Recon Kit
Introduction
Weapons
Gadgets
Introduction
So you have decided to try out the Recon kit, a wise choice. You now have the ability to support your fellow teammates by picking off enemy snipers and infantry with your choice of sniper rifle from afar. You will also be equipped with the Mortar Strike or C4 gadgets so that you will also be able to flatten buildings and explode vehicles. The Recon kit can be very effective due to the high power rifles you are given, and in the right-hands you'll be head-shotting your foes in no time.
Weapons
M24 Sniper Rifle
The M24 requires 0 exp to achieve and it's a good starting sniper for most players, it has low recoil so a player can get off a second shot relatively fast. Its statistics are:
Damage: 87
Accuracy: 91
Rate of Fire: 14
The M24 will kill all uninjured enemies with 2 shots unless you shoot them directly in the head, in which case it is a one hit kill. With the addition of a 12x Scope the M24 becomes a great long range counter-sniping weapon even against the M95 or the GOL Sniper Magnum. As with all other sniper rifles you will need to aim above your target to adjust for bullet drop. With a red-dot sight the M24 becomes a good urban sniping weapon but because of it's slow rate of fire and slow reload time this shouldn't be your first choice. The 4x scope can also be very effective when used properly, and it gives you better accuracy than the red dot. The Sniper Spotting Scope is a good attachment for most sniper rifles once you unlock it, makes spotting your enemies much easier and giving you spot assist bonuses worth +20 exp. With these attachments you should be well on your way.
Type 88
The first semi-automatic sniper rifle you unlock after getting 2,200 exp. The statistics that the Type 88 carries are:
Damage: 64
Accuracy: 78
Rate of Fire: 28
The Type 88 has more recoil than most of the other snipers in the game because of its semi-automatic capability. It usually takes around 3 shots to kill an enemy due to its low damage and accuracy, but because it's semi-automatic you can get those shots off very fast. This sniper works very well with a red-dot sight or 4x scope and is best suited to medium sized maps such as Laguna Alta and Laguna Presa. You will be able to kill most enemies will relative ease using the red-dot or 4x sight and will give the other players a run for their money. The 12x scope on this sniper is a bit unnecessary because it is not as powerful at long range where the 12x scope shines, and the high recoil will make follow-up shots very difficult. Again the spotting scope is very good, giving you regular spot assists which will help you gather the 5,000,000 exp needed to get to General (Rank 50).
SV98 Snaiperskaya
The SV98 which is the second bolt-action rifle you unlock, requiring 6,000 exp. It however does not have a standard sniper scope but one similar to an ACOG with a series of stacked chevrons. It's statistics are:
Damage: 71
Accuracy: 98
Rate of Fire: 10
With a very high accuracy rating and fairly high damage rating this sniper is a good upgrade from the M24, but be careful as the scope is not always as accurate as the M24's scope. This bolt action rifle is great on medium sized maps but will work fine at taking down enemies at long ranges. When attached with the 12x Scope the problem of it having a strange sighting system becomes irrelevant as the 12x increases the zoom, making picking off long-range targets easy. The red dot and 4x sights really belong on the semi-automatic snipers and shouldn't be attached to the SV98.
SVU Snaiperskaya Short
The statistics for the SVU are relatively low due to the fact that it has a built-in silencer. It is actually a semi auto silenced & shortened variant of the SV98. The low statistics cause some people to steer clear of this sniper, but it's low recoil makes it usable.
Damage: 60
Accuracy: 82
Rate of Fire: 28
With these statistics you can see that this sniper really isn't one of the most powerful, but there is an advantage to this weapon. Its silencer reduces muzzle flash so you aren't spotted as easily as the other snipers, it is semi-automatic so getting a second shot off on an enemy is pretty easy, and it has low recoil. However, it takes around 3-4 shot to actually kill the enemy. The best attachment for this weapon is not a long-distance scope as trying to counter-snipe the other snipers who have the M95 or GOL Magnum is just crazy; they will kill you instantly. The best attachments for this sniper are either the 4x scope or red-dot scope, as you can get easy kills from sniping enemies at short to medium ranges. A spotter scope on this class is usually the best choice, but If you reach the rank of 14 and unlock magnum ammunition then it should be equipped in place of the spotting scope to counter the low power.
