Before you read this further, I must stress one thing above all else: Teamwork!. No matter how skilled you are (or think you are), there is nothing that you can do better solo, then with another team-mate (they are on your side after-all). I cannot tell you how many times that I have been in 6/8-1's only to get locked on by an enemy player. Then have my butt saved by a team-mate coming to my aid. Below, I will add a "pairings" list, where I will compare the list of possible combinations on the maps and the one's I have found that work the best (all data is taken from playing without a clan, only with random strangers).
At this point you are probably asking yourself why should you bother investing time to learn to fly when you already excel at ground Battle-Group combat?
The answer is simple, if you get even a basic level of skill, you can single handedly turn the tide of battle. In a jet, you are the fastest player on your team, capable of suppressing the enemy's advance and keeping them penned at base. If you master the art of flying a transport helicopter (any of them transport), you can assist your team in rapid troop-deployment, and base capture. If even one helicopter can escape the enemy with 2 or more people in it, you can easily re-take the map.
In order to decide what you want to fly, here is a list of the strengths and weaknesses of each aircraft (you can then skip down to the part of the guide if you want knowledge on how to fly that type only).
For the jets, W starts the engine, S kills it (when flying, as a beginner, it is a good idea to continually press w, or your engine will stop and you will lose altitude). Use A and D to turn sharper. Pull the mouse towards you to make you gain altitude, push it away to make you descend. Push it to the left while pulling back to form a barrel-roll to the left. Push to the right while pulling back towards you to barrel-roll to the right.
Jets:
Rafael.
This is the best aircraft for dog fighting. Armed with twin 50 caliber cannons, which have a total of 999 rounds, and 16 rockets (these replenish on the fly four times then you must land to reload), this jet is lethal to soft ground targets (Hummer, all types, and below), and aircraft. This jet is not made to go against people (it's cannons are horrible for this purpose). Line up your cross-hairs on a target, this only works on other aircraft, then hold shift and wait for a "good tone" box to form around the enemy jet (note this only works with jets). When this happens right click to fire the rockets.
In terms of dog-fighting, the Rafael can attain the same speed as all other jets. It has the second largest turn-radius of the jets (the F-15 turns sharper, and tighter, the A-10 turns slightly wider). It takes four rockets to destroy an enemy jet when on full health (every one out of two rockets will miss if fired rapidly).
In my flight time, I have noticed that very few people make use of the Twin 50 caliber cannons when dog-fighting. This is a novice mistake. Always shoot your cannons (press and hold the left mouse button to fire) when dog-fighting (or fighting anything for that matter). 25 rounds from these will destroy an enemy plane. There is no noticeable drop at any range with these guns, so do not worry about bullet-drop if you decide to open up at longer ranges.
This is a great starter aircraft for beginning flyers.
F-15.
This is a jack-of-all-trades aircraft. It is armed with 8 rockets (these replenish four times, left click to fire), and 16 bombs. This aircraft is a terrible mix of the A-10 and Rafael. It's bombs are of less power then the A-10's (which means that you must use one rocket on all soft targets before you drop a bomb on them). It lacks the ability to quickly take out other aircraft (this is due to the only ranged weapon it has are rockets). It does excel at taking out personal, however, and it's small bombs can be used to fit into places the A-10's cannot.
There is one thing the F-15 has going for it: It's agility. Anyone who has flown either the Rafael or the A-10 before will notice this the first time you barrel-role in one of these. It has the tightest turn radius of all the jets. This means that it is great at evading stingers (and other missiles fired at it).
I suggest holding off on flying one of these unless you have prior experience in another type of Jet.
A-10.
The A-10 is true to its modern counter-part. It excels as a close range ground supporting fighter. As with all jets, it has 999 rounds. It carries one gigantic cannon in the center, which is great for destroying any targets (from tanks to aircraft, to personal, this plane is a beast if handled correctly). The cannon alone makes it a great plane, yet it also comes with 10 gigantic bombs. These bombs are not heat-seeking, but they are capable of destroying any target if dropped close enough (it can one-hit kill a tank, or grounded A-10).
In a dog-fight, the A-10 suffers from a lack of any heat-seeking weapon. It also has the widest turn-radius of any of the aircraft (this can be used against pilots used to flying against different aircraft) That said, if you can master the art of firing in 5 round bursts, you should have no trouble in over-coming this handy-cap.
