In-Depth Sniper guide [UPDATED 9/11/2016]

Overview

In this guide I will talk about the base snipers in GitS:SAC FA.While also explaining what operatives are better for snipers, playstyles, sidearms and techniques.I hope that after you have read this guide you will have learned something about sniping in tactical shooters, or about FA itself.

Introduction

My name is Ryada, and i am a dedicated sniper within FA, I dedicate most of my time to playing the sniper role within games, and have been a Global Elite main awper in CS:GO. A main awper in CS:GO is somebody that spends a lot of time mastering the AWP (the most used sniper in the game) and most teams have one designated awper so they can help their team in their respective ways. A lot of people have questions on the snipers within FA and ask me how to build them, what sniper is the best and how i can be so good with snipers. Because of the amount of people and questions I get about snipers I decided to make a guide where I explain almost everything there is to know about sniping, after you finished reading this guide you will hopefully have gained a lot of knowledge and will be able to become a better sniper. Also be aware that sniping asks for a huge amount of dedication as it is considered as one of the hardest roles to fulfil properly in most games.

Within FA I mostly play demolition and all the knowledge I have accumulated about this game comes from playing the game in demolition and executing tests in a custom match with friends who were my guinea pigs. Therefore a lot of my statements and opinions on certain things are based on the gamemode demolition, but can generally be applied to every other game mode as well.

The reason why I play sniper in most games that I play is because I love the fact that it is a high risk high reward playstyle and you will be able to provide your team with information that they can use to win the game. Sniping itself is an information reliant class so you will need to be able to effectively use all the information you get thrown at you in the game. You also have the option to really carry your team if you are on point in that game and play everything perfectly.

The playstyles

Why would I need to cover play styles in a sniper guide you ask? Well it is simple, most people think there are only 2 styles of sniping while in fact there are more than that, in this section I will talk about the 5 most common sniping play styles in games, be aware that these styles are generalised so it could be that you think that you are not part of any of these play styles which could be completely true. The play styles will be explained by using the game mode demolition as an example, since it is easier to explain with that game mode in mind.

The aggressive sniper is as the name implies a sniper who plays aggressively, this means that they will be running together with the front line of their team most of the time, and trying to get a pick on one of the bombsites so their team will be able to follow up on the kill that they made.

This is the opposite of the aggressive sniper. The passive sniper is a player who likes to stay back and wait for the enemy to come to them. They will try their best to hold one of the flanks for their team and protect them if the enemy decides to push aggressively. This style of sniping is not to be confused with a camping sniper, as the Passive sniper will move with their team but will not take the initiative on their own.

The camping sniper is a player who will try to find a spot from where he can see all the angles where the enemy may push, most of the time they try to find spots with only 1 point of engagement, so they can wait and kill anyone who comes past them. This is not to be confused with the passive sniper as the camping sniper won’t move up with their team, they will stay in the same spot until they are the last one alive, and even then they most likely won’t move away from their spot.

The hybrid sniper is a sniper who is able to effectively switch between the aggressive and the passive style of playing a sniper, these snipers are most commonly seen in the higher level of play and do their best to try and adapt to all combat situations. These snipers are one of the most feared kind of snipers as they are not as predictable as the dedicated aggressive/passive or camping sniper.

The support sniper is one of the rarest snipers, they can be seen as the evolved version of the Hybrid sniper. They will be able to adapt to any situation thrown at them, and will be able to call shots if needed on the battlefield. The support sniper is a team player and relies completely on information that they get from the team and personal experience they have acquired from playing a sniper in games for a really long time.

The snipers

• Damage: 108
• Accuracy: 100
• Stability: 15
• Fire Rate: 4
• Range: 42M
• Ammo: 5/15

The L118 is the basic sniper rifle you get when you start the game for the first time. For a free sniper rifle it is fairly good with only a few negatives that only the market sniper rifles overcome.

The SR (sniper rifle) itself is modelled after the British L118 platform in real life. Despite being modelled after it, it holds a few external differences with the real version.

The L118 has 100 accuracy when ADS (Aiming Down Sight) and within optimal range it will one shot when you hit someone in the torso. Limb shots will allow the target to survive with 9hp (unless you mod the rifle). This SR its biggest weakness is the fact that it has a lower range compared to some of the other snipers. This means that if you want to use it effectively you will have to take a shorter maximum engagement distance against other snipers into account.

The L118 has a faster bolt cycle time (having the second fastest bolt cycle in the game) than the CM2010 which means that you have to spend less time waiting for your next shot. This does not mean that the L118 is better than the CM2010, this means that the L118 is better when used with a more aggressive playstyle than the CM2010.

The L118 is generally the go to sniper rifle if you play TDM/TC with a slightly aggressive style of sniping. The rifle can only be effectively used within the optimal range which is 42m (46.2m with the 2511-LB barrel), outside of the optimal range it will almost always tag the target if you don’t hit them in the head, because damage is affected by distance after optimal range. The body will still be a one-shot kill within a few meters of the effective range unless you have the Range-CBC1 equipped, since it will decrease the damage by 5% outside of the optimal range.

