How to be an affective sniper

Introduction

Congratulations on finally deciding to pick up a sniper rifle. In Combat Arms, sniping is absolutely the easiest, most efficient way to get kills, but can also be extremely frustrating if you don't know what you're doing. I've been sniping ever since I started playing this game and have done so in basically every other FPS game I have played, so hopefully what I'm posting will help you as well.

As you will see soon, sniping in Combat Arms can be extremely easy. The only skills you need are: a steady hand, a lot of patience, and the ability to keep your finger off of the trigger.

Lets start with a few pointers before we get into specifics.

First of all, you need to realize the capabilites and limitations of your sniper rifle. It is a highly accurate weapon that suffers in close combat and is not designed for quick consecutive shots. Therefore, you are strong when you are at a distance, but weak when you're caught in the crossfire.

Tactics

1. Take Cover

This is an absolute no brainer. You should always cover when you're sniping, whether it be behind a wall, crate, barrel, or your own damn teammate. Sniping is game of stealth and by revealing yourself, you present a target for other players and other snipers. Once you have found a solid object to hide behind, be aware of your angles. This means that you should look around to see which side you are covered, which side your opponent will likely come from, and which side you are left vulnerable. Being aware is the key to success as a sniper.

Unless you are absolutely entrenched, avoid areas where you are open to attack from more than one angle. Not only will more bullets come your way, but you'll also have to pan around more to see where those shots came from. Instead, it is often ideal to hold a high-traffic choke point from afar where you can anticipate enemies coming at you.

At the same time, you need to have absolute awareness of your positioning. Know how much of your body is exposed, know if the barrel of your gun is sticking out.

Finally, be sure to always crouch unless you're completely covered standing up. Your finger will be sore at the end of the game, but you'll present a much smaller target.

2. Look Around

Most people think the key to sniping is having remarkable aim. This is absolutely wrong because all you need to do is point and shoot. Instead, the only thing separating a bad sniper from a good sniper is whether he or she knows when to scope in and when to unscope. As a sniper, I generally spend 75% of my time unscoped and will only zoom in when I acquire a target. The obvious disadvantage is that there will be a slight delay from the time you see your target and the time you shoot, forcing you to miss shots or allow your opponent to escape completely. However, the advantages are overwhelming. By keeping an open scope, you can look around to identify possible targets as well as an approaching ambush so the next time someone tries to knife you while they assume you're focused on a distant target, pull out the side arm and send them a message.

By doing this, I get called a "chammer" or "hacker" pretty much every game. I try to take it as a compliment.

3. Move

I can't stress this enough. Some snipers are absolutely surprised when they get killed over and over again because they visit the same spots over and over again. Hopefully like you, other players have at least a basic grasp of patterns and will take note if they kill you more than twice in the same spot. So instead of flocking to the same place over and over again, have at least 3-4 positions on every map that you can rotate through unless one spot is absolutely, overwhelmingly better than the others. In that case, camp there like a champ.

You should also move when you're taking fire from someone who you can't see. Quietly shift along the map so you can get another look at different angle.

4. Avoid Overused Positions

If you know a good sniping position, chances are you aren't the only one. Enemies snipers will always look for fools in these commonly used locations and most often will always kill you. A good example of this is the tower on Waverider, where you'll get a great view, but also will most likely be pinned down before shot by someone climbing up the ladder.

Instead, try to find places where people rarely go. Being in a high location is not always ideal, look for low cover down low. Use the terrain to your advantage. You could be out in the open but effective at the same time if you use the terrain for cover.

5. Know Where Your Teammates Are

If you know where your teammates are, you'll also know where your enemies are. Consider the people who are close around, track them as they move through the game. When they engage an enemy, you'll know of your opponent's location and can decide what to do next. For example, lets say Frank is covering the alley behind you but dies from a L9 head shot. Once you see this message flash up, you shouldn't panic, but should certainly be aware since your blindspot is no longer covered. Be on your toes until someone else takes the spot. However, if Frank gets killed by submachine gun fire, you'd better whip out your secondary and be prepared to kick ass.

6. Place your shots

Sniper rifles are designed to be fired one shot at a time, ensuring as many hits as possible. If you see someone afar, don't get over excited and unleash your entire magazine as fast as you can. Instead place your shots to ensure that you actually hit the target. You might miss a few kills, but you'll end up getting more than you lost.

7. If something doesn't work, don't do it.

This mostly applies to every player, but snipers especially because firing from cover tends to give us a sense of invincibility. If you're rounding the corner and see someone tucked behind crates with a M24, don't try to approach him. Ok, may be try it once to see if he has terrible aim, but if he kills you more than once, leave him alone and move on. Each weapon has different strengths, play the game to yours rather than to your opponents. Also, on a side note, don't chase after people who you missed. You have probably already pissed off enough people that you'll get shot the moment you break cover.

At all times maintain a cool head and be emotionally detached.

Weapons

Although there aren't many sniper rifles in the game, most of them are quite different to some degree. It is recommended that you actually try these weapons for yourself, but here is my analysis based on my experience.