First off: This is mainly going to be flying for the MD500 but occasionally I will put some tips for the blackhawk and etc.
Ok here goes. To start off, the heli maps that are most used are cantumira, paragona and paragona east. If your reading this guide and then want to fly, I recommend going to battle group and playing paragona east because there are alot more helis to use for practice and people won't kick you for taking there heli, unless there just that selfish lol.
Once your next to a heli, or any vehicle for that matter, press F and you should be in the vehicle. To change views in your heli, because when you first get in the heli you should be in 3rd person, to switch to 1st person press V twice and you should be in 1st person along with the little circle crosshair. I also recommend setting your graphics to medium or high because while your in the air it helps to see things a little further and its already hard enough looking for little ants (people), don't make it harder with low graphics lol.
Little blackhawk tip: If your flying the blackhawk with other people as your gunners, I recommend staying in 3rd person view to see where your going and where the people are to help guide your gunners.
While your in the heli, it should begin to start up and in a few seconds press W to lift off, once your high enough, you can start using your mouse and your keyboard to begin flying. Don't jerk or move your mouse around alot unless your trying to dodge something or get out the way of an AA gun/vehicle.
Here are some of the mouse movements:
moving your mouse forward : nosediving or going down forward slightly
moving your mouse left and right: kinda obvious lol
moving your mouse back: to prevent a nosedive and to move back ofcourse
Pressing space on your keyboard also balances the heli and keeps it straight, helps in some situations but once your good enough you really don't need the use of it anyway.
Once you get the flying down and start crashing less, you need to start learning how to dodge stingers and other obstacles of your demise lol.
When a stinger or cal50 ( AA car) are about to shoot you, you will most likely get a little bleepy red notice in the middle of your screen saying. Stinger locked on! and the same with a cal50, AS soon as you dodge it, press T and there should be a green ping where the weapon was shot from, the same thing with the minigun and other weapons shooting at you. Most good players don't lock on with the stinger but if that's the case, if you hear or see a rocket fired at you just do the same and press T to see where it was fired from.
It takes about 2 stingers to destroy your heli, 3 panzers I believe and same with rpgs. So don't panic if you get hit once, because you have another quick chance to escape and repair your heli, so be quick on your feet, or wings I should say lol, and be prepared to dodge another rocket.
The barrette is a totally different topic, this gun can actually penetrate the heli's armor and give you damage instead of your heli, and it could even kill you if the sniper has good aim. When playing against a barrette sniper, you should be quick and shoot him down first because they have the most potential in killing you because a stinger you can dodge, but if a person has good aim, you probably can't dodge the shots that easily. It takes about 5-7 shots of the barrette without killing you, to destroy the heli, it takes about 1-3 shots if shooting at you directly to kill you without destroying the heli.
Repairing: Of course no one is perfect so you will occasionally have to repair your heli some time, I prefer repairing my heli every single time I get a little nitch or hit on it lol, just to be safe . When repairing your heli always, ALWAYS make sure where your healing at that your near your captured base and not near there's. Its kind of embarrassing while your repairing your heli, that someone else just randomly comes out of nowhere and takes it infront of you lol. To be safe aswell while your repairing you could repair once, press F to get in the heli, wait 1-2 seconds and get out to repair and repeat till its 100% healed.
A quick note on settings before we start: Set “world model” to “high” so you can see far, sensitivity should be at ¼ (pretty low) to start off, then adjust to your own style after a week or so of play. This will help you to make slower, more methodical moves which are good for starting off sniping techniques. Finally, if you are a beginner, graphics on low is a good idea because it will enable you to see things easier (people stand out more and puffs of bullet dust show more clearly). I usually play with a lot of fx on just because I like it but hey....
Part 1- Equipment
Rifles: The pro’s and cons of them all
The main reason for people creating topics is to discuss which sniper rifle is the best. Most of the time it is PSG vs AWM.
Choosing your rifle is entirely down to your own style of play. There are no rifles better than others (except the AWM which is the same as an M24 but more accurate, powerful, less bullet drop and higher velocity)
An easy way to just lay out the basic stats is like this (Yes, these ARE all true, we have tested them thoroughly):
POWER
PSG>AWM>SSG>M24
ACCURACCY
AWM>M24>SSG>PSG
MAGAZINE SIZE AND AMMO CARRIED ON THE PLAYER
SSG>AWM=M24=PSG
BULLET VELOCITY AND DROP
AWM>PSG>SSG>M24
Now the more complex stuff.
