Sniper

Sniper Deadeye (GDI) Black Hand Sniper (Nod)
Faction	Both
Function	Anti-Personnel Infantry
Health	100
Armor	150
Armor Type	Kevlar
Primary Weapon	Sniper Rifle
Sidearm	Heavy Pistol
Speed	90
Explosives	Timed C4 x1
Utilities	Smoke Grenade x1
Cost	$500

Snipers are suited to eliminate infantries from afar. Deadeye is the Global Defense Initiative's sniper, whereas the Black Hand Sniper is the Brotherhood of Nod's sniper.

Appearance

GDI

Deadeye wears military boots, trousers, and gloves,a single kneepad on the right leg, a blue padded vest, and a blue beret on top of his head.

Nod

The Black Hand Sniper wears a full suit of armor, colored in the style of the Brotherhood of Nod.

Function

Snipers are employed to assassinate infantry from covered positions at long distances. They can intercept infantries going through an infantry path or provide support by killing Engineers repairing the opponent Vehicles while remaining out from the battlefield. Snipers do basically no damage against Vehicles and Buildings. They also carry a smoke grenade to cover their retreats or obfuscate automated defenses' view.

Strategy

Usage

Snipers require a great degree of precision, reflexes, aiming skill, and a steady hand to play effectively with. It is not advisable to purchase a Sniper if the player does not possess efficient sniping skills, mostly because the rate of fire of a Sniper is low and it can shoot only four rounds before needing to reload. In addition, mouse sensitivity can be adjusted via a slider in the Settings window should a Sniper feel the necessity to do so.

Snipers have the longest range among all infantries, along with a Sniper Rifle that possess two zoom levels and switch to nightvision (N is the default button) to allow greater precision when aiming. Anything they see in the target marker they can hit.

A Sniper should always go for a headshot, since it guarantees a one-hit kill; still, hitting other parts of the body will do considerable damage, usually enough to take half or full of the armor value of an infantry.

While aiming towards infantries that are moving around, Snipers should observe if they move in a specific pattern and then predict their movements and shoot at the appropriate spot: for example, against one player who is running forward straightly, a Sniper can easily predict their next position and aim a little further of their current position to perform the headshot. Note that bullets from the Sniper Rifle are instantaneous and immediately strike the targeted spot after firing, as they do not have travel time.

The Sniper should prioritize high ground or places with cover nearby when sniping; the former will allow a greater view over the battlefield and the latter will allow him to jump behind cover if he is spotted. Snipers should also frequently switch sniping locations so that he is not immediately spotted by enemy snipers looking for him.

A Sniper should not linger around corners, since he can be easily ambushed from the sides. While Snipers can assist in controlling infantry paths, they should at least be accompanied by teammates to prevent ambushes from behind, especially when the path behind them is not safe.

Snipers can retaliate when confronting infantries in close proximity, if they are skilled and fast enough to aim at short ranges, yet they are still at disadvantage as the assailant can get out from the Sniper's view fast by circling around him and keep hitting him with automatic weapons while he has to aim or reload; also, the reduced movement speed will not help in fleeing from an assailant.

When aiming at the enemy, it is advisable to keep moving around to avoid being shot by enemy snipers that might have spotted the Sniper, as players might try to close in and attach Timed C4 on the Sniper when he is engrossed in aiming; this is mostly done by some Stealth Black Hands in good humor; others would just try to ambush the Sniper from behind. Veteran snipers will only need to stand still for a small amount of time to precisely aim their shots, while other veterans are able to aim steadily even while moving around.

Having the back facing an obstacle is also a viable option to reduce the chances of getting ambushed. Another option would be to snipe near the presence allied vehicles, so that in case of ambushes, the Sniper can jump into the allied vehicle to stay safe; however, he could be struck in the crossfire between vehicles.

Snipers that need to fall back may use the Smoke Grenade to conceal their position from enemy snipers.

Counters

Snipers are at disadvantage if players get close to them; infantries such as Officer, Patch, Mobius, and Mendoza are preferred for their high rate of fire when confronting a Sniper in close quarters. When approaching the Sniper or repairing vehicles, strafe and jump around with alternating movement so to not follow a predictable pattern to raise the chances of avoiding a headshot; even so, veteran Snipers might still be able to snipe your head even when you are moving around. Generally speaking, you want to keep moving all the times (except when you are inside an allied building or a vehicle), as you might get shot when you least expect it.

The best moment to ambush a Sniper is when he has not spotted you or when he is engrossed in aiming at someone else. Stealth Black Hands can also easily ambush lone Snipers due to their stealth capabilities.

Maintain your composure and stay focused, especially if a Sniper has killed you plenty of times. Lowering your guard and going berserk in trying to pursue vengeance will probably end up in you being slain by him once more.

Against Snipers at long distances, another sniper will be able to counter him; the efficacy of the counter will depend mostly on the difference of aiming skills and reflexes between the snipers.

Vehicles are safe from a Sniper; with the exception of Aerial Vehicles that may take some damage from his shots.