The purpose of this guide is to put down all the tips and tricks I've learned over the years of playing this game on and off, and in doing so reflect upon what I've learned to see if there is anything more I myself can glean from it. Its a mostly introspective thing, but you might find some use from it.

• Stick with your team. Don't race them, don't lag behind.
  
  
• The only way to heal is a full resupply. That means holding down F until the bar is filled.
  
  
• During defenses, find a spot where the AI can't flank you or get at your sides. This may require putting faith in your teammates to hold a sightline.
  
  
• If a teammate dies during a defense, keep in mind the angle they were covering, but don't abandon yours. Its more important to survive than to kill when the timer hasn't reached 0, and you could get shot in the back just as you move out of position.
  
  
• If your teammate doesn't notice an enemy while moving to an objective, don't just point that enemy out. Try and shoot them. Your teammate is probably too busy to pay attention to your callout. During a defense however, I wouldn't recommend going out of position to kill that enemy.
  
  
• If the enemy is camping or being sneaky, try using the gesture wheel to taunt them. They'll usually respond. Then you can flash or grenade them.
  
  
• If you can't find the enemy contesting a point, check the floor above you, and then below you. The high ground is an advantage when it has cover and concealment, but its a disadvantage when it lets them see your legs before you can see theirs.
  
  
• Your movement speed is determined by your loadout, not what you currently have. If you don't spawn with a rifle and then pick a PKM up, your movement speed will be unaffected by the PKM. Heavy ammo and armor with a pistol is faster than light ammo and heavy armor with a rifle, if you're not picky about what you get.
  
  
• Bring a throwable or pick one (or a rocket launcher) up. Doesn't matter what, you can use everything in a pinch if you plan ahead and aren't unlucky.
  
  
• You won't find a secondary to pick up unless a teammate dies with one out, so bring one. They're faster than reloading.
  
  
• The loading grip may not actually speed your reload up depending on your weapon and whether you do a fast or slow reload.

A little mini chapter to ease you into it. I won't be discussing everything here (anything not mentioned is basically not worth picking unless you really like how it looks or feels), so feel free to experiment if nothing takes your fancy.




Makarov. 0 points










Pros: Its free. Take the Makarov, Shinji.

Cons: None. Because its infinitely cheaper than everything else in the game, the infinite-ness of its pros outweighs the finite-ness of any cons.

Browning Hi-Power. 1 point.










Pros: Same price as a makarov with extended mags, but gives you 13 rounds instead of 12. For 1 extra point you get 20 rounds per magazine.

Cons: None. This is the Platonic Ideal of a sidearm. The sidearm from which all other sidearms are imperfect recreations of.

PF940. 3 points.










Pros: If you buy extended mags (3+1 points), you get 33 rounds per mag. Great secondary for people who can't rely on their primary. (Machinegunner and Marksman)

Cons: Hi-Power gives 20 rounds for 2 points total (1+1), this gets 17 for 3 points. Do not use unless you really like the look or are getting extended mags for it.

Desert Eagle. 5 points.










Pros: No gimmicks, just power. Its the Barrett for the people.

Cons: Its expensive. But unlike the MR 73, its worth it.


Before we get into these, I want to explain a philosophy. Smokes and molotovs are defensive, flashes and frags are offensive.

If you throw a molotov at a door but the enemy can still stand at the other side of that door, you will get shot. Molotovs (and incendiaries) are best used to stop AI from turning corners. If you need to hold down a long corridor, use smokes. Smokes are also cheaper. Molotovs and incendiaries can cause enemies to stack up and swarm when the fire damage stops. (The flames will linger for a few seconds longer in a few spots of the covered area, but the floor covering fire will be gone.)

Flashes detonate faster than uncooked frags, and thus are faster to use. They also won't hurt or kill teamates, and are also cheaper than frags. Use flashes and frags to clear rooms when you know you're surrounded but need to move.

Also, demolition objectives are sometimes invincible to fire due to a glitch. If someone already flamed the demo objective and it didn't go off, let someone plant an IED or pray the Demo brought one and somehow resisted the urge to send themselves and the entire team to Allah the second it spawned.

M83 Smoke & Smoke Launcher. 1 point.
Pros: AI tend not to shoot through smoke, and will cough and take the time to put on a gas mask if they enter it.

Cons: Doesn't actually stop enemies from coming through, and AI might return fire through smoke if fired upon.

M84 Flash. 1 point.
Pros: AI are very unlikely to shoot while blinded, and tend to get up if prone. Great for room clearing.

Cons: Doesn't actually kill enemies. Doesn't kill you either, though.

Molotov. 2 points.
Pros: Easy to aim area denial. Shatters on impact setting fire to where it lands. One is enough to blow up a demolition objective.

Cons: Because it detonates on impact you have to look directly at what you want to ignite, potentially getting you shot or burning yourself and teammates to death.

AN-M14 Incendiary. 2 points.
Pros: Allows you to set fires indirectly without exposing yourself, and the delayed fuse gives you enough time to run away if you plant it at your feet (but probably not avoid getting burned).

Cons: Bouncing and rolling can make it harder to place it exactly where you want it.

Underbarrel Weapons

Buckshot Launcher. 2 points.
Pros: Battlefield Bad Company 2, anyone? Single shot shotgun. You aim with the grenade launching sights so you can actually land your one shot. Available on the AKM, AK-74, and QBZ-97.