EASE OF USE (WHICH RIFLE TAKES LEAST EFFORT)
PSG>AWM=SSG>M24
MOST LIKELY TO MAKE YOU SPRAY
PSG>SSG>AWM>M24
But which rifle is best for you?
Pick A, B, C or D from this list, regarding your style of play:
A- I like to be able to kill things as soon as I see them and before they can get away, I like to be relatively close to my targets. I like to take them down with ease.
B- I like to sit at my own base, or near it, and shoot at anything that I can see, I like to have enough time to take them down even if it takes me a few shots. I would like my gun to be relatively powerful to achieve this.
C- I like to take my time and snipe from very long range, always aiming at the head even when the target is moving. I need a gun with a high velocity, accuracy and low bullet drop. Power would preferably be good for missed headshots but is not essential.
D- I take pride in a challenge, as long as my rifle is accurate and kills with a headshot, the other circumstances do not matter.
E-
Well, as if you hadn’t guessed, if you chose A you may want to consider buying the PSG. B=SSG, C=AWM. D=M24
The pros and cons of each weapon:
H&K PSG_1
This gun is very powerful, with not a huge amount of bullet drop. It can fire faster than the rest of the weapons, but is the least accurate of them, especially when taking advantage of the high ROF. The good thing about this gun is that the accuracy is good enough to take down targets most of the time, and if they are moving, the high damage should be enough to easily dispatch them.
The bad thing about this gun is that it is inaccurate, and the ROF can also be its Achilles heel. The inaccuracy makes it a poor choice for countersniping, so stick to anti- personnel. The high ROF and high damage will teach you two poor habits: to fire fast, and not necessarily aim for the head. This can lead to giving away your position, wasting ammunition, and making disappointing misses. It also means you may have to relocate often because of the amount of rounds you are using, coupled with the distinctive sound of your rifle.
Steyr SSG
This gun has good enough power and clip size to take down multiple enemies with ease. This is a godsend for the defensive sniper (those 5 extra bullets you carry can make all the difference). The gun is decently accurate, but with moderate bullet drop, it can be used for countersniping, but is not ideal.
The bad points about this rifle are that the high clip size, as with the PSG’s high ROF, may teach you to fire fast, using more ammo than is needed, and not aiming for the head. The consequences are similar to that of the PSG.
Accuracy International: Arctic Warfare Magnum
This rifle has very high power, and will take off 96% health with a shot to the chest or legs. This means if your prey has been shot anywhere with any weapon, once, they will be killed with a chest shot (even a glock or P90 round to the little toe) It has a massive velocity (bullet air travel time is low, meaning it gets to the target faster) and 100% accuracy when you do not take into account the very little bullet drop.
The bad points about this rifle are very minor. The damage may frustrate you when you shoot a player, and they go out of sight and bleed to death. It also makes a very large muzzle flash and a loud and distinctive noise, so you may want to fire less, and relocate more, which can be a hassle. This means that you will want to get headshots to avoid shooting too much, meaning you may waste a lot of time per shot.
M24
A very challenging rifle to use. It has poor damage, using 2 shots for upper torso, 3 for lower torso and legs and 4 for arms. The bullet drop is huge and the velocity is very low, so your bullet can take almost 1 second to reach its target at 300m, and will be 3m below it. However, the accuracy is amazing, second only to the AWM. The kills you get will be immensely satisfying, and it will teach you every good habit you need to know about patience, timing, bullet drop etc. IMO, the main reason it’s a starter rifle is to train you how to snipe properly.
You should now know which rifle you want. The above may also have helped you to identifying where your marksmanship needs help and why.
Sidearms
Always a dodgy subject. I will spend very little time on this section. The best sidearm to use when you first start playing is undoubtedly the MP5k. It is very easy to use and therefore lets you concentrate on sniping. However, as you progress a good player, you will soon grow out of it as you want a challenge and keep getting owned by players the same level as you who have more difficult sidearms to use, i.e. the Glock18c and the IMI Desert Eagle .44 so you may wish to use those if that is the case. The other sidearms are only for enthusiasts, the Colt1911 and the .357 Magnum are very showy, and if you are into that, fair enough. I think of the DB’s as the best sidearm. They have a good ROF and damage, the biggest clip, and respectable accuracy, and have saved my arse many a time.
