Sniper tips and tricks

Discussion in 'Infiltrator' started by direwind, Dec 3, 2012.

  1. direwind

    Ok, i suck at the fasted paced close combat stuff, so i spend most my time as an engineer or a sniper, so here are afew of my top tips.



    #position, this is the key aspect of the sniper, you need a place where you have a wide field view, but also have cover, you also must not be too high, because your silhouette will be outlined by the sky, which will get you killed.

    #cover, shadows and camo. shadows can play a key role in keeping you out of harms way, while in the shadows you are more hidden then you would be moving while cloaked, beware of muzzle flash though.
    Make sure you have the appropriate camo for the area you are in, the whole point of camo is to break up the outline of your avatar, the best way to use camo would be to kneel next to a wall with the appropriate texture for your camo, this can make you seriously hard to see while out of cloak.
    Cover, the use of cover takes many forms, using bushes to break up your silhouette can be very effective, many people will run right past you even uncloaked if you are in a bush, using a boulder that is just tall enough to snipe over offers wonderful protection, but can make aiming abit harder, but it is worth it.
    Trees can offer good protection from flying units.

    #Cloak

    as a sniper you wont be using cloak the same way a covert-op type would, your best use of cloak would be to use it while scanning for a target, or moving to a new location, you also should be cloaking after every shot and while reloading, cloaking also removes and ~Q, spotted~ anyone has placed on you, making it harder for others you are not aware of to shoot you.

    #Aiming
    You need a 12x, i like the 12x myself i dont use the others.
    You'll always want to go for the head, but dont aim at the head, always aim at the top of the head.
    you will notice sway, but you can compensate for this, forward grips do not help with this, so dont buy them.
    at most close ranges you do not need to hold breath.
    these are the distanced you will need to use shift(hold breath)
    100m no
    150m no
    200m either no bullet drop
    250m yes no bullet drop
    300m yes little bulletdrop, aim top of head.
    350m yes bullet drop of half a scope vertical line.
    400m yes, extreme bullet drop, 1 vertical scope line
    400m+ goodluck, at these distances you have clipping issues on players.
    remember, only shoot if you are sure you will hit, missing will compromise your position, due to bullet streaks.

    #hitting a moving target
    this is an advanced sniping skill, your idea target is a standing or kneeling target, but if you must hit a moving target you need to know the following.
    Is he sprinting or standard running? is he moving in a predictable manner?
    if you cant predict his moment you wont hit him, if you don't know his speed you will overshoot.
    When leading the target, it is not wise to go for a headshot, but it is possible, a sprinting target on a predictable run is one horizontal scope line ahead of the target, if you can line up the head while he is moving within this leading range you will get the kill, a standard runner is about half one line. Go for body shots on moving targets, even pros miss head shots.

    #Bullet streaks and muzzle flash.
    you need to be aware that whenever you fire you leave a tail leading right back towards you, this is why you cloak after each shot, then you ***** the situation to see if you have been spotted, be extra careful at night, muzzle flashing will give you away pretty quick, you can get a suppressor though, but this limits your range and speed of bullet meaning you need to lead a moving target even more.

    #Mini map and radar tool.
    If you dont have a suppressor every time you shoot you broadcast your location on the mini-map, being aware of this is the first step to defend against it, the second step is the radar tool, the radar tool is idea for people sniping, even if the ammo is limited, placing the projectile into a strategic location will aid you for awhile, anyone running upto you will have to run past this beacon, this will cause them to appear on the mini map, and broadcast this to your faction, if you are solo, you either shoot them while they are unaware you know they are there, or you run for it.

    #When too move.
    a good sniper does not die, if you have been spotted even once its time to move, your job is to kill, and not be killed, if you are fired at, dont try to kill them just move, you can always get them later.

    Tips and tricks.