Cons: 7 shots with a heavy ammo carrier, 5 with a light, and 3 with none. Masterkey has 8 with a heavy ammo carrier and can get 8 with light or none. Damage is lackluster with poor aim. Spread may be wider than the M26 MASS and Masterkey, I sruggled to kill a prone bot shooting them in the face at about 10 feet. Just take the M26 MASS, Masterkey or pick Breacher if you want a shotgun that badly.

M26 MASS. 3 points.
Pros: Gets you a "shotgun" as a third weapon, basically. 5 rounds, 2 mags. Can have 5+1 loaded for 6 rounds ready to go. Surprisingly long range versus unarmored opponents and even lightly armored opponents. 5/10 for a heavy ammo carrier, 5/5 for light or none.

Cons: Weaker than standalone shotguns. Aiming is just pointing at the center of the screen, which is not good enough. You need to hit every pellet to get a one hit kill with this, and because of it being weaker they need to be neck shots to kill heavy armored opponents. Head misses more pellets. Chest doesn't do enough damage.
Takes 1 second to switch to, and to effectively use it requires a laser sight, which is another 2 points. Only available on the M16A4, M4A1 and AUG.

Masterkey. 4 points.
Pros: Shotgun as a third weapon. Still a "shotgun", but this one looks and feels the part. Pump action, wood furniture. Now this is a boomstick. Remember to load the 4th shell in, you'll need it. 3/9(4/8) with a heavy ammo carrier, 3/5(4/4) with light or none. With light or none and the Masterkey selected, you can quick resupply to get 3/9(4/8). Full resupplies will knock you back down to 3/5(4/4). Available on the M16A2, M16A4, M4A1, AKM, AK74, AR-7090, and FAMAS.

Cons: More expensive and functionally worse version of the M26-MASS on the M16A4 and M4A1. Like the M26-MASS difficult to aim without paying 2 more points for a laser sight.

Please see the next chapter for discussion of common primaries.

A lot of attachments in the game don't provide much value, or are only sometimes beneficial. I'll mention the offenders here real quick.


Unmagnified optics. 1 point.

Pros: Can make a weapon with horribly obstructive iron sights usable. Holographic, Kobra, Mars, and Red Dot (In order of appearance) are all pretty good, with the OKP-7 winning out for amazing visibility and a very thin frame.

Cons: Could just get a weapon with better iron sights and save yourself the point, potentially. Not all 1x optics are created equal either. The MRO is a miniature Red Dot with more obstruction than viewing area.

PK-AS, 1.5x. 1 point.


Pros: Magnified means your gun won't show up when aiming, so it won't get in the way. Good for close range because of the good view and low magnification, and that little extra bit of zoom helps with midrange.

Cons: Kinda looks ugly from the outside, maybe. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?


Flash Hider. 1 point.

Pros: If your sights are very close to the barrel in terms of height, the muzzle flash can make it hard to see what you're shooting at.

Cons: None. Take it or don't. Its entirely unique in its price and function.

Compensator. 3/2 points.

Pros: Can make weapons easier to control.

Cons: Horizontal recoil isn't real. 50% of the time it goes left, 50% of the time it goes right. You know what that means? It cancels itself out.* Get a recoil grip instead. Also the same price as the objectively cooler suppressor. 2 points on pistols.

*On weapons with extremely high recoil the kick side to side can be so drastic as to be unusable, such as hip firing the PKM. This won't make it any better but it might help a little. Also weapons in general kick side to side much more violently when hipfired.

Suppressor. 3/2 points.

Pros: AI don't really use suppressors, so its a good way to let your teammates know thats you shooting past them from behind and not an AI. Also makes guns sound nicer and less harsh on the ears.

Cons: 3 points for hearing protection is a lot. And 2 points on a pistol is still a lot. It does get rid of the muzzle flash though, so I lied a little back there.

Generic Underbarrels

Quick Draw Grip. 1 point.

Pros: Makes your weapon significantly faster to draw. If you play this game at all, you're switching. To pull out or pick up grenades and rocket launchers, plant IEDs, do a full resupply. This about halves the time it takes to pull your primary back out. Definitely the most underrated grip.

Cons: Doesn't speed up putting it away that I can tell.

Bipod. 2 points.

Pros: Reduces vertical and horizontal recoil some. When deployed, no recoil.

Cons: Bipod snapping is usually unintentional, the view angle restrictions when deployed are annoying as you're limited to only 90 degrees or so. Not available on most weapons, unfortunately.

Loading Grip. 2 points.

Pros: Speeds up your reloads, especially your slow reloads. Also alters your grip in a way you may find aesthetically pleasing by putting your thumb up on the side of the gun instead of under it.

Cons: May do nothing at all, or only speed up one of your two reload types, or part of your reload, depending on the weapon. Speedup varies from 40%-5% on magfed guns and 60% and 30% for 1 shell and 3 shell reloads, and 0% for the KS-23 so far.

Point Shooting Grip. 2 points.

Pros: Gives you an unmagnified optic with unbeatable visibility. Good for pairing with 3x and higher magnified optics.

Cons: Laser dots disappear if going through smoke. Also increases vertical and horizontal recoil some.

Aiming Grip. 3 points.

No noticable effect. Might be more pronounced on slower aiming heavy weapons like the AMRs or PKM, but you can't put underbarrel attachments on those.

