M39 EMR DMR: Battlefield 4

Long range kill with the M39 EMR

The M39 EMR DMR in Battlefield 4 is based off of the M14, or M1A battle rifle which shoots the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge.   The M14 is a direct descendant of the M1 Garand, so this gun essentially dates back to the 1930’s, but it still works today, and is still in limited use in the arms forces.  

The DMR’s are an interesting group of weapons, and the differences between them are not huge because of the way they are used in the game.  DMR’s are usually not used on the front lines where close quarters combat takes place.  Therefore, things like reload speed, recoil and rpm are less important than it is for assault rifles, carbines, and lmg’s.  There are a lot of you that probably disagree with that statement and that’s fine with me. 

The M39 EMR has no real advantage over other DMR’s in Battlefield 4.  Its biggest drawbacks are its higher recoil and longer reload times in the DMR weapon class. In my opinion its major advantage are superb iron sights, and the nostalgia of its M1 Garand heritage.  I think the M39 is outclassed by SCAR-H SV and my favorite the MK 11 MOD 0.  For those who want to spam bullets downrange as fast as possible the SKS is great.  All that said you’re really not at that much of a disadvantage with the M39 in Battlefield 4, so if you like it keep it and have fun. 

Running with the M39 EMR DMR on Silk Road - Battlefield 4

CS5 Sniper Rifle Unlock – Aggressive Recon Battlefield 4

Fast reload for the CS5 sniper rifle in Battlefield 4

It’s time to use the CS5 Sniper Rifle in Battlefield 4.  Are you ready to put on your try hard pants as the aggressive recon?  This rifle looks unique in the game and the fast firing rate (53 rpm) of the sniper rifles.  It also has one of the slowest bullet travel time of 400 m/s, but it is tied with the FY-JS and SRR-62 for lowest bullet drop of 6 m/s.  It also has the shortest maximum range of 2,000 m, but really how many shots are you going to take beyond 2,000m?  For full stats check symthic.com.  Nearly all the stats for this gun are very good, but it is the slow bullet travel time that makes this weapon a try hard rifle. 

I think few hate the CS5, but most recons will leave it at home when heading into battle.  The average recon wants the ability to take targets out at long range, and it is difficult to do with the CS5 with its slow bullet speed.  I’ve killed several enemies at more than 500m, but they were very cooperative opponents, lying prone, thinking they were hidden.  A moving target is very tricky to hit with this weapon.  However, the aggressive recon should take a good look at this rifle.  When you unlock the gun you immediately get the suppressor, which allows you to stay off the mini-map while firing.  For most sniper rifles it takes 80 kills to unlock a suppressor, which can feel like forever with the bolt actions.

First you need to unlock this rifle by completing The “I” in Team Assignment

How to Unlock the CS5 Sniper Rifle:

• Reach rank 10

• Play a Dragon’s Teeth Map (so you must have the dlc)

• 2 Sniper Rifle Ribbons

• 10 Radio beacon spawns

• 10 Spot assists

There are a lot of tasks to check off with The “I” in Team Assignment, but it isn’t very difficult if you play the recon class fequently.  I unlocked the CS5 without really even thinking about it, and that is probably the case for most players. 

Aggressive Recon – Recon that plays the object, putting them in the thick of the fighting rather than at the edge where recons typically play.

CS5 sniper rifle kill seen through 3.4x M145 scope

CS5 Loadout for the Aggressive Recon

1)      Let’s start with the scope.  If your point is to work at close to medium range, and to be stealthy they you have to use a 4x or a 3.4x scope.  The main reason for this is to avoid the scope glint in Battlefield 4.  It will be much harder for the enemy to spot you when there isn’t the tell-tale shine from the rifle.  The second reason it is easier to follow targets at close range with low magnification.  Also in the game, you can see around the scope making it easier to find new targets, and see if someone is targeting you.   Depending on your playstyle you may want to run with a red dot sight. 

2)      The most important accessory for the CS5 is the suppressor, and luckily it comes with the gun from the start.  Take advantage of the suppressor by staying off the mini-map. 

3)      Use the straight pull bolt to take full advantage of the rifle’s rpm.  With the low power scope, you can keep aiming down sights while not having to worry about scope glint or losing your peripheral vision. 

