Recon is my favourite class, even before Agent, thanks to his totally unique playstyle and high difficulty.

Playing as Recon demands more strategy than any other class. His playstyle includes:

• Clip management ─ Running out of ammo mid-fight is the biggest Recon killer.
  
• Single target takedowns ─ Plan your entry point, split up groups whenever possible.
  
• Protecting your back ─ Raider armor leaves it open, retreat is never an option.
  
• Weapon versatility ─ A gun for every occasion.
  
• Smart skill investment ─ Nearly every perk is useful, many are game-changers.
  
• Unique Ultimates ─ Become a one man army with a silenced shotgun and high-damage rifle.
  
• Heavy equipment usage ─ You'll be throwing out cam balls like they're on fire.

He also has three distinct ways of playing: Silenced, loud, and using his MP5's aimed shot.

Recon should be classified as "Hard". He gets easier with his game-changer skills, but he still has the highest skill barrier of any class. When you play as him you will die. A lot. Especially early on.

You can kick down doors with Recon: Instead of holding up near a door to unlock it, press the melee button.

Invest points in the Logistic tree to gain more Strategic Points per kill/hostage save. This lets you call in vital gear like Cam Balls and Spy Cameras as often as possible.

Get used to calling armor quickly. You can restore it mid-air by jumping, then quickly holding LB and pressing X (on 360 controller). This lets you restore armor without freezing Recon in place.

Use standard shots up close, and Rapid Fire at range (it's better to think of this alt as "Ranged Fire"). See below for a detailed comparison between these.

Recon can lay down sustained fire with reduced recoil by switching between standard shots and Rapid Fire shots in quick succession.

Try to duck while shooting at range. This helps avoid the higher shots sprayed by enemies with high-recoil weapons. (This is most effective with Rapid Fire shots, as standard-shot recoil means fewer shots may land while you're ducked.)

Standard-Shots:

• ✔️ Faster fire rate = Higher DPS (& more perk procs)
  
• ❌ Lower damage per-shot = Burns through ammo
  
• ❌ Shorter range
  
• ❌ More recoil
  
• ❔ Approach: Close combat

Standard-shots have a faster rate of fire, giving them a higher DPS and more perk procs (for Crippling Shots/Vulture). However, they have shorter range and more recoil. Use them up close for fast kills.

Rapid Fire:

• ❌ Slower fire rate
  
• ✔️ Higher damage per-shot = Conserves ammo
  
• ✔️ Longer range
  
• ✔️ Less recoil
  
• ❔ Approach: Ranged takedowns

Rapid Fire (RF) shots do more per-shot damage, but (despite its name) have a lower rate of fire. This gives them a lower DPS, but means you'll be reloading less. They also have longer range and less recoil. It's better to think of RF shots as "Ranged Fire" -- use them for ranged kills, accuracy, and ammo conservation.

Suppressed guns (MP9, MP7) have a higher rate of fire, which gives them a higher DPS, which means faster kills but more reloading. However, their RF shot damage is considerably lower than their standard-shot damage, so you should only use it when you have to (ie. for long-range kills).

Loud guns (UZI, CBJ-65) do more damage per shot, giving them a lower STK (shots to kill), which means less reloading. They also reload faster, and the DPS difference between standard and RF shots is much smaller.

Note: The MP5 is an exception here, see that gun's dedicated section below for details.

Above: Data from my Weapons Data Spreadsheet


Above: DPS differences between standard-shots and Rapid Fire shots


Above: Range differences between standard-shots and Rapid Fire shots

• _S : Suppressed
  
• DPS : Damage per second
  
• RF : Rapid Fire (alt)
  
• TTK : Time to kill (sec) †
  
• STK : Shots to kill (unarmored enemy) †
  
• Reload : Reload speed †
  
• AP : Armor piercing
  
• Range : Bullet life * bullet speed (higher = longer range)
  
• SND : Sound
  
• Spread : Max Spread at full recoil †

† Lower numbers are better. Applies to: STK, TTK, reload, spread

Accuracy & recoil aren't shown above because their values are very similar, with exceptions noted below (TL;DR: UZI = very high recoil, MP7 = very low recoil, the others are fairly evenly balanced).

Recon's last two guns have almost perfect Rapid Fire accuracy.

All guns share AP between regular shots and Rapid Fire, except MP5, which only has AP for its Aimed Shot.

Move speed reduction is always -20% while shooting (this applies to all classes). Make sure you're close enough before you start laying down fire.

Has the highest standard-shot DPS of any SMG by far (280), thanks to its incredibly high fire rate, but burns through ammo quickly.

Its RF shots have a lower DPS (160) but higher per-shot damage, making RF good for minimising reloads.

A great starter gun, the MP9 offers a strong balance between up-close DPS and ranged ammo conservation.

💥DPS: 280 / 160
🔫 STK: 7 / 6
🏁 Range: 120 / 190

🏆 Highest standard-shot DPS
🚨 Big discrepancy between standard-shots and RF

The Uzi's low fire rates make fights last longer, but with the highest per-shot damage of any SMG, its great for conserving ammo.

Its RF shot DPS (200) is also barely below its standard-shot DPS (220), giving you free reign to use RF as much as you like.

However, its heavy recoil -- especially for RF -- makes burst fire mandatory.

💥DPS: 220 / 200
🔫 STK: 5 / 4
🏁 Range: 130 / 190

🏆 Highest RF DPS + Best STKs
🚨 High recoil

An outlier across the board: Low DPS, poor STK, low range, slow reloads, and no AP for standard-shots.

