SOCOM II: US Navy Seals Sniper FAQ by Tim Linn (Knuckles) v. 0.6 Update-2/10/04:Finished the Pistols section Added Map tips for Abandoned, Death Trap, Desert Glory New Random Stuff (Navy SEALs Movie) Added Practicing tips Planned for next update: Finish up the Map tips ********************************************************* Overview Sniping is something that many people think is cool and something many people want to do. This FAQ consists of many Tips and Strategies that I, and many others, have gathered. I do welcome input from you all, so if you have any questions not mentioned in the FAQ or any tips to submit e-mail me @ shenkoden@yahoo.com. If you have any flames or anything, redirect your e-mails to my enemy, spirit_ball@hotmail.com. ********************************************************* General FAQ Q:I'm just starting, which sniper rifle should I use? A: Personally, I suggest using the M87ELR (Seal) or the M82A1A (Terrorist). In the scope, they both sway alot. However one shot in the chest or head will kill someone. Q:What is this! Why does it move around when I go in the scope! A:Very few people can hold a gun perfectly still, especially without certain muscle relaxing drugs such as Pentazemin. This is to keep some realism in Socom 2. If you stand still in the scope (not touching anything) it will slow down to a minimum. I find it much easier to just move against the swaying with the M87ELR and the M82A1A and to use the swaying for head shots with the SR-25. Q:Why do I always lose a firefight whenever I'm not in the scope!? A:The sniper rifle wasn't meant to be used outside the scope (Although the SASR and SR-25 do work well outside the scope). That's why every sniper should learn to use their pistol well. Q:Why should I use my pistol? Isn't that for when you run out of ammo? A:Yes it is, however if you're going to be a good (living) sniper, you'll need your pistol for close/medium range combat. Q:So what are the best pistols to use? A:For the Seals, I recommend the Mark 23 or the SP-10. For the Terrorists, at first I recommend the DE .50, but if you're good with headshots, go for the F57. Q:GAWD!! WTF!!! I SUCK at pistols! How do I get better!? A:Play in pistol only rooms, or play in respawn rooms and only use your pistol, don't be discouraged, it takes a while. ******************************************************** Sniper Rifle Overviews Power:The damage caused by the rifle Accuracy:The amount it sways (Lower Number=More Swaying) Firerate:The rate that the rifle can fire Note:All of these stats are relative to the rifles alone. 10 Firerate does NOT mean it would fire as fast as a M14 ----------------------------- Seals ----------------------------- M87ELR Power:10 Accuracy:3 Firerate:4 Comments:With this sniper rifle, one shot in the head or chest is one kill. A shot in the legs or arms deals a moderate amount of damage, but not enough for a kill, unless they're almost dead. One of the main draw backs about this is it's firerate. It seems slightly faster than the M82A1A to me but with both rifles, if you miss you'll have to wait about a second to fire another shot. Another drawback is the amount the scope sways but it's bearable. This and the M82A1A are arguably the best sniper rifles all around, and is a good one to start with. SR-25 Power:6 Accuracy:7 Firerate:9 Comments:The SR-25 is a semi-automatic sniper rifle. You can only down someone in one shot in the head. Two shots to the chest will also kill a person. The damage is the only drawback I have found using this gun. Also, unlike the M80s, if you miss, you could easily aim and fire again since the firerate is one of the best of the sniper rifles. This really isn't the greatest weapon to start trying to snipe with, but, once you get good at sniping, it's a good rifle. SR-25 SD Power:5-6 Accuracy:7 Firerate:9 Comments:The SR-25 SD is just a silenced version of the SR-25. Some say that the silenced version of it is slightly weaker than the unsilenced, but I haven't noticed it. Personally, this is the rifle I use. M40A1 Power:6 Accuracy:10 Firerate:5 Comments:The M40A1 is the most accurate sniper rifle in the game. The swaying is minimum even before letting the scope settle. The firerate is about the same as the M80s though unfortuneately. Also, the only way to kill someone in one hit is a head shot. In the chest it would take 2 shots. However due to the bad firerate, you'll need to hit headshots to make this rifle useful. This rifle is great for killing other snipers/campers and can be deadly in the right hands. I don't recommend using this until you're confident of your sniping skills. ----------------------------- Terrorists ----------------------------- M82A1A Power:10 Accuracy:4 Firerate:3 Comments:With this sniper rifle, like the M87ELR for the Seals, one shot in the head or chest is one kill. A shot in the legs or arms deals a moderate amount of damage, but not enough for a kill, unless they're almost dead. One of the main draw backs about this is it's firerate. It seems slightly slower than the M87ERL to me but also slightly less swaying. If you miss you'll have to wait about a second to fire another shot. Another drawback is the amount the scope sways but it's bearable. This and the M87ERL are arguably the best sniper rifles all around, and is a good one to start with. SASR Power:4 Accuracy:8 Firerate:10 Comments:The SASR is similar to the SR-25. It's less powerful, but seems slightly more accurate and slightly faster to me. Like the SR-25, the only way you're getting one shot kill is a head shot. From my experience, it takes about 3 shots in the chest to kill someone. It can be used well as a close range weapon