4)      Good pistol.  If find yourself with multiple enemies at close range you are going to want to switch to your secondary.  Even though it is the fastest firing sniper rifle it still can’t out damage any other primary weapon in the game.  It is a good idea to use something with a suppressor to match your stealthiness, but use whatever you are most effective with, because it is more important to stay alive.  I run with either the G18 or the Deagle (Desert Eagle). 

1. 5)      Optional- you can add laser sight to the loadout, but it will increase your chances of being seen, Canted iron sights aren’t a bad idea, but I don’t use them personally.  A rangefinder might come in handy for those times when you see someone at long range, and they aren’t moving.  Right now I just leave this accessory slot empty.

6)      For the kit I always have a spawn beacon.  You can really help your team, by placing it close to the M-COM in Rush, or close to an objective in Conquest.   The second tool in the kit will depend on the map, C4 if there are lots of vehicles, tugs if I’m defending a M-COM. 

If you can give the CS5 sniper rifle a try, it fills a niche in BF4 not filled by the other bolt action rifles.  It and the SR338 are the most unique of the otherwise similar sniper rifles in Battlefield 4.

Weird M26 Shotguns: Battlefield 4

The cray bulky M26 Shotgun attached

to the C-805 assault rifle in Battlefield 4.

The under barrel M26 Mass and the resto of the M26 shotguns are a ridiculous set of stand alone, or under barrel assault rifle attachments for the assault class.  In Battlefield 4 they may have some advantages, but real life I can’t imagine the use of these things, but this is a video game, so let’s take a look at their usage in game.  I think these weapons are silly, but that doesn’t mean they can be used to good effect in the game if you use them wisely.

The M26 can be attached to the bottom of an assault rifle.  The main advantage of this is switching from primary to shotgun takes less time.  The disadvantage of having the M26 attached to the gun it takes the place of a grip on the assault rifle, not having a grip may make you less accurate.  A lot of people with just run with the M26 as a separate weapon.  Either way this shotgun takes up one of your toolkit slots.

As a straight up shotgun the M26 has its draw backs.  There are a lack of barrel options.  There is no option to have modified, full chokes.  There are no grip options for the shotgun either.  This lack of accessories makes the M26 shotgun less functional than regular BF4 shotguns. 

M26 kill shot

M26 Mass

The M26 Mass fires buckshot just like any other shotgun can in Battlefield 4. This shotgun seems to be as effective as the average BF4 shotgun.

M26 Dart

This shoots flechette rounds, which are small darts.  In game the M26 Dart will do more damage at range than buckshot.  I prefer the buckshot, but the darts are very effective. 

M26 Frag

This shotgun shoots exploding frag rounds.  Essentially a frag round is a tiny grenade.  Frag rounds are useful to do splash damage against enemies that are behind cover.  Shoot the frag rounds on the ground next to them and they will get splash damage.  It will take several rounds to kill most opponents, depending on weather they have already taken damage.  I think this is the most useful version of the M26 shotgun.  Having the ability to kill hiding enemies is a great asset to any soldier.  In real life frag rounds are probably useless and inhumane. 

Exploding frag round - M26 Frag

M26 Slug

Why would you use this unless you ran out of ammo in your primary weapon?  Any assault rifle is better at any range when compared to a shotgun slug.  Sure the slug has more damage potential at close range, but I’ll take the ability to spit bullets down range over the slow pump action shotgun any day.  I don’t like shotgun slugs in real life either, although they are devastating at close range, they lose velocity quickly and drop like a stone. 

Real World Uselessness

The M26 shotguns are incredibly bulky and would be a huge pain in the ass to carry around.  It would also add a lot of weight which slows down how fast you can move a gun up to your shoulder and acquire a target.  To a real soldier I think this gun would be a major liability.  I don’t think anyone would use these shotguns by themselves either.  There are just so many better standalone pump action shotguns like the 870.  On the gun range it would be kind of a neat and expensive “toy.”  I suppose for the hunter it could open up your options for the quarry your after just like combination guns do, but the bulkiness and weight would make using it a chore, and the weapons they attach to aren’t really used for hunting anyway. 

M26 Mass shotgun killing the enemy. 

M32 MGL Grenade Launcher: Ultimate Noobtube- BF4

This dude is as good as dead as I finish him with the

second shot from the M32 MGL grenade launcher

The M32 MGL Grenade Launcher is an over powered weapon in Battlefield 4 and Iove it because it is amazing fun.  The M32 is a battle pickup available in many of the vanilla BF4 maps. It is a rapid fire 6 shot revolver and you have only 12 grenades to deal with, it is the ultimate noobtube.  You cannot resupply the grenades with an ammo pack, which is probably a good thing for game balance. 

