The Smart Sniper's Guide

Well guys, I've seen loads of topics on aiming tips.

So I thought I'm create this - The Smart Sniper's Guide

My manifesto to being a sniper is not to have 1337haxx0r skills, nor an uberlow ping, but rather to snip from smart positions, use terrain to your advantage, and most importantly, play sniper like you play a spy.

Okay, the basics of a smart sniper.

1. Always keep moving
I can never stress this enough, if you take a few shot, and then you stay in the same area, you're a prime target for enemy snipers and soldiers who will suppress you, and did I mention a spy?

There is an exception to this though, if you're in a secured spot (like a tower wil a sentry gun near you), then feel free to stay there, but always move around the area.

Take gravelpit or Orange_X for example, the tower is a great sniping spot, and there's usually a sentry and teammates around so it's fairly safe, but you must still worry about countersnipers.

So don't just snipe from the point on gravelpit, snipe from the side ramp, snipe from the second floor, but above all, always change your position every 3-4 shots


2. Know that a sniper isn't always the best class
On 2fort for example, there's no need for 2 snipers, just one, so learn how to play another class if possible, a soldier needs similar aim to a sniper, so why not? Or even an engineer, at the very least, be a medic, help your team with the intel.


3. Find new spots, and don't be seen

Like point number 1, this is an important part of being a sniper, the instant someone knows you're there, he'll do one of two things...

1) shoot at you to throw your aim off
2) take evasive action
3) retreat

A great example is the water in 2fort, you can stand in a corner of the water and look up at the enemy battlements.


4. Snipe smart

Okay, you see an enemy force coming at you, you have a fully charged shot.

There's a heavy with a medic, a soldier, an engi setting up a gun, and a sniper behind them, with a demo stickying up an area

Who do you shoot first?

An excellent answer would be to hit the medic or sniper.

A good answer is to headshot the heavy. (most typical snipers would shoot him)

A fair answer is the demoman, or the gun.

A poor answer is the engi or the soldier

The reason is simple, the enemy sniper is a huge threat to you (unless you're well hidden).

A medic is always a good target, you never know if he'll uber. The heavy is a good target too, and you'll do best to shoot him if he's close to your team's postion.

A demoman stickying is another target, as he will stop your counter advance.

An engi setting up a gun isn't much of a threat yet, but stopping the gun for now is second priority

The soldier is less of a threat for now, and the engi himself is a real waste.

5. Snipe Practical

"mei ji ya ye hao". (If there's no chicken, duck will do)
SUN TZU SAID THAT, and I think he knows a little bit more about fighting that YOU do pal because he invented it!

Think, do you REALLY need that headshot to take out a retreating soldier?

Let's break this down. (brackets are what you should be thinking)
Enemy soldier gets into fight with your soldier
Enemy stat retreating (Obviously, if he's retreating, he's badly injured, and probably can't take another rocket, or another hit)
(A rocket does about 50 damage per hit, aside from direct hits, to be generous)
(A charged shot takes about 4 seconds to charge up)
(You don't need a charged shot)
(A head shot does a minimum of 150 damage, you don't need a headshot)

All you need to do is simply snapfire a scoped bodyshot on him, it's more than enough to take him down, you don't need a headshot

Nice guide, I'll remember these tips.

So, where does Pyro figure on your list?

Eh?

I really enjoy taking out sentries as a sniper. It's always fun to headshot the engi, and then have a luxurious amount of time to finish off  the gun.

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That scenario was just an example It really depends on the situation, the usual priority targets are medics, enemy snipers, and heavies.

Pyros aren't much of a threat unless they're close to you or your team.

Always cover your team

nice guide!

while i always try to move, from my experience, theres an extremely limited amount of "good" places to snipe from. all other places either gives you a crappy/limited shot, or puts you too close to the action. i think switching spots is overrated, cuz if youre that good and picking ppl off, the other team will coordinate a spy to backstab your butt... and to be real, if youre scoped as much as i am, youre a sitting duck and cant do too much about it.

i like your target priority list. snipers first, IMO, is always a must. i typically go for the heavy first tho. while the medic is a smarter choice, good medics tend to move a lot more or stay behind cover, and youre therefore more likely to miss. heavys are an easy 1-shot kill with a charged shot... and when you take out the heavy, 99% the medic runs away. while they still have their uber, theyll def. come back for another snipe opportunity.

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The problem is that when they come back for that snipe opportunity it'll be with another guy, and this time you can't snipe him.... he'll be ubered.

TIP of the moment.

When you see an ubered heavy, don't think, "OMG we lose", think: "i've got 10 seconds to line up a shot"

I think 2 snipers on 2Fort is better than 1, assuming the enemy has more than 0 snipers. Otherwise, when their sniper beats your sniper, they have free reign over your other troops for half a minute until the sniper respawns. With 2 snipers, when one goes down, the enemy sniper must first deal with the remaining sniper before threatening others.

Speaking of Snipers versus other classes, does THIS have any relevance? Or, you know, as long as we're posting about Sniper Strategy... I agree with what you're saying though. Personally I think one of the best tips for snipers is quantity over quality - headshots do double damage afaik, so even being half charged is usually enough to score a kill. Therefore charging all the way up every shot and missing out on other opportunities is kinda wasteful, not to mention you'll probably miss with the charged shot anyway.

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I guess from my experience, good medics rarely stand still or move in some sort of a predictable path for an easy snipe. Its pretty easy to get the not-so-good medics who walk in a straight line or are out in the open standing still, but ive wasted a  few shots trying to snipe the mobile ones. I guess its just me, but i settle for the sure kill, unless i feel like i can get the medic easily.

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Headshots do triple damage, and you only need 1 on 2fort