Day of Defeat: Source/Classes

Day of Defeat: Source contains six classes for each team. Every class has a different weapon pre-set, with some differences between them being major while others are minor. Neither class starts with any health or armor advantages... Just different weapon pre-sets. The U.S. Army wears tan uniforms with olive pants, a long with a standard army helmet and combat boots. The Wehrmacht wear dark black uniforms with a standard helmet and black boots. Be sure to check your targets before you shoot, as some servers allow friendly fire (which means that you are able to shoot your teammates and kill them). Below is a list of each class pertaining to its team:

U.S. Army (Allies)
The U.S. Army (or Allies) are the combatants of the Wehrmacht (the Axis). They are viewed as the "good guys" in Day of Defeat: Source and have a weapon set very different from the opposite team, relying less on bolt-action firearms and more on fast automatic weapons.

Rifleman

 * Primary firearm: M1 Garand
 * Secondary firearm: N/A
 * Equipment: Two rifle grenades
 * Melee weapon: M1918 trench knife

The Riflemen carry "the weapon that won the war", or the M1 Garand. This rifle is very different from its Wehrmacht counter-part, as it is semi-automatic instead of bolt-action. Because it is semi-automatic, you can keep firing the rifle as fast as you can instead of Wehrmacht players, who have to pull the bolt to trigger the next round. This makes the M1 Garand shine in indoor environments because it can take out foes quickly and effectively without the danger of a delay. However, the semi-automatic benefit comes with a drawback: you cannot reload the M1 Garand until its clip depletes, just like its real-life counter-part. Once you shoot the entire clip, you will automatically reload (it is suggested that if you have less than three bullets, you should just waste them in order to reload quickly and easily). Keep an eye on how much ammo you have because that factor can lead to a quick defeat if you're not careful. Another drawback of the M1 Garand is that it is not as powerful as its German counter-part, so try to go for accurate headshots and chestshots as much as possible; use your ironsights (default: right mouse button) in order to zoom in and get a more accurate shot in (remember that the tip of the ironsight is where the bullet will approximately hit). Riflemen also come equipped with two rifle grenades, which are great for clearing out snipers, machine gunners, or larger groups of enemies, as well as a standard trench knife for close-range combat.

Assault

 * Primary firearm: M1A1 Thompson (with melee)
 * Secondary firearm: Colt M1911A1
 * Equipment: One MKllA1 fragmentation grenade and one M18 smoke grenade
 * Melee weapon: Punch (with M1A1 Thompson)

Assault players have one of the more well-known sub-machine guns: the M1A1 Thompson (also called the "tommy gun"). The M1A1 Thompson is quite similar to its German counter-part, as there aren't too many differences between them. It is a very lightweight gun with superior firing speed and reload time; ammo shouldn't be a problem since you'll have plenty of clips, but keep an eye on your ammo since this weapon can spit out bullets faster than you think. This is strictly a close to medium-range firearm... Don't even think about shooting at long ranges because you'll never hit anything. Shoot in small short bursts, aiming for the chest area, and try not to waste an entire clip on a single enemy. The M1A1 Thompson is the superior weapon in close-range combat, and is almost unstoppable in indoor environments because of its excellent spray and firing speed. The most effective way to use the Assault class is to keep moving and firing in short, accurate bursts. Alternate fire for the gun is a simple punch, which is good for sneaking up behind snipers or machine gunners, or if you really, really need it in a close-range emergency. Assault players can also use a MKllA1 fragmentation grenade (good for clearing out snipers, machine gunners and large groups) and an M18 smoke grenade, which is good for blocking a sniper or machine gunner's field of view, as well as covering flags so the enemy can't see where you're coming from.

