LordKelvin

Because I have seen a couple of inquiries into the art of sniping recently in the general discussion forum, I decided to draw up my own knowledge in a cohesive format. It encompasses both theory and practice, and builds upon previous material (see NOTE below).

NOTE: The following is intended to be a supplement to the Recon guide posted earlier by more experienced players than I, and is merely a collection of tips, tricks, and advice garnered from personal experience.


LordKelvin’s Sniping Handbook

Part I: The Basics

Ok. So you want to become a sniper? First, you’re going to need the basic sniper rifle of your choice, APM’s and the 4x zoom. Ok, now pick a spawn point that’s not on the front line, and spawn there. You don’t want to spawn into the middle of a firefight. Take your time getting into position, etc. Here are the steps in detail:

1. Always check your kit before you spawn. Then pick a spawn point away from the heaviest fighting, and spawn in.

2. Take a moment to zoom in all the way, or almost all the way, in your scope. Later, it will save you a precious second, and mean the difference between getting the shot, or being rocket-whored.

3. Move up carefully, keeping an eye out for any stragglers from the enemy team. If you do spot any, be sure to keep out of their sight. If you’re too far away, or not certain enough of your aim, just commo-rose spot them, and hopefully someone else is around to notice. If you are within 100m, wait until they stop to recharge their sprint, or move into an open area, then let ‘em have it.

4.Look for a spot near the fighting, but somewhere where few people will expect you to be. Make sure you have a wide view range… you will need to be aware of many things at once. High ground is good for this, but avoid traditional places like rooftops. They are deathtraps. Once you have found it, set up camp. Use those APMs: set them on likely routes to your spot… but HIDE them. Nothing gives away a sniper’s position better than blatantly obvious APMs. If an APM goes off… Move.

5. Scan the area, un-scoped. Note where there are targets. Now, scope, and begin taking out the enemy forces, starting with the closest, most stationary targets first. If your aim is bad, practice aiming at the shoulders. Often, you will still get a headshot. Take shots you are certain of, and do not fire on moving targets unless absolutely necessary… because you WILL miss 95% of the time. Do not engage targets closer than 35m, as you are guaranteed to be owned by his buddies. Always unscope after each shot, and take a quick look around. What has changed? Look around yourself after every clip, as well. Make sure no one is sneaking up on you.

6. If you are discovered, take a shot at the person who spotted you. Stay calm, and aim quickly but fluidly. Fire. Then unscope, go prone for a second, and then RUN, regardless of whether you killed them or not. Run until you are sure you have not been pursued. Then go somewhere else, where they are not expecting you. Never go back to the same spot in a round if someone has discovered you there more than once.

7. The rest comes with practice. Patience is a virtue.


Part II: Maxims of the Sniper

A good sniper follows the following maxims:

The Triple-A Method (AAA): Assess, Anticipate, Aim

ASSESS the situation. How many enemy contacts are there? How likely are you to be spotted? Do you have friendly forces to serve as a distraction? Do you have cover nearby to dash to? What resources do you have at your disposal?

ANTICIPATE the enemy. Where will he move? What is his objective? Is he by himself, or does he have buddies that will revive him and rocket you? Is the enemy likely to move in a straight line? Will he run for the flag?

AIM for the easiest shot. If the enemy is moving too fast, use body shots. Headshot those who are standing still, or moving in a predictable fashion. Use fluid, calm motions. Use the stabilizer for pinpoint accuracy at long range.

The Five L’s of Survival (LLLL): Look, Listen, Learn, Lead, Leave

LOOK for traps, for approaching enemies, for muzzle flashes, for enemy armor, for enemy snipers, for potential hiding spots, for effective cover. Break the habit of living in your scope. The sniper should be the most situation-aware soldier on the battlefield, other than his commander and his squad leader. Take out potential threats before they become threats, to either you or your squad.

LISTEN for audio clues. Unless you are in a heavy firefight, you can tell the general direction of incoming fire. Listen for the warning wail of an incoming orbital strike. Listen for the sound of running footsteps. Listen for the sound of a hissing grenade. Listen for the electrical static sound of someone activating or deactivating active camouflage. Listen for the sound of a cracking sniper rifle. Listen for the sound of a knife being drawn, and the sound of a missed knife swipe chinking off your armor or the wall. Set your audio as high as is reasonable to hear all of this.

LEARN the usual spots enemy snipers like to lurk in. Avoid them at all costs. Take them out when they aren’t looking. Learn to evaluate cover. Learn to distinguish one type of enemy soldier from another. Learn to use APM’s to cover your positions in a hidden manner. Learn to use RDX to eliminate large groups of foes, to defend a flag, to take out armor that the engineers can’t deal with. Learn how, and when to use, active camo.

LEAD your shots on moving targets, whether its lateral, vertical, or angled movement. Compensate for bullet drop past 100-150m. Lead entrance into confined spaces with a grenade. When running from one place to another in close quarters, pull out your pistol. Lead your squad by spotting enemy contacts that they can’t see but you can.

