario, you’ve held until top 3 teams. To get a win, they have to fight first and you engage to third party. Patience, cover, and positioning is key. Also luck.