GOL Sniper Magnum
The GOL sniper is one of the best bolt-action snipers apart from the M95 due to its amazing accuracy, however you will need 21,000 exp to unlock this weapon. It's statistics are:
Damage: 82
Accuracy: 100
Rate of Fire: 19
The accuracy of the GOL along with the very thin crosshairs make it incredibly easy to obtain head-shots. It also deals out a good amount of damage points but again it will not be a 1 shot kill to the body. The attachment that works best with this weapon is the 12x scope in addition to the spotting scope, with these two attachments equipped this sniper is incredibly deadly. The 12x Scope will work great on any map, giving you that extra advantage over your enemies. The accuracy ensures that once you have your cross-hairs over the enemy you are almost assured a hit; the bullets don't ever veer off to the side. The red-dot sight and 4x scope are both wasted on the GOL due to the fact it is made for long-range sniping.
VSS Snaiperskaya Special
The VSS is the only full-automatic sniper in Battlefield Bad Company 2. It's unlocked after obtaining 26,000 exp with the recon class. It's statistics follow:
Damage: 41
Accuracy: 64
Rate of Fire: 60
So as you can see the VSS has the highest fire-rate of all the sniper rifles, making it perfect for countering assault rifle and sub-machine guns users. Its damage is extremely weak and even with the addition of Magnum rounds it will still be around a 4-5 round kill. Its accuracy is also quite poor so attaching a 12x scope to the VSS would be a mistake because of the amount of recoil. The red-dot sight is the best attachment for the VSS, in effect changing it into a assault rifle that will beat most weapons at close to medium ranged battles. This set-up works well on maps that have a lot of buildings and cover such as Panama Canal and White Pass. The 4x scope still has a lot of recoil, so the red dot is really the best choice for this weapon. Magnum ammo are also a good idea as having extra power in close quarter battles is an advantage. They only slightly increase the weapon's damage but any extra damage for the VSS is a good thing.
M95 Sniper Rifle
This sniper rifle is the last one to be unlocked at 34,000 exp. The statistics are also very strong these being:
Damage:100
Accuracy:82
Rate of Fire:5
The M95 is very accurate at long range with less bullet drop than all the other snipers. The bullets also seem to hit their target more quickly which is great when shooting at moving targets. The damage of 100 at close range is a definite bonus, allowing you to defend yourself more effectively, however the damage is only 100 at under 10 meters, after 10 meters it drops off. The best attachment on the M95 is the 12x scope and the spotting scope for spec 2. By using these you get a scope that is good for middle to long range and the spotting spope automatically paints enemies if they are near your crosshairs, meaning you don't have to bother hitting select all the time. Also it's an easy way to rack up spot assist points.
The M95 is also the only sniper to cause damage to:
- Light vehicles
- Humvees
- Jeeps
- ATVs
- Helicopters
Gadgets
C4 (Plastic Explosive)
The C4 gadget is unlocked from default; you will be given 3 C4s to start with that can be attached to wall, vehicles and fences. Once placed down the C4 will flash until it's blown up. All vehicles can be destroyed with 2 C4s making this gadget very useful on vehicle laden maps such as Atacama Desert and Port Valdez.
A popular tactic in the Rush game mode is to place a few C4s on and around a M-COM, then plant the charge and hide. Wait a few seconds until you think the enemy is defusing, then detonate the C4 and you will often get a double or triple kill.
Motion Sensor Mines
The Motion sensor is unlocked after getting 900 exp with the Recon kit. When thrown it will show you where the enemies are, giving you time to switch to your side-arm or relocate. You will be given 3 motion sensors per life but more can be picked up from ammunition boxes obtained from assault class players.
The motion sensors displays enemies in its radius inside the mini-map as red dots, and has a short active time. They also beep whenever an enemy is detected, alerting the enemy of their presence. They work well when you have secured an area and are defending it from the enemy.
Mortar Strike
The Mortar Strike is unlocked after getting 4,000 exp with the Recon kit. When called in it sends down about six mortar shells on the target, and re-charges in around 45 seconds. Most buildings can be flattened with three or four mortar strikes and it will give you easy Destruction 2.0 kills.
The Mortar strike becomes more effective when used in conjunction with the Improved Explosives spec, making your Mortars a bit more powerful. This is especially useful when trying to destroy armored vehicles, most vehicles can be destroyed with one mortar strike.