• Damage: 107
• Accuracy: 85
• Stability: 21
• Fire Rate: 7
• Range: 43M
• Ammo: 5/15

This is an extremely controversial ‘sniper rifle’ in the game because of a few reasons. The reasons are that it deals a ton of damage with the right mods (one shotting everywhere), while it only has a base accuracy of 85 and being a semi-auto rifle it has a limited rate of fire. For people that never played with the SA50 it is more a Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) than a sniper rifle, this is why the only playstyle that is considered good on this SR is a highly aggressive one.

The SA50 is based on the AS50 in real life. There are a few differences with the real gun, just like it happened with the L118, but they are close enough so that someone that does not know where to look for them will just say it is an 1:1 copy.

It is unlocked by playing the game and then it has to be bought for a 34,200 GP, the SA50 costs a lot less than the market sniper rifles so if the SA50 suits your playstyle you should only use the SA50 and not worry about buying other sniper rifles from the market.

The SA50 is so controversial because it can’t be played like a regular SR, it has to be used as a DMR and stock it is not usable since you will only tag people unless you make headshots. To use the SA50 properly and effectively you need mods on it. The SA50 absolutely needs to be fully decked out in mods otherwise it will be a far worse choice than any other SR in the game, therefore this rifle will have a different optimal build than the other sniper rifles. While you have to spend a lot of GP on the mods it will still be cheaper than the other rifles + mods in the game. (See Modifications -> SA50)

This weapon is the go to weapon if you want to use a sniper rifle, but your playstyle is a highly aggressive one and the L118 does not fulfil your requirements. You can use it within any game mode as long as you play the weapon to its strengths, which is medium to close range engagements. The range on this weapon is together with its accuracy its biggest downfall, since it can’t be used for long distance shooting (40m+) because of the damage falloff and the low accuracy, so even if you get lucky and hit the target you will not kill them with one shot.

• Damage: 111
• Accuracy: 100
• Stability: 24
• Fire Rate: 3
• Range: 45M
• Ammo: 5/15

The CM2010 is one of the cheapest market SR you can get, it costs 237,250 GP to unlock and can be done at any level as long as you have the GP for it. The CM has only marginal negative points compared to the L118.

The CM2010 is based on the real life version of the XM2010 platform. It looks almost exactly the same as the real life version.

This SR has the same accuracy as the other bolt action sniper rifles. It has only 1 damage less than the M99D, allowing it to one shot people wherever you hit with only the 2511-LB barrel if you shoot within optimal range. This SR its biggest weakness is the fact that the bolt cycle is the second longest of all the other bolt action rifles, which makes it have one of the lowest fire rate of all the rifles, the difference is not a big one but it is certainly something to have in mind when you decide which SR you want to use. Also compared to the M99D it has a lower magazine capacity, and slightly lower damage.

The CM2010 has a higher range than the L118 but its range is lower than the Seburo SR, the CM2010 has a base optimal range of 45m which will become 49.5m if you use the 2511-LB barrel on the sniper rifle.

It is generally the go-to rifle for people who want to try sniping with a market sniper rifle or people that use a passive/aggressive playstyle. This weapon is together with the M99D one of the strongest sniper rifles at the time of writing, because if you mod this weapon right you can oneshot T1 nano-gel no matter where you hit them.

The snipers part 2

• Damage: 110
• Accuracy: 100
• Stability: 21
• Fire Rate: 3
• Range: 48M
• Ammo: 5/15

The Seburo SR is currently the most expensive SR in the game, it costs 319,740 GP but it is better than any of the other bolt action sniper rifles in terms of range. This weapon can be seen as the middle ground between the L118 and the CM2010/M99D, Because it deals more damage than the L118 but unfortunately for its price it’s not on the level of the CM2010/M99D. Making it quite expensive for the benefits that this weapon has.

The Seburo SR is based on the Seburo sniper rifle in Ghost in the Shell, it is a weapon that is made for anti-cyborg purposes. It can be seen in action in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episode 21.

Just like all the other bolt action sniper rifles this weapon has 100 accuracy. It will do more damage than the L118 but it has the highest possible range of all the rifles in the game. This means that this weapon is made for the more passive snipers, since the range with the 2511-LB barrel will be 52.7m which is enough to cover almost all of the angles in this game. while having the highest base range is arguably the best benefit for snipers, you won’t be able to oneshot T1 nanogell in the limbs even with the Range-CBC1.

As I stated before the Seburo SR has the highest range off all the sniper rifles in the game currently, while it has to sacrifice some damage compared to other SR weapons. This makes it gameplay wise a strong sniper rifle that gets outclassed by the CM2010 and the M99D except on the extra range the Seburo has over those weapons.

Unfortunately this weapon has the downside of not one shotting T1 nanogel if you hit the limbs within optimal range, while the having the longest range. There are definately uses for this sniper rifle since some angles need that extra range. It is unfortunately not worth the extra price you have to pay for this weapon, compared to the M99D and the CM2010.

