Thought I'd solicit some general input/advice from the Infiltrator vets here. I have started playing PS2 fairly recently, been playing Infiltrator exclusively (NC). I have about 1300 kills total as of posting this, and I have unlocked the AF-18 Stalker (FASR), and Gauss SPR (SASR) in addition to the default NC-14 Bolt Driver (BASR). My KDA is now >1, though this only happened fairly recently so I think I am generally getting the hang of things. I am currently saving certs for my first SMG, the AF-4 Cyclone (so I have a true CQC weapon, the Stalker is better at short to medium range, but is outclassed within about 20m by true CQC weapons, I found). I have been using the Mag Shot as sidearm thus far, but I am interested in getting the Mag Scatter and NS-44L Blackhand (the one w/ scope) to complement them (the idea being to have a sidearm that is good at what my primary is not). As they stand now, the 3 loadouts I have are called Sniper, Infiltrator, and Designated Marksman, I'll give my thinking on each here: Sniper: This is my BASR build, current running NC-14 Bolt Driver with Straight-Pull Bolt and IO-12 scope. Former attachment is obvious, the scope took getting used to as the narrow FOV because of high zoom made finding targets hard, though I think I've gotten used to it now (and I am much better at choosing sniping spots now than I was at first, which helps). When I checked my stats on this gun, I was rather surprised to find that my accuracy was just over 36% (I didn't think it was actually that good). I think I have a pretty good handle on using this gun and sniping in general, though there much for me to master still. Using Mag-Shot as sidearm, and I think even once I unlock Mag-Scatter and Blackhand I will continue to use Mag-Shot with this build since BASR aren't just bad at CQC, they are also bad at short range and lackluster even at medium range (sub 100m), so having a sidearm that's usable out to 50m like the Mag-Shot is nice. Mag-Shot's got a suppressor and laser sight on it, former to help with avoiding detection in sticky situations, and latter helps as I often need to hip-fire it so I can move fast enough to not die. I run Motion Spotter as it helps to give me early warning if my sniper roost is about to be compromised (though it can also potentially give away that I am camping nearby; I do try to put some distance between it and where I am camping at, but sometimes it's hard if you're on a tough to climb rock-face). I haven't upgraded my Grenade at all, but eventually I think I'll run EMP (probably on all my builds because it seems way better than the standard frag). This build uses Hunter Cloak (duration is really important for getting around undetected and having to time to safely search for, and find targets, and also line up the shot before decloaking). Running ammo clip because nothing sucks more than having to abandon the perfect sniper's roost because your bingo on ammo. Also have Restoration Kit atm, though I intend to eventually replace that with Medkit (no green glow+works better when I need to heal quickly and hide), Bouncing Betties seem ill suited to sniper builds because you often won't be camping somewhere with a good choke point to put it at where they will walk into it (let alone having said choke point be in such a way that it isn't visible to them until they walk right into it). Infiltrator: This is my short range build using the FASR, AF-18 Stalker. Current have 1xReflex sight (red reticle) on it (nice clear sight picture and zoom is a non-issue at <100m), Suppressor (helps me keep a low profile, damage loss due to range on AF-18 is pretty mild 143 down to 125 so the range penalties aren't all that bad really), and Laser Sight (helps Stalker's hipfire not be complete ****) though I am debating switching to Forward Grip to make the Stalker better at it's niche as a short range ADS weapon (and accepting suckier hipfire/CQC performance). I have more kills with this weapon than any other, even though I spent more time playing with my two snipers, since kills happen faster in CQC (so do deaths though, which has happened a lot with this gun too). I was doing a number of things wrong I think when I was using this gun, for one, I was still using Hunter Cloak, which I think is less well suited to this build than Nano-Armor cloak (reasons are further down) and I was also treating it far too much like an SMG (before I realized that it had vastly inferior hipfire accuracy to most true CQC weapons and was meant to be used ADS). Still using Mag-Shot with this build (Suppressor and Laser Sight), but eventually I think I will run the Blackhand so I have an option