I don’t always seek out this battle pickup because it is often more a detriment to my gameplay than it is a benefit.  It is tricky to use effectively, the main problem being it is very easy to kill yourself with.  If you are forced to use it a point bank range the splash damage can kill you or leave you with very little health. Also peaking around corners and pulling the trigger a split second to early is no problem with an assault rifle, but with the M32 it means a grenade is blowing up in your face, and your dead.

The best use of the M32 is to kill enemies you can’t see, but know they are there.  Did an opponent hide behind cover, do you see an orange triangle on the mini-map around the doorway?  Take aim at the floor right next to them and let the splash damage do the rest.  

If you are out in the open and encounter some enemies and don’t want to switch to your primary aim at their feet and fire away.  It is difficult to get a body shot with a grenade launcher, and aiming at the feet ensures splash damage.  If there are multiple opponents together they will all be taking the splash damage and you can take out two or three with just a few grenades. 

Reloading the M32 MGL Grenade Launcher

Beyond infantry this The M32 grenade launcher, along with the M320 HE is good for destroying cover and knocking down walls.  It will do a small amount of damage to armored vehicles, but even a tank with low health can be killed fast with 6 well placed shots.  Unarmored jeeps, quadbikes and dirt bikes are in serious trouble. 

This grenade launcher is much like frag rounds in shotguns in Battlefield 4.  It is fun to create so many explosions so fast, and kill hiding enemies, but it is of limited use and you have a good chance of being “killed in action”, so use this noobtube with caution.

MP7 PDW Unlock and Review - Battlefield 4

The MP7 PDW in Battlefield 4 strikes down one of its enemies up close.

The MP7 is a PDW with an amazing rate of fire that you unlock via the Make a Dent Assignment. 

Unlock the MP 7

-          Have China Rising DLC

-          Reach Rank 10

-          Destroy and air vehicle with the AA tank

-          Get 3 Anti-vehicle ribbons

The Make a Dent Assignment is pretty easy to complete, and interestingly you don’t even need to play as the engineer to unlock a weapon that can only be used by that class. 

I have mixed feelings about the MP7 like I do most PDWs in Battlefield 4.   The MP 7 spits out 950 bullets per minute, but each one can only do a maximum damage of 20, meaning at a minimum you’re going to need 6 body shots to bring down a healthy opponent with the defensive perk.  Even adding modest range (15 m) to the equation is going to increase the number of bullets required.  Eventually the damage will drop down to a piss-poor 12.5.  In comparison the G18 pistol has a max damage of 22 and minimum of 12.1. You’re going to need a lot of ammo with the MP7 and it’s a good thing it is capable of holding 41 rounds.

Even with its low damage output, the MP 7 is going to tear up the enemy in close quarters, especially if you take hipfire into account.  If you get surprised by an opponent as you round a corner there is no need to ADS, just fire away.  Not aiming down sights will give you a little extra time to do more damage and outgun your poor victim.  I would rather run with the MTAR 21, which will spit out 900 rpm, but do 24 max damage and 15.4 minimum.  You can use the carbine because it is available to all the classes, and so become more proficient with it then a PDW that is only available to the engineer.

Having said all that the MP7 is a good gun to run with in limited situations, like some of the team death match maps.  However, the engineer isn’t the most useful class in team deathmatch, because of the tools available to him.  Like I said I have mixed feelings about the MP7, but it is easy to unlock if you have the China Rising DLC, so why not give it a try?

RPG and SMAW Rocket Launchers – Battlefield 4

A SMAW rocket launcher in mid reload while an

attack chopper explodes in Battlefield 4.

The RPG and SMAW are similar rocket launchers in Battlefield 4 because they both are dumb fire, meaning they have no guidance system of any kind, unlike the, javelin and the LBT LAW. The RPG and SMAW also have iron sights with no option of magnification, making sighting your target a little more difficult at longer ranges.  Like all rocket launchers, they are only available to the engineer class.

Both weapons are suitable for taking out land air and sea vehicles, as well as infantry, buildings and cover.  They require a great deal more skill than other rockets, except for the SRAW because of drop and the leading required with moving targets.  However, there are those like the YouTuber matimi0 that use the manually guided SRAW with amazing skill.  Helicopters are very difficult to take out compared to land vehicles, because of their unpredictable movements.  Luckily, a hit to the rotating blades as well as the body will blow up a helicopter.  Being able to hit a jet mostly comes down to luck. 

