[Guide] Complete guide to Infiltrator weapons [TR]

Discussion in 'Infiltrator' started by Mustarde, Mar 3, 2013.

  1. Mustarde

    The Complete guide to Infiltrator weapons [TR]
    This guide/overview is built off of the time and experience I have gained using each weapon during the Infiltrator challenge that I had with a fellow infiltrator Nukabazooka. We raced to see who could medal all the infiltrator weapons first. It was a fun competition, but also humbling and at times, downright frustrating. I won't rehash my comments from that thread, I do want to be clear that this guide is a mixture of statistics drawn from this highly referenced googledocs page and my own experience. Does having 1100+ kills with each of these weapons make me an expert? No. Will some of you disagree with my opinions and statements about these weapons? ABSOLUTELY. So take this with a grain of salt, and don't hold me responsible if you spend SC on a weapon based on my comments here and don't find that you have the same experience I did. While this is focused specifically on the TR lineup, I believe you will find similar comparisons and conclusions between the factions as most of the infiltrator guns are reskinned copies of each other.

    /disclaimer

    Intro:
    The weapons available to the infiltrator can be broken down into several broad groups. They are roughly identical for each faction, with slight variations to stats and obviously different names. But each weapon has a counterpart across factions. I have almost no experience with VS/NC weapons, but you can expect similar attributes between similar weapons. The broad groups are: Semi Automatic Sniper Rifles (SASR), Bolt Action Sniper Rifles (BASR), and Scout Rifles.

    Semi Automatic Sniper Rifles (SASR)

    99SV - The default gun

    The 99SV is the default TR infiltrator weapon. It comes with a 6x scope and can attach an assortment of long range scopes (7,8,10,12x). 10 bullet magazine, 400 dmg @ 10 meters, 334 dmg @ 75m. Reload speed is 2.6s/3.6s (faster reload if you have bullets left in the clip). Velocity is 550m/s.

    This weapon can be very frustrating for the beginning infiltrator. It is not a close quarters weapon, so you are very unprepared to go hack a terminal or turret in a base. Hip fire at close range is possible but very much a luck/prayer situation (I'm better with a pistol at that range). Conversely, this is not a great weapon for long ranges, or for "sniping" - many new TR infiltrators (including a few friends of mine that I introduced to the game) get very frustrated that they could land a shot on a target but by the time they fired the second shot, their target ran away to cover. My other criticism of the weapon (and other semi automatic rifles) is that you will quickly reveal your position to enemies, as they hear the multiple shots fired from a single location. Lastly, this weapon has scope sway (unlike the SA scout the HSR-1), which adds another annoyance. So how can this weapon be used effectively?

    Two days after I installed PS2 and began infiltrating, I dropped this gun for the above reasons and bought a bolt action. One attachment I bought when I picked this weapon back up for the Auraxium challenge was the silencer. While not everyone will agree with this decision, it went a long way towards negating the "HEY! I'M RIGHT HERE!!!" factor that SASR's bring to the table. Another key to using this weapon is that it is effective at killing stationary targets. Line up the headshot, fire, wait for the crosshair to re-align and fire again. Two headshots will kill most infantry and if they are standing still, you can land both shots before 80-90% of them react and move. Another technique for killing infantry is lining up the headshot and taking the second shot very quickly at the torso. It will not kill most HA's, but you can take out the others this way. I did not like doing this because at the ranges the 6x scope is effective at, recoil sets in and can make that second quick shot miss (99SV recoil is 1.3 ↑ , ← = →).

    The other area that SASR's perform well at is killing moving targets. Unless you are a crackshot with a BASR, these rifles will net you more kills to targets on the run. I continued to use the silencer in these situations and got used to compensating for bullet drop and decreased velocity, however it is probably easier without the silencer. You can fire rapidly at moving targets, without waiting for the scope to re-center knowing that some will miss due to aim, recoil and unpredictable target movement. 3-5 body shots are required for most targets. The thing I found most frustrating is that HA's with their shield activated could survive 5 long range body shots or more, and often can reach cover or return fire and suppress/kill you. You will also get kills by hitting wounded targets, which is hard to predict but makes it worthwhile to spam bullets in the middle of a firefight - it's not as precise as a headshot kill but still effective.

