u/krinkov

So now that we've had a sneak peek of the specs for some of the upcoming S5 guns(big thanks to all our favorite BiliBili leakers!). I wanted to compare their stats to current guns in the game that are fairly close to get an idea of how these new ones might play out. I'm mostly just going off stats like damage, ROF and the other primary stats so Im not necessarily trying to compare them to other guns in their same class. Some of these look great, some of these look so-so, but here we go.

MK24
Decided to compare this one to the M277 since they're doing that same mechanic with this gun where there's no damage drop off to it at all until after 75m, making it one of only 2 other guns in the game. So far it looks like its basically the same damage but lower ROF and a bit more accurate, but the big difference here being its standard ammo does Hollowpoint headshot damage. I watched the video twice to make sure HPs weren't selected, but no, thats what it gets for standard ammo unless they change something from the labs testing.

Z84M
They like to have LMG counterparts to ARs for identical damage/ROF, like the B36=L110, the M433=M123K, AK4D=M60. Well this one is basically a 100rd TR7.

Ya, just think about that for a second.

They added a bit more random recoil variation to it, but this thing might be an absolute terror!

RSPR
This one is a bit confusing since its 7.62X39 35dmg in the SMG category instead of carbine, so right off the bat you'd think to compare it the the SCW-10, but I think the better comparison is still against the SG553 since their stats are almost identical (damage, ROF, damage drop off) except the the SG still has 50% more ammo. The RSPR does have a bit better stats in the way you'd expect an SMG would with Mobility and ADS, and compared the the SCW-10 it does have a lower TTK but gets a bigger mag, so its definitely positioned to slot right between those two.

ELR 40
Its hard to compare snipers objectively just off their base specs since they usually have other buffs or nerfs built in to them that actually define their role. Like sweetspot range, what attachments they do or do not have access too, etc. In this case, the closest match to the ELR off base specs like ROF, hipfire, control, mobility is the SV98. Which is funny since the SV98 is mostly a close range sniper and the ELR is positioned to be a long range sniper. I dont know its sweetspot range yet, but its going to be the highest velocity sniper with almost 1000m/s with extended barrel. Also its going to have that single shot mechanic only for this rifle that Im not even entirely certain what buff that provides, but sounds like it will put this gun into a unique position that will make it hard to compare with other snipers. So yeah, Im basically just just comparing it here since Im already doing all the other and just want to finish this list!

Anyhow, let me know what you think or if there were any other guns you think would be better compared to these new ones.

after I made my post a couple weeks back comparing the grip pods/Bipods ( https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumBattlefield/comments/1vkyj64/doing_some_testing_with_the_least_used_grips_the/ ) someone in the comments asked me how much more does the Support class Steady Aim perk improve the mounted control, finally got around to testing it and... it doesn't appear to improve anything.

Did the first test without a bipod, just an M123K mounted without the perk activated in the left 2 and then after the perk was activated in the right 2, no real difference at all.

This actually wasn't too surprising since from my earlier testing I found out that mounting without a grip pods/bipod actually doesn't improve recoil/spread at all, it only lessens weapon sway. So tested it again with a bipod, and again no real changes with or without the perk activated. Although you can see on the second pattern with the bidop and perk activated it appears to have a small improvement in spread, so I did a third test since there was enough room left and that one was no better than the 2 without the perk at all, so I feel that the one improved middle pattern is probably just down to random recoil variation, or if there was some benefit its basically negligible.

This only happens in Portal, when Im going into a lobby as soon as the loading screen ends and I should be seeing the map/spawn screen, it kicks me out and back to the main page. Ive tried it on several different servers and is happening on about half if them. Sorry for the youtube link, not sure why I can't upload videos on this page?

https://youtu.be/WvXfgwDp4Cw

He even revived me on fire 😄

These are all pretty much just battlepass or other unlocks but as I was scrolling hoo-boy there are some REALLY ugly ones I've never unlocked. If anyone has any uglier ones please post them below! 😄

Since this wasn't in the earlier post about the map updates these pics should add some clarity to the changes and size difference. Blackwell gets an extra objectives and Sobek get 2 new objectives.

Since this wasn't in the earlier post about the map updates these pics should add some clarity to the changes and size difference. Blackwell gets an extra objectives and Sobek get 2 new objectives.

So you've probably all noticed the ACOG we get with the "Unstoppable Force" skin has a much nicer, slimmer reticle than the standard ACOG. Not a big deal under 50m but past that the slimmer chevron really helps to aim at distant targets. A lot of the other custom skins change up the sights a bit too. For the most part I think its an aesthetic choice, but the upside is a lot of times they end up being better, or just cleaner/less cluttered sights than the factory versions. Here's a few Iv'e found but if there's any others you've found please add them to this list!

