NS Sniper Preview via Bill Yeatts' Twitter

I have to wonder how you managed to pull that off

I'm against engineers having it because:

Your choice of Primary: Shotgun, SMG, Carbine, Battle Rifle
+
Your choice of pistol
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Your choice of turret: AI, AV or the annoying auto-radar-turret thing
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Your choice of up to 5 AV mines, 4 bricks of C4 or 3 AI mines.

Now you want to add an AV sniper rifle to that selection?

Why not? The Engineer is the only class with no actual ability; a wide selection of weapons IS his trait.

That's called teamwork...
Crossbows are pretty average in this game, but the thing is, AV rifles will serve a role in which Infiltrators COULD help their friends with dealing with vehicles. OR, we could follow Iridar's awesome idea of certain exterior vehicle areas that deal damage or deactivate parts of the tank.

He's already got the widest selection of weapons of any class at his disposal as well as the ability to carry more firepower than anyone else at any given time, and that's without even mentioning the infinite ammo and the repair tool.

Not to mention he's basically the only class you actually get a benefit from when using a vehicle.

Also an anti-materiel rifle.

HA and ENG already have enough stuff to play with both in terms of anti-armour and anti-infantry toys. I play and love both classes...they really don't need this tool.

Currently, INFs are the only class that don't have any utility against vehicles. Other classes either have anti-vehicle weapons or C4.

My Engineer gets a turret, AT mines or C4, is the best choice for running in a tank and has a good range of anti-personnel guns.

I'd be willing to trade my main INF weapon for an anti-vehicle/MAX type rifle. Make it tricky to use against infantry and/or have a slow rechamber time.

I'm staggered that they are releasing a rifle like this and only considering giving it to INFs.

It just sounds like a Battle Rifle with a lower RoF and Higher Damage which is useless.

Eng/HA already have a huge arsenal for AV.

A weapon like this is a No go for infiltrators

Limit this weapon for the Engineers and the Heavies, and replace the AV-AI-Spitfire and rocket launchers with this.

In my opinion, this weapon should do good damage against the likes of MAX, Harassers, quad bikes, ESFs and the Valkyries.

Damage against the Prowlers, Vanguard, Magrider, Sunderers and the Gunships would be pretty low

But WHY? It literally achieves the same purpose as the weapons you're replacing with. You might as well be giving new rocket launchers to heavies that fire different color rockets.

Totally Disagree .. If the weapon does any substantial dmg to infantry in should replace the primary weapon ..

Heavies should not be able to run around with a long range sniperlite AND Smg's or shotguns or LMG's

Ofc if the weapon does zero infantry dmg then go for it

But If I'm honest if this goes to HA in any way other than replacing the primary, Hell to Heavies full stop then IMO Higby has lost the clue in what in his own game has become in HAside ..

Why we rather add explosive ammo for shotguns instead this abomination to fight maxes and light vehicles.
Give it to infils. Under 100m it could damage heavy armor.
Under 200m it bypass small arms resistance of light vehicles.
200+ it works like standard sniper rifle.
But our glorious infiltrators will have it as primary and loose ability to cloak

im just worried about if every infiltrator has this weapon, it might become Infiltratorside 2. no vehicle would last very long in the game

Maybe .. But no more than it would also exaggerate the current HAside or turn it into Engiside ..

Regardless of who it goes to it should be balanced around AV / Anti-Max and do very very little dmg to Infantry and replace your primary .. So in the case of an Infi he would have the choice of long range AV or AI .. Not both .. Which IMO how it should be .. Force people to make choices and move away from Jack of all trades classes and loadouts ..

It would be so much easier for a LA to kill them. Heavies can panic shield and bullet hose you down, infils will just melt while tunnel visioned on some tank they can't hit.

As an infiltrator main, I'd be pretty upset if we didn't get this new weapon. I propose that it replaces the primary weapon slot and disables cloaking. This would mean that the infiltrator would be very vulnerable to counter-snipers and MBTs. Seems pretty balanced. As for the weapon itself, it should have a high muzzle velocity, something around 700m/s. This would be offset by not having a magazine, being able to load only one round at a time, kind of like the .950 JDJ. Also, it should have a very slow ADS movement multiplier, maybe 0.25x, emphasizing quick shots and superior positioning.

As for attachments, it should have scopes 6x-12x, and maybe different ammo types that would damage different things, like ammo for MAX units, ammo for light vehicles, and ammo that can damage both, but not as much. Heavy armor would not be affected at all by anti-MAX rounds and the "versatile" rounds, but would only be lightly damaged by anti-vehicle rounds. And by lightly, I mean a slight tickle. If you want to take out a tank with this gun, you should get a squad or two of infiltrator buddies and do it together, like a lancer nest.

Heavies should not receive this weapon, they have a rocket launcher. Engineers, on the other hand, should have their primary replaced if they want to use this. They could still roll with an AI turret if they want to deal with infantry, and they have a sidearm.

Just imagine shooting down ESFs with this gun, I'm drooling already.

Tool slot? Primary weapon slot? Why would the HA trade his trusty rocket launcher for something potentially weaker? Why would he trade his main source of damage against infantry for this rifle when he has his rocket launcher anyways?

I foresee a couple possibilities, we've heard them before.

1. Infiltrators get it --> Tankers or equivalent say "No fair! We're getting killed by things we can't see, so we can't shoot back! Nerf cloak!"

2. Players discover that it's useless against vehicles but start sniping esf's with it instead. It becomes the new AA favorite. That would just seem so typical somehow.

Who knows, maybe it'll go to medics.

Put my money on 10 black please.

I am glade to see their actually putting in one the Oldest and highly request items from several veteran players in. As we have no info though on what slot it will go in and weapon caliber I kind of hard to say on what it will be for.

Will this take the Heavies/Engieers tool slot, or is it Primary slot item?

Is it a .50 cal (12.7mm*99mm+), is it some kind of 14mm or 20mm Rifle (yes there are 20mm Anti Material Sniper Rifles out there XM109 by Barrett) ?

Are they the ability to deal actual damage to Heavier armor on front attacks alone?

Will it have Head shot Multipliers or just a strait 1x value?

What scope magnification will available to it?

What combat range are we seeing with this 500 to 700?

These are what people need to be inquiring about not whining on things they don't know.

It shouldn't be available to Infiltrators.

Can you imagine the horror when you're constantly being sniped, tank damaged, non stop. And you can't kill the attacker? It's a hopeless situation, it's like going after a lancer HA.