for use beyond about 75m (where the Stalker starts to become rather useless due to recoil, small mag, and not enough damage per shot). This build runs the Bouncing Betties (really nice for indoor areas, since all you need to do it put them next to a doorway or other high-traffic choke point and you're almost assured that someone will trip them (and probably die if they don't have flak armor). I run Nano-Armor Cloak now, I was using Hunter Cloak, but I found that if I got hit even once I would seldom manage to actually survive, this was because of the 'shimmer' that the Hunter (and Stalker) cloaks have upon being hit (which the Nano-Armor Cloak doesn't have, though there is still an effect that shows when hit, it is FAR less pronounced), the small-arms damage reduction only further helps with staying alive in dangerous situations. The lesser duration is definitely a downside, but I think it's very worth it (and won't be so bad once I upgrade it). I will probably eventually pick up the Advanced Shield Capacitor for this build, though atm I am using the Extra Ammo suite mod atm. Alternatives I am considering to ASC might be Flak Armor or even Nano-Weave Armor (despite no stacking with Nano-Weave from cloak, it would help my survivability during firefights). Designated Marksman: This is my SASR build, running the Gauss SPR, with Forward Grip to help with recoil (and hopefully allow for slightly faster follow-up shots), been experimenting recently with different scopes, the IO-12, while useful at the furthest ranges where the Gauss SPR is effective, is rather overkill for much of the the Gauss SPR's effective range, I imagine the IO-10 is probably still a bit more zoom than is really ideal, so I am debating most among the default 6x, the 7x and the 8x scopes. All of them are pretty well suited to the Gauss SPR, the 6x feels a little lacking for long range work with the Gauss SPR, but it's the best for shorter ranges (which is a niche that SASRs can fill but BASR are pretty bad at). I feel like I am also doing alright with this gun, though the lack of OHK capability does make it harder to use in some regards (I have noted that it is usually possible to get 2 hits on a stationary target before they manage to react to the first hit which is enough to kill with Gauss SPR if both are headshots, a 3rd shot usually ensures a kill even if you miss one or get a body shot instead, and there is just enough time usually to fire 3 shots before hold breath time is about to run out and staying exposed any longer is just begging to eat a snipe). I was surprised to find that my accuracy with this gun was just under 36% (almost as good as with the Bolt Driver). Also running the Mag-Shot atm, though I might go with Mag-Scatter eventually (not sure if that will leave an awkward gap in effective range in the 30-50m neighborhood or not, if it does I may stick with the Mag-Shot instead. This build also runs Hunter Cloak for the same reasons as my Sniper build. Ditto for Motion Sensor, I have been running Bouncing Bettie, but I'm finding that I often don't have a good place to put it, so I think I will switch to Restoration Kit for now (and Medkit once I unlock that). Also running Extra Ammo for same reasons as with my Sniper build. As a sidenote, I am also starting to do well with the Mag-Shot when I have reason to use it, I find myself taking one or more of them with me most of the time, and often if it's just one or two isolated enemies I am actually managing to survive these encounters. Thank you if you've read all the way through to here (I know, it's LONG.....), I am most grateful for any further insights you folks have to offer me.
Do not buy the mag-scatter, you'll be much better off with a Desperado, or a Comissioner. Blackhand is good from what I've heard, but you'll be gimped at finishing off people in CQC with it, the Commissioner has balance between the Blackhand and the Underboss, good up close and decent from afar. Check out some of Wrel's videos on YouTube, he makes great weapon reviews and playstyle videos. Edit: For your scout rifle I found the forward grip is superior than the laser sight, and the suppressor is up to you, but I found the slower bullet velocity got me killed quite a bit.
Scout rifles have a horrible, horrible tendency to lose so much velocity from suppressors that they're not worth using. I'm not sure if it's still the case, since I haven't played Infiltrator in a long time, but, if the VS Artemis full-auto scout rifle was anything like the current standard, slapping a suppressor on it cut your bullet velocity nearly in HALF. I think it went down to something like 260 m/s.