Unstoppable Force ACOG

Here's the first one everyone noticed, the smaller chevron really helps to not completely cover the head you're aiming at past 50m.

Bluecrest RPK-74M

So out of the 3 thermal scopes, the 3X is always the least used simply because it has the smallest sight window and so much else visual clutter in the peripheral that it blocks out a lot of the external view. The Bluecrest skin that comes with a 3X thermal has a sight picture just as nice and a body slim enough that it's almost as good as the 1.5X GRIMM thermal.

Burstcrash VZ.61

Now the factory VZ.61 actually has very good iron sights already, which is important since if you run it with the 20rd mag (like 95% of us do) you can't run ANY other attachments. But there is room for improvement, where the factory irons are flat and can block a lot of your target, the Burstcrash irons dips down in the center and also has vertical posts that make it much easier to frame your targets, especially when they're moving.

G-FORCE PW5A3

This is an interesting one since it already comes with its own custom 2X scope, but its when you take that off you find it also has a completely different sight picture for its irons as well. This one is a bit more subjective since its not so much a huge improvement over the the factory iron sights, but it is a bit slimmer and overall less shrouded since the body of the gun and your hand placement block less of your sight picture, so overall less of the screen is being taken up by the gun and your hand.

Anyhow, these are just a few I've found so far, but if theres any others anyone else has found please add them below. And not just with sights, but if theres any other custom skins/attachments that incidentally improve over the factory ones let me know! 😁

Since some people were confused of what this actually does compared to the long suppressor, the hybrid suppressors all incorporate the overall recoil reduction of the muzzle brakes which is a bit different than the long/lightened suppressors that improve recoil buildup/recovery. So all the hybrid suppressors incorporate the recoil buffs of both a muzzle brake and the long/light suppressors and seeing as the cheapest Hybrid is only 5pts more than the long, its a pretty good value for anyone thats trying to maximize recoil improvement. I only added the 30pt hybrid-L suppressor in this since the other 2 hybrids don't further reduce recoil and their points cost is tied into other buffs like hipfire/sway/sprint recovery so the recoil results should be the same. ADS test was done at 20m using a VCR with 40rd mag.

Went over the specs on this yesterday, I was off on a couple details but to sum up: it has the highest max damage at 150, but the trade off is no ADS bolt, slowest ROF, slowest ADS, slowest reload, lowest carried ammo (36), lowest base mobility and lowest base control of any other sniper.

The upside though is unlike other snipers that need a chest shot in their sweetspot range for a one-shot kill, with its higher max damage the interdictor is a one-shot sweetspot kill to any part of the body, that range being 120-150m. Outside of that though, the higher max damage surprisingly doesn't mean higher damage anywhere else. It does the exact same damage as all the other 100 damage snipers (80 body/54 limb). They're also apparently not doing anything different for the ballistics of this new cartridge compared to the other 100 damage snipers as far as drag/drop are concerned. I tested it in the ZN5YC sniper range with its other closest velocity 100 damage Sniper the L115 (L115 927m/s , Interdictor 915m/s) and at the 550m target they both landed at identical 1.3 seconds.

Also this thing is very back-loaded for important mods. Long range ammo doesn't come in till lvl33. Range finder at lvl38, and the only suppressor doesn't even unlock until lvl39!

So overall, this is going to be a very niche sniper choice. They stacked a ton of nerfs into it and the only real buff it has is its sweetspot hits in a 30m window are all 1-shot, and not just chest shots. So I suppose theres definitely a place for this, I played a lot of breakthrough with it today as I usually do to level up guns and theres a couple spots like the roof above A objective on Empire, Lib Peak on attack to B obj, Bazaar shooting down into that big C chokepoint, where if you know your ranges and position yourself in the exact right spot then basically every time you pull the trigger and hit its a kill and its almost comical. Outside of that though, I can't see me running this too much on a conquest or escalation map where you really don't control your engagement distances like you can in BT, because really this whole gun is built entirely around its 30m sweetspot and outside of that its objectively just the worst one to use for any other situation. I do like having quirky niche guns though that you can just build a very situational playstyle around so Im glad its in the game. Would be great though if they did a little something for this to buff it to make up for how many nerfs it brings along. Like instead of that max damage number it also did a bit more base damage, or maybe made it so this new caliber had less drag/flatter trajectory than the others to lean into its whole long range angle. But how are you all liking it so far, I want to hear if anyone is having better luck with it or playing it a different way?