Px Items
This depends. If you are playing CQC I suggest you keep flashbangs in 5th slot and flashmines in 6th. Flashbangs can be used to infiltrate bomb sites, chuck behind you as you escape to give you more time, and flashmines to protect either bomb sites or yourself. Also, as a side note, if you have AWM retail, get AUG 3rd slot.
In BG, I suggest smoke grenades 5th slot for obscuring yourself from vehicles (Throw it on them, not you....) And gaining air support or other team uses. And ADRENALINE 6th slot. I cannot begin to describe how much you will love me for this. It will avoid the unnecessary annoyance of bleeding to death from running down hills (ENGRENE!) and being shot. It saves you and your KDR and it’s very, very cheap. Get AWM 3rd slot if you have it in 8th, the extra 25 bullets means less trips for ammo, and the adrens means less trips for health. I can go whole games on Engrene without resupply.
Part 2- Battle Group/ Urban Operations Guide
1) THE most important rule in sniping is patience and observation. Always be patient. There is a difference between patience and indecision. Take enough time to acquire, assess and eliminate each target, but be decisive about when to fire so you do not miss opportunities. This is especially important for countersniping and moving targets (which we will come to later) If you are sniping another sniper, you should wait for him to find his spot and stop moving, this will make for an easier kill, and should take 1 bullet.
Again, this is THE most important rule *PATIENCE*
2) Finding your spot, using it, and relocating. Finding your spot is more difficult than you might imagine. You have several factors to take into account: What color are you? If you are wearing green NIU DPMs then it’s no use sniping from a sandy hill, for example. Another factor is your silhouette. If you sit right on top, or just behind the lip of a hill, your head sticks out like a big juicy dark lump against the sky, which countersnipers will love to blow away. Hiding somewhere where you have a backdrop is best then. The side of a cliff ledge, the foot of a hill where there is some shadow, a crease in the scenery where you are obscured from some sides while maintaining your field of view. The last factor is your positioning. You have to see who is winning at that point, where the bases are, how their troops are tending to move (observe their patterns). You need a spot that will overlook your killing area, which should have a good amount of traffic.
Therefore, the perfect spot is somewhere where you have a backdrop the same color as you, that is high enough to give you protection and keep you obscured from view, that is overlooking your killing area and that has avenues of escape. You should be in a position of complete control, somewhere that you can see everyone before they can see you.
Using your spot. Keep firing to a minimum, picking off the easiest targets safely, when they are not looking in your general direction (especially important against enemy snipers). Try to use only 1 shot per stationary target and a maximum of 3 per moving target. (2 is the acceptable consistent level, as we shall see later) Use the important idea of patience, while being decisive and sharp for details. Do not get lazy, keep alert.
Relocating. The first thing to remember is BEFORE you start shooting, look for where your next spot will be. Then, as you are sniping, you should think about factors determining when you should relocate. These are: amount of rounds you are putting downrange; 3 per minute is an ideal situation. It means you can stay in 1 spot for up to 5 minutes. If you are reaching one magazine per minute, you are cut down to 3 minutes per spot, and more than that means you are coming in contact with too many enemies, or are not taking onto account the previous mentioned tips. Another factor is that if you have been seen, or even think you have been seen, relocate. Instinct and gut feelings are to be trusted, they are usually true. Other factors can include: teammates giving away your position (relocate immediately), hearing or seeing rounds hit around you (relocate immediately), being close enough for your rifle’s report to be heard by the enemy (relocate immediately if they were a sniper, if not, go with your instinct on whether you were seen or not, remember, people can look around while they are dead and waiting to respawn). Be aware that your muzzle flashes give you away, so you are more easily found than you think. Relocating is not just moving somewhere else in a building (if that's where you are) It is moving to a completely different area, preferably with a view to where you just were for taking out people who thought you were still there. There is one tedious aspect about Finding, Using and Relocating spots; which is the frequency it needs to be done to keep a great K/D:R.
Part 4- CQC Sniping
There are 4 main ways to snipe in CQC. I am going to base this part around marine because it’s what most people play.
First way: Create a defensive position. Sit in a nice cosy spot with a good line of site, easy to defend, good cover, and maybe some flashmines. Good examples are the second hallway (not Marien hall, the far side) at the end, the top of NIU bombsite, inside middle bombsite, ruins, Derberan camp spot.