    Summary: The 99SV is a gun that you can make work in many situations, but it is not the BEST weapon in any situation. Bolt actions are better at sniping, SMG's are far better in close quarters and the HSR-1 is a very similar weapon without scope sway. You can kill stationary targets with ease and will net more kills on moving targets in general, compared to other types of rifles. It is not a good weapon for covert activity and I find the low bullet velocity and scope sway, along with our short breath holding mechanic, that this is a poor weapon for long range work (using 10-12x scopes). I operated almost exclusively in a range that was comfortable with the 6x default scope.

    Recommended setup: Silencer, default scope, foregrip.

    KSR-35: Semi-automatic close range rifle

    The KSR is the same gun as the 99SV, with the key difference being that it can use the close range scopes (1x, 2x, 3.4x and 4x). It shares identical attributes to the 99SV, except for decreased bullet velocity (500m/s instead of 550m/s). The recoil pattern is the same, 1.3 ↑ , ← = →.

    This was the second most frustrating weapon to get the auraxium medal for. I had read several threads with glowing descriptions of being a ninja CQC warrior with this weapon or its cousins in the other factions. My experience was not so great. The downsides for the KSR-35 are similar to the 99SV: scope sway and poor stealth. This weapon does allow for more utility in close range than its long range cousin, and some may find it to their taste for infiltration work.

    As with the 99SV, two headshots, or a headshot and bodyshot will kill most infantry - and these maneuvers can be done with reasonable speed. The benefit of the KSR-35 is that it is much easier to perform a headshot + bodyshot combo at close range. Moving targets at close range are also able to be taken down with fair accuracy, which make this weapon perform similar to the 99SV (albeit at closer ranges - I think superior to BASR's still).

    The close range nature of this weapon bring out more frustrating aspects of the infiltrator class. Our lack of health makes the KSR-35 very unforgiving in 1 on 1 engagements. If you don't land that headshot first, you will probably die. Hell, even if you do, the target can often whip around and pepper you with bullets/laser beams before finishing the job. On numerous occasions, I would engage a target, exchange fire, and due to the horrid flinch mechanic, be completely unable to land another shot and finish the target. Let me elaborate - the flinch mechanic in PS2 means that when you are struck with a bullet, your screen and character flinch. This benefits high ROF weapons, which will make their targets flinch more. It can be very disruptive when two HA's engage each other. It is completely crippling to the infiltrator using a semi automatic rifle.

    Scope sway is still present with this weapon, and I think that is ridiculous. I suppose that would take away one of the advantages of the HSR-1 SASR. It is, however, less of a factor using the close range scopes.

    As for fittings and additions, I find the silencer much more manditory with this weapon due to the close quarters design. With such an unforgiving weapon in CQC, stealth is a precious commodity and you are already handicapped by being forced to shoot 2-5 bullets at a target. Scopes are often based on preference, however I found the 2x scope was nice in most engagements. The 4x marksman scope (with fine reticles) was my favorite scope, allowing engagement at a slightly longer range, without the annoying red dot reticle that the reflex scopes had. I did not like either 3.4x scope, due to the red dot or chevron reticle - I find them too imprecise. The forward grip was my perferred barrel attachment, although I do not have a strong sense of the difference it made.

    Summary: The KSR-35 has the potential to be a fun weapon at close range. With a silencer, you can flank targets and quickly drop them with two shots. It is very unforgiving against a target who is returning fire, as the flinch mechanic makes it near impossible to return fire effectively. As with its cousin, you will find this weapon effective at dropping moving targets, or quickly killing a target that you dont have the time to carefully aim the headshot on. However, in practice, I had trouble making this weapon shine. There were numerous situations that I found myself in where I could have killed 10-15 hostiles with a BASR but only dropped 4-5 before getting noticed and hunted down. The KSR-35 brings out some of the best and worst attributes of the infiltrator and for all the great kills I had with this weapon, I probably missed out on just as many if not more.