Anyhow, heres my build for it. Since theres no ADS bolt I definitely wanted to run an ADS grip and both fast mag and mag catch, anything you can do to increase the ROF on this is mandatory. And yes running the range-finder, this is just not going to be a sniper you want to run close with these specs, you will get wrecked 😄

Looks like we're getting 3 new "Hybrid" suppressors that appear to combine some or all of the buffs from all the suppressors and even the muzzle brakes depending on the which goes up to 50 points for the most expensive one(!!)

Also the "Canted Vertical" that will be available for LMGs only.

And then the new Interdictor long range snipers, and i do have some concerns with this.

The Good
highest damage of any sniper at 150 base damage

The Not-So-Good

Slowest ROF

Slowest ADS

Slowest reload

no ADS bolt

mid velocity.

So yeah theres basically a lot of built in nerfs to this gun for the higher base damage, even though it does the exact same damage at every range as all the other 100 damage snipers, that being 80 chest damage and 54 limb damage.

Looks like we're getting 3 new "Hybrid" suppressors that appear to combine some or all of the buffs from all the suppressors and even the muzzle brakes depending on the which goes up to 50 points for the most expensive one(!!)

Also the "Canted Vertical" that will be available for LMGs only.

And then the new Interdictor long range snipers, and i do have some concerns with this.

The Good
highest damage of any sniper at 150 base damage

The Not-So-Good

Slowest ROF

Slowest ADS

Slowest reload

no ADS bolt

mid velocity.

So yeah theres basically a lot of built in nerfs to this gun for the higher base damage, even though it does the exact same damage at every range as all the other 100 damage snipers, that being 80 chest damage and 54 limb damage.

I had noticed that while using the server browser you get more results simply by applying the filters twice. In the video you can see even without searching for anything specifically and only setting the free spots to "any", when I hit apply filters I only get about half as many populated server results than when I go back into filters and hit "apply filters" again, even without changing any other settings. Ive repeated these results several times over several days and the same thing happens when I actually use a term in search bar like "hardcore" for example. I've seen a lot of complaints from people about Portal in general saying that even when they use the search/filter function they hardly get any populated servers coming up, seeing if anyone else noticed this and if not give it a shot and see if you get the same results. Definitely something that needs fixed seeing that the upcoming main MP server browser looks basically like a port of the Portal server browser.

EDIT: Sorry for the confusion and its my fault for moving too fast in the video but yes, I do have "Free Slots" set to "Any" BOTH times before I hit Apply Filters" but on the second time you get many more populated servers listed.

Not sure why you can't uploads videso to this sub but heres the youtube link

https://youtu.be/q7pZbwkRNns

With as strong as the Little bird is, especially on the new map, I wish I'd see more people taking shots at them instead of just trying to hide. Even if you can't expect to take one down with an AR you can at least chip away at it, and with its new movement nerf it makes it even a bit easier to land some shots before they can flick back at you like before. And if you're serious about it obviously a belt fed LMG is the way to go, but after some testing theres a few surprises that make some better than others.

First off, the basics of the three helis health and LMG damage. The LB has the least health at 700, the attack heli has 1000, and transport heli has 1200. The problem though is all guns do reduced damage to the LB and attack heli and then even less damage to the transport heli. The damage breakdown is:

7.62 LMGS to LB + Attack = 14dmg under 20m - 11dmg under 75m - 9dmg past 75m
7.62 LMGS to transport heli = 7dmg under 20m - 5dmg under 75m - 4dmg past 75m

5.56 LMGS to LB + Attack = 16dmg under 20m - 13dmg under 75m - 11dmg past 75m
5.56 LMGS to transport heli = 8dmg under 20m - 6dmg under 75m - 5dmg past 75m

M250 to LB + Attack = 16dmg all ranges
M250 to transport heli = 8 dmg all ranges

So right off the bat the first odd thing to notice is the 7.62 LMGs all do LESS damage than the 5.56 LMGs. I'm assuming this is a bug but it took all the 7.62 out of consideration for my testing. And in 5.56 the best choice I found was the L110 with 200rd belt since it was far more accurate than the M123K at the ranges you're going to be engaging helis at, but even then the majority of the time it struggles since you're most often engaging helis past 75m, and 75m might seem far enough away when engaging ground targets, but when they're in the air 75m is closer than you think. Which leaves the M250 as hands down the best choice for countering helis with its full damage at all ranges, the only downside being you really need to pay for the hugely expensive 100rd belt to make it effective, it does leave enough points left over though for a heavy/ext barrel, flash comp, and a 10pt optic, this is the setup I ran with a 1.75 ROM.

