Tracer Dart Gun

The Tracer Dart Gun is a usable gadget in the Bad Company series. It is a small, handgun-shaped weapon that can launch magnetic tracer darts at vehicles, or in somewhat entertaining cases, other players. These darts can be used to guide un-guided rocket projectiles (such as an RPG-7's explosive warhead) at a 'painted' target.

Battlefield: Bad Company
In Battlefield: Bad Company, the Tracer Dart Gun (TRCR-357 in-game) makes its first appearance in multiplayer, issued to the Specialist kit. It is designed to be fired at vehicles in order to maintain an effective line-of-sight to the tagged vehicle, and it allows rocket launchers to lock onto the vehicle with the transponder. The shot travels slowly, (about the same speed as an RPG-7), so it can be difficult to hit farther targets.

The player who places a tracer dart will get small bonuses for every time a rocket hits a traced vehicle.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
"Target has been lit!"

—US Soldier telling that target is hit with a tracer

The Tracer Dart Gun ( or 'tracer') returns in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, only being slightly different in appearance and it can be used by any class, occupying the sidearm slot. The darts it fires can be locked on to by the RPG-7 and M2 Carl Gustav launchers, but not the AT-4, as it uses a separate laser guidance system similar to the stationary AT guns. The Tracer Dart Gun is unlocked at level 11, or with the Limited Edition of the game right away.

The Tracer Dart in Bad Company 2 is different from that in Bad Company as the dart does not drop so much, and will only stay on a vehicle for 45 seconds. A feature some players dislike about it is that when switching classes, their selection of the Tracer Dart will be retained, as it is not class-specific. This can be annoying because the player may forget to change to another sidearm and may be stuck in a situation where pistols are needed, especially as a sniper with a bolt action rifle.

The usage of the tracer dart confuses many players. In order to make the missile track the tracer, the player should put the crosshairs of the launcher over the red targeting box, wait for the small distance number to appear under the box, and then fire. Once the player has locked on, the player can aim over cover, around cover, or even backwards, and the missile will still curve around to hit the target. Recommended tactics include tracing the protected turrets, tanks hidden mostly by cover, and landed enemy helicopters shortly before liftoff. It's especially helpful when combating helicopters, providing the player can actually hit it with the dart. Any rocket launcher will be enough to destroy the helicopter, unless they have Active Armor Upgrade equipped.

The player should communicate to teammates that a target has been marked. Then, any other Engineers can lock-on, shoot around any immediate obstacles to take down the vehicle without having to move to a better position.

Tracer's can also be used to mark enemy Helicopters for an Allied Helicopter, meaning that the driver would win dogfights more often if he has the Alternative Weapons package.

Gunners in Attack Helicopters can also fire Tracer Darts if the gunner has the Alternative Weapons package.

Trivia

 * If players shoot a Tracer Dart on someone's head, sometimes the player that has been shot sees the red light of the tracer on his screen.thumb|340px|right|Excellent tracer dart usage!
 * In a recent update to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the speed of the tracer dart has been dramatically increased to increase the usage of the Tracer Dart Gun and make hitting targets easier.
 * A dare-devil tactic among players on the Rush game mode is to place a tracer dart on a friendly UAV, and then get them to run into the defender's base. This allows friendly engineers to fire RPGs and M2s at the UAV and score kills among the attacking force without having to risk moving up to the heavily defended base to fire their Rocket Launcher.
 * In the first Bad Company game, the Tracer Dart was the only weapon/gadget to feature "bullet drop" Ironically, in Bad Company 2, it is the only weapon/gadget that does not have "bullet drop", while all other weapons do.
 * The Tracer dart is the only gun to take up a weapon slot but can't do any damage.
 * In the Beta of Bad Company 2, the tracer dart did 1 damage, but without marking a hit.
 * Players using the smoke countermeasers in Helicopters can remove any attached tracer darts before their enemies manage to launch rockets at them. This can be quite frustrating but few players know when to deploy the flares.
 * In ''Battlefield: Bad Company 2, it is possible to tag enemy infantry with the Tracer Dart, and consequently lock on to the with the RPG-7 AT or M2 Carl Gustav AT.