Mop's Sniper School

masterofpuppets

PANCAKES GO!
Sr. Manager
Joined
Mar 7, 2007
Messages
2,774
I've been playing the sniper class for 8 years now (TFC included) and along the way I've learned a few tips and tricks about how to be an effective sniper in TF2. Too many people say "sniping is easy" or "it takes no skill"..... these people either suck and just talk a game or are not very good. If you want to be accused of hacking almost every game and have advisor's scream "take a demo of this man" *cough*mostly*cough*, then this might be a good read for you.

1 ) Landmarking - Obviously, the best way to take any class down is via a well placed headshot. Rather than place your dot on a random spot and then have to track to the targets head, find a landmark on the map of where the players head would be. For instance, if I'm on the blue side of 2Fort - there's a line in the wood texture of the red base that is in line with where an enemy snipers head would be as he's coming out from cover on the battlements. This what I use and this leads to enemy snipers not being able to do much.

2 ) Learn the map - Just as it says, learn the map. Know the angles, know where the dangers are and where the good spots are. If you find a good spot you need to know the enemy path of travel and where you can get hit from no matter how good your cover is.

3 ) Target fixation - Fixating on a target will get you dead - plain and simple. If you're so focused on killing a lowly engy doing nothing, that sniper you didn't see will blow your head off and you will have done nothing for your team or your score. Keep scanning for targets.

4 ) CHARGE! - Let your gun charge all the way up. A low charged shot will take out most classes, but not the more important ones such as a heavy or soldier.

5 ) Priorities - Here's the situation: You're playing 2Fort and your team is advancing across the bridge. The enemy has 4 players in the open; a engy setting up a useless dispencer on the battlements, a medic, a heavy, and a scout. Who would you shoot first? If you follow number 4 and go for the heavy, you're right. A headshot to a heavy with a fully charged shot will take him down before the medic can uber and will leave the medic open for your teammates to destroy him. If you go for the medic first, the heavy is still there to take some of your teammates out. The engy is totally useless, and the scout should be dispatched by your teammates with no problem.

6 ) Head tracking - The problem with most snipers is that they are so fixated on getting headshots that they will track a players every move with their dot going for the headshot...... and then they miss! Let the player come to the dot, don't take the dot to the player. Say there's a scout on top of the bridge coming at your and he's bobbing and weaving trying to make you miss. Don't follow his head, let him come to you. Put your dot in one place, let it charge, get his rhythm, and as he strafes back across...BAM... he's down.

7 ) Come out ready to fight - When you're in cover, be ready to shoot already. Zoom in and start charging and strafe your way out of cover.

8 ) Don't be afraid to miss - You're not going to hit everything EVERY time. You're going to miss. If you do, don't stand out in the open as you get ready to take the next shot! Jump back to cover and reset!.
 
If your intel is on the run in 2fort, and the guy with it is running up your long stairs, a great head-level mark is the off-colored boards. You'll see what I mean. It looks like only one board on BLU side, two on RED. Aim for the bottom half of it, and BLAM.

Nice post, Mullet Man.
 
Nice tip Mop, I do have one to add though, NEVER stay in the same spot. Against other snipers its easier to kill them when they're looking for you on the opposite side of battlements and easier to stay alive when they don't know where you are. Its easier to get killed by other classes or for the other classes to find different routes to avoid you. Like snipe on the battlements for a bit then head down to the entrance way, or go camp the sewers for a bit to take out the guys trying to avoid getting headshotted coming across bridge.
 
Snipers really really need a claymore or some other kind of placeable trap.

I like sniping, but you're basically spy food.
 
[quote1200083240=Lafinass]
Snipers really really need a claymore or some other kind of placeable trap.

I like sniping, but you're basically spy food.
[/quote1200083240]

Especially when the pyros on the team aren't doing their job (on 2fort most of all).
 