    Bolt Action Sniper Rifles (BASR): The bolt action rifle requires the infiltrator to rechamber a round after each shot. This means that you must unscope the weapon inbetween shots, then rescope before the next. This is the price of being able to fire a bullet that will kill most targets with a single headshot. In the hands of a skilled sniper, this class of weapons is arguably the most lethal and effective that is given to our class.

    M77-B

    The M77-B is a long range BASR. It shares very similar attributes to the other long range BASR's, the SR-7 and RAMS .50. I will review the stats of this weapon, and briefly discuss its unique attributes and my overall opinions on it. Since it is so similar to the other long range BASR's, I will discuss their use, strengths and weaknesses together.

    Base damage 750, no degradation at longer range (although some infiltrators report conflicting conclusions about this - debatable). Reload times are 3.5s/5s. Projectile velocity is 550m/s. Rounds per minute: 49

    This is a weapon that will perform as well as the SR-7 and RAMS.50 at close/medium ranges (within the realm of the 7-8x scope or closer). It has less bullet velocity (550m/s) which will cause one to notice a difference in drop at the longer ranges. It makes up for that with ever so slightly faster reloading, and rounds per minute. My favorite aspect of this weapon: cost 100 certs. This makes it a great option for the novice infiltrator who wants to jump into the world of BASR's without throwing down station cash or significant cert investments. You can buy this weapon and use it just as effectively as the other bolt actions for most circumstances.

    If you look at my personal stats, you will see that I have extensive experience firing the BASR's. This weapon feels similar to the SR-7. I did appreciate the increased bullet drop compared to the SR-7 and RAMS.50 and prefer those weapons for greater firing ranges. There was no difference in feel or performance when infiltrating towers or getting into other closer range sniping situations. The decreased bullet velocity is amplified with the silencer. As with all these weapons, the more time you spend using them, the more you will learn to compensate and get used to these attributes. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys the class but does not want to invest the SC/certs for the more expensive rifles.

    SR-7

    This is my personal favorite TR infiltrator weapon. Base damage 750. Reload times 3.75s/5s. Projectile velocity 600m/s. Rounds per minute: 46. Clip size 5

    Very similar to the M77-B. In fact, the only difference that is noticeable is the projectile velocity. Rechamber times are nearly impossible to distinguish, although the M77-B squeezes out 49 RPM vs. 46 on the SR-7. It also sounds really cool with the silencer attached.

    Why is this my favorite BASR? Well, I've tried explaining this numerous times to people in-game and on the forums. I'm not sure if I can ever give a sufficient answer, but I will try since this is supposed to be a weapons guide. Part of it has to do with the style of sniping you use this rifle for. I am a close/medium range infiltrator primarily - every now and then I will find a ridge somewhere and farm headshots from the edge of render range but most often I am trying to find that perfect flank or perch close to the enemy but out of clear sight range. At those ranges, the only thing that really matters between the BASR's is rechamber/reload. Technically, the TSAR is king here, but the M77-B and SR-7 are a close second. However, the SR-7 shines in that it has a good rate of fire while being able to extend to longer ranges quite aptly. This versatility allows you to not only engage at close ranges (think sniping in a tower), but all the way out to 10x scope range with minimal bullet drop (from magrider hill to the south bridge of the crown with 1 1/2 mil dots of drop). Now, the RAMS.50 (which we will get to in a minute) has even better velocity, but you trade that for the worst reload/rechamber of all the BASR's. To me, it feels like you are sniping in slow motion, and on a dynamic battlefield with moving targets, I can take down more targets with the SR-7 than the RAMS.50 with only a slight sacrifice in bullet speed.