• Damage: 112
• Accuracy: 100
• Stability: 17
• Fire Rate: 3
• Range: 45M
• Ammo: 10/30

The M99D is the same price as the CM2010, this weapon can only be bought from the market and has better stats than the CM2010 except for the stability. It costs 237,250 GP in the market which makes it the cheapest market rifle together with the CM2010.

This rifle is based of the real life Barret M98B, it almost looks identical to each other and both run a 10 round mag. As a side note this thing sounds like a cannon in game, it is actually satisfying to lose a shot on the wall just so you can hear the sound of the weapon.

The M99D has the same range as the CM2010, but it has lower stability while having a higher ammo count and damage value. This weapon is the highest damage rifle in the game. Only the 2511-LB barrel is required to oneshot non-Nanogel targets wherever you hit them within optimal range, while a Range-CBC-1 adds the capability to do so against T1-Nanogel users.

The downsides to this weapon are depending on the playstyle big or small, it has the slowest bolt cycle of all the bolt action rifles and the slowest reload speed of them all. This means that if you miss your shot you will have a high chance of dying, so you can’t miss any shot. This is a hard task for newer snipers which is why I only recommend getting this weapon if you are devoted to sniping and have experience with sniping in First Assault.

This weapon relies heavily on the skill of the shooter because it has drawbacks that can only be overcome with experience and knowledge. The slower rate of fire and longer bolt cycle animation makes agressive peeking less effective, so while the L118 is well suited for an aggressive playstyle, the M99D represents the other end of the spectrum. A more passive playstyle will benefit greatly from its advantages.

The M99D follows the same optimal build as all the other bolt action sniper rifles, this is different than what we thought before but you will greatly benefit from using the 2511-LB barrel and the Range-CBC1 on this weapon. Just like the CM2010 you will be able to one shot T1 nano-gel with limb shots if you use those attachments on this weapon.

• Damage: 108
• Accuracy: 100
• Stability: 26
• Fire Rate: 3
• Range: 38M
• Ammo: 5/15

The MM200 is the newest addition to the sniper family in GitS. It is based on the M200 from Cheytac in real life and is known for its high effective range. Sadly this doesn’t translate to the ingame performance of this sniper.

The sniper has a lackluster range of 38M, and only 108 damage which is on par with the L118. When the sniper was added we had some hope that it would hold some special hidden stat but this was sadly not the case.

The price for this sniper is way too high for its stats, as it costs 249,750 GP while the M99D and CM2010 are cheaper and have way better stats so they should be taken over the MM200. I highly advice you to not buy this sniper since it holds no benefit over all the other snipers. The only time I would say it is worthy to buy it is if you want to collect all the snipers or are a lover of the model. But be prepared to be outranged by all the other snipers (including the SA50).

Modifications

The most effective build for any sniper (excluding the SA50) would be:

• Scope: Any 3.4x magnification scope
• Barrel: 2511-LB
• Aim Assist: Range-CBC1

The reason for this build is the following:

You use the 3.4x scope because it has less ADS time and inaccuracy time than the default 8x scope, the faster scoping makes you able to react to situations quicker and because the sight has less magnification you would be able to keep an eye on more things than you would with other sights while in a gunfight. This provides you with more information on the situation and for snipers information is key, especially when you are facing multiple targets. The PSO scope is also seen as a viable sniper scope, the drawback being that it has variable zoom but the benefit of it is that it is a 6x scope, some people prefer this scope over the 3.4x scopes because of the fact that it has higher magnification.

The 2511-LB barrel is baseline for every sniper, all the snipers in this game need the 2511-LB barrel because of multiple reasons. The first reason is that it improves your damage done to enemies, so a target you tag with the sniper in the arm will be easier to finish off with your secondary (or making the CM2010 and the M99D able to one shot people with limb shots), than if you did not have the barrel. The second reason is the fact that it improves your range, the 10% increase in range doesn’t seem like a lot but if we take the L118 as an example it makes the optimal range of it go from 42m to 46.2m this is really important because you will be able to oneshot people on longer ranges.

The Range-CBC1 is arguably the best mod for any sniper, although the barrel is still more important most of the time, since it will help you in more situations than the Range-CBC1. This mod is used to enhance the damage you do within the optimal range of your sniper. If we take the L118 as an example again, it will have a range of 42m without the 2511-LB or 46m with it. The Range-CBC1 makes you able to one-shot people wherever you hit them if you are within optimal range, even a T2 Nano-gel target will not survive a body shot. It does not make the L118/Seburo SR and SA50 one shot T1 Nano-gel if you hit them in the limbs, but if you are using the CM2010 or the M99D you will be able to oneshot T1 Nano-gel with the barrel and Range-CBC1 regardless of where you hit them.

Silencers kill the sniper most of the time except if you are using it within TDM and even within TDM it is generally advised to not use the silencer on any sniper. A silencer will remove range from your sniper and range is one of the most important stats for a sniper besides damage and accuracy while ADS. The only reason why people would use the silencer on a sniper is because it lowers the detection range and muffles the sound by a huge amount, which makes you able to use the sniper more effectively if your playstyle is an extremely aggressive one. You can use a flash guard on the snipers if you want, but this is mostly for aesthetic purposes, since the bonus of the flash guards is not really needed on snipers. As a side note the flash guards change the way your gun sounds, which some people prefer and some people don’t.