Firstly, I'm impressed that you used the terms "designated marksman" and "sight picture" and know what they mean. You get a +1 from me just for that xD. In terms of the bolt setup, I'd recommend cutting down on that scope power a bit. Bumping up your FOV is always nice, and it will help you get your time-to-acquire down (and speed is king!). Zoom level does come down to personal preference, but using a lower zoom (especially on the T1 and T2 rifles) helps streamline things quite a bit. I'd highly recommend giving it a try. Also, and this one is also based upon playstyle, you may want to try using the Nano-Armor cloak once you have enough certs to max it out. If you're the faster-paced, more aggressive type sniper, then the drawbacks of the shorter cloak time are virtually negated completely by playstyle and the cloak's benefits. If you're aggressive, the time-between-shots will be low, and your cloak cycles will be more similar to cloak flashes to break line-of-sight. You also won't glow when struck by a stray round, take a bit less damage from said stray round, and at max rank, it allows you to survive a countersniper's lucky headshot out to a reasonable distance. (Plus, it'd be nice if I weren't the only one here using it for long range sniping xD) -Stay Frosty
Sidearm wise, I prefer the LA8 Rebel since I can add a silencer to it. Helps me take out people easier.
I did some testing in VR room a few days ago and tested the Mag-Scatter then, and I wasn't all that impressed with it's lethality at short range or its fire rate. So I guess I might skip it at least for a while (I eventually wanna unlock all the guns, but that is a long-term thing), since you seem to be second-ing that it's lackluster. I plan on running the Blackhand w/ my FASR and SMGs only, so CQC isn't going to be a problem for me when I have the Blackhand equipped (main reason I want it is to have a long range gun to helps those builds deal with enemies that are farther away). As for the AF-18 Stalker, I figured that Forward Grip would make more sense for it now that I have an understanding of how it's properly used. The suppressor reduces muzzle velocity by 40%, so it goes down to 300m/s from 500m/s. Not actually too bad considering I don't regard it as usable beyond 75m (0.250 seconds travel time w/ suppressor), though as my cloak management in CQC gets better I may find not having a suppressor not as bad for my ability to remain elusive. When I was first testing the various scopes on the Bolt Driver as I was unlocking them, I really liked the IO-10, and also the A-Eight quite a bit. I am running the IO-12 for now partly because I still tend to like sniping at things that are very far away sometimes (read: over 400m away, and the IO-12 is superb for those ranges). Down the road I might reserve IO-12 for very long range work for an EM-4 Longshot or AF-8 Railjack, and put a more modest scope on my Bolt Driver. I can see the reasons you run Nano-Armor Cloak for sniping, I might give that a try once I have that and Hunter Cloak maxed out and see how they compare.
OP, I would highly recomend to ditch LS and Silencer on your AutoSR in favor of FG+Comp combo and just aim at the head, seriously AutoSR is a headshot beast. And if you want to stay off the radar - just cloack to clear all spotting.
Woah. That's a long post. I'm going to make some suggestions in random order. Overall, you seem to have a good grasp at what you're doing so take these suggestions however you'd like. If you want more accuracy with the Bolt Driver, use the 10x scope and stay between 150-200m. I generally don't recommend 10x scopes for anything else but if that's really a thing for you, try it. The good thing about what you're doing is that if you can maintain a high accuracy with the Bolt Driver with 12x, then the better BASRs will be a walk in the park. Remember not to cloak when using a healing kit because it'll stop the heal. Also, there are plenty of situations you'll find yourself in where you think you're safe but you'll wish you had some Betties behind you to watch your back (in case you get tunnel vision in your scope). I recommend a 2x Reflex on the Stalker. Try that out and see if you like it. The Stalker can have a bit more range with this if you fire in bursts but if you do that, definitely expect return fire. But on that note, do NOT aim for the head (saw it mentioned in the thread). Even with Forward Grip and Comp, the Stalker still has that vertical recoil and you're better off aiming right below the head if you're trying to get some sort of headshots. MisterSlim was correct about NanoArmor Cloaking. I would suggest using it only once you have it maxed out or one below. Otherwise, you may be better off with Hunter. But of course, that's a play style thing. If you find yourself in situations where your cloak runs out too quickly, switch back to Hunter and see if that helps. I don't know too many people who run ASC in a dedicated Infiltrator build. I personally don't use it in any of my 6 builds. I would suggest Grenade Bando once you get EMPs. I would not suggest getting the Mag-Scatter for any of these builds. Personally, I think it's more of a Stalker cloak weapon. It's weaker than most but it'll catch people off guard when you sneak up on them. Stick with the Mag-Shot, Rebel or Desperado for these builds.