LEAVE the assaults on flags to… assault. Leave a perch if you’ve been spotted, or are likely to be spotted soon. Leave distant targets alone. Prioritize your targets. Leave APM’s out as an advanced warning system. Leave RDX on hidden points around key flags to defend them effectively. Leave your kit behind if you run out of ammo. Leave rooftops and exposed places as quickly as possible. Stay on the ground. Leave the heavy fighting to others. You are a sniper.



Part III: Advanced Tactics

For those of you that already have some experience, here are just a few tips, from my own experience and from seeing them in action.

1. Constant movement is very annoying to the enemy. It prevents detection, and even if detected, makes you a difficult target. Try to avoid staying prone for extended periods of time. Zoom, stop, aim, shoot, zoom out, move. If you are caught in the open, zoom, aim, fire, go prone, zoom out, get up, and RUN for cover, regardless of whether your shot connected or not.

2. When facing an enemy sniper, use your cover well. Pop up unexpectedly, at random intervals. After firing, duck behind cover again as fast as possible. Make sure a return shot won’t hit you before you move on. Appear to move spastically, it throws off their aim.

3. Always, always switch to the pistol in close quarter environments, and while running around. Learn to use it well, and aim for the head. It will save your life often.

4. The knife should be your best friend. If you are keeping as situation-aware as you should, you can surprise a vast amount of people, while conserving your ammo (especially important when using the Zeller). If you run out of pistol ammo, rush with a knife thrust.

5. While the knife is a useful tool, NEVER run around with it in hand, unless you have a valid target. The time it takes you to switch to another weapon will spell your doom.

6. Voss L-AR users are your mortal enemy. No amount of dodging will save you from that punishing stream of 40 bullets. Avoid getting close to people using it… period.

7. Rockets are also your mortal enemy. With rockets, like most other guns, distance is your greatest ally. Always dodge rockets laterally, never by moving backwards. Focus, and snipe the guy between the eyes, as he will most likely be scoped and standing still. Then get the hell out of the blast radius. Better yet, dodge all three or four, THEN snipe while he is reloading. Never go prone behind cover when facing rockets: a skilled rocket user will blow you to hell and back before you can say: “OMG I’m an idiot.”

8. Do not be ashamed of using the Gruber stabilizer. It is extremely helpful for getting tricky shots. Bring APM’s on a mostly infantry map, RDX on a mostly armor map.

9. If there is a group of enemies that you can’t approach, but need to eliminate, always identify the medic(s) and eliminate them first. If you have any sort of backup (which you SHOULD) it will make your life and their life easier, as you mow the rest down, and thankfully, they will STAY dead.

10. It is not easy to be a good sniper, let alone an advanced assault marksman that closely supports his squad. PRACTICE, as always, is the best teacher.


Thank you for reading through my guide, and hope this helps you fulfill your sniping dreams… or at least makes you a bit more effective.

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daithi1

As far as I'm concerned this guide will not work in a tactically based squad.

I don't play recon but I know what I like as an SL. The main role of a sniper in a squad is for spotting and not for killing. You must have advanced netbat to play Recon as they get spots on the map rather than diamonds. I can't see a use for the camo or Gruber. The Camo is used for sneaking behind enemy lines and as an SM you should never be doing that. The argument for using it to get to new cover is there but is negligible. As for the Gruber it is a waste of space. Either learn the rate of sway, take shots immediately after or both. Decoy has questionable use depending on situation. I'd say most of the time you should have RDX and APMs and both should be at all times on a flag, well I suppose dropping it from onto unsuspecting heads from roofs is also a good idea. Talk lots, spot me lots of contacts and I mightn't make you go assault . So keep moving take 2-3 shots while spotting, move and repeat. In my opinion a key thing here is spot more, shoot less and stay within the reach of a medic.

Again I am virtually sure that someone will start trying to eat my face off for something I mentioned here.

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Mech__Warrior

I use the recon kit frequently, mainly the spec ops tree. I cloak and run for my life! Guarding a flag as a sniper and demoing it up reaps many rewards and kills too.

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LordKelvin

Except for our disagreements about the Gruber and the active camo, I don't really see any conflict there. The first part of the guide is for newcomers to sniping... people who need to stay still to hit their targets. Parts 2 and 3 are for those who know how to use the rifle well. I have practiced as a designated marksman, and trust me, the spotting is in no shortage. It's just that this guide was meant to be tips on actual sniping, not the role of the sniper per se.

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Anospa

For dodging rockets, its actually best to run either towards or away from whoever is shooting them, as they're going to be exploding at a certain distance, so displacing yourself laterally will only help if they don't adjust their aim/you're able to get out of the splash radius.

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LordKelvin

Well, I mean, I was assuming you have some space to move around. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe moving toward them is the best.

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Bomber

um...it depends the range and situation really, but any good rocketeer will adjust for enemy movement no matter where they go

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|TG-55| Infantry Division

LordKelvin

The idea is to snipe them before they get a chance to adjust their aim.