When using either of these two rockets against armor try to get behind and shoot it in the back. Tanks, LAVs and other vehicles have the least armor in the back so the rockets will do more damage.  I occasionally use rockets in conjunction with SLAMs because it gives me a one shot kill.  When taking out infantry in buildings it is helpful to shoot the ceiling, or floor, depending on your angle of view, to get splash damage even when there is no direct shot. 

RPG

The RPG, or rocket propelled grenade is made by a number of nations.  It is iconic and easy to recognize because the bulbous warhead sticks out of the front end of the launcher. The RPG is the most powerful shoulder fired rocket in BF4, and it takes the most skill to use, because it also has the most drop of all the rockets. 

SMAW

The SMAW is easier to use than the RPG, because it has less drop, but does a bit less damage.  Currently the SMAW is my favorite of the two, just because I am just better with it.  However, I’m working on improving my RPG skills, and if I get good I’ll switch over to it since it is the most powerful rocket launcher in Battlefield 4.  It may sound stupid, but I also think the sound the RPG makes, and its reload animation are pretty cool.

SCAR-H vs. the Bulldog Assault Rifles in BF4

Super-fast reload time of the SCAR-H assault rifle.

The SCAR-H is the first rifle you unlock by playing the Assault Class in Battlefield 4, no special assignment to complete, just the regular progression through the game.  It was once unique in the assault rifles for having the highest damage output, but now it is tied with the Bulldog at 33 damage close range which drops off to 21.6.  All the other assault rifles start at 24.5 and drop off to 18.  Recoil is similar between the rifles with the Bulldog having more side to side recoil, but not much. 

With so many similarities between the Bulldog and the SCAR-H assault rifles what really separates them in BF4? For one the reload times the SCAR-H has supper fast short reload time of 1.9 and a long reload of 2.4.  The Bulldog on the other hand has a short reload of 2.5 and long of 3.2 seconds.  The SCAR-H’s long reload is shorter than the Bulldog’s short.  How many times do you get killed in the middle of a reload.  The other main difference between the Bulldog and the SCAR-H is the rpm.  The bulldog clocks in at 700 rmp or 80 higher than the SCAR-H.  That might make it better for close quarters, but the slow reload is going to pose a problem in the intense firefights that can take place in buildings.   Probably the best thing the SCAR-H has vs the Bulldog assault rifle is that you unlock it so early that you can get all the attachments you want before you come close to unlocking the Bulldog.  

SCAR-H Gameplay

The Bulldog must be unlocked by a weird, but easy Battlefield 4 assignment most players will complete without even trying as long as they have the Dragon’s Teeth DLC. 

Lions and Tigers and Bears Assignment

-          Dragon’s Teeth DLC

-          While on foot as assault, kill 10 support enemies who are also on foot.

-          While on foot as assault, kill 10 engineer enemies who are also on foot.

-          While on foot as assault, kill 10 recon enemies who are also on foot.

Shortly after I started playing Battlefield 4 the SCAR-H became my favorite assault rifle, indeed my favorite rifle in the game.  After I unlocked the carbines I used them much more frequently than any of the assault rifles, but now I am back to the good old SCAR H.  After I unlocked the Bulldog I immediately didn’t like it because it was unruly without the proper attachments, and I didn’t see a reason to grind out getting them when I already unlocked everything I could possibly use for the SCAR-H.  The Bulldog remains one of my orphan guns in Battlefield 4. 

Flipping the 2x magnifier on the SCAR-H Assault Rifle – BF4

I often run the SCAR-H with the coyote red dot, angled fore grip, flip up 2x magnifier and suppressor or muzzle brake.   

Tolling With Phantom Bow Poison Arrows - Battlefield 4

Firing a poison arrow from the Phantom Bow

leaves a green tracer.

Today I discovered that way to be the biggest asshole troll in Battlefield 4 is to use the Phantom Bow with poison arrows.  Before today I thought the worst way to kill your enemies was with the EOD Bot.  The EOD bot does have its tactical purposes: arm/disarming M-COM's, repairing vehicles and reconnaissance , but using it solely as a weapon is trolling in my opinion.  I think it is ok to fight back with the EOD bot if you’re attacked, but I don’t think it should be used as an offensive weapon.  If you want to be the biggest douche bag in the game, unlock the phantom bow and use poison arrows to harass the piss out of the enemy team.

