Battle Report #2

Every time I try something new, I get destroyed. In terms of weaponry, what I'm used to is what I'm going to be rolling with from now on. MG4life. There's no reason to try anything else.

With that said, I think smoke grenades are going to be my permanent replacement for minis. DICE has steadily nerfed the most effective options. Slams hardly do any damage and they reduced the blast radius and number of minis you can carry.

So why smoke and not flashbangs, RGO impact, or anything else? Because of its tactical advantages. I tried using it offensively in the beginning but trying to use smoke to hide myself is not a viable strategy. However, using it to escape from hairy situations is amazing. If I'm being shot at and I have no idea where it's coming from, I find cover and pop smoke. Once it's fully deployed, I can run away at my leisure.

It's particularly useful against vehicles. It always forces them to move and it gives my team the opportunity to run up for C4 or to shoot rockets without worrying about being shot at. I once threw a bunch of smoke and hid mines in it. The enemy AA decided to move forward and blew up.

Smart tank drivers routinely check the road for explosives, but smoke can hide them effectively. I can't count the number of times I get killed for trying to shoot rockets since I'm usually the only one trying to take out tanks (thanks for the back up teammates!), but smoke hides my position well. The most important advantage of smoke is forcing vehicles out of camping spots. I've even used smoke to hide from choppers to varying degrees of success.

With smoke as my secondary, this makes it more prudent than ever to stay stealthy. Even though there's a hundred things that can make me spotted, my most effective games have been with silenced guns. While the MG4 is my primary death dealer, the SKS has quickly shot up to become my main gun for Engineer and Recon. It's all-around versatility at all ranges and relatively long lasting ammo reserves makes it perfect for every situation.

Initially, it was my goal to at least unlock the RDS for every gun, but between lighting it up on the scoreboard and unlocking attachments for guns I'll never use again, I think I'll stick to my mains.

Battle Report #1

If it doesn't work the first time then try it again.

But differently.

A couple weeks ago, I thought I'd try out the MG4 in combination with a suppressor and bipod. The idea was to rain fire from afar without giving away my position. It didn't work out well. The suppressor drastically cuts down on range and as soon as I hit anybody, they have plenty of time to run away. It took me two games to go back to my usual setup.

Yesterday, I tried it again since I felt like doing mortar shenanigans. I went 14-1 and then 10-0 on Golmud Railway and Operation Locker. I think I've uncovered the magic sauce in the burger. When I attach a bipod to my LMG, my first thought is "long distance." Taking out snipers with the bipod is a common strategy, but with a suppressor, I had to change tactics. Like with any suppressed gun, it's about being stealthy, staying prone, and picking my spots.

Once I embraced the stealth philosophy, I became the silent guardian. I would slowly and methodically take out groups of enemies and they'd have no idea where they're getting hit from. When you have 200 rounds of invisible bullets smacking you in the face, you don't have the time to look around and spot. You either hide, or you die.

I tested it out some more with middling results. As with any combination, it's very dependent on your positioning. If you can find a good spot, it's damn amazing. I think I'll stick with this configuration for a while and see where it takes me.