DUST 514 Sniper Guide

DUST 514 Sniper Guide by nix zaroch

In dust, snipers can be a determining factor in any battle; good cover fire, over watch, and defense can turn the tide of a battle in your favor. This guide is designed to help you become the marksman you envisioned yourself as. This guide four four parts: making a sniper fitting, staying aware, getting in position, and pulling the trigger.

Part 1, making a sniper fitting

Snipers need to be fast, agile, and stealthy; therefor a scout drop suit is best for the role. As modules go i recommend a shield charger and a profile dampener, these will help you avoid detection and survive long enough to escape if you are. For equipment, it is almost a requirement to have a nano hive, it does not have to be a good one (a militia tier nano hive is good enough). The nano hive will re supply your ammo when you run low, this is a necessity when you plan to snipe for a long duration of time. Next comes choosing the sniper, while the militia sniper is ok it will not hold its own against anything but militia drop suits, so you should buy an upgraded sniper. I recommend the charge, tactical, or (my personal favorite) the far sight sniper. The tactical sniper is a low damage sniper with a high zoom, making it good for engagements at a long distance. The charge sniper is like a railgun, it needs to be charged before firing; it can either shoot fast, low damage shots or slow, high damage shots. The farsight is an AUR weapon that deals the same damage as a fully charged shot from the charge sniper.

Part 2, Getting in position

choosing a good vantage point is crucial in being effective and staying alive. Your position could either get you killed and obscure your vision or it could cover you and provide clear shots. No matter what you choose, one thing that stands above all else is NEVER try to quick scope. the barrel sway in dust is so substantial st first that getting a hit at close range is near impossible. even if you manage to get a hit, it wont be a one shot kill, so quick scoping is utterly ineffective. Now lets talk about finding a good vantage point, when sniping you should only focus on one task at a time. The vantage point should give you a clear view of your objective and provide cover from enemies. As cover goes, you should choose a spot that covers you from areas your not watching, aka to your sides. you should not snipe from buildings in the middle of the action, or the pipes on line harvest. Next you should drop your nano hive in an area with full cover and is easily defensible. Also dont snipe where there is more than one other sniper, it is early to find you that way. One thing to avoid is cover which impedes your movement, counter snipers will shoot and if they miss you will need to vanish before they can ready another shot.

Part 3, staying aware

Awareness is a factor that defines a good sniper. While you should not quick scope you should not look down your sights all the time. My strategy is to stay out of your sights until l spot enemies and then scope in, this keeps you aware of your surroundings and increases your chance of spotting enemies. One mistake i see many snipers making is that they don’t check for counter snipers, you never know if your in someone’s cross hair. During times when you are not shooting at infantry, you should scan high buildings and cliff sides where snipers may be hiding. Should you take a hit or hear a shot whistle past, you should run, not fight. This is where the high mobility vantage points come into play, run to a covered area and find another vantage point. Also, even though this seems like common knowledge, leave if you see a teammate get killed.

Part four, taking the shot

The most important part of being a sniper is shooting your enemies. While stationary targets are easy to kill, you will mostly encounter moving targets. getting head shots is difficult because of the current lag and the hit boxes, so aim for the body unless you are shooting a close range stationary opponent. for most drop suits, it takes one to two hits to kill ( heavies can require four or more), so make sure that the enemies are not near cover, giving you the time to fire another shot. When the target is moving i advise positioning your cross hair in an area where they are running. Drag the cross hair in front of them, then stop and fire when you think the time is right. Never shoot at targets when your within their range. Also never shoot at snipers who are near cover and looking in your direction, they will return fire and expose your position. Lastly you need to prioritize your targets here is a good order to follow; : 1’st enemies at your objective, 2’nd other snipers, 3’rd medics, 4’th heavies with large guns, and last you should target assault grunts.

I hope this helps you in your career as a marksman,

Untill next time,
Nix Zaroch