Extended mag/extra mag is not something a sniper should be worried about for multiple reasons, the most important one being that if you are a decent sniper you would never need all the 20 bullets in a demolition game, and most of the time you are already dead before you are out of ammo in TDM/TC. The second reason is the movement speed decrease, because that is a decently important stat for the high tier snipers. When you shoot you generally go back into cover, and the faster you are able to go back in cover the more chance you have of surviving if you missed your first shot. It also makes you able to peek faster, which will help you win duels against enemies of the same skill level. This works because of peekers’ advantage. And lastly, movement speed will make you harder to hit since people will need to use more mouse movement to keep their aim on you.

The bipod will improve your stability, but as a sniper you won’t need the additional stability. The weapon will have reset its inaccuracy once you can fire your next shot, so extra stability only improves the hip fire accuracy for snipers. While some people would think that it would be beneficial to snipers to be able to no scope across the map, me and other high level snipers beg to differ, the only time you will no scope is if you don’t have time to aim down and setup your shot. Most of the time in those cases you will be dead and the additional stability won’t help you survive. It also decreases weapon swap and movement speed which are important enough for high tier snipers.

As said before the SA50 is a different kind of sniper, if you are able to consider it as one in the first place. Therefore there will be a different build for the SA50 than the other snipers, since it has a lot more points that need to be improved upon compared to the other snipers, and some stats that are considered obsolete on the bolt action snipers need to be improved for the SA50.

Here is the most effective build for the SA50:

• Scope: Any 3.4x magnification scope
• Barrel: 2511-LB
• Aim Assist: Range-CBC1
• Muzzle: MB72H or MB76H
• Bipod: TH1029
• (Optional) Magazine: Extended A1

For the base build this follows the most optimal build for the bolt action sniper rifles, but the SA50 needs extra mods to become a true beast. These mods are the muzzle and the bipod. Both of them improve the recoil between shots and this makes you able to spam your shots with more accuracy while also removing the need for recoil control if you keep down your ADS between shots. The movement speed or swap speed is not really important when you build the SA50 since you will most likely never swap to your pistol except in the rare occasion that you run out of ammo. And the movement speed is not important as you will be looking for CQB engagements instead of longer engagements. There is no difference between the MB72H or MB76H muzzle except visual differences, since they both apply the same bonus, so the choice may be made entirely upon looks. This is also the only sniper that would have any benefit in running the Extended A1 modification, as your magazine will be able to hold 3 rounds more. This is nice if you play TDM or TC as sometimes you will find yourself not having enough bullets in your mag. This modification is entirely optional as it also has drawbacks like less movement speed and stability.

Lethality charts

The table above tells you if you can kill in one shot on a target who does not have nano-gel. The snipers were tested without mods, with only a barrel and with the barrel and Range-CBC1 together. All these shots were made in optimal range. The Range-CBC1 damage values were not included in this table since they always did fatal damage and were therefore uninteresting in comparing the power of each sniper.

The table above tells you if you can kill a nanogel target in one shot. All these shots were taken within optimal range, and the guns were only tested with the barrel, and with the barrel and Range-CBC1 attached to it together. The unmodded snipers were not included in this table to remain understandable, and they did not oneshot T1 nano-gel except if they hit the head.

Range

This game has some counter intuitive traits when we are talking about range. The snipers have a optimal range that vary from 42m to 48m, these can be made higher by using the 2511-LB modification on them. There range values are kind of weird, since in real life snipers have more than a thousand meters of range. But lets not compare a game to real life since that would cause dramatic issues with game logic and balancing issues.

How range in this game works is the moment you go over your optimal range (those are in the table above) you will lose damage the further you are from your target. For example you will do more damage to a target on 42m than on 48m with the unmodded L118. Within Optimal range there is no damage fluctuation so the damage chart will be true in all ranges that are below the maximum optimal range.

The sidearm

Snipers are more reliant on their sidearm than other classes in FPS games. This comes from the fact that most snipers can’t shoot in rapid succession. This means that if you fail a shot in close quarters you will have to pull out your pistol to have a chance at surviving. If you are not confident enough in your close quarters sniping skills you can also pull out your sidearm before you try to push towards the enemy. This way you will have more chance of surviving in CQC and against multiple opponents where you see no way to shoot another shot with your sniper rifle. Therefore it is important that you choose the best sidearm available to make sure you are ready for CQC as a sniper.

• Damage: 23
• Accuracy: 51
• Stability: 26
• Fire Rate: 60
• Range: 10M
• Ammo: 20/60

This is the starting pistol for everyone who plays this game. While it isn’t the worst pistol you can have. It is accurate while ads and has a decently high rof compared to the other pistols. As a sidearm for a sniper it is a decent choice, its only drawback is the fact that it has low damage. The pistol doesn’t one shot kill if you hit somebody in the head.