It would make my day to see someone else use it for long range sniping besides me xD. One is the loneliest number xD. But he is 100% right on upgrading it first. Leaving it un-upgraded is just inviting extra difficulty, and would be putting a handicap on yourself. -Stay Frosty
try the commy and underboss before you decide on a buying a secondary don't use the fore grip on the auto scout, keep the laser sight and lose the suppressor also try out the HS/VN scope on the auto scout a small contribution that i think is worth trying out
That recoil though. The forward grip helps a lot. Also, I would suggest only using the NV scope during the night (naturally). An actual scope might be preferred during the day. Or it could just be me. I have horrible night time vision in this game.
I have 5 TR loadouts: RAM .50 (longshot for NC) with repeater and health kits, ammo belt and hold breath implant. Scopeless bolt action (don't know name) with repeater, healthkits, nanoweave armor and battle hardened implant TRAP (it's a fun but also bad weapon) with underboss (preference choice) clamor, nanoweave armor and battle hardened implant. Armistice, with repeater clamor , clamor, nanoweave armor and sensor shield Semi auto Scout rifle, repeater, clamor, adrenalin pump, battlehardened
read this https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps...ward-grip-from-your-pulsar-c-thx-wrel.232007/ and for the HS/NV all head shots for me
Yeeeah....I saw that. Maybe it's the fact that I've used the Stalker w/ Grip since the beginning and I got used to it really quickly. I'm pretty much done with that weapon but I'll try it without Grip to see if it feels the same to me. And I just don't feel comfortable with the NV scope during the day. I'm sure it's just my eyes.
Mag-scatter is really my favorite secondary with the infiltrator. I don't know why but I seem to do much better with it than any other sidearm.
Update: I now have the AF-4 Cyclone, and have racked up over 400 kills with it (didn't take that long really). This makes my Assassin build a thing now (even shorter range than Infiltrator build I have w/ the AF-18 Stalker). Been liking having a Suppressor on it as well as Extended Magazines (Advanced Laser Sight is nice, but I am a habitual ADS user, so I get more out of extended mags) and Soft Point ammo to improve damage at most of the weapon's useful ranges (6m to 46m, since it increases max dmg range). As for sights, I think long term I will prefer one of the 1x Reflex sights (probably the standard red one), though I found the 3.4 scope I used tonight worked surprisingly well (I was expecting the scope to be obscuring like the NS/HV scope was (though the NV effect on that is really nice in difficult visibility conditions, such as at night), but it was actually not bad because you can see your periphery still because the scope only blocks out an area around where you're pointing). The rest of my Assassin build is for the moment identical to my Infiltrator build (Nano-Armor Cloak, Bouncing Betties, etc.). I have become a lot better at using the Nano-Armor Cloak (despite it being at level 1 still) by having learned better when NOT to cloak, and instead save energy. I expect to feel rather spoiled once I get that maxed ). Other than unlocking the Blackhand (which I will do after I get a few kit upgrades that I really need, like Nano-Armor Cloak, 2nd Bouncing Bettie, and Medkits). After that, I think I will sit on the guns I have for a while and Cert out the rest of the Infiltrator's stuff. At first I was having trouble winning CQC engagements even when I'd get the drop on people, but as of late I seem to be doing a lot better at it. I think the issue was the way I moved was geared towards old server-side hit detection FPS games I had played tons of and I needed to relearn how to move for a client-side hit detection FPS game.