out of the scope. Personally, I haven't found it that useful. The main reason why I would use the SR-25 is for the silenced version, which this does not have. M40A1 Power:6 Accuracy:10 Firerate:5 Comments:The M40A1 is the most accurate sniper rifle in the game. The swaying is minimum even before letting the scope settle. The firerate is about the same as the M80s though unfortuneately. Also, the only way to kill someone in one hit is a head shot. In the chest it would take 2 shots. However due to the bad firerate, you'll need to hit headshots to make this rifle useful. This rifle is great for killing other snipers/campers and can be deadly in the right hands. I don't recommend using this until you're confident of your sniping skills. ******************************************************** Pistol Overviews ---------------------------------------- Seals ---------------------------------------- SP-10 *RECOMMENDED* Argueably one of the best guns in the game. This pistol has excellent accuracy and range, a great firerate, and above average power. Many people claim this to be the greatest gun in the entire game. This pistol is useful at just about any range, esspecially medium-long range. A good sniper that is aware of it's surroundings and good with this gun, is nearly unstoppable. Mark 23/Mark 23 SD *RECOMMENDED* Very similar to the SP-10. Fans of this and fans of the SP-10 often go at each other claiming one is better. The Mark 23 is a great gun, it's like the SP-10, but it sacrifices range and accuracy for more power. Personally, I only use the silenced version (Which is supposedly less powerful) when I want to be stealthy, otherwise I use the SP-10. This, like the SP-10, is useful at just about any range, esspecially medium-long range. This and the SP-10 are your best bets for Seals. 226 Yes, this is a terrorist gun, however, on one map (Night Stalker I think) the Seals gain access to this gun. I don't know whether it's a mistake or what, but I've also heard the terrorists also get claymores in Foxhunt. This feels, sounds, and looks just like the SP-10. Don't let that fool you however, instead of the 18 round clip of the SP-10, this has a 15 round clip. Which is really no big deal for an SP-10, however the 226 is alot less powerful than the SP-10. M11 Pretty similiar to the M9. This gun feels slightly less powerful though. It seems like some of these guns have some kind of hidden power. The only people I have seen using guns other than the SP-10 and the Mark 23 end up asking "What's the best gun?" after they get no kills for it. 9mm Pistol The second silenced pistol in the Seal arsenal. This gun seems alot less powerful than the Mark 23 SD. It feels somewhat like a 226 just silenced. ---------------------------------------- Terrorist ---------------------------------------- DE .50 *RECOMMENDED* The most powerful pistol in the game. The main draw backs of this is the low range and accuracy. Another drawback is that each clip only has 7 rounds. Two hits to the chest will often take someone down with this gun. It's extremely useful in close quarters, unlike the Seal's pistols that are useful at medium-long range. If you're forced to fight with it at medium-long range, don't just keep shooting blindly, try to line up your shots first, make sure your crosshairs are red before you shoot. F57 The most accurate pistol in the game. The main drawback is that it's extremely weak. However, with the decent firerate, excellent accuracy, and large (20 round) clip, if you're an accurate shooter, this is a headshot machine. This is similar to the M40A1, the only real way it's effective is if you get a headshot with it, you may be able to take someone down without a headshot, but I wouldn't recommend trying. 226 Feels, sounds, and looks just like the SP-10. Don't let that fool you however, instead of the 18 round clip of the SP-10, this has a 15 round clip. Which is really no big deal for an SP-10, however the 226 is alot less powerful than the SP-10. If you like the feel of the SP-10 and you are confident of your aiming for the head, then you should use this. I actually like this more than the F57 because it's slightly more powerful which is worth giving up the slight bit of accuracy and the 5 more rounds per clip. M9 Similar to the F57. Slightly more powerful and slightly less accurate. I really have nothing that good to say about it. Like all the pistols for terrorists, save DE.50 and Model 18, headshots are a must and the 13 round clip leaves much to be desired. Model 18 *RECOMMENDED* The only automatic pistol in the game (unless you glitch). I actually didn't like this that much until I tried it for this FAQ. It's like a mini M14. The 17 round clip doesn't last that long on autofire, however it's all it takes. Like the M14, the way to get a person is to let the recoil ride up their body and get a headshot. Also, the pistol is fairly decent at long range if you tap the fire button. ***************************************************** The Thermal Scope Debate: Do or Don't ***************************************************** Many people have one, extreme, view on thermal scopes. Some people say that the thermal scope is great and they grab it every chance they get. Others say that the thermal scope is useless and shun it as much as they can. Personally, I do not use the thermal scope, the sacrifice for range isn't worth it's strong points in most maps. However, I DO recommend it for the beginning sniper, it's an excellent way o get used to the sniper rifle and everything. Once you feel confident though, I would drop the thermal scope for the extra range. The thermal scope IS good for levels with alot of