However, its many downsides are balanced with its Aimed Shot. DPS is hardly important when you can take down almost any enemy in a single shot. It's also the quietest of all the silenced SMGs.

With careful play, heavy use of Recon's equipment, and good investment into equipment buff perks to offset the low base damage, the MP5 offers a playstyle that's completely unique.

💥DPS: 170 / 100
🔫 STK: 7 / 1
🏁 Range: 128 / 180

🏆 Aimed Shot
🚨 Very weak standard-shots

Boasts a huge standard-shot range (180 vs. average of ~125) and an insane Rapid Fire range (315 vs. ~190). It also has a remarkably low recoil climb, making it highly effective with sustained fire.

These benefits are offset heavily though. Like the MP9, there's a big difference between standard and RF shots, with its RF having the lowest DPS of all Recon's guns by far. It also has one of the longest reload speeds.

The MP7 excels with a slower-paced playstyle, picking off enemies from a distance before safely reloading.

💥DPS: 230 / 125
🔫 STK: 7 / 6
🏁 Range: 180 / 315

🏆 Huge range + Low recoil
🚨 Very weak RF

The UZI's smaller, smarter brother, the CBJ offers the same fast reload speed and close consistency between standard and RF DPS, without the wild recoil of the UZI. It also offers the highest non-Ultimate armor piercing in the game.

The CBJ is a well-rounded weapon and the perfect choice for close-quarters armor shredding.

💥DPS: 195 / 160
🏁 Range: 120 / 210
🔫 STK: 6 / 5

🏆 Highest AP of all guns
🚨 Loud

Like Breacher's shotguns, the Suppressed Shotgun can also breach. It also has huge penetration, so you can take down a big group of hostiles in a single shot if you're close enough. Just be mindful of its limited range.

The Suppressed Shotgun is the better choice if you want to move quickly and deal with groups. An excellent companion to the long-range MP7-Suppressed.

A unique weapon in many ways. Its damage increases the longer you aim for (watch the target reticle shrink; for most enemies only a split second aim is needed). LT/L2 cycles enemies, from furthest back to nearest, so plan ahead by watching enemy positions. Like most Ultimates, it also has a 5% crit chance.

Marksman Rifle is the only gun in the entire game that can aim and shoot at an angle (117°). Try it on Vertigo (level 3.5), you can snipe from the rooftops.

The Marksman Rifle can also spam fire, ie. it shoots as fast as you can tap the fire button. If you find yourself in a pinch, you can sacrifice ammo and increased damage to quickly eliminate hostiles in two shots.

Marksman Rifle is the better choice against armor thanks to its big damage potential.

Makes you feel less like the one-man army you'll become after many hours with Recon, but it combos perfectly with Spy Camera.

Description: Highlights nearby enemies. Get extra damage on targets

Uses: 3 (6 with Double Tools)

Offers excellent DPS with the right skills, and unlike the Spy Camera, Cam Balls can be thrown up and down ladders.

Description: Peek inside closed doors. Get extra damage on targets

Uses: 6 (12 with Double Tools).

As awesome as they sound, and the high gear count gives you plenty to work with.

Description: +75 Armor (Front Only), No backside protection

The only rifle-resistant armor that doesn't impede movement speed (Improved Armor reduces speed by 10%, or 15% for Agent).

Above: Recommended skills at max level


Increase basic shooting accuracy.

Handyman: (faster reloads)
Get this skill first. For a class whose playstyle centers so much around reload management, decreasing the time they take is essential.

Disoriented: (shots stun)
Not very noticeable, spend your points on other essential skills first.

Crippling Shots: (chance to slow)
Doesn't proc very often but is a nice-to-have on the way to Surgeon Precision.

Surgeon Precision: (highlights always crit)
Game changer. Critical hits grant +33% damage, giving a massive boost to Recon's DPS.

Increase Damage bonus against highlighted enemies

Invisible: (slower enemy reactions)
Get this skill second. It covers the time needed to deploy camballs and helps balance Recon's generally lower DPS.

Duracells: (+50% highlight duration)
It's very cheap for what it provides, which is more time to eliminate enemies while your damage buff is active. Essential when using Spy Cameras as it offsets the long lockpick time. Also very handy when throwing Cam Balls up and down ladders.

Rescue Plan: (highlights protect hostages)
Situational. It adds about 50% HP to hostages, while a Cam Ball or Spy Camera is active. Only use it if you need it.

No gradual improvement.

Vulture: (crit chance from behind)
10% seems like it wouldn't proc often, but Recon's high fire rate makes this one pretty useful. Great for conserving ammo.

Double Tools: (2x recon gear)
Get this skill third. Especially essential for Cam Balls, as you only start with 3. For Spy Cameras, you'll start with 12, which is generally enough to clear a whole level, giving you more Stragetic Points to spend on armor, medkits and Ultimates.

Caught in the Act: (hide at range)
Enemies have to be very close to detect you in cover. Very situational but fun if you can spare the points. Detection range is shown in the appendix below.

Video showing the range of Recon's main guns. I spend a little too long testing MP5 as I was surprised at its low range:
https://youtu.be/F7S3JKAilAk

Silenced Shotgun range:

Screenshots showing the distance difference with the "Caught in the Act" skill.

Without the skill, this is how close an enemy needs to be before they spot you:



With the skill, they have to be very close before they spot you:



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