I just unlocked the Phantom Bow (by finding it a crate on Operation Outbreak) and I thought I’d see if the explosive arrows were useful on groups of enemies like you find on 64 player Operation Locker conquest large. Usually several choke points will develop in the game and using explosives is a good way to try to break the deadlock.  The explosive arrows turned out be crap, which is what I expected, because they do little splash damage and the rate of fire of the bow is slow.  Then I thought what about the poison arrows.

When a poison arrow hits a soldier, or anything solid it releases a cloud of green gas.  This gas does damage to enemies standing in the cloud.  The longer they are in the cloud the more damage done.  The only good thing about the gas from the standpoint of the receiver is that it can’t kill you, but it will take your health down extremely low.   While enemies are in the gas you will get flashing hit markers to show they are taking damage. A direct hit with a poison arrow will do damage and can kill your opponent.  The gas from the arrows you shoot will also do damage to you.  If a teammate stands directly if front you while shooting you are going to gas yourself.

If there is a group at a choke point you can barrage the area with poison arrows, creating a thick cloud of gas, which can completely block a hallway with the poison gas.  By the time the enemy emerges and tries to push up to your position, their health will be so low they will be easy to take out with one shot from any gun.  If you run as support you have an unlimited supply of arrows and you can switch to the airburst to easily kill the wounded enemy. 

The screen goes green when you are poisoned by the BF4’s Phantom Bow's poison arrows. 

In this case I poisoned myself.

I tried this out for a while to take the accompany BF 4 video, but I felt very bad about it.  I won’t do it again, because it can be a real annoyance.  I don’t think the poison arrows are really bad in a one on one situation, although they are extremely ineffective in that situation, but they are only for trolling in most situations.  I think the poison arrows should be removed from the game for this reason, they just make it no fun on gas cloud end.  I suppose the other reason would be is that the use of chemical weapons are banned by all civilized nations, so why should it be in a modern warfare video game?  If you really want to use chemical warfare, just wait for Battlefield 1 to come out. 

Unlock the SR338 Sniper Rifle - Battlefield 4 Gun Review

The SR338 is a semi-automatic sniper rifle available only to the recon class.  It is an often ignored weapon, because statistically it fits into an awkward spot between DMR's and Sniper Rifles of Battlefield 4.  I like to call it a super DMR.

How to Unlock the SR338

 To unlock the SR338 you need to have the Naval Strike DLC and complete the Always Deadly assignment.  Luckily, this is one of the more straightforward and easy assignments.  All you need to do is obtain three sniper rifle ribbons and get 5 C4 kills on Naval Strike maps.

Hiding in the rocks with the SR338 sniper rifle (supper dmr) in Battlefield 4.

SR338 Review

In the real world there is little difference between the accuracy, and power of a match grade semi-automatic rifle and a bolt action sniper rifle if both rifles are chambered for the same cartridge.  In Battlefield 4 however, they have to balance things out and no one would choose a super powerful bolt action rifle over a super powerful semi-automatic.  Therefore, the SR338 does less damage than all the bolt action weapons.    

 Currently in Battlelog you will see the SR338 does 88 damage, and if that were accurate, holy crap this would be a great gun.  However, if you want accurate stats got to symthic.com and you will see the rifle only does 50 max damage.  That’s plenty of damage, but it means two body shots at ranges of 150 meters or less, and if your foe is using the defensive perk it is now three body shots, or a head shot and a body shot, which is not very impressive compared to a one shot one kill at any range to the head with a slow firing bolt action.  My biggest gripe about this gun is losing a fire fight and seeing that my opponent has 10 or less health left.  Expect to get a lot of “assist counts as kill” with this weapon. 

Laying Down the LAW – Battlefield 4 Rocket Launcher

MBT - LAW rocket launcher after destroying a tank on Caspian Border – BF4

Probably my favorite rocket launcher on wide open maps like Golmud Railways and Silk Road in Battlefield 4 is the MBT LAW (.  While it is the least popular, because it can only do 21 damage, it has three features that make it stand out.