brush (Death Trap, Enowapi, Shadow Falls). Just try both and see which you prefer on which map. ***************************************************** General Tips ***************************************************** -Don't forget that there are ALOT of things you can shoot through, such as boxes, signs, and hanging cloth/tents. Remember this, most forget. -Find a pistol that you like and get good with it -When moving long distances, or when an enemy is close, take out your pistol -Be sure you know EVERY way an enemy can get to you -When using the M80s, try not to stay in one place too long, but you rarely have to move after every single shot -Make sure you have a shot before you take it -If possible, have someone with an Assault Rifle/Machine Gun/SMG/Shotgun covering you -If you just sit in the scope without moving AT ALL, the swaying will die down to a minimum, moving the sight slowly makes it stay that way longer, however after taking a shot, it will sway again -The Thermal Scope, despite it's usefulness, has a shorter range than the regular scope, certain levels are better without it -When in the scope, look around the outside of it and make sure there isn't a yellow dot, that means something is in the way and you'll hit it instead of your target -For getting someone in a dead run going horizontally across the screen. If u catch someone running try and keep the crosshair 1 foot in front of them. When you feel sure stop moving the scope and at the exact moment you stop you have to fire and you should hit them --------- sweetmonkey860 [[ -Swaying --standing = crosshair moves most --crouching = crosshair moves but not a lot --prone = crosshair moves very little --SR-25 & SARS = rapid fire sniper rifles --M40A1 = most accurate sniper rifle in Socom 2 --While prone you may not be able to rotate your player fully. --Keep in mind your position. You need to learn how far/close you can be to ledges/windows/corners to get your shot off cleanly (rookies often shoot the wall/ledge in front of them) --Just because your crosshair is red doesn't mean your hitting the target. You have to consider many factors before you shoot. Like: your reaction time, if moving, if enemy is moving, obstructions (trees & foilage), etc. --Despite popular belief the sniper spots (popular sniping positions) work well but shouldn't be abused. --Set traps...since your sniping you shouldn't need extra ammo. Use claymores and mines to your advantage....think of it like....your not using them to kill but rather to slow the enemies down, mess them up...what I mean is set your claymore in an obvious spot, you have two ways to use this to your advantage...1) they stop in front of the claymore to throw grenades, at this time you pop from around the corner and kill them....repeat.....2) they blow up your mine/claymore....you now know exactly where they are located --The best skill imo for snipers is game awareness. You have to know the situation and take positions accordingly. Too many factors are involved for me to put this into words but when you find yourself a lot better than when you 1st started sniping this will be a major part of it. ]]-----lil bob -You never want to find yourself looking down you scope at 5 enemies. You kill one and you will be dead shortly after. What im trying to say is dont hide in a certain spot if you know there is going to be a considerble rush that way. ---- normin75 ***************************************************** Map Tips ***************************************************** Key: --------------------- Map name (In Aphabetic order) --------------------- Thermal Scope: Whether it's available General Snipers overview Seal-Seal sniping tactics Terrorist-Terrorist sniping tactics Maps --------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- Abandoned ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes In this level, you'll probably end up being either an anti-sniper sniper or a 'path' sniper (stick to one path and kill anyone who comes up it) Seal- As a Seal, you'll most likely going to be taking out their snipers and mine layers at first. The first thing you probably want to do is go up the path to the right and over the archway near the turret. From there, you can usually catch a person laying mines on top of the middle temple (Note:You won't be able to see them with the thermal scope). If your team comes across a sniper, note where they're at and try to take them out. Look in obvious sniping spots (High Ground, Bushes, etc). After this, head to the left through the tunnel. After you exit, you'll see a ramp heading down, and a somewhat broken wall to the right. Jump up on the broken fall (Falling will cause alot of damage). After you get up, face the mountain part where it looks like you can jump up. Back up until you're in the little ditch/broken part of the wall, and run towards it and jump, if you make it up, good job! This is a pretty good sniping spot, mainly what you want to do is prone and look around, if you see someone, first tell everyone where they're at, then try to get the shot. If you keep walking towards the terrorist base, you can get a good shot at anyone that may be camping on top of it. Terrorist- As with all maps, your strategy will depend greatly on your starting position. If you start next to the bridge, head over and prone in one of the bushes and wait for seals to try to jump across the bridge, you can also get Seals on the path up top from there as well. Another place to snipe if you start on that side is in the right valley like area. In there, you can snipe up the ramp and down the tunnel. On the other side some good sniping spots, one being before the bridge