Sniper (kit)

The Sniper is one of 7 usable kits in the game Battlefield 2. It is the stealthiest out of all 7 classes, as the user who uses the kit will wear a ghillie suit with camouflage (color varies by team). It's primary role is to engage enemy infantry at long range and area denial against infantry. Many professional players prefer this kit over everything else due to how much of a degree of skill is needed to master it. It's Bad Company equivalent is the Recon (Kit) and it's Battlefield 1942/Vietnam equivalent is the Scout (Kit).



Overview
As a sniper you can move quickly when you need to, but the key to your deadliness is staying still. Wearing camouflage allows you to remain concealed in a good hiding spot so you can pluck off enemies from a distance without being spotted. Or sneak through tall grass and plant claymore mines for unsuspecting enemy troops. The claymore explodes when somebody walks in front of it, so plant it and get out there in a hurry.

Weapons
Like all character classes, the sniper carries a Combat Knife and 4 M67 Fragmentation Grenades, in addition to other weapons, some of which are unique to the class.

Pistol
Like the Special Ops class, the Sniper's sidearm is a silenced version of the standard handgun carried by other classes.

Primary weapon
The Sniper's main weapon is a Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle or a DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) complete with a scope. The US team receives an M24 Sniper Rifle system by default. Upgrading the sniper class allows the player to use the M95 Anti-Materiel Rifle. The MEC team gets the SVD DMR by default. It has less zoom than the Bolt-Action M24, so it is mainly used for mid-range sharpshooting. It carries 6 magazines filled with 10 7.62x54mmR rounds. The SVD will still kill if a round hits the head, despite its lesser power. The Chinese team gets the QBU-88/Type 88 DMR. The crosshairs are much better than the SVD's chevron sights. The damage and range are exactly the same as the SVD. Upgrading the Sniper class again to Tier 2 will earn the sniper the British L96A1 bolt-action sniper rifle.

Other weapons
The sniper carries two Claymore anti-personnel land mines. The latter can commonly lead to 'Team kills', as unsuspecting teammates climb to the top of a ladder mined by the sniper. Opinion is divided as to whether such teamkills should be 'punished' or not. In the new patches, claymores will fully distinguish between friend or foe, unless the server says that claymore friendly fire is enabled. Teamkills may also happen when an enemy runs in front of a claymore as friendlies are also there. It is also impossible now to detonate a claymore with another weapon, meaning that it will be impossible clear a ladder by throwing a grenade up.

Strategy
Given the sniper's lack of body armor, and minimal close combat abilities (the sniper rifle lacks a crosshair, and can only be aimed when looking down the scope), success as a sniper relies on finding a position with a good view of the enemy, but which the enemy cannot easily reach - especially since the UAV and Satellite scan largely eliminate any stealth advantage enjoyed by a sniper.

Although the AI will often call artillery on a sniper, this is less common in multiplayer games, since commanders will generally focus artillery on large groups which are attempting to capture control points that are out in the open.

Since you are a Sniper, it is best that you engage infantry only, as you have no equipment that is capable of destroying vehicles effectively. Also, try not to engage enemies at point blank, as the pistol will not work well in close quarters despite it's fire rate. Snipers also have very little body armor, so you will not survive for long in a firefight if you are being fired at continuously. Your Claymore Anti-Personnel Mine will deliver the most lethal punch that you can inflict (excluding the Combat Knife). The resulting explosion will instantly kill any infantry within its range. The mine can also kill enemies in open vehicles, if the vehicle passes by the Claymore mine.

Like many classes however, you trade the high protection for longer sprint time. Also, take advantage of the camouflage you have as it will make you blend in very effectively, especially in areas with alot of vegetation.