    See why I have a hard time justifying that this is my favorite rifle? We are talking about subtle differences, but I have fired these weapons thousands of times. To me, these differences have gradually become more than numbers - the feel of the gun and how it performs - is hard to quantify but clearly noticable. On paper, the RAMS.50 is a superior weapon. On the field, I can kill 20 targets with an SR-7 in the time it takes to drop 15 with the RAMS.50. It all comes down to trading 50m/s of bullet velocity for slower reloading/rechambering.
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  2. Mustarde

    Overall review of long range BASR's (6-12x scopes)

    As you can see, there are only subtle differences between the weapons. I hope the above comments have helped to distinguish each one enough that you can pick which rifle is right for you. These rifles can be used in wildly different circumstances. The true potential of a "sniper" infiltrator is that the time to kill (TTK) with a BASR is essentially zero if you land a headshot. While this isn't a guide to tactics, I will say that in my experience, these weapons can be applied at close, medium and long ranges with incredible efficacy. I prefer a silencer in about 80% of the engagements I find myself in, as it prevents detection. My criticism of the SASR's regarding poor stealth is contrasted with a bolt action w/ silencer. One shot, one kill. The only person who has a clue where the round came from is dead, and they probably can't really tell anyways. This can allow a well placed infiltrator to frustrate the enemy greatly in entrenched combat.

    Downsides to the BASR's- at close range, the long ranged variants will be difficult to use, if not impossible. I've been able to headshot targets close range but it's more luck than anything else. These are weapons with a high skill requirement. Missing the headshot will send your target bolting for cover and soon after, hunting after you. They are very difficult to hit moving targets with, although with practice can be done reliably. This makes them unforgiving, and potentially frustrating for the beginning infiltrator. I think this also is why many infiltrators prefer a far off perch where the targets aren't returning fire. Lastly, the scope sway mechanic makes long range work more difficult and requires patience to compensate for. The only pearl of wisdom I can offer here is - Hold breath (hit shift), fire, rechamber immediately, rescope - and you will have half a second left of breath holding to fire another round. It's not much, but if you have multiple targets lined up, you can basically keep up a high rate of fire by firing twice in the same breath. By the time you rechamber that third round, your second breath isn't far away.

    I suppose I should briefly comment on bullet drop/velocity here. This is a mechanic for all BASR's including the Vanu line. With lots of practice you become used to the correct adustment needed for bullet drop at various ranges. When first using the weapons, I recommend firing your shot at a target and holding the scope zoomed in to see how far off you were. Once you get a good sense of the drop, then you can start lining up shots with confidence. Same is true with the silencer, except that the drop is much more significant and you will need more practice to get the hang of it.

    Summary: Lethal class of weapons that allow for instant kills at a variety of ranges. The TR SR-7 is my preferred choice, with the RAMS.50 being more useful at the longest ranges and the M77-B being a great cheap option for the casual infiltrator, with minimum downsides. My favorite fit is silencer, default scope (6x). I use the 10x for long range work, I don't like being zoomed in at 12x because the scope sway is more annoying with that optic. Scopes are largely preference based however.

    TSAR-42: Close range BASR

    The TSAR-42 is a weapon that I discovered only during my auraxium challenge, however I loved it and find it superior to its long range cousins in certain situations. Base damage: 750. Bullet velocity 500m/s. Reload times 3.15s/4.5s. Rounds per minute: 55.

    This is the close range variant, and uses 1x, 2x, 3.4x and 4x scope flavors. It is useless to trial because you only get iron sights initially which makes the gun worthless in my hands. As with the other BASR's, a headshot will kill most infantry (I think HA with NW 5 and shield might survive, someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I tried all the scopes for this weapon, and the only one I find suitable for precision work is the 4x marksman scope, due to the fine crosshair reticles. Unfortunately, that scope has no mil-dot sight so compensation for bullet drop becomes even more of an art form than with the longer range scopes. I hated the other scopes, because even with the 1-2x reflex flavors, the dot almost obstructs the head making it hard to be accurate on headshots.

    This weapon performs equal to the other BASR's with regards to damage at close range. It is superior than them due to the high rechamber speed, resulting in 55 rounds per minute (compare to the RAMS.50 at 40 rpm). That is quite a big difference, and allows for one additional technique compared to the other rifles - I am much more comfortable taking a body shot with this weapon as it is not difficult to put a second round in before the target can reach cover. Two body shots drop most infantry. Headshots are ideal but when I miss, I can easily "clean up" with the TSAR-42. When I flank the enemy and find myself facing 5-10 soldiers hiding behind cover with a false sense of security, nothing will clean them up faster than this weapon.