1. L96A1

1 hit kill, potential for 30 kills, what's there not to like right? Unfortunately, I've been one of the thousands of people suckered into thinking that the L96 is the zenith of sniper rifles without realizing that it is basically a glorified shotgun 3 weeks later. While the gun has amazing fire power, its terrible accuracy makes it only useful for hitting targets in the open, one at a time. If someone is hiding behind sandbags or has support, you might as well play dead. Time after time your shots will stray off mark but off-target shots will rarely get you a hit. Because it is bolt-action, you'd better be sure you hit when you shoot.

As a result, you'll usually end up getting fewer kills than you would with other guns. When I switched to the MSG90, my k/d ratio immediately rose from 1.6 to 1.8 in two weeks.

However, its one hit kill feature is extremely useful for holding choke points because you can take out people coming at you before they realize what hit them.. If you have fast reflexes, the L96A1 will do you favors on simple maps like Death Room, Power Surge and Rattlesnake.

2. M24

The M24 is the other bolt action rifle in the game with a slightly faster rate of fire than the L9 and impressive accuracy. Unfortunately, it has no place in a small-mapped, fast paced game like Combat Arms. Like the L9, its slow firing rate forces you to hit your target or risk be killed. Because it cannot kill with a single shot, you'll need to use its accuracy to aim for the head, which is excellent for taking out other snipers hiding behind cover, but thats basically it.

A few people will use this gun to appear "pro", but in the end, its the results that matter.

3. SR25

Probably the second most popular sniper rifle in the game, the SR25 offers an attractive package. Its got an amazing rate of fire that allows you to squeeze off consecutive shots with very little delay; while the L96 can kill instantly, the SR25 can kill instantly + 1 second. Its got an integrated suppressor system that gives it a cool sound, but this prevents you from using the suppressor of your choice.

The SR25 has an accuracy rating that almost matches the M24, allowing you to efficiently pick off L96 users while they wonder why their shots aren't falling. Its fire power is less than optimal, but like most sniper rifles, it still kills with 2 hits. This is made up by the fact you can use the gun at close range like an assault rifle, so if you don't have time to switch to a close range weapon, no scoping with the SR25 will do the trick.

Best of all, the SR25 is cheap. It comes fully equipped at 1100 gp per day and will earn its cost in no time.

4. MSG90

The MSG90 is essentially a clone of the SR25 that gets very little love because it costs more than its silenced cousin. However, in my opinion, this is the best sniper rifle in the game for several reasons. Like the SR25, it is deadly accurate, has an amazing rate of fire and a large magazine. However, there are a few subtle differences. Its slightly higher damage rating increases the chance of killing injured players with a single shot. In addition, its marginally slower rate of fire prevents you from panicking and unloading lead without reaiming. Finally, you have the option to fit a suppressor or your choice to better conceal yourself.

5. Dragunov SVD

The Dragunov is a semi-automatic sniper rifle that is an intermediary between the SR25 and the L96. Therefore, you can expect power, accuracy, and rate of fire ratings that fall between the two extremes. Whats interesting about this gun is that it has a funky scope that is more confusing than helpful in Combat Arms becase you have no need to calibrate bullet drop. Instead of the traditional cross hair, you're stuck with an inverted triangle.

I don't really recommend this gun because it performs largely on par with the other semi/auto sniper rifles but is more expensive. In addition, you can't equip a suppressor to this rifle so you have to live with a large muzzle blast.

6. PSG1

To tell you the truth, I haven't bought this gun because I still don't have the level requirement. Chances are, you don't either. However, it is not the best choice out there because it is extremely expensive, performs on par with the Dragunov, and has a low-magnification scope.
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NX snipers

1. L96A1 Artic Wolf: Blot Action

It works on par with the regular L96A1 sniper but it is ideal for any snow map

2. M107 CQ SE: Auto

Love this gun and have it. its accruacy is much higher than the L96A1 familey while contaning the 1 hit kill. The portability for this gun is slow, but the power and accuracy make up for it. Fire rate is ok but shoot it like a bolt action cuz the recoil will take you for a ride. Great camping gun. (BEST GUN IMO)

3.M-200 Ghillie: Bolt Action

AMAZING GUN i have picked it up a couple of times and owned with it. It has the 1 hit kill, while like the M107 has much more accuracy then the L96A1 and even alittle more than the M107. The portability is about as good as the L96A1

4.M39 EMR Desert: Auto

Great gun tho not a 1 hit kill the ROF and accuracy make up for it. The rate of fire is more than the SR25 i think. The accuracy is 2 clicks below 100. The portability is greater than the M-200 and the L96A1. Watch out for the "sway" its emence so watch it.

5.PSG-1 Mod/Camo-Semi-Auto

Dont even bother with them there bad guns(IMO) but if u get it in a case try it.

6.SPR: Bolt Action (GP and Clan Only Gun)

Great gun love it. Tho its a 2 hit kill the accuracy is 100 so use shoot hide then shoot again and there dead. WILL 1 SHOT ON A LIGHT VESTER OR IN THE BACK. (2nd Best Gun IMO)


Speical thanks to nosajuy,echo536, and tsargent