Recoil Grip. 3 points.

Pros: Reduces vertical recoil by a percentage(?). Noticable during the first few shots of full auto where recoil is the highest.

Cons: 3 points is kinda expensive. Bipod if available feels like a better pick.

Recoil Grip Bipod

Pros: Adds the bipods horizontal recoil buff and the functionality of a bipod to the recoil grip.

Cons: The bipod was kinda already just a more cost effective recoil grip. Not worth the points unless you're going full on ghetto gunner. Also isn't available for a lot of guns, for some reason.


Laser Sight. 2 points.

Pros: Accurate first shot hipfiring. Hip fire recoil is very bad for every weapon though, so good luck beyond that.

Cons: A lot of points for a laser pointer.

Flashlight. 1 point. Night only.

Pros: It makes light.

Cons: Enemies can spot the beam of light. May make it very hard for teammates using NVGs to see.

IR Flashlight. 1 point. Night only.

Pros: It makes light. Can only be seen with night vision.

Cons: Can only be seen with night vision. May make it very hard for other NVG users to see.

IR Laser Sight. 1 point. Night only.

Pros: Straight upgrade from the laser sight if you have NVGs.

Cons: Straight downgrade if you don't!

NVG Point Shooting Training. 0 points. Night only.
Not actually a siderail attachment but I'm not making a section for it.

Pros: Point aiming grip style aiming for free.

Cons: Requires one of the 4 upgrades from the siderail section to function. Works with the flashlights which only cost 1 point.

Before we start, here is what I'll be aiming at for reference, so you can see what the iron sights will obscure.

M16A2 & M16A4. 1-2 points.
Pros: Cheap. Great mag compatibility. Can scavenge mags from any weapons in the M16 magazine group.

Cons: 5.56 lacks a lot of oomph. Iron sights cover up a lot of the screen and are basically unusable. M16A2 doesn't have a lot of optic choices and they're all 2 points and up. No full auto fun.

Use: M16A2: The M16A2 is not a bad weapon, but it is an inflexible one. The 3 round burst is great at close and medium range and will kill anyone if you land all 3 shots to the chest. aim a little low to account for recoil.
M16A4: If you wanted a kitted out M4A1 but couldn't stomach the 5 point starting price.

AKM. 3 points.










Pros: Open sights, no need for unmagnified optics. Good damage. Low fire rate makes recoil manageable in close quarters. Can scavenge magazines from AKMs, Alpha AKs, and RPKs.

Cons: Low height over bore means your muzzle flash will make it impossible to see right after firing. Mag compatible weapons aren't as common a sight in the hands of teammates or enemies compared to the M16 magazine platforms. Difficult to use at medium range in semi auto, impossible in full auto.

Use: Not being a sheep like all your tactibro teammates. Rage pick when an AI one shots you in the leg with an M16A2 but your M16 didn't one shot them in the chest.

AUG. 3 points.










Pros: Cheapest 30 round mag full auto 5.56 rifle. Amazing irons mean no optic needed at close and medium range. Extended mag gives you 42 rounds for 1 point, more than other weapons get (35 for 1 point). Fire rate is very slow and easy.

Cons: Not mag compatible with any other gun. No drum mag available, not that I'd recommend getting it since you already get 42 rounds for 1/3 the price of a 50 round drum mag.

Use: New to the game, having a hard time budgeting, or just weren't expecting to get your snowflake class taken? Just take an AUG and put extended mags on it. Thats all you need.

G3A3. 4 points.










Pros: Big caliber. Keeps its stopping power out to a longer range than 7.62x39. Surprisingly controllable in semi auto even when firing fast.

Cons: Recoil per shot feels higher in full auto. Extended mag is 2 points for 10 more rounds. Reload is a little on the slow side. Iron sights are difficult to use because of how much screen space they take up.

Uses: Budget DMR. Its an M14 with less recoil and a more controllable full auto. You don't have access to the 7x or 6x scopes that Marksman does but you shouldn't need more than 4x.

At the end of this guide I'll have a part two on Rifles that, while pretty good, didn't quite make the cut if you want to know more about the others.

M16 Group
M16A2, M16A4, M4A1, Mk18, L85A2.

VHS-2 can use M16 mags, but the M16 group cannot use VHS-2 mags.

MDX cannot use M16 mags.

AKM Group
AKM, Alpha AK, RPK, SKS.

AK-74 Group
AK-74, AKS-74u.


AR-10 Group
MDR, Tavor 7, and M110 SASS all share the same style of magazine, and might be interchangable. Because of the rarity of these weapons however (Bots never use MDR, Tavor 7 is locked to Advisor and the bots usually use Alpha AK, M110 SASS locked to Marksman and the bots usually use a Mosin or M24) I have been unable to verify if they're compatible. Its not a steadfast rule given the MDX can't use any M16 magazines, though.

With no access to special weapons, no access to abilities of any kind, and no limit, Rifleman is for sure the default class.



Pros:
You won't be taking up a limited class slot.

Cons:
You're a gun with legs, and its not a very special gun either.

So, how do you build Rifleman? However you want, within the confines of how you can. Here are a few suggestions.


Rifleman doesn't really get anything special, unless you consider sharing his available selection with 3 other classes to be something special. Refer to the previous Rifles section to see whats what.