    Spawn beacon: at rank 10 get this, if you play with a friend, this will allow you to drop onto hills you otherwise couldn't get to.

    you can jump from flying units without taking damage, use this to get to sneak locations.

    if you have to fight in close combat, use the sniper rifle to start the fight, you might head shot them, if not you will body shot and remove their armor. after the first shot either use pistol or knife to finish the job.

    if you are being chased, run in a predicable manner, Cloak and STOP and crouch, the enemy will still be leading with the assumption that you are still moving, this gives you time to either head shot with rifle or pistol.

    If you are in a sniper fight, don't trade shots, take one shot if you can, then get to cover, make him think you have left, the one who runs out of patience fire dies fire. remember to cloak often to remove Q spotting.

    If you are unsure of an area, spam Q, it will spot pretty much anything, but cloaked players.

    Use spawn beacons to get to sneaky locations.

    NEVER snipe next to over snipers or other player, a sniper is a loner, and other players get you killed.

    if you run out of ammo, sneak into a base and hack a term, then run for it.


    i hope this helped, i'm dying of a cold atm so forgive any mistakes.
    • Up x 1
  2. Carlos Spary

    i only use the 7x so i see more
  3. Caspartine

    Few thoughts on this part - the scope is more of a personal preference, I use 12x as well, but I had no problem with the stock either.
    But, as for the bullet drop - this may vary depending on the weapon used. I can assure you, if you use M77-B (TR cheaper bolt-action), you have to compensate quite early. I did some testing:
    200m - 1 mil-dot above the head
    250m - 1,5
    300m - 2

    300m doesn't seem that much, 2 dots above is quite a compensation though, you see the arc of the bullet, and it takes almost a whole second for the bullet to travel to the target.
  4. direwind

    yeah, bit of an oversight on my side, dying of this flu :)

    these numbers are from a v10 Vanu boltaction sniper. i assumed that all bolt actions were about the same.
  5. Coffinfeeder

    I go back and forth with the scope sizes. I've found the 12x to be best when I'm way out there in "Reach out and torch someone" range. for anything closer, I have an easier time with the 7-8x (I'm not in front of the game screen now) scope for a better FOV but also, its a bit less sensitive than a 12x when close. Less jumping around, etc.

    I've said in some posts before, if I can make out the details of their uniform/helmet, I'm likely too close for that scope, and if their head takes up most of my scope, i'm REALLY too close.

    Other tip: hiding part way down a hill or mountain in a shadow works well. Most people instantly scan the ridgeline for heads/silhouettes, or next to trees and walls. yes, stealth field helps, but so does reserving it for when you really need it too. Definitely use it to clear a Q call tho too between shots.
  6. PanzerGoddess

    i have yet to use shift lol....over rated, should be able to kill people at any range without it, as long as the render distance isn't ****** with you...

    not to throw this out here but you say never to shoot with other snipers x_X. To a point yes, however our outfit is an infiltrator outfit only and we have done some crazy **** together, so the keeping your distance is just a preference when it comes to this class. Depends on who you are working with too
  7. FullDread

    Covered this in another thead but some people might find you will miss if you aim for the top of the head. If so, aim for the nose to neck area for headshots.
  8. PanzerGoddess

    lol aim for the face..."IN THE FAAACCCEEE"

  9. Apina

    I use myself 4x scope and I do perfectly fine, rare occasion theres time I wish I had better scope but they're rare.

    Btw, when you hit moving targets wait when they start aiming so they slow down, its ALOT easier.
  10. FullDread

    *insert bad joke about unloading on faces or in throats here*
  11. Con411

    Call me crazy but i avoid most forms of conventional cover as a sniper. The only thing i pay attention to is my silouette and if possible I try to have some of my body behind cover.