from the tunnel to the temple in some of the bushes on top of the hill. Also, past the bridge right before the drop into that water area. Also, the last sniping spot on the Seals is good for terrorists as well. ------------------- Bitter Jungle ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Blizzard ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Blood Lake ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Chain Reaction ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Crossroads ------------------- Thermal Scope:No As a sniper on this level, you'll be most useful hanging back and guarding the base. This is much easier to do if you have 2 snipers and 1 other person with you. Also, if you want you can head in towards the middle where the bomb is and do some damage there. Seal-There are two different ways that you can snipe if you're watching the base, and three different (safe) positions to do each in. If you're alone, I suggested sniping towards your base. One of the good positions for sniping that way is on top of the awning of the building in front of the spawn point. Another spot is right under that awning towards the spawn point more. The last is inside the spawn point right at the doorway, this is the safest but you can't see them until they're out of the alley. Snipe right down the alley next to your base, terrorists often come from down there, sometimes all the way down, sometimes down the steps. Many times, people coming from all the way down hide behind the sign in the alley. You CAN shoot through the sign, so if you see someone there, shoot them. Also, same goes with the baskets. The problem with this is that you can get snuck up on by the left side and from the roof in front of the spawn point. The other direction is only good if you have 2 snipers, or you know they're coming that way. The three spots are inside the spawn point, right outside the spawn point against the wall, and all the way past the stairs to the roof in front of the spawn point, right up against the wall. If they have the bomb, I suggest proning inside your spawn point, sniping towards the base. You'll be able to see any that come out of the alley, any that jump off the roof, and also any that come from the left side. Terrorist-You're going to be sniping about the same way as a Seal would. Either to the left of right. If you're sniping to the left, you can snipe from the awningor pretty much anywhere near the spawn point. If you're going right anywhere near the spawn point is good. Also for the right side, you could prone near the ramp heading down to the base and snipe towards the alley. ------------------- Death Trap ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes Since this map is mostly outside; As a Seal, you may want to choose to not snipe this map. However, if you come across many of the terrorists rushing you and your team, take a rifle and get ready for some easy killing. As a terrorist, depending on your team's strategy you may want to skip sniping as well. Seal-One great sniping spot in theory is to the right of the extraction/spawn. If you go all the way to the right and instead of going down the path, keep up against the mountain until the edge, you can see if there are any terrorists rushing from the right entrance, and also you can take out any that try to use the turret. On the left path of the extraction, there's a path up the right mountain, from there you can snipe the other outside area, however you must look out for snipers heading that way and also once you get there. Sniping on the left is is one of the only times I'll suggest using the Thermal scope, it makes picking people off in all of the tall grass much easier. After everyone clears outside, and they start going inside the base, I suggest staying outside and watching for people to flank them, or to make sure no one gets to the extraction. Terrorist-The usefulness of a terrorist sniper all depends on where they start. If you start in the center of the base, near the hostages, then you might as well give up sniping. You COULD find some way to do it though. There is a turret that overlooks the antenna building that is a decent sniping spot. The best spot for a sniper to start is probably inside the antenna entrance (With the 2 turrets). From there, head up to the top near the antenna and prone in the tall grass, from there, decide whether you want to snipe to the left or the right. Either way, it's a nice sniping spot. Make sure you have someone watching your back, or that you move after a while, because it's easy to have someone sneak past you. Once again, this is one of the few times I suggest to use the thermal scope. After sniping out there, most of the action is going to be inside so you have a few choices. First, you could grab a new gun off of a dead body and head inside. Second, you could to head inside and snipe from the room with the cages down the hallway with the boxes (I'm pretty sure you can shoot through them). Last, you could wait outside, in case the seals get the hostages and head up to the extraction. The Seal's sniping spots would be excellent to get them, however you're limited to one side with those, so only pick a Seal sniping spot if you know which way they're going up to get to the extraction. ------------------- Desert Glory ------------------- Thermal Scope:No This is a somewhat small map, sniping may be difficult, but far from impossible. There are plenty of open places that you can snipe, however many people don't enter them. Whether or not you snipe on this level depends on what your opponents are doing. Seals-It's rather rough sniping on Desert Glory as the Seals. One good spot is