Titanfall Longbow DMR Sniper’s Guide

Titanfall Longbow DMR Sniper’s Guide by W1NTERBORN

W1NTERBORN here. A few players have been asking about tips for sniping. I’m using the Longbow as my primary and have logged 30+ hours of actual gameplay with it and also have uploaded “a few” sniper gameplay vids on my YT channel https://www.youtube.com/user/immortalJunkie — which of course doesn’t mean that I know anything or that these tips would help anyone or suit your playing style etc. xD Plus, I’m sure i’ve left out a ton of stuff, may be wrong on some points, others might have better tips, etc. etc. Also, everything’s a bit messy and honestly, i’d rather be playing than typing xD but I’ll try to update/append the notes as needed.

Sharing this with everyone is probaby going to get me killed in game, but hey, here goes. xD

SCOPING

The DMR isn’t for everyone, and snipers are not the most popular class there is xD but since it’s one of the regen challenge weapons, everyone gets to try it out! I’m guessing one reason why people find the Longbow difficult is because of the scopes. You can equip it with an AOG which makes it more or less like the assault rifles. If that’s your style, cool — but most of what follows won’t be applicable, since i’m more focused on playing with the actual sniper scopes (4.5x and 6x).

So, scopes…. Scoping takes practice. The 6x is extremely sensitive to motion, and has an effective range (get too close and you’ll lose sight of the enemy, be too far and it’s like AOG). If necessary, spend some time just following enemies through the scope to get a feel for the effective range of the weapon and how to track people through the sights. Farm grunts for target practice. Next, look for good sniping spots on maps to get that same effective range on choke points and places where enemies will congregate.

Staring down the sights severely limits your vision and blinds you to enemy movement. After each shot, do a quick visual check around you to make sure no enemy pilots or titans rolled up while you were distracted. Always keep an eye on the minimap, but remember it extends only so far and doesn’t reveal cloaked enemies.

SHOOTING

The DMR is basically a two-shot kill weapon unsilenced, (three with the silencer) so you’ll need to plan for the second shot to finish the job. Even if i’ve got a fairly clean one-kill headshot lined up, i follow with a second shot just in case. xD

Each shot counts, so spraying and praying only works if you’re faced with a CQC situation. Plus, the magazine’s only got 8 rounds (12 with Extended Magazine), and reloading takes a while, so try to make each shot count. Taking and missing a bunch of impossible shots is a good way to beckon all nearby dot hunters for the kill and leave you cursing the useless DMR.

Unlike the other sniper rifle, Kraber, you don’t need to lead your shots. The bullet hits the center of your crosshair almost immediately. The gun has large recoil — another complicator for some players. What happens is you fire a shot, the gun recoild once vertically, with the sights going up and then returning back down without any drift (basically). Ignore the upward motion and wait for the weapon to settle back down before refiring for better accuracy — if you fire too soon, you’ll go high on the second shot.

When cloaked, you won’t have the crosshairs for the first shot. With some practice, you should be able to get a feel for where the crosshairs would be and get a hit even when shooting cloaked. If not, the crosshairs appear on the second shot.

And remember: sniping moving enemies will be hard. Be prepared to miss quite a lot. Be also prepared to step away from taking a bad shot if it might expose you to nearby enemy pilots. And be prepared shot in the back. A lot. xD

GENERAL/OTHER TIPS:

• Each game is different — try to see what’s the flow of the current game. Are the enemy running on ground? Shooting at titans from rooftops? Running in pairs? Trying to hack turrets for no reason other than to hack turrets? Adjust your play accordingly.
• When friendly titans start roaming, the enemies are more likely be on higher ground, shooting at your team’s titans. An Archer requires a lock-on, meaning the enemy pilot will be immobile for a few seconds. A mag launcher makes a distinct sound, Charge Rifle and Sidewinder leave a trail right back to the source. The pilots are usually too focused on titans to pay attention to any nearby snipers. In addition to rooftops, pilots often shoot from windows or doorways, and duck for cover while reloading.
• Avoid shootouts. The DMR isn’t going to outgun a Carbine or a Sh… Spitfire. Strike quickly, try to get the kill before the enemy has a chance to spot you and start shooting back. If you’ve been spotted, move.
• Keep an eye on the places people gravitate towards. Gun turrets change hands numerous times a game. If you’re controlling it now, chances are an enemy pilot will try to capture it again. Easy headshots.
• You can climb all the tall pointy things on the maps and get a good aerial view. Not necessarily the best places for sniping, but the view sure is nice. xD
• Enemy snipers also use those spots. Spare W1NTERBORN, shoot the others.
• The minimap isn’t the only way to track enemies. Many pilots especially in attrition will go for groups of grunts or spectres. If they’re shooting at something, it could be an enemy pilot.
• Check out the skull & bones mark that shows where a friendly pilot was killed to keep track of enemies outside the range of the minimap.
• Make a note of the enemy generations at the pregame scrimmage. Gen 1 pilots will probably be running aimlessly on the ground, stopping to shoot, and in general, standing standing still more than experienced players. A G4 might be camped on a rooftop with the DMR like you. Gen 6ers are jumping on titans, going for the rodeo kills. And so on — when in doubt, assume everyone’s packing the Carbine. xD
• In-game, keep an eye on the kill ticker to see what weapons the enemy’s using. Carbines kill at a range – Keep engagements short and run away if bullets start flying your way. A pilot with an SMG or EVA-8 needs to get close for the kill, giving you the chance to take an extra shot or two before it’s time to think about plan B.
• After being dropped, pilots tend to follow predictable patterns as they start rushing your team. Know the routes, find a nice spot to camp, and go for the first kill.
• The minimap extends only so far, so if you’re camped out near the edges of the map, you’ll have to find the enemies visually.
• If you’re bored (and packing a silencer), snipe some titans. Critical hits reduce build time, and getting a hit mark generally annoys the crap out of the titan pilots. One guy once freaked out and fell off the cliff in Outpost trying to dash away from an imaginary titan. xD)
• Check the rooftops but also the windows and doorways. A lot of players like the close quarters combat inside, but occasionally pop their heads out to check out enemy titan locations, etc.
• Look out for doomed enemy titans. Getting a gooser kill with the DMR is not easy, but sure is fun.
• Keep an eye on friendly titans, especially when playing Gen 6 teams. A red dot on top of a blue triangle is an enemy pilot rodeoing a friendly titan. Help out a teammate and get a chance to shoot at an immobile enemy = win-win.
• Time it right. A pilot parkouring between buildings is harder to hit than one that’s just jumped off a building whose trajectory is fixed and has max one jump to change it.
• Once a pilot is hit, they usually react by turning, jumping, or strafing. Be ready.
• Don’t camp too much. Not only is it bad karma, but mobile opponents will track you down for those revenge XP points. A cloak doesn’t work against killcam.

LOADOUT NOTES:

Scopes: AOG (unlockable, same 2.4 magnification as assault rifles’): mid-range option when you just need to have the DMR for CQC maps like Colony or Rise. 4.5x (unlockable, default for Amped DMR): for pseudo-sniping. Probably has some use, can’t think of any right now. xD 6.0x (default): for purists/masochists.

Attachments: Stabilizer – Personally, haven’t found much use for this except when paired with the AOG. Reminds me of DSG + Reflex sight in Crysis 3.

Silencer – Good for camping and AI farming, but severely affects the lethality of the weapon, meaning it takes 2 headshots to kill, or 3 body shots. Good for large maps with wide spaces, where you’ll have the time to get multiple shots before an enemy can find cover. Used this loadout quite a bit in the beginning, but am now leaning more toward extended mag.

Extended Magazine – Increases clip size from 8 to 12, a good 50% increase (compare this to Kraber extended mag, which only goes from 5 to 6.) More bullets, less reloading.

Pilot Loadouts: – Comes down to personal preference more than anything, i think.

Burn Cards:

Amped DMR: 4.5x scope, sonar

– In open ground sniping, i find the sonar more distracting than helpful. It works the same as active pulse, but when the enemy’s moving the bright orange ghosting distracts more often than it helps. the range of the sonar is also limited. Best used on select maps to see enemies through walls — in open ground, it’s easier to make a visual ID.

Anyway, that’s most of it for now — i might edit later if there’s something missing/incorrect. Also, will try to upload some DLC sniping vids this weekend…

glhf.