Hobo Sniper
Get an M16A2 for 1 point, Put the 3x scope on it for 2 points. It hasn't got much stopping power but its cheap and aside from reloading you shouldn't ever run out of ammo if you're resourceful.

Alternatives to consider are the AKM and G3A3 for better stopping power, and especially either of them with the 1 point 1.5x magnification optic for closer range plinking.

Hobo Gunner
Get anything that can have a drum mag upgrade and maybe a bipod attachment. Put both on. M16A2, AKM and AUG are all good options for these, with the AKM and AUG being the standouts.

Breachers (two of them) have access to SBRs, SMGs, and Shotguns. But not all the SBRs and SMGs. And also Rifleman can get (underwhelming) underbarrel shotguns.



Pros:
You're more special than Rifleman.

Cons:
If anyone picks up an SMG off a dead enemy (or your corpse) your'e not special anymore.



Sterling. 1 point.










Pros: Second only to a free in cheapness. Full auto. Extremely easy recoil. 50 round mag with no recoil or reload speed penalty for the usual 3 points. Gets 34 for free, 1 less than extended mags on most 5.56 guns.

Cons: It is so good that I won't be listing any other guns here. This is the meta pick, in my opinion.


Hobo Sniper
Get a shotgun. Put slugs in it. Put an optic on it.

Hobo Gunner
Big mag. Use the light weightness and quick reloading of your SMGs to be more flexible than a real Gunner.

Some dingdong Picked Advisor And Now I Can't Be Special
Use the Honey Badger or AS-VAL, but be warned they in effect are just AKMs that can't magazine scavenge.

One class slot, 8 players. Who will be crowned the Picatinny Princess?



Pros:
By picking Advisor, you have prevented everyone else from playing Advisor.

Cons:
Half of your weapons are reskins with a point cost adjustment.


SKS. 2 points.










Pros: Second only to a Mosin Nagant in price for some .30 caliber fun. Very open and easy to use sights. Can scavenge AKM-compatible magazines.

Cons: 2 points to go from 20 to 30 rounds. Pretty benign for the class that gets all the special weapons.

AKS-74u. 3 points.










Pros: AK-74 but 1 point cheaper. Very open and easy to use sights. Can scavenge AK-74 compatible magazines.

Cons: You are now a Rifleman. Other than that, none. Its the baseline.

MK 17. 3 points.










Pros: Full .30 caliber power, for 1 point cheaper than a G3A3. Lots of visibility to the side of the iron sights, but there is some obfuscation right next to your target on the sides, which is worse in my opinion. It makes the target harder to track.

Cons: 2 points to get 30 rounds per mag. Which is the same price as a FAL with no attachments, so maybe its not that bad.


Hobo Sniper
Big boolet. Scope.

Hobo Gunner
Lots of boolet. I see the AKS-74u used for this a lot, probably because its the cheapest full auto, but I've also seen someone use an MK 17 with a recoil bipod grip.

Versus the immovable object that is yourself and the rest of your team.



Pros:
You do something special. You have the ability to be useful. You can get trick shots with your explosive underbarrels or rocket launchers on demolition targets and emplaced enemies.

Cons:
Second hardest class to play. Getting the most of your unique equipment requires a heavy ammo carrier, which is expensive and slows you down. You do not do well behind your team.

Positioning is key to playing Demo. Keep that, and the fact everything you spawn with adds weight to you, in mind.


Demolitions has the generic weapon selection that Rifleman, Observer, and Commander also have access to, with the caveat that Demo has access to explosive underbarrel grenade launcher attachments for 3 points.

M19 and TM-62 Landmines. 1 point.
Pros: IED and Rocket Launcher explosion radius and damage. Can bring one of each.

Cons: Takes 3~ seconds to put down. Requires two pretty precise shots to set off. Explosives set it off instantly. Once placed, you permanently lose a grenade slot until you resupply.

C4 and IED. 3 points.
Pros: Can be thrown, faster to place than mines and requires less distance travelled. Reliably set off by one shot. IED is bigger and so easier to hit. Only one or the other, can't bring both.

Cons: Conventional detonation requires switching to the grenade slot it was in. Replacing it with a picked up grenade makes the C4 disappear. Once detonated, you permanently lose a grenade slot until you respply.

AT4 and Panzerfaust. 3 points.
Pros: Deceptively easier to use than C4 for the same price. Same restriction of only one. Backblast isn't real and it can't hurt you or your teammates. Also you can hipfire it.

Cons: Usually means putting yourself in line of sight of the enemy. The AI only needs to see you for 1/60th of a second to kill you even in heavy armor. Only one shot, regardless of your ammo carrier. Doesn't drop automatically once fired, potentially resulting in fumbling under fire to get your other weapons out.

Underbarrel Grenade Launchers. 3 points.
Pros: Doesn't take up a grenade slot. Potential for indirect fire keeping you safe. Quick to use.

Cons: 1 less shot than a standalone grenade launcher. 2 shots with a heavy carrier, 1 with light or none. Hand grenade level of boom, as opposed to mine, IED and rocket levels of boom.

M320 and M79. 3 points.
Pros: 3 shots with heavy carrier, 2 shots with light or no carrier.

Cons: Can't be taken with an underbarrel grenade launcher, or a rocket launcher. Takes up a grenade slot. Not as big an explosion as the mines, IEDs and rockets. Doesn't automatically reload after firing, and clicking doesn't make it reload either.