1)      Smart lock-on function.  After you fire the dumb rockets at ground vehicle or watercraft the rocket that’s it.  If your aim was true, and took into account the drop in the projectile’s trajectory, your rocket will hit the target.  However, if it moves in an unexpected way you will have wasted your precious supply of ammo.  The LAW is different.  As it travels on the path you have chosen it will detect when it is in close proximity to a suitable enemy target, fly up, and then down on to the target.  The rocket doesn’t deviate a lot from its flight path, but it is enough to make the difference between a hit and a miss in a lot of cases.  Attacking tanks from the ground will only a rocket launcher is a risky business that often ends in death.  The LAW lets you take quick shots, and dodge behind cover, you don’t have to worry about your aim being a little off, or maintaining a lock like a Javelin the rocket will do the rest. 

2)      The LAW is a long-range sniper.  The LAW has the longest range of any of the rocket and since it doesn’t have any drop you can really laser this weapon to take out annoying snipers and other infantry as well destroy the cover they may be taking.  For some reason the sight of the LAW rocket launcher has a graduated level, which lead you to think the rocket will change trajectory on its long flight, but ignore that, it will fly straight as a laser.

3)      Another nice feature of the LAW over the RPG, and the SMAW is the magnification of the sight.  This helps you acquire you target easier, and can even be used as a really low power telescope. 

4)      Fast Reload – the LAW can reload and fire quickly, faster than any of the other launcher.

5)      The LAW will lock on to laser painted targets, but unless you’re working closely with a teammate this doesn’t help much. 

The rocket of a MBT LAW flies towards it target in BF4.
Ignore the lines for range as the rockets have no drop.

Unfortunately, the MBT LAW doesn’t lock on to air vehicles and when you do you use it against helicopters as a dumb fire missile it won’t take them down in one shot like the SMAW and RPG.  This can be very frustrating, because it is a tough shot to hit a moving aircraft, and to do it twice in a row is very unlikely. 

Draw backs of the LAW

1)      Least powerful

2)      Can be foiled by IR Smoke

3)      Warns tanks of incoming strike

4)      People think you’re a loser (get over it)

In maps with lots of cover and where most encounters with armor will be at short ranges I prefer the SMAW, or the RPG.  The SMAW is a little easier to use because it has less drop than the more powerful RPG. 

I think this weapon has some stigma attached to it.  It is available to everyone at the start of their BF4 career and so it sometimes gets used in a sort of noob fashion, but even experienced players will use rocket launches against infantry when necessary.  There are more powerful rocket launchers in Battlefield 4, but the LAW has it place in the arsenal of even the most experienced of the engineer class. 

The Worst Rocket Launchers in Battlefield 4: Javelin and IGLA

Both of the IGLA and the Javelin are the worst rocket launchers in the game.  Both weapons require the user to lock on the target and maintain the lock during the rockets entire flight, your rocket will never hit.  If you are working closely with a recon with a PLD (Portable Laser Designator) they maintain the lock, and you don’t even need to see the target to fire.  A recon can also set up a SOFLAM (Special Operations Forces Laser Marker) that does the same thing automatically. It is fairly rare to have a partner helping out the lowly engineer by laser marking targets, so it is up to the user to maintain the lock.  This leaves the solider vulnerable to fire from all directions since they are behind little cover in order to maintain line of sight and as soon as they starting getting shot and turn to run their rocket will be wasted.

Locking on to an attack helicopter with a SA-18 IGLA

The SA-18 IGLA is designed for taking out aircraft, and has some advantages over the stinger.  However I never use the damn things because it usually ends up getting me killed.  Actually, I rarely use the stinger because I have a rather poor success rate with it.  I only bring it out if there are two or more really good helicopter pilots on the other team that are constantly causing trouble.  With really good pilots it is very hard to bring them down, because when they get locked on they will often run for cover and flare. However, if the pilot is dodging your locks they aren’t tearing up your infantry with machine gun and rocket fire.   It is much easier to bring aircraft down with rocket launchers if you have a friend doing the same. 

FGM-14B Javelin rocket launcher sight takes aim at a tank.

The user of the FGM-14B Javelin cannot mark helicopters and jets, only land vehicles.  The other major disadvantage of the javelin is it must be used against tanks, attack boats etc. and never against infantry or building and other cover.  Yet another problem with the Javelin is that it can’t be fired from inside buildings because the rocket rises up immediately and hits the celling.  These are the reasons I never use the javelin, I would much rather have the versatility of the SMAW, RPG, SRAW and MBT- LAW Rocket Launcher.     