Second way: get a good position very fast but don’t bother defending it; kill the enemy sniper from here and move on to another spot to kill any other enemy snipers. Then settle as before to pick off the vulnerable combatants
Third way: Get running as far and fast as you can to outflank your enemy. Sit behind them in a nice spot before moving once they figure it out. CQC has not really got any large trends because the time period is so short. You will notice, however, that all of your enemies have patterns. Let’s face it, everyone has their own marine strategy, and will do it time and time again even if they die. Thats why you should alternate these strategies while observing that of other players. This will give you superiority.
Fourth way: This is used very often, in fact, this and the first option are the most widely used systems probably in the whole game. Snipe the snipers (you probably have a PSG) then run in with the MP5k which you invariably have and shoot combatants, if you run out of ammo, no scope with the PSG. Now.. anyone play for 3 marien games and NOT see that?
CQC sniping is largely learned and defined as a strategy by the individual, therefore I can only offer basic guidelines for it, without telling you my strategy, but that would be biased.
Part 4- CounterSniping
Now, the first thing we come back to in the final section is the first point: PATIENCE and OBSERVATION
You will always find that there is at least 1 dominant sniper per team, usually far better than the 2nd best. On your enemy’s team, this person is your counterpart and main enemy, so he is probably going to be good. There are 4 main phases to this, 2 parts and 2 counterparts.
Phase 1 (cat and cat) and counterpart
Finding him, while not being found. This is VERY difficult and requires huge patience. Some techniques are:
see where he can have spawned from. This is not too reliable but it gives you a general idea of where he will be if he dies.
You can watch people he kills, can you see the direction that the bullet has come from? Use your minimap to see where he gets a kill (where your teammates icons disappear)
You can look in unexpected places. Where would YOU be if you were on his team, using his rifle? And look there for muzzle flashes.
You can scout around in a vehicle.
The counterpart to this is not being found by him. Be subtle. Try to find him before you have many kills, so you don’t draw attention to yourself as a good sniper. Get to a nice spot and look for him, go through the process of relocating, but without firing. This will mean he cannot find you but you can find him.
If he has seen that you are a good sniper, beware. He can use all these techniques as well. Be inventive, it is very much a cat and cat game. There should not be a mouse in this scenario until one of you makes a mistake.
Phase 2 (cat and mouse) and counterpart
Now, he has made a mistake and has become the mouse. You must now track him. See what he does, where his favorite spots are, how often he relocates (if he relocates) how good a shot he is, how many bullets he fires per kill. Watch him for as long as you deem necessary. If you have found out enough about him, he will never countersnipe you, if you just top him the second you find him, you go back into cat and cat.
The counterparts to this are twofold. If he is the mouse, you must still make sure he does not escape your grasp, or you are back to cat and cat. You must make sure he does not see you, or one of you will be killed and you are back to cat and cat.
The other counterpart is that he is watching you. You may not know this, in which case he is just better than you and deserves to win. If you notice him watching you, be as elusive as possible and give him false patterns, then turn around and smack one between his eyes, or better yet, evade him so well that you are now following him.
The most important thing to remember about countersniping is that, he IS a good player. If he kills you, it is because he was better than you that time, this is productive because you can learn from mistakes you made. It could be because you got lazy, made an error. The best thing to do is say: ns to him. This will be appreciated, and you will feel good when he returns the favor. Playing well and respectfully is better than making an excuse for dying, it is also more productive for advancing your skills.
Obviously, in CQC this is different. You need to see which aforementioned CQC strategy the best enemy sniper uses, then take him out as early as possible. It is, in effect, a sped up version of BG and UO countersniping.
Part 5- Bullet Physics and How to Hit Moving Targets (lead)
This is a very important part of sniping. It is the main reason for people missing any target with their first shot, and I will address how to overcome these factors.
Bullet Travel Time: The amount of time your bullet is in the air. With higher velocity rifles (like the AWM and PSG) the bullet travel time will not be too noticeable until you are firing from extreme range. With lower velocity rifles (SSG and M24) this travel time will be noticeable immediately. With a clear view at long range, you can actually see your bullet flying, and the way it arcs.
Bullet Drop: The amount the bullet drops at distance. With the high velocity rifles, this is less than with the low velocity rifles.
Speed of Target: The faster a target is going, the further in front you need to aim, because they are traveling at a closer speed to your bullet and may overtake it when you get there. You also need to aim in front to compensate for your reaction time. If the target is moving at speed, you will need more time to react, but get less.
