By E-Deity ([EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL]; [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL])

- Introduction -

Three kills, radar; five kills, artillery; six kills… seven! How many times has this happened to you? Hopefully quite a bit, otherwise I’ll make the assumption that you completely suck. Even if you haven’t had the experience of getting dogs once or twice a game, I’ll explain it to you well enough (note: I expect a minor knowledge of sniping; i.e. how to hold breath, aim, and fire - yeah… not much of a requirement…). This guide will teach you the skills needed to be a successful sniper, covering a myriad of subjects.



With every good skill, there is a basic strategy. The following section covers all the fundamental tactics required to be a good sniper.

[1.1] Picking a Spot

Picking a spot is arguably the most important job a sniper must do. Unfortunately, without a creative mind, this is also arguably one of the hardest jobs a sniper must do. Picking a spot requires knowledge of the playing field, which ultimately will decide if you get killed every time you take a shot or not. Obviously picking a discreet location is good, but exactly how discreet is the question.

Picking a spot that is well known is a terrible idea, for very clear reasons. When picking a spot, you need to go over these points in your head: Do people come through my range of fire or not? Is my spot well defended (crucial!)? Do I have an escape route in case someone figures out where I am? Am I hidden well from enemies? If you can answer all of these questions with yes, your spot is wonderful and you can skip ahead to the next part. If not, stick around and I’ll help you out.

Generally, a map has a huge amount of spots that are just waiting to be discovered. If you can find one of these spots, and no one else but you know about it (in the game you’re in), you’re good to go. Unfortunately a good number of spots have already been found, but even some of the ones that are found aren’t well known. A good sniper can perform in even known spots, because his defenses are well set, and his escape route is well planned. Your spot will be easily discovered if you’re foolish, nearly 100% of the time, which is a big problem. You must educate yourself in picking good, concealed places to hide in. This can be done in multiple ways, yet the ones I prefer can be found in the list below:

• Run through a game of Hardcore Team Deathmatch with the following perks: Bouncing Betties, Camouflage, and Extreme Conditioning. Pick out small places to hide in, find the most concealed places, and fire on people. If they can’t find you, you’re fine. If they can, rethink the spot and take a view of it from the opposite perspective (being from across the map or near it while looking at it as an opponent would).
• Go into a private match with a friend or by yourself. If you go with a friend, both of you must cover the map in different areas. Communication should be through microphones, so you’ll be able to alert each other if you’ve found a good spot. There are hundreds of things to hide near or in; hell, I’ve hidden behind a crate for an entire game and ended up getting second place. If you’re by yourself, find places where you have good views of things, then spectate the spot from all angles.

Once you’ve done either technique to find a spot, you can go into a game and try it out. I recommend going into a core Team Deathmatch as there is no respawn delay and you’ll be able to see if your spot is discovered easily. If your spot passes a test in this game, it should pass the test in a hardcore Team Deathmatch.


[1.2] Defenses

Now that you have a spot suitable for harboring you during your game, you need defenses in case your spot itself fails you. Defenses should be hidden just as well as you are, so that whoever is trying to kill you gets killed by them. There are countless places to hide Bouncing Betties, ranging from exploding barrels to grassy areas. At all times it’s necessary to be aware of your surroundings, and your defenses should be hidden as well as they can given the circumstances. Good places to hide your betties are: behind barrels, trashcans, stairwells, poles, next to doors, on top of trash on the floor (Station has a nice place for this), and next to or on top of any natural landmarks (i.e. trees, rocks, etc.).

Bouncing Betties not only serve as a protector, though. They are also warning signs, and you can be sure that whoever set off the first one will come again. Once your second line of defense is gone (being the second Bouncing Betty), it’s time to turn and face the potential consequence. Listen closely for footsteps around you. Check your map when you hear them, if there’s not a green arrow, you may be in trouble. You now have two options: escape or fight.

[1.3] Escape!

Your Betties have failed you or they’ve succeeded twice and now you’re left with no possible way of defending yourself, other than a quick no-scope or a pistol. This is when your escape route comes into play. If you have a good escape plan, you may live and be able to turn around in time to kill whoever came after you. Unfortunately, you’re also going to have to change your spot.

An escape route is always important, and often is the difference between life and death. It’s always necessary to keep your cool when moving from your spot to another, other wise you’ll make a mistake and get yourself killed. Think about this situation from the perspective of an enemy: you’re chasing the sniper who’s killed you four times, twice with Betties, twice with sniper shots. The sniper has 6 kills and no deaths, it’s vital you kill him. He is unintelligent, and clearly hasn’t read “Sniping – The Field Guide”, so he’s camping in the same spot. He has one way out, through a door. Either he dies, or you do – let’s go.

Any decent assaulting player will easily be able to kill the sniper in the scenario. You do not want to be the sniper in that example. That sniper may be a good shot, but when it comes to staying alive he has no chance. The sniper should immediately account for the fact that someone has targeted him, and make preparations for an offensive attack towards him. Here are some key points to remember:

• Your escape route should be easy to access in the event you are assaulted; jumping off the roof of a building is good enough to escape at times.
• If possible, your escape route should have a Bouncing Betty in it to hit the player that’s probably following you exactly.
• Always have the advantage! You never want your back to be facing an opposing player. When you escape, you should always have a spot to turn around and wait for the attacking player – get the extra kill and retreat farther.