If you never used these damn rockets before, feel free to give them a try, but I think you will find as I have, that there are many better choices out there in Battlefield 4.

M2 SLAM Landmine Guide - Battlefield 4

The M2 SLAM (Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition) is a land mine that only works against vehicles and there are several strategies in their use in Battlefield 4 that I would like to share to help you successfully use them.  Before the tips I would like to clarify something about their description in Battllog which is rather vague. 

M2 SLAM “Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition usable as either an off-route Anti-Tank mine or a traditional land mine. Blast damage is less than the M15, but is still capable of a Mobility Critical on heavily armored vehicles.”

The slam only does not work against infantry, only vehicles.  You are given an inventory of three slams, but you can only deploy three slams at a time unless you use the ant-tank field perk and work your way up the field upgrades, which will also allow you to have more in your inventory.    

SLAMs are sticky.

Sticking a M2 SLAM mine onto a tank in Battlefield 4

The most unique feature of the slams is they can be stuck to the sides of buildings, fences, rocks etc.  When deployed in this fashion they are very difficult to spot by the enemy making it likely they will do some serious damage.

You can also stick slams to unoccupied vehicles.  When an enemy takes off in them they will detonate and either destroy or seriously damage a tank. 

Using SLAMs like c4

SLAMs stick to vehicles in BF4, so you can use them a lot like c4.  Toss three slams on a tank and run away.  As soon as the tank achieves a certain speed the slams will detonate and destroy the tank.  i like to use this in combination with rockets  like the MBT-LAW.  It can take 4 or more rockets to destroy a healthy tank, and if you are attacking alone is more than likely you’ll be killed before you can get enough rockets into it.  If your close enough to the tank you can run up to it, stick on some slams run a short distance, turn and fire a rocket into the area with the slams and boom, dead tank.   

SLAMs work in water

Tossing a M2 SLAM into the shallow water of a Naval Strike map

to take out attack boats, and jet skis

Slams will work against boats when placed on them like c4, but they will also work when placed in shallow water.  I’m not sure if their damage is reduced in the water, it seems to be, but I’ve sunk a number of attack boats, rib boats and pwc doing this.  Place the slams in places where boats are likely to travel, between islands, or next to objectives on conquest maps.  There the boats will get in close to capture the flag, and get a nasty surprise.  There are also other places where boats travel in channels and slams can be stuck to the side.

SLAMs can work in combination with anti-tank mines

Slams are not quite as powerful as anti-tank mines, but you can use the two together to increase the likelihood of getting kills with mines.  Just out of site put down a slam, say in a shrub or on the wall then place down an antitank mine.  The slam will detonate when a vehicle gets nearby and then set off the antitank mine which is also hidden.

SLAMs can be used with claymores

You can use slams to make what I call an atomic claymore.  Place down a claymore, and then put the slams nearby in a loose cluster or line.  If the infantry that sets off the claymore has a bunch of friends nearby you’re going to get a multi-kill.    Well you’ll only get a multi-kill if you set the slams as an engineer and come back as a recon or support player and place the claymore.  If you’re in communication with teammates the you can work together to make an atomic claymore.  These aren’t really very tactical, just a fun sort of thing to do.  

Hide SLAMs

Since the slam detects motion within a certain range they don’t have to be put directly where the tank will run.  This is a great feature over the anti-tank mine, because anti-tank mines are easy to spot in the road if you’re paying attention.  On a narrow road you can place a slam next to a rock or in a shrub, a driver is very unlikely to see it lying there.

Throw a SLAM

The anti-tank mine has to be place directly in front of the engineer laying down.  The slam can be tosses a short distance.  A slam can be tossed in the path of oncoming jeeps and tanks from a building.  They can also be dropped from a helicopter.  The helicopter drop is very difficult to attack a specific target, but slams can be sprinkled throughout the battlefield to do damage.

Slams can be very useful to the engineer class in Battlefield 4, but like claymores and anti-tank and anti-aircraft mines they take patience.  One thing I like to do at the start of the match is to lay down mines, when I die I respawn as an engineer equipped a repair tool and rocket launcher.  The mines will stay there for the rest of the match until they are triggered by a vehicle, or found and destroyed by the enemy.  Give slams a try in BF4and see if you get lucky.  Happy tank trapping. 