    The downsides are similar to the other BASR's, with one notable difference. Being close range, you will find yourself in unforgiving combat situations just like the KSR-35. Except the stakes are even higher - headshot and you live, miss and you likely will die. I don't like taking this weapon into Biolabs or Tech plants, but it is great to carry for taking smaller bases or hitting towers. Another downside is the decreased bullet velocity. As with all the weapons here, I often use a silencer and this will require more practice to adjust for (due to lack of mildot sights and a much lower velocity than the other BASR's). However, range limitation is inherent in this weapon since you can't even use a 6x scope, and I expect anyone using it to be at an appropriately close range.

    If you spent a lot of time using the long range variants, the different scopes take some getting used to - I needed 100 kills or so before I felt comfortable with the TSAR-42. After that, I blew through enemies and got the auraxium for it within 3-4 days.

    Summary: Great rifle for close/medium range sniping. Most lethal bolt action in my opinion, limited by range and scope selection (the 4x is the only one I really liked). Unforgiving, with a relatively high skill requirement. Difficult to use with silencer due to lack of mildot sights and low bullet velocity. Very fun weapon that will get used on a regular basis by me.

    Scout Rifles: I have very mixed feelings on the scout rifle class of weapons. They are SOE's attempt to give the infiltrator class some close quarters ability, without the imbalance of shotguns (from beta). These weapons are expensive and in my opinion, bring out the bigger flaws in the class. Forcing myself to learn to use these weapons during the auraxium challenge did introduce me to a new way of playing as infiltrator, and eventually I got to the point that I was reasonably effective on the battlefield, however I was never as deadly as when I wielded the BASR's.

    SOAS-20

    Damage: 143 @ 10m, 112 @ 65m. Clip size 20, reload 2.25/3s. Recoil 0.3. 652 RPM, velocity 500.

    This is by far, the most frustrating weapon I have encountered in Planetside 2. The SOAS 20 and its counterparts most closely mimic carbine rifles available to other classes, however there are several key grievances. As many others have noted, the clip size (20 - not upgradable) is horrible. It is very hard to kill a target on a single clip without landing numerous headshots - and your target can't be a HA. There were numerous occasions that I would get the drop on a target, light it up only to have them whip around and blow through my puny life with half of their health to spare. When I first started playing the game, I bought this weapon thinking "Now I can run into bases with my outfit and kill stuff!". It was so terrible that I put it down and never picked it back up until the auraxium challenge.

    While billed as a close/medium range weapon, the small clip requires you to have very good accuracy to kill a target, which makes medium range engagements possible but often they don't end in your favor.

    I eventually was able to achieve modest success with this weapon using the 1x IR/NV scope at close ranges. If you use this weapon similar to an SMG, running around bases, sneaking up on people from a flanked vector, you will kill targets. With the IR/NV scope, I found it relatively straightforward to land multiple headshots and drop a target safely. Never engage without a full clip because you rarely will be able to kill the target otherwise. Well over half my kills required me to empty the clip. Numerous times I had to finish them off with a knife or pistol.

    I cannot recommend this weapon in its current iteration for any reason. While I was able to define each of the bolt action and semi auto rifles enough that there were subtle reasons to use each different weapon, the SOAS-20 is simply a bad gun that will get you killed. If you want to use a CQC automatic weapon, get an SMG. If you want to engage openly at medium ranges, consider a semi-automatic weapon, or don't use an infiltrator.

    I do think this weapon is broken enough that eventually I expect SOE to modify it. Increased bullet velocity and clip size, or options for high velocity ammo could make it more viable. I understand not wanting to give the infiltrator a fully equivalent weapon to a carbine, but the SOAS-20 is inexcusably insufficient. In the time it took me to get the auraxium medal for this weapon, I could have netted 2-3 times more kills with almost any other weapon.