Considering those points, you can begin to shape your escape plan. Unfortunately for you all I have no idea where you’re planning on setting up your spot, so I can’t exactly help you. With all things, practice makes better (you’ll never be perfect, sorry). A training exercise will never be the same as an actual situation, so you’re better off with this method of practicing:

• Go into a core Team Deathmatch and make yourself extremely noticeable. Set up your escape route long before you do that, though. Once it’s set up, fire on enemies facing you, and wait for your Betties to go off. If you can get radar, try to so you can see the enemy as he’s coming and can get ready to take off. When your enemy has gotten to your spot, you should be halfway gone in whatever direction. Hopefully he’s seen you, and will lay down some spray-n’-pray over you. If he doesn’t follow you, you need to repeat the steps again. Once he’s following you, and you’re certain it’s him, turn and face him with your pistol. Make sure you’re completely concealed, as a pistol will rarely win an even fight. He should pass you. Wait until his back is facing you, and open fire. Although I don’t recommend it, a no-scope may be fun to add insult to injury. Now, go get another spot, soldier!


[1.4] Getting the Shot

Thankfully for my fingers, this part is fairly straight forward. Getting a shot requires a lot of patience, and you should be sure your bullet is going to hit its target before you take your shot – always. Obviously, the torso is the largest part of a player, followed by the legs, and then the head. Torso shots are usually where you want to go if your target isn’t stationary. However, advanced snipers may choose to take running head shots (2.1: Advanced Techniques). You, on the other hand, are not – or so I assume – an advanced sniper, so your focus should be torso shots. Torso shots aren’t exactly hard; it’s just a matter of getting your scope in the right place.

There are two places you should aim for on the torso: the chest and the stomach. The best practice for this would typically be in a regular game, although with this you can also practice with a friend. I will outline both practices very quickly:

• If you’re in a regular game, here’s what you do. Focus on players who are running around in the center of the game, I suggest you set up your spot close to the main-stream battle, or you can go without a spot (3.1: Assault!). Either way, keep your eyes open for anyone running. As they move across the screen, hip-fire aim (don’t scope, just move) it across their path until you have it down. Scope in the middle of the movement (still moving the cross-hairs), and then fire once you’ve verified you’re in the same pattern of motion that the opponent is in.
• If you’re with a friend, it’s pretty much the same, although you have fewer targets to aim for. Get him to run in random patterns across a predetermined point of the map, with you at different distances (start close, get a bit farther, then get far). Use the same hip-fire aim to scope method, and repeat.

With this fundamental, it’s crucial that you practice over and over again. Repetition will make your reflexes faster, so you can quickly switch from no-scope to scope, keep the scope up for a few seconds, fire, and kill. Practice!

[1.5] Review

I’ve extracted the key points of Section 1, which can be seen below in the bullets:

• Picking a Spot: “When picking a spot, you need to go over these points in your head: Do people come through my range of fire or not? Is my spot well defended (crucial!)? Do I have an escape route in case someone figures out where I am? Am I hidden well from enemies?”
• Defenses: “Good places to hide your betties are: behind barrels, trashcans, stairwells, poles, next to doors, on top of trash on the floor (Station has a nice place for this), and next to or on top of any natural landmarks (i.e. trees, rocks, etc.).”, “Bouncing Betties serve not only as a protector, though. They are also warning signs, and you can be sure that whoever set off the first one will come again.”
• Escape: “Your escape route should be easy to access in the event you are assaulted; jumping off the roof of a building is good enough to escape at times. If possible, your escape route should have a Bouncing Betty in it to hit the player that’s probably following you exactly. Always have the advantage! You never want your back to be facing an opposing player. When you escape, you should always have a spot to turn around and wait for the attacking player – get the extra kill and retreat farther.”
• Getting the Shot: “There are two places you should aim for on the torso: the chest and the stomach.”

Section 2: Advanced Techniques

So you’ve graduated from the school of novices and want to become a big boy, great. Until you pass this section, you’re stuck as an ‘okay’ sniper.

[2.1] Running Headshots

Running headshots are extremely hard to pull of consistently if you have no experience. Luckily, you have more than enough time to gain the experience necessary. Running headshots, unlike fundamental techniques (running torso shots), have a bit more strategy to them than ‘sit and aim’.

In this game, it’s not so much leading your shots as it is getting in position correctly. The bullet will get there in time, but you still need to fire a bit in front of the running player. Why, you ask? Because, the shot will be impossible to position and fire unless you’re some kind of God. It’s necessary to put your shots in the right place, otherwise they won’t hit their targets. Practicing is straight forward:

• Get a friend into a private match, and go at it. Tell him to run in a horizontal line (to you), and move your scope across his face. When you think you have the shot, take it. If you miss, immediately take it down, prone, and wait. This should effectively train you in concealing yourself in case you get caught.

Like I said, you’ll need to practice over and over again, it’s not like you’ll transform from a poor sniper to a good sniper over the course of one game.