Support

 * Primary firearm: M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
 * Secondary firearm: N/A
 * Equipment: Two MKllA1 fragmentation grenades
 * Melee weapon: M1918 trench knife

The Support class is unique, carrying the BAR (which is capable of being semi-automatic or fully automatic) and two grenades (which are very important for offense). The BAR is very similar to its German counter-part, although the STG 44 is somewhat more precise. The BAR's firing speed is pretty fast and, like the Thompson, is very easy to lose track of your ammo and spray all over the place. Firing in short bursts is the most effective way to take down an opponent, but the BAR can be used from close or long-range distances. Use the semi-automatic feature for farther, more accurate shots and go fully automatic for close-range and indoor environments. Aim for the torso region of an enemy and remember to always look at how much ammo you currently have; the BAR is suited for multiple environments, so use this to your advantage. Support classes are great for quick and effective defense, and the BAR really shines in this aspect, so cover your teammates and objectives as much as possible (as well as the strong offense the Support class has with the two frag grenades and excellent primary firearm). Alternate fire allows you to switch in between modes (either semi or fully automatic), but the real charm is the two fragmentation grenades this class comes with. Grenades are great for clearing out those annoying snipers and machine gunners, as well as rushes and taking out large groups. Don't forget about that handy trench knife for sneak attacks!

Sniper

 * Primary firearm: Springfield M1903A4
 * Secondary firearm: Colt M1911A1
 * Equipment: N/A
 * Melee weapon: M1918 trench knife

Of course there's a Sniper, and in Day of Defeat: Source, a Sniper player can be extremely effective. Hits to the torso from the Springfield will inflict 120 damage, killing the target instantly. Headshots inflict 300 damage, and can easily pierce the helmets donned by all players. Shots to legs or arms will inflict 90 damage, not quite enough to finish off a player with full health (100). When looking through the scope the player moves much slower, allowing the player to inch around corners where mg's and opposing snipers lie. The scope of the Springfield has a zoom effect, with a thin horizontal and vertical line forming the cross-hairs. The Springfield is inaccurate when not looking through the scope, so snipers are advised to find cover in a window or behind other scenery so they can safely snipe without coming under too much fire. Also, when trying to find a sniping location, it is recommended to carry your pistol as it is more useful in close combat than the Springfield. When looking down the scope, the rifle drifts around slightly in the hands of the player, however with a quick movement to aim at the target the rifle is extremely precise. When looking down the scope of the Springfield, your area of visibility is greatly decreased. This means that enemies can easily sneak up behind you and kill you with their melee weapon, which can not only inflict up to 300 damage points when the player is looking down the scope, but will also give the attacking player up to 20 points in their stats.

Machine gunner

 * Primary firearm: Browning M1919A6
 * Secondary firearm: Colt M1911A1
 * Equipment: N/A
 * Melee weapon: M1918 trench knife

Machine guns are the classic camping weapon on DoD:S, and when well placed will net the user a very high kill death ratio. The American MG has a high rate of fire (but not nearly as high as its German counterpart), and a huge recoil when held normally. When undeployed, the MG is a fairly useless weapon as the recoil will cause the gun to almost instantly point upwards in the players hands, and cause the player to lose most of their stamina. To deploy a machine gun, totally eliminating its recoil, you must press the secondary fire button. A machine gun can only be deployed on a ledge, sandbag or when prone (default z key). A shot to the head will instantly kill, causing over 200 damage, and other shots, usually inflicting over 50 damage, soon mash opposing players due to the high rate of fire. The US MG is more accurate than the German MG, but as it is viewed as a spraying weapon this does not particularly matter. Due to their fixed status when deployed, players using MGs are particularly vunerable to grenade, flank, melee and rocket attacks. However, a skilful MG user will be able to kill the player as the peep round a corner to launch their attack and move out of the way before they are killed. MGs are only capable of being reloaded when deployed, causing occasional vulnerability when the large ammo belt runs out.It must also be noted that MGs are the only weapons capable of shooting through walls, albeit at greatly reduced damage.

Rocket

 * Primary firearm: M9A1 Bazooka
 * Secondary firearm: M1 Carbine
 * Equipment: N/A
 * Melee weapon: M1918 trench knife

