Recon for Dummies (Including me)

The Recon kit has only recently seen a rise in popularity because of the SL Recon Drone’s expanded utility when there’s a Recon guy in the squad. Up until this realization, Recon was the bastard child of BF2142 because the rest of the kits have greater visibility in their results when playing the game and when obsessively looking at the scores at the end of a round.

Recon isn’t just Recon though…unlike the majority of the other kits, Recon is divided into two distinct roles: Sniper and Infiltrator.

The Sniper:

Sniping is the polar opposite of an Infiltrator’s job. By taking on the role of Sniper for your squad, you’ll spend a lot of time looking through your scope and taking more of an observer’s view of the battlefield.

Important tips for a Sniper:

Spotting-
Since you’re far enough from the action to not be in any immediate jeopardy of death, you’ll be relied on to provide situational awareness to your squadmates. Spotting enemies, verbally advising your squaddies of both immediate and potential threats, and only after you’ve done this should you start popping the occasional helmet off of anyone too stupid to stay on the move. Spotting is the most important aspect of your role. In effect, you provide a higher volume of targeted, useful information to your squad leader than the CO does.

Shooting-
Patience is the key virtue for a sniper. The Zeller unlock is very powerful, but with only 3 rounds per clip, you are forced to conserve your shots to really make them count. Suppressive fire is NOT an option. Shoot only when you can connect with the target. Remember: A headshot kills with either weapon…the Zeller just packs a little more punch for body shots and can take out trooper-deployed assets.
When shooting enemies that are on the move, don’t try to anticipate which way they’ll dodge, because you’ll miss…period. Shooting a moving target should only be attempted if they’re moving in a straight line. Of course, they won’t do this if they know where you are.

Sniper’s Maxim:
The most effective way to kill someone with your rifle is if they don’t know you exist.

With the Zeller (only the Zeller…the default gun won’t do it) you have the added ability of taking out explosives. This goes for all varieties…both engineer and recon. One shot is all it takes to destroy it. There are times when this is useful, and times when it’s not worth going for.
Opening up a safe approach lane through motion mines for a friendly walker: Good.
Doing this when there are 5 motion mines (remember, you’ll have to reload to clear them all) and the Walker has no idea what you’re doing for them: Bad.
Use communication and your brain to figure out when shooting enemy explosives is worth it.

Unlocks-
Dedicating unlocks to Recon is almost counterproductive…and yes, this is a Recon fanboy saying this.
By the time you are able to unlock the Zeller, you’ll be tempted to use it just like the default sniper rifle. You can’t. Reload time is slower, and those extra two shots you get from the default gun will spoil you.
It is actually a much better idea to get that Zeller unlocked BEFORE you start your training as a Sniper specialist.
The Zeller will force you to learn patience, conservation, and accuracy. Once you’ve learned this, going back to the default rifle will give you the ability to perform your role as a dedicated sniper with much more effectiveness than you would otherwise.

Score vs. Contribution-
When you select the Sniper kit, know from the outset that your score in the end-of-round rankings will be low. Very low. It’s like what most veteran gamers have seen others do or have gone through themselves…at first, people play to win. If they aren’t on top and kicking ass (statistics-wise) they are upset and bitchy. Veteran gamers have grown up and look past this. They stop playing to get the high score and instead play to find a sense of accomplishment regardless of their score. This is even more true for a Sniper…the majority of what you do does not gain any points even though it is valuable to your squad.

The Infiltrator:

Agility, choosing your battles, and the inherent mindset to be sneaky are the main attributes that a good Infiltrator will have.

Shooting:
The carbine is a welcome addition to the Recon kit because it provides a further assault element to your squad. On the other hand, know from the onset that you’re bringing a peashooter to a cannon fight. The carbine does squat for damage…you’ll generally go through at least half a clip to kill a single enemy. It’s also not too accurate at range, but can do some good if you switch it to single-shot. For the most part, you’ll be able to get kills with this gun because you’re approaching your target when they have their back turned to you…more on this later.

Stealth:
Active Camo (AC) is your number one resource. It’s good for many scenarios…from sneaking up on a Walker to plant RDX, to hiding in plain sight. There are so many uses for it, it’s not worth going into details…use your sneaky mind and you’ll figure it out. Even if you’re being shot at when not using the camo, sometimes you’ll be able to live through it by toggling to AC, switching it on, and ducking around a bit of cover. From then on, they’ll see you as a diamond in their HUD, but might not figure out how close you are. It doesn’t always work, but it will help reduce your death count by a small margin.

Stamina:
Having both sprint unlocks is an absolute MUST. In addition, using the light armor will get you a bit more sprinting power. With these unlocks, your stamina will usually recharge before your AC does. Always make sure you don’t get caught out in the open because you ran out of “juice.” If you see a good piece of cover to stop and rest up, do it.
Remember that jumping takes a huge chunk out of your stamina bar. Don’t jump over an obstacle if there’s a way that just a few strides will get you around. It’s much more economical to run around something than to jump over it.

Smart choices:
Infiltrators have the short end of the stick in many areas: Less armor, less stopping power with their weapon, and less chance of survival when doing their jobs. With this in mind, make sure that every move you make is for maximum effect.

Scenario A-
Not-so-smart choice: Using your RDX to blow up the EMP resource, and then trying to move on to whichever one is closest to repeat the demolition.

Smart choice: Using your RDX to take out the UAV and SatScan resources not only first, but simultaneously. If the CO can’t see you running around his turf, he can’t spot you for other enemies. If you delay detonation until you have planted on two separate resources, he won’t have a clue you’re there until it’s too late.

Scenario B-
Not-so-smart choice: Sneaking up behind the enemy front lines, just to unload your carbine and (possibly) kill one enemy before the rest turn around and riddle you with bullets.

Smart choice: Plant some RDX in their likely approach to you, use your ‘nades to target the most densely packed troops, and then fire off some rounds to get their attention and retreat as they come after you. If you thought it through correctly, they’ll run right into your RDX and you’ll take out a few more as you displace (aka run like hell).


Common Kit Loadouts:
Sniper: Rifle, APM & Scope
Infiltrator: Carbine, RDX & Active Camo

Titan Defense duty: Rifle, RDX & APM
Titan Assault duty: Carbine, RDX & Active Camo

Final Thoughts:
It takes a special breed to pull off a Recon kit and make it look easy. I’m not even close yet. Half of what I talk about here I know is the right way to do it, but in-game sometimes suffer from “FPS ADD” and get carried away. As certain pirate once said, this guide “is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.”

Happy Hunting,

Proph