    HSR-1 - Semi automatic scout rifle

    Damage 334 @ 10m, 250 @ 85m. Clip size 10, reload 2.32s/2.9s. Recoil 1.5 (high!) and bullet velocity 500m/s. 261 rounds per minute.

    There are three distinctions that the HSR-1 has over its SASR counterparts (99SV and KSR-35).

    1. Close range scopes, with the exception that you can fit a 6x scope (the KSR-35 cannot)
    2. No scope sway.
    3. Higher factor of bullet drop, according to the spreadsheet data. I was able to appreciate this as the gun has a noticeably shorter range of effective engagement than its sniper rifle cousins.

    These distinctions make for an interesting weapon that may make this weapon worth using for some of you. The lack of scope sway is awesome, and allowed for me to be much more aggressive in taking shots at targets. This benefit is much more apparent when fitting the 6x scope.

    I had two builds for this weapon - which allow for two unique styles of engagement. The first build was 2x reflex, silencer, laser dot, and I was able to engage targets at close range with reasonable success. It shares similar attributes to the KSR-35 in this style of use, except the laser dot makes hip fire more viable. Two headshots will kill most targets, except for HA's which may require two HS's plus a body shot. I would typically just rapidly spam 4-5 body shots and keep moving.

    The other build was 6x scope, flash suppression, and forward grip. This is allowed for mid range engagements and I found this very useful for fighting in outfit operations where you are expected to stay with the group and not run off to farm hundreds of kills at TI alloys or the crown or a biolab :) The lack of scope sway was a pleasure, and the 6x scope covers about the edge of engagement due to bullet drop. Bullet drop is more difficult with all semi automatic weapons because you need to land multiple hits, not just a single headshot.

    The best way I found to fire this weapon is to allow for the crosshairs to recenter between shots. This allows for accurate fire that can make for consistent headshots at range. In very close quarter engagements you can spam fire and deal with the recoil, but I preferred the more accurate fire. The biggest reason to get this weapon is for the lack of scope sway. Fire while moving and aiming down the sights is not very accurate and I was not able to perform well doing this.

    Downsides to the HSR-1 are similar to the other SASRs. You are not covert while using this gun so it is difficult to stay in any position for a lot of time. Semi-automatic weapons are unforgiving in 1v1 or direct engagements. Flinch mechanics can be infuriating, as it is not uncommon to fight a HA at longer ranges and be suppressed or even killed before you can accurately return fire.

    I would recommend the HSR-1 over both the 99SV and KSR-35, simply because it is versatile due to the 6x scope and can cover the performance of both rifles, without scope sway. I do not like long range engagements with semi-automatic weapons personally (due to scope sway and difficulty in landing multiple long range shots) so I find very little use in the 8-12x scopes of the 99SV. Thus, the HSR-1 should satisfy most infiltrators looking for a semi-automatic weapon. This weapon lends itself nicely to high mobility playstyle, running and pausing briefly to fire accurately on a target (due to no need for breath holding), then continuing to move on a base or target.


    Thanks for reading this guide. I hope to keep it updated as new weapons are added or modified. If there are any errors or omissions that should be addressed, I would appreciate a personal message so I can edit. Hopefully this provides some clarity into what makes each weapon unique for potential buyers and gives you ways to get a bit more out of each weapon.

    Mustarde [e911]
    Tactical Response Squad - Mattherson
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  3. Mustarde

    Reserved for edits
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  4. Mustarde

    Hmmm won't let me edit - well I somehow left out the RAMS .50. Here it is.


    RAMS.50

    Base damage 800. Reload times 4s/6s. Projectile velocity 650m/s. Rounds per minute: 40.