All good pieces of advice. One of my favorites: If an engineer managed to set up a base on the bridge in 2fort, and you can't actually see him to shoot him, blow up his dispenser, then work on the gun. He only has so much metal on his body, and if you manage to weaken the gun with a couple powered shots, your team will be able to take it out with minor casualty.

Of course, if you can see him.. shoot him first. Then the dispenser.
 
[quote1200083468=Lafinass]
Snipers really really need a claymore or some other kind of placeable trap.

I like sniping, but you're basically spy food.
[/quote1200083468]

As long as it doesn't turn into BF2/2142 where theres claymores EVERYWHERE.. the whole map turns into a giant minefield. -_-
 
One more piece of generality: Take a look at this list (it's sorted by total number of headshots), and watch those people when they're sniping. You can learn a lot just by paying attention to how they move and play.
 
Good writing, that's definitely going to help some people I think!
 
[quote1200084132=Darkea]
[quote1200083468=Lafinass]
Snipers really really need a claymore or some other kind of placeable trap.

I like sniping, but you're basically spy food.
[/quote1200083468]

As long as it doesn't turn into BF2/2142 where theres claymores EVERYWHERE.. the whole map turns into a giant minefield. -_-
[/quote1200084132]

Nah, make it like the engineering buildings. Can only have one up at a time.
 
Actually, I think it would be a better idea to take out the medic, whenever I try a head shot on a heavy with full charge, he does not die, and the medic can help their team by charging up the engineer helping him to live longer and potentially kill everyone with his buildings.
 
As Lafin said, I like sniping and after some domination, I have a good time when some of them
change to spy and backstab me. Priceless.

Thanks for the information MoP...
 
Good tips,

also, I like to have a spare Engie setup a teleport from one side to another.

Its fun when they miss me....and wait for me on one side. Then I tele to the other side and take them out.
 
I'm dissapointed, there was no mention of machete use in this guide. That's a vital part of being the sniper (at least for me)
 
Good points there mop, but like -V- said i would take out the medic first.
One shot, even if fully charged can't take out the heavy in one go, unless hes somewhat already injured. if i get in that situation i almost always take out the medic.

Another thing i've learnt:
-Fully charged shots can't take out solis, demos or heavys on the head in one go.
-Uncharged headshots can take out snipers and scouts in one go

I've learned to control the mouse so im one of the rare exceptions that can Head track well. Not perfect, but well.

another thing is that you should never stay in zoom for a long time, it really narrows your vision, allowing a soli or a pyro out of sight to take you out. 10 seconds at least is too long imo

Also Stay away from OsirisIraq and Rawr if their on the other team on 2fort, they'll rocketjump to the battlements everytime and blow you to bits.

[quote1200092550=.inferno.]
1hrSleep is an excellent sniper...we need him in eGO
[/quote1200092550]
Fate is another excellent one. played with him quite a few times on 2fort

[quote1200092502=Lafinass]
Snipers really really need a claymore or some other kind of placeable trap.

I like sniping, but you're basically spy food.
[/quote1200092502]
Cod4 sniping with the claymore perk. heaven for sniping.


Oh and MOP, remember the Map Hunted on TFC? Someone definatly needs to make that for tf2. that was probably the best map ever made for snipers
 
If you take out the medic first, you still have a heavy taking down your team. If they heavy is gone or even damaged, he's easy pickings.

And hunted is coming to TF2 - thus the reason for the 'civilian'.
 
Love Hunted.

I'm gonna have to say that taking the medic is more important. A heavy with no medic on his back dies pretty fast and more often than not, a heavy medic combo in the field has an uber up and ready. If your shot doesn't kill the heavy (I've seen fully charged headshots not kill a medic buffed heavy) the medic will pop uber. Even if it does kill the heavy, you still have a medic with an uber.

My first priority, as any class, is to limit the frequency of enemy ubers. Heavies are mean and all, but ubers are defense breakers no matter if the heavy is alive or not.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top