M3 MAAWS and RPG-7. 4 points.
Pros: 2 shots with heavy carrier. Can quickly grab another shot from the resupply if you reloaded first. No need to do a full resupply.

Cons: 1 shot with light or no carrier, and a reload thats longer than a full resupply mean theres basically no reason to reload it if a resupply is nearby. The M3 MAAWS is DEFINITELY slower to reload than the RPG-7.


Blow stuff up. Its simple, and from that simplicity you can make it complicated in all the ways you'd like. Learn enemy spawn locations and set up boobie traps with the mines and a sightline, snipe demo objectives early and make a load of enemies spawn in front of you and your team to shoot you while you try and get to the next objective, or... join Breacher and Advisor, and become the fourth Rifleman class and just keep an IED or C4 handy to blow up that level 0 rifleman trying to plant his own IED.

Its like if Advisor actually had cool guns with unique attachments.



Pros:
You do something special. You have access to 3-6x variable zoom scopes, and 7x zoom scopes, as well as various interesting bolt action and semi auto rifles. (And the M14 that can do full auto.)

Cons:
Third hardest class to play. The attack-defend-attack routine of Push means you'll rarely get a chance to sit still and pick off enemies, and that you'll spend most of your time in a corner watching very close sightlines, probably several. High zoom optics are not good for this, and neither are bolt actions. Also the M14 is a worse version of the G3 for 2 points more than one.

Getting use out of him is easy but making a difference with it can be hard to do and hard to recognise.


M1 Garand. 3 points.










Pros: Semi auto on the cheap. Can get a rifle grenade attachment. Great budget sniper all around. If you're next to a resupply you can basically become a budget artillery strike.

Cons: Rifle grenade attachment takes 7 seconds to ready, but only a second to reload once ready. No AP ammo like the 1 point bolt actions, so thigh shots aren't a one shot, and heavy armor at range takes two chest shots.

If modding your weapon for long or medium-long range (to the point you wouldn't feel comfortable using it to hold a point exclusively at point blank range), be sure to go back and have a look at the Pistols section near the start of this guide!


Run around with a mosin. Hip fire the AMRs. Make a gucci gun. Like I've said before in this section, Marksman is simple. They are pretty much the picture of a gun class. All they have is the guns they get, and in this case the attachments too.

In what amounts to a horde shooter, Machine Gunner is the incumbent for King. But, pretty much everyone has access to some amount of bullets. Does having more matter enough?



Pros:
SAWs, LSWs, LMGs and MMGs. And a Galil or two. Has the most inter-competitive primaries, giving you plenty of viability no matter what you pick. There are no joke weapons here. (But there are bad picks!) Easy value when played well.

Cons:
If you die (or suck) your team will be much worse off for it. If you fire too soon after setting down on your bipod you'll experience normal hipfire recoil which will shoot your aim up as far as it can move, while restricted by the bipod.

Tips: Works best at medium and long range. Your weapons are ♥♥♥♥ for hipfiring, slow to ADS, and even slower to reload. Certain primaries have handling characteristics that better suit them to close range.

Close Range

Galils. 2 points.










Pros: A full auto rifle with a bipod for 2 points. Handles like a rifle, recoils like a rifle, very easy learning curve.

Cons: You lose the bipod with any underbarrel attachment except recoil bipod grip. 5.56 limits its effectiveness at range. Only 50 round mags and a pretty fast firerate means you run out of ammo fast in full auto.

RPK. 3 points.










Pros: A full auto rifle with a bipod for 3 points. Handles like an AKM, recoils like an AKM, and can scavenge AKM magazines. Does more damage and thus is more effective out to a longer range than a Galil while also firing slower.

Cons: None. Theres always one important thing this gun can do better than the rest. It has more stopping power than a Galil, its more usable from the shoulder and faster reloading than a PKM. Its the perfect middle ground.

Long Range

PKM. 3 points.










Pros: 100 round boxes off the bat. Full caliber stopping power.

Cons: Don't bother trying to hipfire it. Takes almost a second to get to accurate aimed fire. Recoil offhand (that means with the gun shooting off your hands, as opposed to a gun rest or a bipod) is almost as bad as hipfiring it. If you're not poking someone with the barrel and you're not making the Marksman want to quit the game by stealing all his kills, this thing is unusable.

M249. 3 points.










Pros: 200 round boxes.

Cons: Recoil and handling of a long range machine gun (basically unusable off bipod, super long reload), but damage of a close range one. 200 rounds can go a long way if you're conservative with it, but at long range you can't really afford to be. At first it might appear to be the goldylocks option, but in reality its the really attractive bastard child with the worst of every machine gun combined into one. Super high fire rate and per shot recoil, low caliber and damage, and super long reload.

Because you can get caught out during long reloads, please have a look at the Pistols section at the start of this guide if you skipped it!


Pick a long range machine gun and get flanked because you're using it to hold down the point in a room clearing scenario and glued yourself to the floor. Pick a short range machine gun and realise you could probably have just done this with a Rifleman. Pick a long range machine gun on the right map and follow the Marksman around to make sure he gets as few kills as possible if he's actually trying to snipe.

Observer. My favourite class. The easiest useful class to play. Just stand respectfully close to the Commander. Not so close they can't retreat, but close enough that they can call in fire support.