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pred011586

Whenever I'm sniping, I always try to snipe with a wall next to me to duck behind. If I see rockets coming my way, I immediately sprint to the other side of the wall (if it exists) and try to get a shot off before the target can get another rocket volley off. Most rocekters launch a full 3-4 rocket clip on a target. Mostly because it takes 2-3 to actually kill, and they travel relatively slowly so you can't wait to see if the first connects.

As a smart sniper, you have to keep in mind that if you survive the first volley, and you know where your target is shooting from, move far enough away so that he has to readjust his aim and try to get a shot off.


On another note, integrating a sniper into a TG squad is not as difficult as it may seem. I remember once I was in sc1ence's squad in OS about a month ago, I think, and he asked for a single sniper, I took the role and tried to play the role in a way that fit the TG style. It ended up working really well. We were stationed at Columns and I took it upon myself to keep tabs on both Refugee Camp and Trenches. Sniping towards EU would've been suicide so I used the scope of the rifle to check for people getting past. Since our commander wasn't on the ball, I was able to spot multiple threats and the squad was able to move in to stop the rush before the flag flipped to EU. Along with planting APMs near the flag we were able to protect all 3 flags extremely well for a single squad.


The key to sniping in a TG environment isn't to go for that glory shot. You need to be patient with your shots. If you see the enemy take a knee to shoot at your squad, take a knee and zoom in and go for the head, then start moving back with your squad immediately.


The final, and most important, key sniping, is to know when you shouldn't snipe. In very tight, or very hectic maps, sniping is a terrible idea. I see too many people taking up the sniper kit in situations that simply aren't fit for it. Learn when you can snipe AND be beneficial to your team, and then you'll be well on your way to mastering the sniper kit.

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[T-BAGZ]Pred011586

ThePromQueen

With light armour, how often do you really have to recharge sprint? Maybe if you are playing Titan? What map really requires a full bar of sprint, even with jumping, between covered positions? You had better find a way to shoot them while they are sprinting.

But don't ever forget that if you can see them, they can see you. I find it is usually a lot safer to set your sights on one area and be patient, rather than try to cover the entire battlefield.

Your graphics settings can change what appears zoomed or not. Most people will get a more accurate picture at their widest zoom rather than un-scoped.

I would caution against holding fire on moving targets. Even a semi-intelligent target is going to move between cover. If you are waiting for him to stop, you aren't going to see where he stops.

I think by very definition you have just contradicted "Sniper". How can you be concealed if you are moving around like your Preparation H just wore off? I agree that you should not sit in the same spot all day, but the idea is to never be seen, not try and dodge bullets.

NetBat? Untill your NetBat "Diamond" wears off, you might as well be going up against a Farsight. Your diamond will even give your attacker a millisecond warning that you are standing up from prone. You would be wise to just hunker down until that nasty thing wears off (5-10 seconds, I think) and then move away and try him from another angle. That is, unless you are just a better shot and you can pop his head before he can reload from his crappy hip-shot.

Don't trust the buggy mechanics of the knife. ALWAYS take the shot and keep your knife safely fastened inside your stalking garter. That baby only comes out for silly or desperate times.

I completely disagree. A good rocketeer will alter the air-burst distance and side-to-side aim of his rockets. Either way, you are in trouble. But moving forward or back effectively puts you out of range of ALL rockets in just a second, and moving side to side puts you out of range of just ONE rocket but still in his sights.

The Gruber is a crutch, and not a very good one. It takes a fraction of a second to function, and it only lasts for a second or two. I believe the learning curve for the regular rifle sway and the Gruber are almost identical. I would suggest that if you are going to have to learn one or the other, you should learn the one that frees up an inventory slot.

Identifying a medic in a group of targets will cost you valuable seconds. Instead, find the one with the Otus and drop a can of ass-whip on his head. Now you have one kill and 5 more lining up to revive him. You can also go for the easy re-kill by tagging him repeatedly after revives.

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LordKelvin

I just got pwned....

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Thesleeper01

No, you just got educated. No harm or shame being told something you did not know.

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ionpig-A

You should meet the guys Prom learned from....


That said, given your interest in the recon kit I suggest searching this and the other 2142 forums for some of the accumulated wisdom of our more storied and experienced snipers. I know I've seen numbers breakdowns for damage and reload times, rdx and apm splash dmg radius, etc.

Here are a few posts you may enjoy or learn from:

http://www.tacticalgamer.com/battlef...per-squad.html
http://www.tacticalgamer.com/battlef...your-team.html
http://www.tacticalgamer.com/battlef...vs-sniper.html
http://www.tacticalgamer.com/battlef...nce-recon.html

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Memor Depopulor Pro Vos Exuro

LordKelvin

Ok, I'm going to revise this guide at some point, after testing some of Prom's points. Not now though... here in NJ, it's past midnight >.<

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