up the middle path from the extraction point, to the right between two rocks. From there you can snipe on top of the two buildings behind the hostage building and also anyone running through the middle. Another place is the building to the right of the extraction, go on top of the roof (watch for grenades first) and on the corner closest to the extraction, the wall is missing so you can snipe towards the hostage building. The last sniping point for seals is the ruined building past the building to the right, you can snipe pretty well from on top of the ramp heading up to the "roof". The last sniping point, however, I recommend only using after the firing dies down. Since this is such a small map, the good sniping spots on the terrorist side will work as well. You can read them below. Terrorist-There are several good spots for the Terrorist on here. The first one I'll mention is the roof of the hostage building. Go to the upstairs of the hostage building, and out on one of the balconies. There is a set of boards connecting the two, hit X to climb up there, then X to climb up the roof, then shoot out the boards so you won't get snuck up on. From here you can pretty much snipe anywhere on the map. Another good spot is the roof of either of the ruined houses behind the hostage building. The last spot is ontop of the garage next to the truck to the left. From here you have a decent view of the whole map. Since this is a small map though, the sniping spots mentioned in the Seals section would also work well. ------------------- Enowapi ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Fish Hook ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Foxhunt ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Frostfire ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Guidance ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Rat's Nest ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Requiem ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Sandstorm ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Shadow Falls ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- Sujo ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- The Mixer ------------------- Thermal Scope:Yes ------------------- The Ruins ------------------- Thermal Scope:No ------------------- Vigilance ------------------- Thermal Scope:No This is one of those maps that seem to be designed for snipers. With all the rooves and windows and such, it's easy to figure out where you want to snipe. However, most good sniping spots are open on more than one side, leaving you vunerable to a roaming enemy. Seal-One of the best places to start sniping is either the roof overlooking the bridge where you first start. Another good one is the building behind it, through the window. You have to be careful about these places though, both are open to an attack from the window to your left (the building behind the gate you blow up). After that is clear, either move along the wall to the left, until you find a building that's boarded up. Blow up the boards and head upstairs to the window, you can sometimes pick off a sniper from the building over in the Terrorist area. Another way to go is across the bridge and up on the roof to the left. Once you do that, look for any snipers you can take out. Another good spot is through the gate to the right of the first sniping spot, after that enter the first door on the left, then jump out the second window on the right and snipe from that roof. Terrorist-As a terrorist sniper, you'll probably end up moving around less. First thing you want to do is get to the roof all the way back and to the left, the one that has the boards you can blow up. Position yourself at the very edge of the roof, along the wall the boards are on and look out towards the main street. You should be able to snipe right down the alleyway that many Seals come down. After that, either stay there, or move to the roof to your right. ***************************************************** Practicing Tips ***************************************************** -Pistols only games are a great chance to get up your pistol skills -Respawn games are also another good chance to get used to fighting people with assault rifles, with a pistol -Sniper only games are great for practicing getting rid of snipers. Also, good snipers often play in these games, so you'd be able to get some good tips -Try sniping as much as you can. Don't worry if you get yelled at, the game is there to have fun, not to win. -Try each map with (when applicable) and without the thermal scope -Don't take this guide, or anything anyone says to heart. Try other weapons, and try other sniping spots, use what weapons feel well to you and find spots that you like. ***************************************************** Random Stuff ***************************************************** -It's not calling "snipering" it's called "sniping". The root word is "snipe" adding -er means "Person who does". So "sniper"="Person who does snipe -If you're looking for a good movie with the Navy SEALS, watch Tears of the Sun. It's a great movie starring Bruce Willis. It takes place mostly in Nigerian jungles. It does have it's 'sick scenes' however, so it's not for the weak stomached. Great Movie. ********************************************** Boring (Legal) Stuff ********************************************** (C) 2004 Knuckles (Tim Linn) The only site this should be on is http://www.gamefaqs.com http://faqs.ign.com *************** Thanks *************** Zipper Inc. for making Socom II:US Navy Seals The GFAQs Message Board Posters for the input Cjayc for a great site! (No I'm not sucking up)