Pros:
Almost passively useful. Just don't die, and stick close to your commander when they need you. If the commander is dead, or doesn't exist, that means you're finally free! Go, be a (un)glorified Rifleman.

Cons:
With great power comes great responsibility. With little responsibility comes little power. You can't do anything without a commander, but just being present makes someone more likely to pick or switch to commander.


Observer has the generic weapon selection that Rifleman, Demo, and Commander also have access to.


Stare at the back of the commanders head. Hide on the objective while everyone else kills and gets killed. Be the last man standing and singlehandedly kill 20 enemies over the course of like 5 minutes while looking like a badass because you played it safe. Do that in a fraction of the time because another teammate managed to survive. Be sure to screenshot all the matches you get awards in.

Remember, since you're a Rifleman with bonuses, you can, just like a Rifleman, help reinforce the areas other classes cover! An extra machinegunner is always nice to help cover the real machinegunner while they reload!

Commander, commander, commander. I don't actually play this class! Playing Commander is a lot about learning by doing, but by learning by doing, you're preventing someone else from playing Commander who could be doing a lot more than learning with it. Because of this, I consider commander to be the hardest class to play.

I have watched a lot of Commanders play though, so I can tell you what not to do and what works out.



Pros:
You can spawncamp the AI with support, or make the objective impenetrable for a minute at a time.

Cons:
To do so requires you to pull out your binoculars, have line of sight with your target area, and have a genuine ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Observer nearby. If you or your observers are dead, no more support until respawns!


Commander has the generic weapon selection that Rifleman, Demo, and Observer also have access to.


Do the American Psycho stare back at your NPC-ass Observer. Peek out to call support on the first wave of enemies and die instantly. Steamroll a match almost singlehandedly with supports. Get 2 of the 3 awards at the end of the match for doing your job.

Remember, since you're a Rifleman with bonuses, you can, just like a Rifleman, help reinforce the areas other classes cover! Being a budget marksman is well suited to the Commander, seeing as they shouldn't be on the frontlines and should, ideally, be somewhere with a good view of the enemies!

Tariq. 1 point.










Pros: It shoots bullets. Maybe even enough to kill a man.

Cons: Its a Makarov that looks like a Beretta for infinity more points. Should be free like the makarov, the damage difference isn't measurable in game.

L106A1 & M9. 2 points.










Pros: Its like a Hi-Power if it costed twice as many points and had 2 extra rounds in the magazine by default. Stat card says ever so slightly higher velocity and penetration.

Cons: I don't think that velocity and penetration is going to win you any battles. And neither are those 2 extra rounds, because for the same price you could have a Hi-Power with 20 instead of an L106A1 or M9 with 15.

M1911 & M45. 2 points.










Pros: They look and feel good. Handcannons on a budget.

Cons: 7 rounds per mag. 10 with extended mags. Its not a lot. And I don't think .45 hits a lot of breakpoints. 1-2 shots to kill where the Hi-Power can do 1-3 might seem impressive, but the Hi-Power can have 3 times as many shots to make it happen per mag.

MR-73. 4 points.










Pros: Its a revolver. Badass.

Cons: Where to start...

• By default, it is double action. This means firing is delayed by about a 10th of a second and your aim is jerked upwards and either to the left or right, meaning you can't really plan for it.
  
  
• Reloading takes something between 2 and 3 seconds to start,, loads a round every second, interrupting it takes a bit over a second. You can resume an interrupted reload faster IF YOU DON'T FIRE IT because you won't have to eject any shot brass, skipping a step. 1 to 5 shots, it doesn't matter. The start of the reload is always the same length.
  
  
• You can speed it up by double tapping and ejecting all the rounds, losing you any that weren't fired.
  
  
• To fix the firing issue, you have to spend at least 1 point on the sniper barrel upgrade (or 3 on the suppressed sniper barrel upgrade), at which point the cost of this thing is at least 5 points and you might as well get a desert eagle because it has none of the reloading or firing issues.
  
  
• To fix the reloading issue, you can get a speedloader for 1 point. The speedloader acts like a stripper clip, making reloading from empty very quick. Good in a pinch. You know what else reloads fast even when its not empty? A desert eagle for the same price.

Near the start of the guide, only 4-ish rifles were listed. There are a lot more than that in game, though.

SG552. 2 points.










Pros: Its full auto, I guess?

Cons: 20 round magazines. 1 more point to get 30. No bigger magazines are available. Pretty horrid iron sights. Full auto is kind of useless with only 20 round magazines.

AR-7090. 3 points.










Pros: Free bipod if you don't use any underbarrel attachments. Extremely open and unobtrusive iron sights. Can scavenge mags from all M16-compatible weapons. if you absolutely must have full auto and a bipod, this is the cheapest weapon to do a ghetto gunner build on. AUG does it better if you forego a bipod though.

Cons: Its kinda ugly, but at a price thats hard to say no to.

G36K. 3 points.









Pros: It does rifle things. It has a unique looking grenade launcher with a unique animation. It also has a unique 1.5x optic for 1 point, with backup iron sights you can switch to.

Cons: Unique magazines, no drum mag. Bipod doesn't change the forend into a G36 forend for MG36 cosplaying. Normal iron sights are horrible for awareness.

QBZ-97. 3 points.










Pros: Has a unique 3x scope for only 1 point. Can scavenge magazines from M16-compatible platforms.

