Weapon Overview: Large Caliber Sniper Rifles

Weapon Overview (Longshot, RAMS .50M, Parallax):

You are crossing a bridge on Indar when a shot is fired in the distance. As the sound registers in your mind, a bullet wizzes by your head, missing by an inch. Your heart races, your palms sweat, and you dive for cover in the nearby supports. Carefully, you take a glimpse at a building behind and see your your attacker, a friendly sniper on the roof holding a rather large rifle. Before you can wonder why your buddy is shooting at you, another shot rings out. This time you feel the wind of the passing bullet as it blasts home. There was someone behind you.

Spinning, you see a headless enemy cloaker, his head smashed into tiny granules. Indeed, the friendly sniper saved your life. You may have inhaled another person's disintegrated eyeball in the process, but that's a small price to pay compared to a knife lodged deep into your spinal cord.

You might wonder, how can I become this viciously accurate killing machine? This savior of men? This Cadillac of a soldier? I'll tell you how: with a really big gun. And maybe a few tips from good ol' Slugger.

Rifles and Upgrades

Let's begin by listing our shiny new rifles: The TR RAMS .50M, NC Longshot, and VS Parallax. Their high damage but slow reload begs for headshots, and only a Heavy with his shields turned on has a chance to survive a hit to the face from one of these bad boys. This means that as long as you can control your aim, the kills are sure to roll in.

As for upgrades, because you rely on pin-point accuracy over long distances, I would immediately look for a x12 scope (smaller scopes are better for closer distances, but that's not where you'll be using this rifle – we'll talk about that later.) I personally find other upgrades to be unnecessary. For example, an underbarrel grip attachment seems pointless for a manual weapon. A silencer is always a nice option, though considering the range you might be using this gun from, it could do more bad than good. A flashlight is... well, not ideal for a class that dwells in the shadows.

You Are Best At Long Range

When carrying this weapon, try to remember your strengths and weaknesses. Snipers are generally considered vulnerable at close range, and these weapons more so than others. Keep your distance and if you're spotted, consider cloaking and moving out. To avoid enemy snipers picking you off, try flanking. Snipers often look towards the frontlines when picking their targets. Remember, the Infiltraitor's stealthing ability is perfect for getting into a solid or unexpected position without being spotted.

Aim Small, Miss Small

Engaging a moving target as a sniper – especially when seeking headshots – is no easy business. A beginner should expect to miss more often than hit. I suggest you wait until your target finds a reason to stand still before opening fire. All you need is a second of stillness to install a new eyesocket in your target's skull. Adjusting for bullet drop can also be challenging. Try to always aim at the tip of the soldier's helmet. Unless your target is a seriously long distance away, you should find yourself a hundred points closer to a new cert after squeezing the trigger.

Did you get all that down? Great! Now wipe your visors and stretch your trigger-finger my sharpshooting friends. There are enemies about with their juicy heads waiting to be popped, so show them the meaning of fear and aim for their pensive smile.