    My advice to snipers would be to never stop strafing from left to right unless you are aiming or if you are cloaked. Sitting somewhere taking shots makes you the easiest one shot kill there is.
    Bolt action strafe left and right while deciding which shot you will make - stop, fire as fast as possible - resume strafing
    Semi automatics, same as above but restrict yourself to 3 shots before starting your strafing again.
  12. PeterLawford

    I really like the stock scope. Sometimes the higher magnifications are useful, but I'm finding that most of the time I'm shooting people from relatively short range, and need the extra field of vision. Plus, it's much easier to pick someone back up on your scope after you've taken a shot.
  13. Azikiwe

    I would offer the exact opposite advice: when you're sniping, try to minimize your movement as much as possible. Yes it makes you a much easier target, but the point is not to get spotted at all. A stationary infiltrator in the shadows with camo matching their environment is very hard to spot. Moving infiltrators, even if in shadows and camo, are easy to pick out. If you get seen you might get spotted, and if you get spotted then you might get a bunch of enemies converging on your position, in which case you're screwed.
  14. Con411

    Lets agree to disagree then. My play style suits me and I'm not worried about being chased down. Sitting still doesnt help much if you light up like a Christmas tree on IR or nightvision by the way. Sniper rifles also tend to leave a nice trail and usually the shooter responsible for it can be found on one of the ends of it.
  15. Azikiwe

    IR doesn't light up targets past a certain range, so infiltrators sniping from 200 meters out should be fine. Rifles leave a trail and a radar blip, which is why you pick and choose your shots and cloak after firing, maybe even change positions. Only fire if you're reasonably sure you could hit, which means leaving moving targets alone.

    It's not just being chased down by general infantry to worry about either if you're making yourself easier to spot, you'd also have to worry about other infiltrators. Strafing constantly makes you harder to hit, but easier to see, and if you have to stop to aim, then a patient sniper (and all snipers should be patient) will just watch and wait for you to stop and take the shot then.

    Infiltrators are squishy as hell, our only defense is not being seen. So I think anything that helps an infiltrator stay hidden is a good thing.
  16. Tasogie

    What I do is move out to max range where possible, I always sit in shadow of the hillside or preferably on backside of it so I only just see over it., when I cloak I scan the target, then drop cloak breath/fire an instantly recloak an move to side a few feet. <- this alone has saved me more times than I can think of.
  17. Krytical

    12x is horrible with the current draw distance in my opinion. In massive outdoor battles (where you should be as an infiltrator) you'll never render people far out enough for the 12x to be useful, and you lose out on FoV compared to someone running a 6x, 7x or 8x.

    Never go full 12x.
  18. mavix

    Being a sniper near other snipers isn't always bad. While there is greater awareness off you, they serve as a buffer between being targeted and if you are the one that is strafing then you are the least likely to be hit of the group. A group of snipers are also great for taking on several targets that are running and head shot opportunities are minimal.

    If you are going to be a lone sniper you need to either always maintain distance or be damn sure that you can make the shot count at close range encounters.
  19. Amir

    Thank you very much, you do not know how much this has helped me.
  20. cruczi

    Grab a position with height advantage, overlooking an area with enemy infantry in it. It should preferably within your own faction's territory, yet not directly behind the front line, but flanking it so that you can get shots on enemies from an angle they don't expect to be fired at. In the best scenario, your only realistic threat should be counter sniping. Personally I value position more for its offensive than defensive benefits, i.e. if you're visible when not cloaked, that's fine, as long as you have tasty targets available. You shouldn't be spending so much time uncloaked that you'd get killed by incoming fire.

    If you have cover, use it. The idea is to cloak, move up from behind cover, pick a target, uncloak, fire and cloak again, then move back behind cover. Recharge cloak, rinse and repeat. If you're expecting counter sniping, it is recommended to vary the location where you appear from behind cover.

    The part about recharging cloak between shots is important, because with limited cloak, you have less time to pick a target and wait for the right moment to line up your shot before you're exposed again. You'll want to make every shot count because every additional sniper tracer or body shot is another cue for the enemy to start looking your way, which will only make your job harder. Therefore, the only way to meaningfully improve your shots per minute towards becoming a more effective sniper, is to get faster at picking the target and lining up the shot. This will lead to less cloak usage per shot, thus shorter downtime, but you'll still always have that full cloak buffer before every shot that you can use if needed.