Cons: Iron sights are worse than G36Ks. Most optics look goofy on it because they sit much higher than the unique scope. Doesn't have access to a bipod, recoil-bipod, or masterkey, and instead gets to load buckshot into its smoke launcher underbarrel attachment for 2 points, compared to 1 for just smoke.

AK-74. 4 points.










Pros: AK Sexiness. Has access to both a buckshot launcher for 2 points and a masterkey for 4 points.

Cons: Like most intermediate caliber fully automatic rifles that were in the game from the start, they're outclassed in price by later additions for the exact same functions. Also doesn't have access to recoil-bipod grip.

F2000s. 4 points.









Pros: Its got that MW2 2009 vibe. Regular comes with a very nice 1.5x scope for free that also has your usual notch and post backup irons on top, and the tactical comes with the best iron sights in the game. Good visibility in front and to the sides, but also to the side and down!

Cons: Not M16-compatible with magazines! Very high horizontal recoil. You also cannot get extended or drum magazines for it. No bipod, recoil-bipod, masterkey or buckshot launcher. Does get unique looking and animating smoke and explosive launchers though.

QBZ-03. 4 points.










Pros: M16-compatible magazines. Pretty nice iron sights.

Cons: If you're gonna spend the extra point to get a better feeling or nicer looking gun, I'm not sure why you'd pick this once. The second you put a laser or underbarrel attachment on it the sleek foreend gets swapped out for an ugly quad rail. No recoil-bipod grip, no launchers, no masterkey.

QTS-11. 4 points.










Pros: Even slower firing and even less recoil than the AUG. Has a bolt action single shot grenade launcher built into the top of it. Amazing iron sights. Gets a unique 4x-1x optic for 1 point.

Cons: Unique magazines exclusive to itself. Still have to pay regular prices to get ammo for the grenade launcher. No grenade launching sight. No recoil-bipod grip, and no buckshot launcher or masterkey.

FAL. 5 points.










Pros: Its a FAL. It looks cool. It has great iron sights. And it gets like 5 skins.

Cons: The iron sights aren't worth an extra point over the G3A3. Unlike the G3A3, it cannot get a recoil-bipod grip. It also has no access to launchers or a masterkey. Sorry to all the FAL-Masterkey mains from Black Ops 1.

M4A1. 5 points.










Pros: It looks cool. It also gets access to the M26-MASS, a mag fed but uglier looking masterkey.

Cons: Its 5 points. The AR-7090 is functionally identical and better in places, and it only costs 3. One of the coolest looking guns is also one of the worst to pick, unfortunately.

VHS-2. 5 points.










Pros: Looks cool. Very low horizontal recoil. One way compatibility with M16 magazines. Unique smoke and explosive launchers.

Cons: No bipod, just recoil-bipod grip. No masterkey, no buckshot launcher. Very expensive, and very hard to justify the price. Very wide and obfuscating iron sights. If you pick up another M16 compatible weapon, you will not be able to use any of your VHS-2 magazines!

FAMAS. 6 points.










Pros: Looks cool. Has access to a bipod, a masterkey, and smoke and explosive launchers, which by this point aren't exactly a given despite the price.

Cons: No recoil-bipod grip. Horrible iron sights. 25 round mags mean the high fire rate is a downside. 1 more point just to get 30 rounds. Guns a ripoff. Don't run it unless you really want to use a FAMAS.

WCX. 6 points.










Pros: At this point cost, I can't think of any.

Cons: 3 point rifle for 6 points. No masterkey, no grenade launcher despite getting a smoke launcher. Not M16-compatible magazine wise, even though it really should be. This weapon is a genuine afterthought. Your fingers are floating because the furniture is too small!

Grease Gun. 2 points.










Pros: Looks cool. Slow fire rate is good for ammo conservation. Recoil is so easy you could control it completely with a piece of string taped to the underside of your mouse and a little crank to wind the string up.

Cons: Customization is severely restricted. Any underbarrel attachments require at least a 3 point suppressor. Instead of a 3 point compensator there is a 6 point advanced suppressor, not that you need it. But it does look kinda cool. Keep in mind the most expensive guns in the game are also 6 points.

KS-23. 2 points.










Pros: Enough stopping power to consistently one shot out to medium-ish range with stock ammo on center-mass shots. Its actually very viable so long as you have teammates to support you while you're reloading.

Cons: 4 shots. You actually start off with 3, so remember to load that extra shell You will need it. Loading grip has no effect. Most people get 30 shots to make mistakes where you only get 4 or 3.
(Pro tip, almost all weapons start 1 round "short". One round goes into the chamber, and now the magazine is 1 round short of its maximum. Immediately reloading after spawning lets you have 30 rounds in the magazine and 1 in the chamber, for example.)

M870 & TOZ-194. 2 points.










Pros: Pump action shotguns. Most people love em. Hit all your pellets center of mass and you're one shotting people out to the far end of short range. More forgiving to use at close range than other manually operated weapons because of their faster cycling. (e.g. bolt actions)

Cons: The tight spread makes them more consistent with the damage they dealt, but also makes them unforgiving when you can't land those chest shots. If you miss, you miss. Not how most people expect or are used to shotguns working. Reloading is slow and punishing, and the loading grip only speeds up the start and end of the reload animation, not actually loading shells. That means its at its most useful for loading one shell and at its most useless when loading 7. Loading 1 shell takes 2 seconds without and 1.3 seconds with.

