Yes, this is another guide, I thought it would be helpful if I write it. There has been another Sniper guide somewhere but it's been lost in the sands of time.
I am a fairly decent Sniper, the rifle is my favourite weapon, and the Sniper kit used to be my favourite kit. I also have been playing Sniper since early BF1942 - demo days. Even though the type of Sniping differs in BF2, it was when leading a target was first introduced, and I gave become somewhat of an expert regarding hitting moving targets. This initial post will probably change a bit with the new patch, as deploying and retrieving Claymores will be added, along with Sniper rifle modifications.
Introduction to Sniping.
A Sniper's role is much more important than people would have you believe. You can be a physical and psycological weapon against your enemy's entire army. You help your team take out veichles by spotting them, you are the sharpest one in the team who knows when someone is doing a flanking manouver and have the tools to stop the enemy doing it. You are normally the first one to confront the enemy, (even if from far away.)
You pin down the enemy at a point. No-one wants to be out in the open when a good Sniper has their sights trained on them. This lets your teammates storm a point with minimal loss of friendly life. You also help your teammates by denying the enemy team strategic objects, (for example, shooting a commander.)
This of course all depends if you do your job properly. This guide will try and help you on the way to becoming a great Sniper.
Being a Sniper
This will be brief, as everyone is fairly aware of this. You need to be unseen, in a place that is safe. This may mean you'll have to move slowly but don't get impatient.
I'm actually not going to suggest to you that you don't find a spot on top of a building or crane. These can be very good Sniping spots. On a crane, people may know you're there, but it is very hard to fire most primary weapons to successfully hit a Sniper on a crane. If you choose to be on a building or crane, I do suggest you relocate after every shot. This may mean that you simply take cover for a while so no-one can see you, or just moving to the other side of the roof is sufficient.
However, the best pace is on the side of a hill, preferably near some bushes. If playing BF2, your ghile suit will merge you with the bush. If playing SF, the bush will be your suit.
Remember, if someone starts shooting at you, you must move to another place. He may have found you this time, but he hasn't killed you, and you are free to relocate, hide and shoot the offender. Make sure he dosn't follow you - seek cover.
The Rifle
This is your tool of destruction. It may not seem like much compared to your friends who routinely fire of 30 bullets in under ten seconds, but it is far more deadly. The biggest tip I can give you is to stay calm. If you see an enemy soldier, don't try to immediatly fire off a shot at them. Take your time, aim slowly, actually ask yourself, "Is this shot going to kill this guy?" If the answer is yes, fire. If no, wait until the answer is yes.
Targets won't always stay still, so you will have to know how to lead a target. There is no sure way of getting a hit everytime, and is really something you learn with experiance. My suggestion is that beginner snipers should aim for the torso, while more experianced Sniper's can try at a moving headshot. Practise is really the only thing that can make you effective at getting these shots. A good way to practise is to catch people climbing ladders. You can judge your distance and try hitting them. Mostly they'll keep climbing and be great targets the whole time. Also if you miss they won't do zig-zags or anything to avoid your later shots like most infantry on foot do.
Pick your rifle well. The core rifles have a different purpose to the M95. The normal rifles are for hitting moving infantry at mid range. Missing is expected here, especially with the semi-automatic rifles. They make little noise when fired, so it does not give away your position if you miss, and offers fast re-loading.
The M95 on the other hand has a whole different role. It is for hitting stationary targets at huge distances. You can us it effectivly as a M24-type rifle, but keep it's principal role in mind. This is why the crosshairs are so thick. It is not made to follow targets along a horizon, the center is what matters. Use your judgement to determine what kind of shooting you want to do and chose your rifle accordingly. Maps with wide open spaces are best for M95 sniping, not city maps. For example, in Sharqui Peninsular, you'll probably want to use the M24 or MEC SVD.
There is admittedly more use for the core rifles and mid-range Sniping, (which is longer than normal mid-range firing,) than the M95's long-range Sniping, so the crosshairs will be changed in the new patch, and it will be more fitted to be an M24-type rifle with armoured glass piercing abilities.
Bullet Drop
I'm going to cover bullet drop. Yes, it does exist, but it has very little effect. The programmers made it similarly to the way they make Grenade Launchers. A small projectile is thrown out your gun, and the programmers simply use different numbers to determine how much power it has in it's paraboliac arch. Bullets are made to have very very little movement, while the Grenades in Grenade Launchers are made to have a lot.