The M2 SLAM was once considered OP because they did a lot of damage, you could attach friendly slams to a jeep of bike and drive close to a tank and set them off destroying the tank, and they glitched into the ground, which sometimes made them impossible to spot.  However, the M2 SLAM has been nerfed., and “fixed” those problems.  The SLAM is now less of a problem for tanks, three wont destroy one unless it is already damaged.  This landmine remains very deadly to unarmored vehicles like tanks snowmobiles and quadbikes. 

Learning To Shoot From the Hip: Battlefield 4 Hipfire

I can’t stop aiming down sights (ADS) and I know it effects my game play. I think it comes from shooting guns in the real world, where aiming from the hip is about the best way to guarantee you don’t hit your target at even short ranges.  In true close quarters combat, where enemies are only a few feet, or meters away, shooting from the hip will get most if not all you shots on target.  This is especially true in Battlefield 4 and other video games.  It is very important to shoot from the hip when you suddenly come across an opponent at short range if they see you about the same time, because even though it only takes a fraction of a second to aim down sights, but during that fraction of a second your hip firing enemy can have put several bullets into you and you are well on your way to watching the orange figure kill the cam.  

To increase the odds of your bullets smashing into your opponent there are several ways you can do this the number one way is to just select a weapon with good hipfire stats.  Go onto Battlelog and look at the weapon stats, the hipfire accuracy is listed for all the small arms.  The other way you can improve hipfire is to add accessories that increase the accuracy of that weapon.  Laser sights and the ergonomic  grip are the two accessories that help.  Laser sights have the added bonus of blinding opponents at close range, but they have the drawback of drawing attention to yourself, especially in smoky or dusty situations.  The ergonomic grip increases hipfire accuracy by 50% which is great, the only real drawback is it replaces other grips,  which can help aim down accuracy in other situations.  If the ergonomic grip is the only one I have I always equip it, but as soon as I have one of the other grips that help with first shot recoil etc. I change out to those.   

Aiming down sights (ADS) with the MG4 at the Battlefield 4 target range. 

To improve my use of hip fire I have begun to equip on the guns with good hipfire stats on close quarter combat team deathmatch maps, such as Operation Locker and Dawnbreaker.  For the match I constantly remind myself to hipfire, and this has begun to help me on other maps while round corners etc.  I use a similar strategy to remind myself to use pistols as well.  

Suppressors Are a Noobs Best Friend

Suppressors are weapon attachments that go on end of a firearm and greatly reduce the loud bang produced by the shooting of a gun, they also reduce the muzzle flash generated by the burning gasses leaving the firearm.  These attachments do the same in the same in Battlefield 4 as they do in real life, but in the video game they also keep you off the minimap while shooting.  The drawback is weapons outfitted with a suppressor in game have a lower muzzle velocity and increase bullet drop.   At short distances neither of these things matter, but at longer distances you will have to compensate by leading a moving target and shooting higher at all distances to adjust for the bullet drop.  For a noob this can be difficult, but I think the positives greatly outweigh the negatives for players new to BF4.

I found that the best thing for me when learning the game was not to be seen.  Not being detected gives the newbie a few extra seconds to take careful aim, or when your outgunned, you can make a retreat, or take better advantage of cover.  The main benefits come from keeping off the mini map.   

Be sneaky like a ninja with a suppressed G18 pistol

The other great thing about suppressors in BF4 is hiding the flash.  In many BF4 maps there are dark corners, hallways, tunnels and other dimly lit places where shooting without a flashhider immediately gives away your location it is like turning on a flashing light that says shoot me now.  If you have a suppressor your shooting won’t be seen.  If there are friendlies in the same area they will be seen and targeted first.  This gives you time to take out the attacker.  This is very helpful when the enemy is attempting to break through choke points in Operation Locker.  Chances are a half dozen of your teammates will be there are the muzzle flashes will attract the attention of the aggressive enemy.

Using a suppressed weapon while flanking is also very helpful.  Those enemies that use their minimap frequently won’t know you are tearing up their flank until they hear the suppressor, and then they will have to look around and try to find you.  This gives you time to take them out.  

Suppressors are available to unlock with most weapons either by getting the required number of kills, or opening a battle pack and getting lucky.  Only one gun is available at the beginning  of the game, and that is the Groza -4, other guns like the AS-Val and the CS5 come with suppressors out of the box.  It is a PDW, only available to the engineer class, with a permanently fixed suppressor.  A few guns like the Groza 1, revolvers, and all shotguns cannot be equipped with a suppressor in Battlefield 4.