[2.2] Lobbing

So it’s not a real skill, but nonetheless it’s hilarious. I doubt you know what it is, but if you do, kudos to you. Lobbing is the art of throwing a secondary grenade at the kid you just put in second chance. Of course he deserves the humiliation, as he’s clearly a loser for using second chance. There aren’t many strategies for this, only aiming with your secondary grenade. Nonetheless, this is a great way to make your superiority over other players in the game known.

[2.3] No-Scoping and Its Many Methods

No-Scoping is quite possibly the most controversial part of sniping. Popular no-scopers publish techniques and methods on how to do it, including the G-Shot, the Crouch Shot, the Spin Shot, and the Y-Shot. As far as I know no proof has ever been provided that the methods work, however if you watch montage videos they seem to have some effect on precision and accuracy. I recommend performing a quick search on Google for the methods I mentioned earlier.

[2.4] HC Team Deathmatch

Hardcore Team Deathmatch is the holy grail of sniping. This game mode is the most realistic, and so it is the best environment for a good sniper. You should know the basics of a hardcore game, so I won’t bother explaining them.

To snipe in hardcore you must incorporate all of the knowledge you have of sniping and package it into one big piece. A beginner will die all the time in a hardcore game – especially a greedy one. Sniping in hardcore is all about timing. You must know when to fire, aim, hide, and more importantly, run. This is the environment you’ve been training for, this is the final challenge.

Perks in Hardcore are extremely different. The traditional Bouncing Betty should be the first perk, though Camouflage and Dead Silence (or Iron Lungs) should be used for the second and third perks. In Hardcore, as you know, there is no radar or killcam. This makes it an ultimate game for a good sniper, as he should rarely be killed.

Take aim and fire – this is the game you’ve wanted.

[2.5] Review

I’ve extracted the key points of Section 2, which can be seen below in the bullets:

• Running Headshots: “In this game, it’s not so much leading your shots as it is getting in position correctly. The bullet will get there in time, but you still need to fire a bit in front of the running player.”
• Lobbing is hilarious, yet insulting.
• Hardcore Team Deathmatch: “Sniping in hardcore is all about timing. You must know when to fire, aim, hide, and more importantly, run. This is the environment you’ve been training for, this is the final challenge. Perks in Hardcore are extremely different. The traditional Bouncing Betty should be the first perk, though Camouflage and Dead Silence (or Iron Lungs) should be used for the second and third perks.”

Section 3: Assault!

Assault sniping is invigoratingly fun, if it’s done correctly. It also allows a sniper to move between the battle field at a good rate, making it easier for him to get kills, yet easier for him to be killed – that is, if you don’t know what you’re doing.

[3.1] The Basics

Assault sniping requires even more intelligence than a stationary sniper. You thought knowing the map inside and out was good enough, yes? Well, you need to know it even better now. If you assault snipe, you must know every nook and cranny of a map, so at any given point you can position yourself accordingly to get kills. Assault sniping is not necessarily no-scoping!

The very basic parts of assault sniping are outlined here:

1. Quick movement.
2. Knowledge of the map.
3. Ability to sneak around the map.
4. Quick decision making (no hesitation!).
5. Ability to no-scope if needed.

The following sections will cover all of these in more detail, although some of them are up to you to learn by yourself. I will skip to part 3 of the fundamentals for assault sniping, as the first two are fairly self-explanatory.



Stealth is an extremely necessary skill for an assault sniper to possess. Assault sniping does not mean run around and fire arbitrarily; it means to move through the map intelligently and quickly. To sneak around the map, I recommend you use the following perks:

• Bandolier
• Camouflage (interchangeable: Stopping Power)
• Dead Silence

Those perks will give you more ammo, those perks will hide you, and those perks will make you quieter. All of these things are what an assault sniper needs. Although, the second perk (camouflage) is interchangeable for Stopping Power if need be to pack an extra punch.

To practice, I recommend going into a hardcore game and simply running around the map, stalking enemies. Try to stay as close as possible but as far away as possible so they won’t turn and kill you. It’s really all up to you – you should be able to figure it out.



I’ve extracted the key points of Section 3, which can be seen below in the bullets:

• Requirements: “Quick movement, knowledge of the map, ability to sneak around the map, quick decision making (no hesitation!), and the ability to no-scope if needed”.
• Sneaking: “To sneak around the map, I recommend you use the following perks: Bandolier, Camouflage (interchangeable: Stopping Power), Dead Silence To practice, I recommend going into a hardcore game and simply running around the map, stalking enemies. Try to stay as close as possible but as far away as possible so they won’t turn and kill you. It’s really all up to you – you should be able to figure it out.”

Congratulations! You’ve made it through the guide. I hope you’ve learned something new, and I appreciate you taking the time to read it all. If you had trouble with anything, you’re always welcome to e-mail me at [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL]. If you ever need anything, I’m always available. I spent a great deal of time on this guide, and I would appreciate it if you would report any rips of this to my e-mail ([EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL]) or anything else infringing on my intellectual rights as the owner and author of this guide. You are welcome to post this on any other site providing I receive credit.

Once again, thanks,

E-Deity