Distance of Target: The further away a moving target is, the more you need to aim in front. With any rifle, the distance means that you will have to enlarge your lead time by a factor of x1.5 i.e. If you are leading a running target at 200m with an AWM, you aim 3mm in front. The distance means you should times 3 by 1.5, and therefore aim 4.5mm in front of the target. The distance of a moving target means you have to allow for bullet drop, too. Aiming the distance above the target for that rifle, added to x1.5 of the lead, will get you a good headshot. AIM HIGHER THAN YOU THINK because it is difficult to calculate the drop if they are not running directly across your screen, parallel to the horizontal crosshair. Aiming higher than you think will hit them will usually clip the top of their head, aiming where you think usually results in a neck- shot.
Distance of Target in relation to Size of Target: The further away your target is, the smaller they appear, so adjusting for bullet drop at short range is easy; you put their head anywhere within the 2mm (or there about's) thick are of bullet drop. With range, you must be much more precise, which is difficult because smaller mouse movements will cause your crosshair to shift more of a percentage of the screen. A good trick is to use the 1x scope for lateral adjustment if you cannot get it right on the 2x scope, then zoom in to adjust for horizontal axis (bullet drop)
To help you, I will include a table to show the Bullet Travel Time and Bullet Drop of each rifle at distances of 100, 200 and 300m. All stats are for zoom x2.
I will not release any DIRECT info on how to use these figures. That is to work out for yourself. I will, however, teach some leading techniques.
1: Acquiring your target; upon seeing your target you should asses how much time you have to neutralize it. If you have a small amount of time, you will be using Reflex Lead. This is where you simply follow your target, overtake it, slow down and then shoot as he reaches the right point. This is usually the sniping used when your target is close and does not show itself for long, like on CQC
If you have a large amount of time, you should be using Constructed Lead. This is where you can calculate to a good degree any factors which affect where you aim. For this, you should use 3 points.
2: Killing your target; use the 3 points: pick- up point, kill- point, and hold point. If you have ever fired a shotgun you should be familiar with this. Your pick- up point is the point at which your target first enters your line of sight. You can create this by scoping in in front of him and waiting for him to enter the side of your scope. Then, you have your hold point. This is the point at which you should keep your crosshairs as he comes into the side of your scope view. When your target gets close to them, you begin to move in front of your target at the right calculated amount. Then, your kill- point is the point at which you choose to shoot. KEEP THE CROSSHAIR MOVING AS YOU FIRE, and keep it moving at the same rate, so if you do not kill on your first shot, you need not re- adjust too much.
Conclusion and key points
You must remember that all of the information here, especially in section 2, all tie together. I cannot stress enough the importance of PATIENCE and OBSERVATION.
Please comment and give me feedback if you read the guide. Tell me if it helped, how it helped etc. With your support I can make these guides increasingly better.
Location Tips:
Always stay as low to the ground/object as possible to raise evasiveness.
Never snipe in the wide open
Try to conceil yourself as much as possible
To get to a new spot (relocate), move extremely slowly while not letting anyone see where you're going
Try to camoflauge yourself as much as possible
Stick behind any object that doesn't attract the attention of enemies
If you are on a high mountain or elevated peak, make sure you are covered and blend in as much as possible
When going to or moving locations, always have your sidearm out for protection (unless you're 3rd slot is AUG)
Sniping Tips:
Always calculate all exceptions/factors before making a shot
For every sniper rifle excluding the M24, the rifle needs to settle for half a second after relocating
If you are spotted by an enemy sniper, relocate quickly, but careful, to a position in which you can return to sniping or countersnipe the sniper
Try your best (take your time) to get the infamous "1 Shot, 1 Kill"
After you've taken a shot (hit or miss), always try to prone or hide behind something to avoid being detected
If possible, hide the muzzle flash with an object or bush to avoid giving away your spot
Always lean around objects so that you can hide the majority of your body
Relocating Tips:
Always have an entrance and escape route in mind, just in case of any emergency
Relocate to another position if: -you've been found
-are being shot at and/or
-haven't seen an enemy in 3min
General Tips:
-Constantly check the Leaderboard for enemy snipers so you know how many snipers you're up against
-If you run out of ammo, use your secondary weapon and slowly proceed to the closest ammo refill box
-In my opinion, if you have a height advantage over an enemy, but a sniper is on another mountain/spot, take out the sniper first. He has the ability to see you while the foot soldier may not
-When using the M24, make sure you calculate distance+bullet drop before firing your round
-Always have a backdrop relatively similar to the color of your uniform (light with light, dark with dark)
-Just because you believe that a dark location is a good location, someone who may not have the "Shadow" effect may easily see you
The Uberest Tip
This is more of a guide than a tip...