With this setup you can take down an LB with 45rds, attack helis with 63rd, and don't even bother with transports unless you can see they're already almost destroyed. Was running this setup all last night and was having good luck with it, especially now with LB pilots trying to come to grips with the new flying behavior, you can see in this clip this fellow was kind enough to smash his LB next to me, and even though it wasn't at full health I was able to take him out quickly even with his engineer budy using his repair tool the entire time. Admittedly this isn't the best example but unfortunately it wasn't recording any of my better ones when I thought it was turned on, but it does show how quickly the M250 can put 400+dmg into an LB.

So overall do I think LMGs make effective anti-heli weapons? No, not nearly as good as RPGs, but the M250 with 100rd belt can definitely melt a LB if you catch one under you for just a few seconds, and its actually pretty fun totally surprising and agro'ing some of these pilots that aren't used to worrying about infantry 😄

You've probably noticed (or rather, haven't noticed) that hardly anyone is running grip pods on their builds nowadays. I always make a point to look at the guns and attachments every time Im killed and the amount of times I see a grip pod is around 1-2%, if that. And I don't blame people, you learn pretty quick in this game that with its fast movement and TTK there's not a lot of opportunity to stop and mount up to take shots before you're instantly beamed, though a lot more nowadays, especially after the last weapon patch, I find myself picking my gunfights more strategically, and firing more from cover and flanks than the typical close range run-and-gun of earlier seasons. I'm also leaning more into guns that accell in the midrange and find myself mounting to fire a lot more often, so I decided to have another look at the grip pods that I haven't really touched since season 1.

To cover the basics, theres 3 grip pods in the game that provide the same benefit as less expensive recoil grips, but incorporate the bipods recoil/spread buff while deployed.
The PTT Grip Pod for 20 points that gives the same recoil benefit as the 10 point Folding Vertical
The QD Grip Pod for 30 points that gives the same recoil benefit as the 20 point Alloy Vertical
The Classic Grip Pod for 30 points that gives the same recoil and ADS benefit as the 25 point Full Angled

So right off the bat you can see the first 2 cost 10 points over the recoil only grips for the bipod feature, but the classic grip pod is only 5 points more, so thats the best value and the one I tested with.

I did all my testing with an L110 at 25M and all patterns were the full 100rds. The first thing I wanted to test was the regular standing ADS patterns compared to the ADS patterns while mounted with regular grips compared to mounted with grip pods. The quite surprising thing I found out is there is NO noticeable recoil/spread benefit from mounting with any other grips. Yes, seriously, I was getting the exact same spread patterns with ALL the grips I tested weather standing or mounted. I tested at least half the grips, tested with no grip at all, and even tested it with a couple other guns to see if the L110 was bugged for some reason but no, theres just no advantage at all to using the mount ability with anything other than a bipod/grip pod and I wish I knew this sooner for all the times I used this function up till now. There is notably a bit less sway, which I suppose would come in handy for a sniper/DMR, but for any automatic weapon it really serves no purpose.

You can see the results with the grip pod mounts are quite dramatic though, honestly better than I was expecting. So Ive been running the Classic on a few different LMGs and ARs in games since yesterday testing it out and just getting used to mounting before firing as much as possible. For that there are a couple of control settings that really help out to mount quicker AND get out of the mount quicker. In settings go under your mouse+keyboard or controller settings > Infantry > Control Settings > scroll down to "Other" you'll have a couple options here for mounted behavior. First one is "mount breakout" and you want to set this to "instant" so you can immediately break out of a mount by pressing any movement key so you can move as soon as you start taking fire. The second is for mount deployment, and personally I just have it set to ADS so that anytime I ADS if Im in a position where mounting is available it will do it automatically and saves time having to hit a separate mount button.

Overall Ive been having a lot of luck with the grip pod now that Im getting more used to them. They're still not going to be for everyone, all you SMG/carbine guys and blue/violet laser enthusiast that like to constantly strafe-fire its probably not going to be for you, but for LMGs and midrange ARs it really does make a huge difference once you learn to get into and out of a mounted position quickly. Let me know what you guys think, is anyone here using grip pods on their builds? Also if theres any other details on grip pods I missed.

Some of you have probably already noticed how a lot of what should have been easy headshots with the VSSM sometimes go sailing right over their heads, heres a video example of whats going on. The base zero for the VSSM, like all other DMRs/Snipers is 100m. Not a big deal for those others since even zeroed at 100 they fire flat enough that you'll hit anything you put your crosshairs on under 100m. But with the VSSMs ultra low velocity and high drag, theres a noticeable arc just to get it to 100m. Not a big problem up close or closer to 100m, but those headshots right in the middle from around 35-65m can arc right over if you aim at the forehead. Bit of a problem for the VSSM since its HS damage is its biggest strength so you'll want to aim a bit lower in those ranges.