• Damage: 26
• Accuracy: 47
• Stability: 25
• Fire Rate: 50
• Range: 12M
• Ammo: 12/36

The Seo-P226 which i will just refer to as the P226, is the only pistol you will unlock as a level-up reward currently. You will receive this pistol free of charge once you get to level 6. Compared to the M5 it has a slightly higher damage but is still unable to one shot kill if you hit the head. The slightly higher damage comes at a price you will lose a tiny bit of accuracy and have a lower rof. But it has a bit more range added to the pistol. If you have not bought any of the market pistols yet it is recommended to try out the P226 and decide if you prefer it over the M5.

• Damage: 23
• Accuracy: 38
• Stability: 32
• Fire Rate: 85
• Range: 8M
• Ammo: 20/60

The 93-SE or as many call it the burst pistol. Is a pistol that fires in bursts of 3 rounds and is able to kill somebody with 1 burst to the head where only 2 bullets need to hit. The weapon has low damage but a high rof which results in the lowest TTK of all the pistols (disregarding the revolver their headshots but that will be explained later) the base stats on this particular pistol look low, but this pistol has the highest chance against an enemy who is wielding an AR or SMG. The drawback of this pistol is its range. It only has an effective range of 8m this means you have to play on low range against enemies to make the best use if this pistol. This is currently the best sidearm a sniper can have. I would recommend getting it the moment you can afford it because not only snipers but all the other classes can make great use of this sidearm.

• Damage: 47
• Accuracy: 44
• Stability: 23
• Fire Rate: 20
• Range: 16M
• Ammo: 6/18

The .44 magnum is a different story. It is a revolver with high damage but low rof. Potentially this pistol would have been the best if it weren’t for the fact that you can’t reliably hit headshots with this pistol. It is inaccurate while ADS so you would be gambling upon the bullet going where you want it to go if you decide to use this pistol. It is also bad for fighting off multiple enemies if you don’t hit them in the head. Since it requires 3 body shots to kill an enemy, while you can hold a maximum of 6 rounds in a mag. Therefore it is generally not advised to get the .44 magnum since there are better more reliable alternatives. The only use there would be in the .44 magnum is if you use it as a tag finisher sine it has the highers base range of the pistols, but if you use the mods i recommended in the modification section you won’t need a tag finisher.

• Damage: 44
• Accuracy: 38
• Stability: 25
• Fire Rate: 21
• Range: 15M
• Ammo: 6/18

The mateba is a revolver just like the .44 magnum. It has high stopping power (while being slightly lower than the .44 magnum) while having also lower accuracy and range. The drawbacks of this pistol are the same as the .44 magnum. Therefore there is not much to say about this particular pistol other than that it’s a worse version of the .44 magnum.

The operatives

What operative is the best for using snipers? Well they are all viable in their respective way, and it doesn’t matter who you choose, but some just have a better skill than others for snipers in general. Don’t think you made a bad decision if yours is not one that i say is the best, because it all depends on how you play. Some operatives just have more adaptability in terms of their skill than others. All of the operatives are rated by using a scale of 1-4 where the ratings are: Bad, Decent, Good, and Best. These ratings are based on multiple aspects of the operatives within the demolition game mode.

Saito is one of the best operatives in the current state of the game, that is no exception if you are using a sniper. Heat Sensor allows you to gain a massive amount of information in the round you are using it. Especially as a sniper this is important since you rely heavily on information to base your decisions on. If you have a T2 Heat Sensor it also allows you to provide 3 teammates with a T1 Heat Sensor, so i would advise using it at the start of the round so 3 of your teammates will be able to benefit from it as well. Because of these facts Saito is currently the number 1 operative in my opinion not only for snipers but for every weapon class.

Togusa is a decent operative for a sniper as your seeker drones will give you information about the enemy his/her position on the map as well as potentially killing them/damaging them. A seeker drone is able to provide really important information in clutch moments, so i would suggest using the skill in clutch moments or when you are holding a site alone and desperately need information on the enemy their position.

Motoko, is a decent operative for snipers. You will have the option to go partly invisible with motoko and when you have the chip you will be even less visible. The benefit is that you will gain a bit of an advantage when you are peeking or people sometimes don’t see you at all when you are camping in a corner. I would advise you to use her skill on T2 so you can make 3 more team mates invisible and then use it to peek aggressively if you play on the attack side, or use it to hold a tight angle on defense. This will help you gain a bit of an advantage when peeking the enemy as they will react slower than to somebody without the camo on.

Batou is a bad choice for a sniper, this is because of the fact that your sniper will be a one shot one kill weapon just like the Arm Launcher. Although the rockets do damage in an area and the sniper is just only where you aim, there generally are not a lot of situation where the Arm Launcher will save your life, where the snipers would not be able to. It also does not help your team in any way when you use Batou as a sniper on demolition.

Ishikawa is a decent/good operative for snipers, if you have multiple angles to hold you can just use your sentry to hold one of them so you have to worry about one less position the enemy may come from. The sentry will notify you with gunshots if somebody is coming from the direction the sentry is facing, so you will know somebody is there. You can also use the sentry if you need to defend a planted bomb. I would advise you to only use the sentry on hot spots of the map on defence or to cover your flank since you will only be able to use it for one round and the enemy could go to the other site.