How to perform the perfect prone shot. Now you may wonder WT_?! is that. Let me explain. The prone shot is a sniper's best friend. It's also the most effective method to avoid dieing while sniping/countersniping. What you need to do is always stay crouched when sniping. When you see a still enemy, you must put your crosshair over they're head. Quickly prone to avoid being seen. Now the hard part. You must have key timing and the proper aim. While you press "c" to crouch, you must fire. By the time the bullet is out of the muzzle, you will be crouched. This saves you precious time and helps to avoid being killed. You wouldn't believe how many people accuse me of hacking when I perform this. One of the greatest techniques for a sniper to master.
3) Defending yourself: If you are shot at: By a close quarters combatant- Get as many aimed shots as you can downrange while they are over 60m away. After they get to 60m, take cover. Try to anticipate the time it has taken for them to reach 40m away before throwing out your nades. Then, as they get within 30m, dive out of cover and across their screen. This will take them by surprise as they did not expect you to launch yourself that far. Open up with your secondary weapon and dispatch them. If you killed them, still relocate as they and possibly others on the team will know where you are. ) If an enemy combatant comes into mid range, the most important thing is DON'T PANIC! Your gun is far more accurate than theirs. They will most likely do 1 of 2 things: Prone/ take cover and shoot in which case they will not get enough accurate bursts to kill you before you snipe them.
: Charge and shoot. Their firing will be wild and inaccurate, take your time with the shot and dont fire frantically.
Of course, this is the optimal situation. Adjust where you're judgement lets you
: By another sniper- relocate immediately and cautiously, so they move on to another target, DO NOT shoot back as they have the advantage of having their sights on you already. You can take them out later. Alternatively, if you saw where their shot came from, take evasive action while shooting your secondary at them. This will suppress or make them hesitate for a moment, or make their shooting a little more frantic. Use your scope to see when they reload. They will most likely take cover, then crawl back out. Lie down and aim where they will pop out, then top them.
4) Sniping from unexpected places. Do not snipe from rooftops, towers, mountains (unless on Conturas or Engrene where there are so many mountains that you can’t check them all) too often as that is where people will be looking for you. You may want to snipe from behind their lines. Using the awareness skill taught in number 2, see how the battle is playing out and perhaps position yourself behind them, or parallel to them.
5) Use cunning to trick your opponents. Draw them into traps, use bait, use the patterns of your own team to see how the enemy will try to outflank them, then stay on the opposite flank and shoot them in the back. Your team are tools for you, but broken tools are no good, so help them out by being a spotter for aircraft and armor, and snipers that you cannot hit, but know where they are.
6) Be aware of your surroundings and how the battle is playing out. I have mentioned this before in less detail. If you are on the stronger team, go to their base to snipe, or where the traffic from their base will be using as an escape avenue. If it is evenly matched, go to a place with a good overview of where the most traffic (targets) is concentrated. (as in 2) If their team is stronger, then you have 2 options: stay in your base and find good spots or get out and find a spot where you can snipe at the highest proportion of enemy snipers (on engrene, get to the hill behind the tower at 10/11 base for example) The best way of doing these things is to find a secure place, press T, then TAB, then see where the enemies are, and what their patterns are. You can then set up your own avenue of escape, from which you can find a good spot to use as a miniature, personal counter- attack.
7) Be a ghost- when relocating, too many people take my advice literally and just GOGOGO. They can be seen easily and either killed in the open or killed once they settle. Relocate slowly and methodically, taking cover and watching through your scope for 20 seconds to see if it is clear. A relocation of 300m once took me 7 minutes.
8) TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP! If you hear something, look at you mini map, if nothing shows near you, it must be an enemy. You can hear vehicles, footsteps, firing, reloading, crawling, throwing of grenades and changing of weapons.