This said, bullet drop will effect you very little. You may feel you have someone in your sights and shooting but they arn't going down. This is because of an error on the programmers part. It's not bullet drop, it's the randomly detemined direction the bullet goes in. This is fine for the normal weapons and true to life, but a Sniper rifle is engineered to only be effected by bullet drop and target movement, (and wind, air temperature and air pressure but we're very thankful that they didn't include those complications in the game.) This is an error that will possibly be fixed in the upcoming patch.
Bullet drop should only effect you if you are aiming at a target that is more than 200 meters away, and even then, very little. For example on the M95's scope, you will see some lines and numbers below the center point. This helps you adjust your shooting for very far away targets.
The Pistol
The pistol has two purposes for the Sniper, (you may be able to find more,)
- Personal Defence
- Taking out wounded soldiers. (mostly for M24 and M95 users only.)
The Sniper rifle will not defend you, it is an attacking weapon. You are expected to never be under serious attack, but it does happen. If you know someone is after you, hide and take out your pistol. If you see them first you will have a good chance of survival, and if they don't see you at all, your silencer will make sure they don't find you.
The secondary purpose is useful especially if you don't get that one-hit kill. If you hit them but have to reload or arn't bothered to chamber another round, it is a good idea to take out a pistol, fire a few pot-shots at your target to deliver the kill. One pistol hit will do the job.
Don't use the pistol to attack points. It is more useful than a bolt-action rifle, but normaly will be completely out gunned by soldiers with automatic weapons. In fact, as a Sniper, I suggest you don't try to capture points at all unless your team is in dire straits.
Claymores
Thankfully in the new patch, Claymores will be able to be removed by the Sniper that placed them. this is a huge help, especially since the Claymore has a bad habit of killing team mates.
When planting a Claymore, consider where you're doing it. If you are in the middle of a friendly occupied area and want to protect yourself from enemies climbing ladders etc. I suggest you don't plant a Claymore at all. Your team should be able to protect you sufficiently. If you are close to enemy occupied points, or a point that is being attacked, a Claymore is a good idea to protect your backside while your attention is focused in other directions.
My suggestion is that you use Claymores for your protection only. Don't plant them in enemy throughfares, because chances are a team mate will want to run down there to confront the enemy before an enemy actually comes out. If though you are using it to protect your flank, chances are that the only person coming up to your far away Snipers position is someone who wants to harm you. Where ever you place Claymores, tell your team in writing or VOIP. Some of them may not pay attention but the one who does is probably the same one who was about to blindly climb your mined ladder.
Claymores can take out small transports, especially those USMC buggys. If you know an enemy buggy is coming your way don't hesitate to plant one at the side of the road where you know the enemy will be shortly. Of course this is not fool proof. The enemy may take a different route, or a stupid team mate might get to the Claymore first. Thankfully after the new patch you can wait close by and if it won't work or if a team mate is eager to set the mine of first you will be able to remove it. When effective it can be devistating. Most drivers don't look to the side of the road for mine threats. They can avoid AT mines, but it's much harder to avoid Claymores.
Grenades
This seems like a contradiction to the role of a Sniper. They're noisy and are an attacking weapon. As a Sniper though you can use it as a defending weapon effectivly too. If you are stationed near a point, and you see an enemy running to take it, you can try shooting them, or you can wait until they are at the point and then lob a grenade at them, (if in throwing range.) A lot of the point-takers will go prone behind something so you can't see them, but the area they are prone in can be a good net to catch a grenade and make sure it kills the hiding enemy. For example, the hill point on Sharqui is a good grenade net. If you throw a grenade at the wall it will bounce back and be caught by the sandbags, where the enemy is hiding behind. Since the offender is prone, he won't be able to see you anyway, so you can afford to give away your position by throwing a grenade.
In Closing
Of course this guide does not determine a good Sniper. The Battlefield changes so often that alterations will need to be made by the Sniper to deal with the different scenarios that come your way.
If you are not a good Sniper, keep persisting. It is the hardest skill in the game, (to be good at it is at least,) but can be the most rewarding. If you shoot a moving target in the head from a large distance, that is skill.
No one has ever complained that a Sniper is a 'n00b', because precision placing a bullet where you want it to be is a skill. There have been complaints that a Sniper is a cheater, because good ones can perform feats so amazing that no-one can believe it. Remember - There is no aim-bot in BF2.
Phew.