Paz is a decent operative for a sniper, especially if you play a supportive role. You will be able to get to a position the enemy would not expect you to be so soon as a sniper and cut them off earlier on the map. This makes the enemy generally more careful around the area you are currently holding. But be aware if you play more aggressive on the map the enemy will have an easier time flanking you. So be sure your team will be able to hold your back.

Borma is a good operative for snipers, It will allow you to heal yourself after a duel and if the enemy does not shoot on your head you will be able to kill them with your sniper. Nano-Gel gives you 10 more hp on T1 and 20 more hp on T2. On T2 you will be able to survive a body shot of the enemy sniper. So if you know a sniper is holding a specific position you will be able to peek him with less risk than normally and kill him by shooting him in the body. You are also able to give 3 teammates Nano-Gel if you have a T2 skill.

Maven is considered a bad choice by many people if you play snipers. But she is actually in the good to best operative list. Maven requires a lot of map knowledge to use effectively, since she can place a barrier that turns your team invisible behind the wall. The wall also reduces the damage done to your team by 10% (requires further testing) and disrupts the vision of anyone who passes through it, although your teammates get a lesser version of the disruption. So if you have a lot of map knowledge and know how to use the wall effectively Maven is one of the best choices for a sniper together with Saito. You can use the barrier as bait for the enemies, to hide behind or to help you cover a certain position on the map.

Kuro would be in the decent to bad operative list, this is because his skill is extremely tied to timing and knowledge. Of course as a sniper you rely on knowledge and it would be beneficial if you can get rid of multiple skill syncs in the enemy team. The fact that it is a decent to bad choice is because the placement range of the Emp Generator is too small to effectively use as a sniper, as well as the fact that the emp is timed, you can’t place it and let it explode manually after some time. The fact that this skill will not help you a lot of the times because you hit nobody with it makes Kuro a decent to bad choice for snipers.

Chipset builds

In this section I will talk about a few chipset builds which are in my opinion the best you can choose for snipers. I won’t cover all the builds that are out there but I will list the ones that I find the best and are the most common in the game. These builds wont include the operative specific chipsets as steam limits the amount of characters I can place in each chapter and I would need 10 chapters to cover those.

This build is very straight forward as it stacks Agile step chips.
These chips improve your base movement speed by 4%, so by stacking it you gain 20% base movement speed.
Why this is viable is because you can pull out your knife at the start of the round and run towards your position faster than other people. Also if you are faster it is harder for the enemy to hit you.

This build is generally good all around since you will need less time to be accurate if you ADS, while allowing you to reload faster.
The chips you wanna use for this build are: 4x Rapid Aim + 1x Rapid Reload.
This build is really good on the M99D for example since you will improve the slow reload by a lot with just 1 Rapid Reload chip, and still getting the benefit from Rapid Aim.
This is mostly a highly aggressive build but it can find its place in a passive playstyle as well for example if you are getting rushed.

This build is more for people that use their pistol a lot for close encounters or for people that notice they get rushed a lot but they can’t hold it off with only their sniper.
This build consists of the following chipsets: 1x Pistol Master + 2x Rapid Swap + 1x Rapid Aim + 1x Agile Step
The pistol master increases the stability of your secondary, which makes you able to hit more shots with your secondary. and the Rapid Swap chips are there so you can switch to your pistol faster. Rapid Aim is used so the negatives of the Rapid Swap are negated, and the Agile step is just a filler because its downside isn’t that big.

This chip is not correct in the description. Your strafing speed will be the same as normal, but you will be able to switch sides faster, which is something a good sniper doesn’t care much about.
If it actually improved the strafing movement speed it would be a godlike chip for snipers who like to peek. But unfortunately due to the description not being correct it is a rather lackluster chipset.

Positioning

A sniper needs to have good positioning, because of the fact that you generally have less room for error in comparison to different kind of weapons. As a sniper positioning will help you win duels, for example if you position yourself outside of the optimal range of the enemy he will have damage falloff as well as a smaller target to aim at as a disadvantage, your optimal range is higher and your scope will have a higher magnification so you will have a bigger target to aim at. These facts are all because your position will give you an advantage over the other player.

As soon as your position is compromised relocate as soon as possible without putting yourself within a disadvantageous position. Always try to prevent yourself from being in the same spot for an extended period of time. If you are playing Demolition try to switch positions between rounds, so you will surprise the enemy by being in a entirely different spot.

Try to never be vulnerable for a flank. What you want to do is always watch your back and try to have the least amount of possible locations the enemy can come from. A sniper does not want to get shot in his back as this means certain death against people that know how to aim. If you have to watch 3 ways where people can come from your best bet is always the middle, but if you have the option try to exclude some ways they can come from by changing position. Always having your back to a wall helps when you are holding angles.