The rocket is probably the hardest class to handle correctly, and therefore the one which nets you the most points in terms of stats. The rocket launcher first of all must be mounted on the shoulder using secondary fire, causing the player to move at a similar speed as a player looking down the scope of a sniper rifle, and when fired the rockets are relatively slow moving (so alert players can dodge them over longer distances) and are not always powerful enough to secure a kill. Also the rocket only comes with 5 rockets per respawn, so its use is often limited. The use of rocket launchers is best against deployed MGs, as the user can sneak round a corner, fire, and run back again, hopefully killing the mg without being killed themselves. The rocket launcher is also effective when shooting into small rooms where enemies such as snipers cannot easily escape from, and also against larger groups of enemies. It must also be taken into account that over longer distances, a rocket will dip in it's path, so the player must aim slightly above the target. More advanced rocket users will be able to use the rocket launcher in closer combat, shooting at the oppositions feet and causing heavy damage. Due to the long reload and need to mount the rocket on the shoulder to fire, US rocket players have a good shorter range weapon at their disposal. The M1 carbine is very similar to its M1 Garand cousin, except with twice the rate of fire at the cost of being only half as powerful. The carbine can be quickly reloaded in a similar way to the Thomson, but doesn't have the iron sights of the Garand. The accuracy is better than the pistol, and shots to the head will instantly kill.

Wehrmacht (Axis)
The Wehrmacht (or Axis) are the combatants of the U.S. Army (the Allies). They are viewed as the "bad guys" in Day of Defeat: Source and have a weapon set very different from the opposite team, relying more on bolt-action firearms and less on fast automatic weapons.

Rifleman

 * Primary firearm: Mauser Karabiner 98 Kurz
 * Secondary firearm: N/A
 * Equipment: Two rifle grenades
 * Melee weapon: Entrenchment spade

More advanced players are likely to find the German rifle more useful than the Garand, due to it's ability to easily cause 1 hit kills. Like the Garand, the 98K rifle has extremely accurate iron sights and is accurate even when not using them. The rifle however will inflict 110 damage for a torso shot, rather than the 80 damage caused by the US rifle, this means all hits that hit the torso or head will instantly kill the target. However the rifle is bolt action, so the user is vulnerable when between shots, especially at closer range combat when they miss a shot. Due to this, it is advisable to find cover between shots so that the player always has a bullet in the chamber when facing the opposition. The 98K also has a clip size of just 5 compared to the Garand's much larger clip. However the rifle can be loaded whenever the user requires, and at a similar speed to that of the US rifle.

Assault

 * Primary firearm: Maschinenpistole 40 (with melee)
 * Secondary firearm: Walther P38
 * Equipment: One Stielhandgranate 24 fragmentation grenade and one Stielhandgranate 24 smoke grenade
 * Melee weapon: Punch (with Maschinenpistole 40)

The German assault role is pretty much the same as the US in every way except the look of the weapons supplied.

Support

 * Primary firearm: Sturmgewehr 44
 * Secondary firearm: N/A
 * Equipment: Two Stielhandgranates 24 fragmentation grenades
 * Melee weapon: Entrenchment spade

Again the support role is almost the same in both teams, however the German assault rifle has a bigger clip size and is slightly more accurate.

Sniper

 * Primary firearm: Mauser Karabiner 98 Kurz (with scope)
 * Secondary firearm: Walther P38
 * Equipment: N/A
 * Melee weapon: Entrenchment spade

The german sniper only differs from its US counterpart in that its crosshairs are made up of a thick horizontal line which tapers in the middle (leaving a gap), and a thick vertical line that runs from the bottom of the scope to just below the centre, tapering towards the end. This means that at first the German sniper can be harder to master, but once the player has had some practice with it, it is just as effective as the Springfield.

Machine gunner

 * Primary firearm: Maschinengewehr 42
 * Secondary firearm: Walther P38
 * Equipment: N/A
 * Melee weapon: Entrenchment spade

The German machine gunner should take the same advice as the US machine gunner. However the German MG42 has a much greater rate of fire than its US counterpart, making it easier to kill players as they try to dash across your line of sight. However, when continuously fired, the MG42 will overheat (there is a bar in the bottom right hand corner of the screen) causing the player to be vulnerable while they wait for the gun to cool down, enabling fire again. The German MG has a larger ammo belt size (250) compared to the US MG's 150 belt size. However this is compensated for in rate of fire.

Rocket

 * Primary firearm: Panzerschreck RPZB 54
 * Secondary firearm: Mauser M1932 C-96
 * Equipment: N/A
 * Melee weapon: Entrenchment spade

The German rocket is again essentially the same, although the Secondary firearm is very different. The C-96 is a machine pistol, with an even higher rate of fire than the MP40, although this causes it to eat its way through its short and limited clips very quickly.