    Most infiltrators won't really perceive the difference between the SR-7 and the RAMS.50. They will percieve the difference between the RAMS.50 and the M77-B, at 100m/s differential in bullet velocity. The benefit of increased bullet velocity is less drop over a given distance. This makes long range sniping and leading moving targets easier. The true brilliance of this weapon is only now becoming evident as SOE has tweaked and improved render distances. The other night I dropped onto a biolab and picked off targets at one of the satalite bases. Buy a 12x scope and go to town with this weapon. As I attempted to convey in the case for the SR-7, I find the increased reload/rechamber times too much of a tradeoff in performance, but not everyone feels this way. Certainly if you plan on long range sniping only, consider this weapon. Additionally, since silencers have a huge impact on bullet velocity/drop, using the RAMS.50 with a silencer will give you a greater range of engagement than the other BASR's.
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  5. Mudroc

    Wow, thank you for this. Also, SOAS 20 is terrible I want my SC back.
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  6. Weirdkitten

    Add a weapon translation table (i.e. RAMS .50 = Longshot = Parallax and the like) and this will be more useful for NC/VS infilitrators. The bolt actions are just reskins, the semi-autos have slight differences though. Otherwise, thanks for typing it up. Makes me want to move on from the longshot and actually test some of the other guns properly.
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  7. Rhinzual

    Hey man, I love this read up. I'm thinking of purchasing the XM98 for 100 certs (the 100 cert BASR for TR/VS) and would you recommend the use of a Suppressor on it, or just avoid using one at all costs?
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  8. Mustarde

    Thanks! I didn't want to write too much about suppressor vs normal since many people have different opinions based on how they use the weapon.

    What I will say is that the difference between the XM98 and say, the parallax, will be felt more in terms of effective range and velocity when you fit a suppressor. However I found the 100 cert gun (XM98/M77B) perfectly viable with a suppressor, and loved using it that way. Just keep in mind that you will have more bullet drop compared to the others.

    As far as a chart with faction equivalent rifles, that is a good suggestion. Unfortunately SOE appears to have a timer on when you can edit posts. I have a master word document that I will edit and keep updated and will just repost the guide a version 2.0 in a few months or so (unless I'm missing a way to edit posts after a few hours)
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  9. Vaphell

    on an unrelated note: i think TR infiltrators should have blue instead of black: they would look like spiderman ;)
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  10. Rhinzual

    Yeah, bullet drop won't be too difficult to deal with when using the XM98 w/ Suppressor since I can always scout around areas I know infantry like to use and my usual sniping perches and take some practice shots with the x12 mil-dot scope.
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  11. SpeckEye

    Very good write up and thank you for editing before posting. I shared this with my BWC buddies (Matherson).
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  12. Takoita

    Thank you very much for your time and effort!

    I think I will try out semi-auto scout when I have the certs to trick it out - after the 30 min trial I've felt that it would be fun weapon to work with. One question though: why do you recommend forward grip if you prefer the sights to re-center themselves? Or am I missing something there?
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  13. Tnsr

    I also found out that the normal "semi Infiltrator rifles with foregrip, bolt actions without foregrip" is just not true imho.
    The foregrip only helps your vision a little bit, the scope doesn't move up horizontal while firing as much as without foregrip. Still the recoil is HUGE, 1.3 for the semi snipers and even 1.5 for the semi scout means that you have to wait for the crosshair to center itself from the vertical movement regardeless if you have foregrip or not, so it will not help you to become more precise or that you can fire faster. Your RoF is multiple times slower than an automatic weapon in almost every situation.
    The long range semi snipers are indeed powerful weapons but as the OP said they are very unprecise if you have to fire fast when an enemy engages you in short range, the CoF (bloom) is ABSURD.

    When the VR trainings area is coming I will try out the semi scout rifle against my long range semi, will be interesting to see which will be better.
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  14. Mustarde

    Great question! I had two setups for the HSR-1

    Close range: 2x reflex, laser dot (good for hip fire) and silencer. This was a fun fit that got me a respectable amount of kills, although I used this pre-SMG days.
    Mid range: 6x scope, flash suppressor, forward grip. While letting the sights recenter provides the type of precise fire that is required for killing targets that are stationary, I still found times where you would either want or need to shoot faster to bring someone down before they killed you. This was more important pre-flinch fix, as once you started taking fire you were going to have difficulty returning it.