Before the round starts decide on your plan of attack, you don’t want to be running around aimlessly during the round. What you want to do is run as fast as possible to the position you want to take with your knife out at the start of the round, then switch to your sniper and hold that angle. Just make sure you have decided at the start of the round because otherwise the enemy will have already taken their position before you arrive on your spot. The reason you run with your knife out at the start of the round is because of the fact that you run faster with your sidearm/knife where your knife gives you the highest speed, this decreases the amount of time you need to get to your position.

NEVER chase the enemy or go frag hunting. Your job as a sniper is not to get the most kills or highest kd in the game, if you chase an enemy around the corner they can easily turn and kill you, or they could be baiting you towards their teammates. If you miss a shot and the enemy gets away, move on with your life and don’t go for the kill if you can’t get it. Your job is to provide information and cover for your team, not chasing down enemies.

Don’t rush in before your teammates. Some people think that a sniper is supposed to be the entry fragger, this is not the case. A sniper is a support role not an fragger. Be aware of your strengths and play accordingly. If you play the SA50 rush in with your teammates instead of before them, you are a force to be recognized but you can’t do it alone if they are stacking a site.

Snipers have a love/hate relationship with smokes. They help you lock down points while also obstructing your view. They can be used to prevent the enemy of pushing through one hallway while also making them able to give launch a surprise attack while pushing through the smoke.

Predicting

Predicting is a insanely important aspect of snipers, as they rely on more information than other classes in the game, the reason is because of the fact that a sniper is a high risk class. If you miss you are dead, or if something happens that you did not expect you will end up losing a duel.

Anticipation is something that will help you immensely you need to be able to anticipate the next move of the enemy so you can line up your shots accordingly. for example if the enemy jumps, it is generally a better idea to line up your shot on the spot where they will land than to try and shoot them while they are still in the air. Try to line up your shot to the place they will be in a short while and then use your reactions to shoot as soon as the enemy runs into your crosshair.

If the angle you are holding is a crossing place or a hotspot for enemies to appear always be on full alert. An enemy could be crossing at any moment, try to aim a bit in front of the point of entry so you will be able to use your reactions when they decide to push into the open. Also always try to aim in the place you expect the enemy to come, since this will greatly improve your chances of sniping him before he knows what is going on.

Try to listen to the sounds the gun make when the enemy shoots with them, since this will tell you what gun they are using and if they are using a silencer or not. Once you know what weapon they use you can use that information against them, and fight them on terms that are more favourable to you than them.

An enemy is generally a player as well, this means that they have a human brain that decides their decisions. This lets you be able to think just like an enemy and let you know what direction they will be going in an engagement with you or how they will try to kill you. if you know what the enemy will do next you can use that information to kill him, being one step ahead of the enemy is something you should always try to be.

You hear a lot of people that say check your corners, this is something that a lot of players forget to do. As a sniper you should always try to engage low range corners with your sidearm, this will be the burst pistol most of the time which is more than capable of killing a enemy who is using a primary weapon. Always expect a enemy behind a corner and check them as much as you can. This will keep you on alert and help you if an enemy is actually hiding in a corner.

Accuracy

As a sniper you always want to make sure you are as accurate as possible and have sharp reflexes, one missed shot or a slow reaction will cost you your life. Once you spot an enemy try to take him out as soon as possible. Even 1 millisecond can mean the difference between life and death in the life of a sniper.

If you ever come across a situation where you have to fight multiple enemies, choose the one that poses the highest threat to you. Taking out the highest threat is a thing that will help you win situations against multiple enemies. This will be me contradicting an earlier statement but always think twice before you pull the trigger, a closer target is not always the highest threat the person you feel can kill more enemies or has a higher chance of killing you is the highest threat and should always be killed first.

Snipers are extremely accurate weapons in the game but require you to stand still. if you are walking and shoot at the enemy be prepared to die instead of the enemy you shot at, this is because of the movement inaccuracy. As long as you stand still your bullets will go straight, move and shoot and your shots will almost always go wide of your target.

No scoping is an art that requires you to know when and how to use it, it is generally advised for snipers to only no scope if you see no way of making a shot if you ADS. When this happens it is your last resort and nobody will argue if you miss that shot. If you decide to no scope while you have the option to ADS and make sure you hit the target, be prepared to get a lot of complaints from your team, since you decided to be selfish instead of play for the team.

Jump shooting with snipers is something that is possible within this game, if you have no sideways or forward/backward momentum you will be able to shoot accurately on/after the dead point in your jump, the dead point in your jump is the moment you reach your maximum height of the jump. This means you can shoot while jumping and shoot over a ledge that is higher than your standing point of view. This will most of the time result in people wondering how it is possible since not many people seem to know of this fact.

Techniques

Quick switching is one of the most essential techniques for snipers within FA, this technique is also one of the easiest but needs to be added to the normal rotation. The technique basically is after you fire a shot immediately switch to your pistol or knife and then switch back to your sniper. This technique gives you a few advantages, the first being that if you use a variable scope you will instantly be unscoped the second being that you can fire your next bullet a bit faster than going through the animation of your bolt cycle. It will also reset your recoil instantly so after 3-4 shots of the SA50 you can quick switch to reset your recoil.
Shoulder peeking – shoulder peeking is the art of knowing where a common angle/enemy is, and then quickly peeking firing a shot the moment you are able to by counter strafing and then going back behind the cover where you came from. If you do this properly the enemy won’t have a lot of time to react to you and if multiple people are watching where you come from they will have less chance to take you out. If you do this in one fluid motion you will have the chance to take somebody out that is prefiring your position as well as they will only get of a couple of bullets against you before you kill them.