Uzi. 2 points.










Pros: Slow and easy fire rate, easy recoil. Good enough sights.

Cons: 25 round mag by default. (Sterling gets 34) Extended mag only gives 32 rounds. (Still less than a Sterling!) A sterling with no mods at 1 point functions the exact same as an uzi with extended magazines, which costs 3 points total.

MP5A2 & MP5A5. 3 points.










Pros: Its an MP5. It looks cool. MP5A5 gets to become an MP5SD with the supressor barrel attachment.

Cons: MP5A2 gets a regular screw on suppressor. Extended magazines costs 3 points but only gives 40 ammo per magazine. Horrible iron sights. The value proposition just isn't there.

KSG. 4 points.










Pros: 14 shots.

Cons: Have to do a short animation after after emptying one of the 7 round tubes, and when one is full and you want to load the other.

MP7. 4 points.










Pros: Looks cool.

Cons: High fire rate, 20 round mags. Getting 40 round mags will cost you an extra 4 points. Probably the worst value weapon in the game. Does about as much damage as a pistol.

Honey Badger. 5 points.










Pros: Costs the same as an M4A1, but does more damage and has more penetration.

Cons: For the price, and considering the competition, all I can say bad about it is, no mag compatbility with other weapons, no bipods or recoil-bipod grips, and no underbarrel weapons of any kind. Basically a fancy AKM that looks like an M4.

AS-VAL. 6 points.










Pros: Big caliber, just about maxing the stat card caliber bar. Also, STALKER-y. Gets a unique 3 point 4x scope, the PSO-1. (I forgot to mention this earlier where relevant, but every AK also gets this scope, including the AKS-74u.)

Cons: 20 rounds by default. Performs about the same as the Honey Badger damage wise. Requires two or three shots at range to do the job. 30 rounds is 2 points extra. Can't use iron sights with the unique scope. Basically a fancy AKM.

Alpha AK. 4 points.










Pros: 7.62x39 stopping power is nice at close range. AKM-compatible magazines.

Cons: Its an AKM for 4 points instead of 3, basically. Get used to reading "Its X at X+1 points." a lot. Also no bipods, no grip-bipods, no launchers, no masterkeys.

L85A2. 4 points.










Pros: Carry handle sights are usually the death knell for usability, but these are pretty good! M16-compatible magazines, too. A pretty iconic and good looking weapon.

Cons: Putting an underbarrel attachment on it gives it an ugly quad rail. No launchers or masterkeys. Missed opportunity to make the bipod attachment turn it into an L86.

Mk18 CQBR. 4 points.










Pros: Its a butt ugly M4A1 at a 1 point discount.

Cons: Its a butt ugly M4A1 thats still 1 point more expensive than it should've been. No underbarrel launchers or masterkeys. Guess thats where the discount came from.

ACE 52. 5 points.










Pros: Its a FAL for the same price.

Cons: Its a slightly slower firing G3A3 with slightly higher recoil for 1 point more. Snowflake tax!

P90. 5 points.










Pros: Its a better MP7. Also the sights are inexplicably cute. I genuinely cannot tell what I'm aiming at looking at the second picture of one of the unique circle sight. Don't even try to use the dot version thinking it'll be less cluttered.

Cons: Stat card says it does the exact same damage as one too, which means you basically have a 50 round per mag Browning Hi-Power taking up your primary slot and slowing you down.

TAVOR 7. 5 points.










Pros: Its an MDR for 1 point less.

Cons: Its a faster firing, higher recoiling G3A3 for 1 point extra.

VECTOR 6










Pros: Credit where credit is due. This thing has no recoil. It says it has lots of horizontal recoil, but heres a secret. Horizontal recoil either goes left or right randomly, so it usually balances out.

Cons: 25 rounds per mag. 2 points to make it 30. Combined with the fire rate that makes this thing useless.

M24 & Mosin-Nagant. 1 point.










Pros: Cheap. With full caliber AP ammo, armor doesn't matter. Any shot above the knee will kill.

Cons: When staying aiming down sights, the sound of the bolt cycling isn't a reliable indicator of when you can fire again. You have to wait a bit after the bolt is turned down. The reload will get you killed, so take the Mosin if you must. I consider greased bolt, stripper clips and a loading grip a must, so tack 3 points on for the best experience, or for the cost of a stripper clip, get one of the higher powered bolt actions.

L96A1 & TAC-338. 2 points.










Pros: Magazines. No more dumb one at a time stuff.

Cons: Despite what the statistics card would have you believe, these are not any more capable of killing than the 1 point rifles. A shot to the knee will not kill a target, a shot above the knee will. Still better than the Mosin, but I'd still suggest getting the reloading grip and greased bolt just so you can keep up with all the other options Marksman has.

M14. 5 points.










Pros: Full auto. But too fast to actually use effectively. 20 shots per magazine alleviates pretty much any issues you'd have shooting squads of enemies with the previous weapons.

Cons: Its expensive, and without a bipod (or god forbid you get the recoil bipod grip), theres no way you can handle the full auto recoil. You're paying 5 points for what everyone else pays 4 for.

♥♥♥♥ the Tariq. Seriously, stat wise its a Makarov that costs 1 point more. The Hi-Power is better in every way.