Play Loud,
-Tyferra
I am a fairly decent Sniper, the rifle is my favourite weapon, and the Sniper kit used to be my favourite kit. I also have been playing Sniper since early BF1942 - demo days. Even though the type of Sniping differs in BF2, it was when leading a target was first introduced, and I gave become somewhat of an expert regarding hitting moving targets. This initial post will probably change a bit with the new patch, as deploying and retrieving Claymores will be added, along with Sniper rifle modifications.
Introduction to Sniping.
A Sniper's role is much more important than people would have you believe. You can be a physical and psycological weapon against your enemy's entire army. You help your team take out veichles by spotting them, you are the sharpest one in the team who knows when someone is doing a flanking manouver and have the tools to stop the enemy doing it. You are normally the first one to confront the enemy, (even if from far away.)
You pin down the enemy at a point. No-one wants to be out in the open when a good Sniper has their sights trained on them. This lets your teammates storm a point with minimal loss of friendly life. You also help your teammates by denying the enemy team strategic objects, (for example, shooting a commander.)
This of course all depends if you do your job properly. This guide will try and help you on the way to becoming a great Sniper.
Being a Sniper
This will be brief, as everyone is fairly aware of this. You need to be unseen, in a place that is safe. This may mean you'll have to move slowly but don't get impatient.
I'm actually not going to suggest to you that you don't find a spot on top of a building or crane. These can be very good Sniping spots. On a crane, people may know you're there, but it is very hard to fire most primary weapons to successfully hit a Sniper on a crane. If you choose to be on a building or crane, I do suggest you relocate after every shot. This may mean that you simply take cover for a while so no-one can see you, or just moving to the other side of the roof is sufficient.
However, the best pace is on the side of a hill, preferably near some bushes. If playing BF2, your ghile suit will merge you with the bush. If playing SF, the bush will be your suit.
Remember, if someone starts shooting at you, you must move to another place. He may have found you this time, but he hasn't killed you, and you are free to relocate, hide and shoot the offender. Make sure he dosn't follow you - seek cover.
The Rifle
This is your tool of destruction. It may not seem like much compared to your friends who routinely fire of 30 bullets in under ten seconds, but it is far more deadly. The biggest tip I can give you is to stay calm. If you see an enemy soldier, don't try to immediatly fire off a shot at them. Take your time, aim slowly, actually ask yourself, "Is this shot going to kill this guy?" If the answer is yes, fire. If no, wait until the answer is yes.
Targets won't always stay still, so you will have to know how to lead a target. There is no sure way of getting a hit everytime, and is really something you learn with experiance. My suggestion is that beginner snipers should aim for the torso, while more experianced Sniper's can try at a moving headshot. Practise is really the only thing that can make you effective at getting these shots. A good way to practise is to catch people climbing ladders. You can judge your distance and try hitting them. Mostly they'll keep climbing and be great targets the whole time. Also if you miss they won't do zig-zags or anything to avoid your later shots like most infantry on foot do.
Pick your rifle well. The core rifles have a different purpose to the M95. The normal rifles are for hitting moving infantry at mid range. Missing is expected here, especially with the semi-automatic rifles. They make little noise when fired, so it does not give away your position if you miss, and offers fast re-loading.
The M95 on the other hand has a whole different role. It is for hitting stationary targets at huge distances. You can us it effectivly as a M24-type rifle, but keep it's principal role in mind. This is why the crosshairs are so thick. It is not made to follow targets along a horizon, the center is what matters. Use your judgement to determine what kind of shooting you want to do and chose your rifle accordingly. Maps with wide open spaces are best for M95 sniping, not city maps. For example, in Sharqui Peninsular, you'll probably want to use the M24 or MEC SVD.
There is admittedly more use for the core rifles and mid-range Sniping, (which is longer than normal mid-range firing,) than the M95's long-range Sniping, so the crosshairs will be changed in the new patch, and it will be more fitted to be an M24-type rifle with armoured glass piercing abilities.
Bullet Drop
I'm going to cover bullet drop. Yes, it does exist, but it has very little effect. The programmers made it similarly to the way they make Grenade Launchers. A small projectile is thrown out your gun, and the programmers simply use different numbers to determine how much power it has in it's paraboliac arch. Bullets are made to have very very little movement, while the Grenades in Grenade Launchers are made to have a lot.