Crouch peeking is a controversial technique as you will see most newer players use it in the wrong way/situation. Which is why it is considered a noob technique on its own, although we snipers have a use for it besides looking like a noob. The reason we use this from time to time is because at higher levels of play people will almost always aim at head level, so if you crouch you will be below their crosshair giving you an advantage against the enemy. This does not mean that it can be used all the time, as you will be a smaller target and getting a headshot will be more likely. To do a crouch peek effectively you strafe and crouch when you round the corner and then counter strafe so you get a point of no momentum, in the moment shoot at the enemy and kill them. If you miss stand up and go behind cover as fast as you can again since he will have had time to adjust his shot.

Quick scoping is something that was founded in the original counter strike game, it was explained as a technique to shoot at the moment a player aims with a sniper. This technique was then made popular with the call of duty games (especially call of duty modern warfare). To do a quick scope one has to stop moving, then ADS and shoot the instant their vision changes to the scope. This technique is extremely valuable if you round a corner but you didn’t expect an enemy to be behind that particular corner or if you are pushing aggressively.

No scoping is just like the name implies, making a shot while not ADS. This technique is something that should only be used as a last resort as it is heavily reliant on RNG being in your favour. If you do decide to no scope you can crouch to make your spread smaller and have more chance of hitting the enemy. Also if you are standing still you will have a tighter area of where your bullet can go, so if you noscope try to crouch and stand still before you shoot.

Tips & Tricks

The way ADS works in this game is that it will lower the FOV compared to when you are unscoped. The game will divide your normal FOV by the magnification of your sight/scope and use that as the new FOV to simulate the zoom. This is the reason why your sensitivity will be lower when using scopes, and the lower the scope magnification the higher the sensitivity will feel.

Which rifle should I choose?

The two rifles that clearly stand out are the M99D and the Seburo SR. Due to the M99D having the biggest magazine + damage, and the Seburo having the highest range.

In this game, the capability to oneshot is more important than in many others, since the arms holding the guns are counted as limbs as well, meaning that even if you hit somebody square in the chest, if their running animation just had their arm in front, This appears to happen more often than in other games.

The M99D has a larger mag, but also longer bolt cycle and reload animation. It also feels and sounds like a cannon, feeling a little slower in general. The longer bolt cycle can be compensated by quick switching though.
The Seburo SR has a smaller mag, but a faster bolt cycle, reload animation and range. It feels somewhat lighter and faster than the M99D.

In the end, choosing between the two comes down to personal preference.
Yes, the Seburo has a smaller mag, but if you ever need more than 5 shots in an engagement, you’ve probably messed up somewhere along the lines anyways.

Recommendation: if you like the feeling of an AWP-like cannon in your hands (AWP is the main sniper rifle in CS:GO), you’ll most likely enjoy the M99D. If you’re more of an Scout-person (The Scout is a more mobile sniper than the AWP), you might prefer the Seburo SR.

Yes, every rifle is viable in their own way.
While the others do have a downside when it comes to range or damage, they are all usable in certain scenarios/playstyles.
While in my personal opinion not as satisfying as a bolt-action rifle, the SA50 has a cheap price point due to being an unlock and certainly has a niche in the game. Trying it out is recommended.
The L118 is a great sniper for aggresive play, just like the CM2010. The CM2010 is also a good sniper for aggresive play but the M99D is still better in stats.
The only rifle really left standing in the rain is the MM200, since it has both the lowest range and least damage and is bolt-action. I would not recommend this sniper to anyone but I can see people who like the model run this weapon.

Changelog

• Fixed some grammar errors.
• Changed some sentences to make them more understandable.

• Added the banner made by Vaccination.
• Added a new section “Changelog”.
• Added a new section “Damage charts”.
• Added a new section “Range”.
• Changed information on the snipers according to new found information.
• Fixed some grammar errors.
• Renamed some terms to reflect the ingame terms better.

• Updated damage charts to fix a few errors.

• Updated gramatical errors.
• Added the MM200.
• Revamped the damage charts to lethality charts.
• Updated all the snipers to reflect the damage buff.
• Updated the which sniper should you choose section to reflect the other changes.
• Added chipset builds to the guide.

Errors

If you think I made a mistake in this guide, feel free to PM me or write a comment on this guide or my profile. Ingame I can be found under the name Ryada, so if you want some specific advice or you want to talk to me personally about the guide/sniping just whisper me if I am online.

Special thanks

Special thanks go to a few people who helped me test things and provided me with information while I was on vacation and making this guide. Also my proof readers deserve a huge thank you.
Unfortunately I can’t list you all here since that would be a really long list but everybody that has helped me with the making of this guide, I thank you.