9) Observe patterns- Watch how the other team works and use it to your advantage. Again, tying in with number 6. You should watch how your team plays, how their team responds, how your team responds as well. Without there being any spoken teamwork, people instinctively and subconsciously work together. Defending or attacking key points, for example. If they have patterns, mess it up for them, see how they change, mess it up again. This again ties in with PATIENCE. This rule of PATIENCE is applied to every single aspect of sniping.
10) Try to take out their key players first, those who are inflicting the most casualties. It is important to spend extra time observing the patterns of these people, so you can increase enemy casualties while restricting your own.
11) Keep your eye on respawn spots, medic points, most used sniping spots, flags, and other key places that the other team attacks or defends.
12) Remember the importance of nades. They can be a lifeline. They can kill people as they advance toward you, or cause them to slow down, they can be used to throw behind yourself as you retreat, they can be used to persuade vehicle personnel out of their vehicles etc.
13) Bullet Drop. This is one thing I always get asked about. It is more complex than you might think. At 100m with an m24, the bullet drop will be just under the tip of the triangle, for 200, twice that distance, and for 300, three times etc. HOWEVER! You must also take into account the size of your target’s head at this range. Obviously it is smaller the further away it is, meaning you have to be more precise, but because mouse movements move the crosshairs further (appear to be more sensitive) at this range, precision becomes more difficult. You may make your own range markers if you wish (perhaps out of blue tack or a wipe- clean pen that won’t wreck your screen)
14) Sniper teams- If you want to be a sniper team it should consist of 2 or possibly 3 players, and you should be able to have vocal communication with them. The best combinations for this I believe are as follows: Sniper+ Heavy Trooper; you can take out people and vehicles while maintaining distance, the Heavy Trooper is also the 3rd most camouflaged class, with dark skin and little showing. Sniper+ Engineer; a great combo: short range battles are made easier with his SMG, and he may carry invaluable ammo boxes, plus, escaping is easy when you can fix a vehicle and get the hell out The 2nd most camouflaged player, with no skin showing. Sniper+ Sniper; stay on opposite sides of the map, being able to see 100m either side of each other at least. GREAT way to watch your backs. Sniper+ Combatant; can be good if the combatant is patient enough. Works well on UO, poorly on BG. This is great if the combatant has a belt- fed weapon, the massive firepower can mow down approaching troops or at least weaken them for you. Sniper+ Medic; You’d think this was good, and it is, provided the medic is TOTALLY out of site. Her blond hair, pale skin, and much skin showing will easily give you away if she is spotted. The obvious advantage being that she can heal you.
15) If you are hidden on a map with few good spots (like Alberon) and someone gets close but doesn’t see you, don’t kill them. It will give away your position unnecessarily. Wait till they get further away
16) Changing mags. This is a tricky procedure; the movement of doing it can give you away, and the fact that you are vulnerable is off-putting, but, staying in the open is better. You can still se what’s going on, whether anyone is looking for you to get out of view so they can position themselves for a shot. The very act of moving into cover while changing mag will give you away just as much as changing it, so on balance, it is better to stay still.
17) Re- Ammo-ing/ getting health while in the field: use the 3rd seats of covered trucks or a friendly base, or your enemy's main (I advise not killing anyone). Be very cautious, act like you would when relocating, a good player will see what you are doing then track you to your next position, killing you when you stop moving (especially if they have read this guide, because I mentioned that earlier)
18) Vehicle encounters: very tricky business. If you are not well hidden, run to somewhere below the vehicle, if they are on a steep hill or cliff face, run past them and down it, they will not be able to get you then. If you are well hidden, remain PERFECTLY still until they pass by, certainly don’t fire.
19) Good Target/ Bad Target: This is to do with keeping hidden, it is important from the point of view of getting kills and conserving ammo to not shoot any and every target, but also to not give away your position, for example, if you shoot a sniper looking in your general direction, he will undoubtedly now know where you are when you respawn. Likewise if you shoot someone too close to you or when no one else is near. These are examples of Bad Targets.
Examples of good targets are: far off enemies who are not snipers, anyone facing away from you at mid- long range, snipers shooting at someone else (even better if they are taking fire, they will assume they were killed by the person they were shooting)
It is for this reason that, if someone is close to you, you don't whip out the MP5k, Glock, Deagle etc. to kill them, but wait till they have become a good target. It takes patience and all of the above listed skills to be made truly effective however.
NB: Obviously this doesn’t apply in CQC because it is round based and you just kill anyone whenever you can. Unless, that is, you are trying not to give away a great position that you will want to use again.