    I also have a hard time leaving the barrel attachment empty. Most of my weapons have something for each slot unless the naked version is better (such as the useless attachments for bolt actions). You could always skip the fore grip and have a very similar performance. I can't say it made a huge difference to me, but I liked knowing I could open up on a target with a bit more accuracy if I need to bring them down in a hurry.

    I appreciate the positive comments and feedback. With all the duplicate threads floating on the forums about "which bolt action to use?" or "SMG vs. Scout rifle", I will try to keep working on this guide and help answer those questions. Maybe more graphs, charts and pictures for v2.0.
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  15. TheBloodEagle

    Excellent guide.

    My only input is that, I believe most people would get the M77 first because it's quite cheap and really good. Unless the person knows from day one, they want to be an Inf, they'll go with the M77 to snipe. Now after a while, if they enjoy Inf and are willing to drop some cash, they'll consider getting a new rifle. I don't think the jump from M77 to SR-7 is big enough though. $7 bucks worth? Nope. Maybe on a 2x 3x SC day. The 100 more velocity from the M77 to RAMS is more worth it if you decide to spend money. You'd then have 2 different enough weapons for your disposal.
    • Up x 1
  16. datdudejrod

    @TheBloodEagle: True I think the M77 is just as good as any of the bolt actions rifles, although at some distance you have to know the bullet drop or you wont get any kills/give away your spot. Let alone if you are using a silencer the bullet drop can get like 3-4 mil dots. Thats why I think more people prefer the RAMS 50 because it can shoot super straight and rarely needs to worry about bullet drop. Plus most people like to snipe farther away and not up close which means the RAMS 50 is best TR sniper at long distances!

    @Mustarde: Very good guide man, now that ive taken on the challenge also I just might have to bookmark this page to check out all the different weapons lol also very nice playing with you now that you are on mattherson =)
    • Up x 1
  17. AnuErebus

    I was just going to post in your challenge thread that something like this would be incredibly useful. Thankfully you beat me to the punch. Anyways, I really enjoy the descriptions, I found it funny that my 99SV experience was the same as yours but I imagine that's pretty common among infiltrators looking to snipe. As soon as I earned 100 certs with it I traded for the M-77 and didn't look back.

    Now I just wish I could find good infiltrator videos with each weapon style so I can learn how other people play the class so I can refine my techniques. Too much of what's posted is simply highlight videos which don't show the real meat behind playing infiltrator.
    • Up x 1
  18. Takoita

    Ran around the Crown campfest with HSR-1 yesterday for a bit with a 3.4x zoom and laser sight.

    It was surprisingly confusing to play with a higher magnification than NV scope :D Last time I did it was way back in November when I somehow got the copper medal for 99SV.

    Anyways, I've had fun, got the copper medal and some valuable practice. Projectile drop and (perhaps more importantly) projectile speed made actually landing the shots on target quite difficult for me - even with just 3.4x scope. And that's with no suppressor! Of course I'll continue practicing, but I have a feeling that at distances that require 6x zoom I'll need another gun.

    It had been quite hard but immensely satisfying to land those few shots that hit. Must've been the best sharpsooter experience out of all the videogames I've played. Despite all the problems PS2 has, gunplay in this game is very good, IMHO.
    • Up x 1
  19. redsevenski

    Great thread. Thanks for all the info. Personally I love my .50 RAMS and have just got the auraxium medal with it but I'm nowhere near ready for your complete weapon challenge.

    What are people's thoughts on the 2 SMGs. What are the strengths/weaknesses of each and the best loadouts/equipment upgrades? I want to run a good CQB build for certain outfit play situations.
    • Up x 1
  20. Mustarde

    I left the SMG's out of the review for the simple fact that they are not infiltrator exclusive. I strongly prefer it to the SOAS-20 if I am doing close quarters combat and dont feel like using the HSR-1.

    I currently only own the Armistice, but plan on checking out the second SMG for kicks at some point. All I can say is that it pairs nicely with the infiltrator and I use IR/NV, silencer, soft point, extended clip. The second SMG doesnt allow for extended mag so you can put laser dot on it for even better hipfire.
    • Up x 1