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Vasha_Phoenix

Scarcely Lethal Noob
I have been playing for quite a while, though I did take about a year break n ot long ago so i'm a bit rusty, yet, ive never really played sniper much I usually run pyro/heavy/medic some times engie, as a returning to TF2 gift a friend of mine gave me a bunch of weapons including some stranges, a mong them were 3 sniper rifles, I would like to try to figure the class out more now so his gift doesn't go to waste, but I'm finding it hard to even feel like I'm getting any practice when i play in games, is there any advice people can give me?

TLDR: Old-New returning player trying to relearn game and play sniper halp?
 
I'm not really that much of an expert on Sniper, but I definitely suggest making your crosshair a bright (green?) color, and changing its shape often in multiplayer options. That little adaption always makes me focus better. I've also had some luck with the Heatmaker, but I think that's just because of the suppressed firing noise, which could be edited anyways.
 
I will try that, thanks for the advice, was getting a bit fustrated never landing headshots even when i was pretty damn sure i should have, like when a demoman was taunting in my line of fire, yet it still some how didn't even register a hit.
 
There are two tips that really helped my sniping:
-Aim slightly in front of a moving target, and shoot when he walks through your cross hairs
-When there's an enemy sniper; move around until he zooms in, and then zoom in yourself. As soon as he zooms in, he becomes a pretty much static object making it much easier to shoot him.

I hope these are of some help for you.
 
If you don't get a headshot don't punish yourself for it just keep going until you get better also getting headshots is like clicking on a Link, all you have to do is to click on it.

Placement is good as well, you need to use a different angle to keep yourself out of sight and away from the enemies view or as Johnny said in the last post...

Never
Stop
Moving
 
If you don't get a headshot don't punish yourself for it just keep going until you get better also getting headshots is like clicking on a Link, all you have to do is to click on it.

Placement is good as well, you need to use a different angle to keep yourself out of sight and away from the enemies view or as Johnny said in the last post...

Never
Stop
Moving


A LOT of snipers complain if they die from a body kill or anything other than a headshot. Who cares! He's dead! And that is the main goal. A kill is a kill.
 
- change positions constantly
- jump right after shooting in sniper v sniper (and against other classes sometimes)
- turn off mouse accel in the options
- a dot or a cross will do just fine for a crosshair
- i know a lot of snipers (such as myself) that have benefited from making their weapon invisible (r_drawviewmodel 0)

to learn more about positions you could also watch sniper POVs from high level competitive matches

 
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I know this isn't advice but you gotta check out STAR_ on youtube. he's got some impressive gameplay and he is a UGC plat guy.

 
I hate you campers. EVERYBODY BLOODY HATES YOU. Balcony huggers!
(Also, don't use mouse acceleration, it doesn't help you aim 'faster.')
 
Okay, my first piece of advice is that you be wary of sniper advice. A lot of the advice that people give helps in the immediate, but will cripple you if you rely on it too much. The "aim for head level and strafe," for example, works when you're on about the same level as your targets, but if you need to get a headshot fast or you're at a different elevation or you're near a wall, you will quickly learn that the advice has made it difficult for you to land headshots.

As for the second, Zeigon made a video about practicing Ambassador headshots, and I feel that it can apply to sniper as well.


I do it a bit differently for Sniper, though. I pick a random spot on the map and sit there, trying to get headshots. I would recommend that you make the bots more difficult to hit as you progress (increase bot speed, have them jump, etc), but a good starting point is to have them constantly strafe. I also go for 50 headshots because I do other class practice, too (spy stair stabs, amby headshots, huntsman headshots, market gardens, and soldier reserve shooter practice).

As Zeigon says, don't just wait for them to walk into your crosshairs. Actually try to line up the shot with their head. The less damage you do on average per headshot, the better you're doing. Ideally, you want to try to get 150 each time (although there are times when you'd want to charge your shot, you want to be able to get shots quickly).

Edit: Oh, and don't underestimate the Sydney Sleeper. It's true that getting headshots is the primary goal when you're playing Sniper... usually, but being able to Jarate people every 1.2 seconds can help your team out immensely.
 
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