This said, bullet drop will effect you very little. You may feel you have someone in your sights and shooting but they arn't going down. This is because of an error on the programmers part. It's not bullet drop, it's the randomly detemined direction the bullet goes in. This is fine for the normal weapons and true to life, but a Sniper rifle is engineered to only be effected by bullet drop and target movement, (and wind, air temperature and air pressure but we're very thankful that they didn't include those complications in the game.) This is an error that will possibly be fixed in the upcoming patch.
Bullet drop should only effect you if you are aiming at a target that is more than 200 meters away, and even then, very little. For example on the M95's scope, you will see some lines and numbers below the center point. This helps you adjust your shooting for very far away targets.
The Pistol
The pistol has two purposes for the Sniper, (you may be able to find more,)
- Personal Defence
- Taking out wounded soldiers. (mostly for M24 and M95 users only.)
The Sniper rifle will not defend you, it is an attacking weapon. You are expected to never be under serious attack, but it does happen. If you know someone is after you, hide and take out your pistol. If you see them first you will have a good chance of survival, and if they don't see you at all, your silencer will make sure they don't find you.
The secondary purpose is useful especially if you don't get that one-hit kill. If you hit them but have to reload or arn't bothered to chamber another round, it is a good idea to take out a pistol, fire a few pot-shots at your target to deliver the kill. One pistol hit will do the job.
Don't use the pistol to attack points. It is more useful than a bolt-action rifle, but normaly will be completely out gunned by soldiers with automatic weapons. In fact, as a Sniper, I suggest you don't try to capture points at all unless your team is in dire straits.
Claymores
Thankfully in the new patch, Claymores will be able to be removed by the Sniper that placed them. this is a huge help, especially since the Claymore has a bad habit of killing team mates.
When planting a Claymore, consider where you're doing it. If you are in the middle of a friendly occupied area and want to protect yourself from enemies climbing ladders etc. I suggest you don't plant a Claymore at all. Your team should be able to protect you sufficiently. If you are close to enemy occupied points, or a point that is being attacked, a Claymore is a good idea to protect your backside while your attention is focused in other directions.
My suggestion is that you use Claymores for your protection only. Don't plant them in enemy throughfares, because chances are a team mate will want to run down there to confront the enemy before an enemy actually comes out. If though you are using it to protect your flank, chances are that the only person coming up to your far away Snipers position is someone who wants to harm you. Where ever you place Claymores, tell your team in writing or VOIP. Some of them may not pay attention but the one who does is probably the same one who was about to blindly climb your mined ladder.
Claymores can take out small transports, especially those USMC buggys. If you know an enemy buggy is coming your way don't hesitate to plant one at the side of the road where you know the enemy will be shortly. Of course this is not fool proof. The enemy may take a different route, or a stupid team mate might get to the Claymore first. Thankfully after the new patch you can wait close by and if it won't work or if a team mate is eager to set the mine of first you will be able to remove it. When effective it can be devistating. Most drivers don't look to the side of the road for mine threats. They can avoid AT mines, but it's much harder to avoid Claymores.
Grenades
This seems like a contradiction to the role of a Sniper. They're noisy and are an attacking weapon. As a Sniper though you can use it as a defending weapon effectivly too. If you are stationed near a point, and you see an enemy running to take it, you can try shooting them, or you can wait until they are at the point and then lob a grenade at them, (if in throwing range.) A lot of the point-takers will go prone behind something so you can't see them, but the area they are prone in can be a good net to catch a grenade and make sure it kills the hiding enemy. For example, the hill point on Sharqui is a good grenade net. If you throw a grenade at the wall it will bounce back and be caught by the sandbags, where the enemy is hiding behind. Since the offender is prone, he won't be able to see you anyway, so you can afford to give away your position by throwing a grenade.
In Closing
Of course this guide does not determine a good Sniper. The Battlefield changes so often that alterations will need to be made by the Sniper to deal with the different scenarios that come your way.
If you are not a good Sniper, keep persisting. It is the hardest skill in the game, (to be good at it is at least,) but can be the most rewarding. If you shoot a moving target in the head from a large distance, that is skill.
No one has ever complained that a Sniper is a 'n00b', because precision placing a bullet where you want it to be is a skill. There have been complaints that a Sniper is a cheater, because good ones can perform feats so amazing that no-one can believe it. Remember - There is no aim-bot in BF2.
Phew.
Play Loud,
-Tyferra
[Blinking eyes thing]
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/tzyon
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/tzyon
