Battlefield 2: Modern Combat/In and Out

Anti-tank soldier
The anti-tank kit primary role in battlefield 2 is to take out vehicles. Although many players currently use the special forces kit as the primary method of destroying tanks. This is because most players just don't know how to properly use the kit. Two well placed AT rounds from a distance can destroy a tank and keep you out of danger.

Weapons
As your primary weapon you have either a submachine gun or a DAO-12 (unlock).

MP5 PP-19 - 15 more shots per clip than its counter parts Type-85 - No single shot ability The Submachine guns are in most cases the last resort and should only be used at close quarters and as a defensive weapon. They lack accuracy and stopping power. Only to be used in a pinch. The DAO-12 shot gun on the other hand is arguable the best close quarters weapon in the game. It can take down just about any player within 10ft but after that its range limits its killing ability and its best to switch to your pistol or for longer distances your AT rocket. It has a 12 round clip, which takes up to 7 and half seconds to reload. You wont bring down an opponent in one shot even at close range unlike the pump action shot guns but with the good fire rate of this weapon you can bring them down quickly with two shots. This may be one of the best unlocks to get early on to help round out the kit. The Anti-tank weapon is your bread and butter when using the anti-tank class: It comes in three flavors:
 * The Submachine:
 * SRAW
 * ERYX
 * RPG (special forces) unguided

All three have the same damage power but unlike the SRAW and ERYX the RPG is not laser guided. This has its advantages and disadvantages. The RPG you can shoot quickly and take cover leaving less chance of being killed. This however is overshadowed by the fact that you have less chance of hitting a specific target area. The SRAW and ERYX you can guide after launch allowing you to hit distant moving targets or even the ability to out snipe snipers.

With the SRAW and ERYX keep the target in the circle at the center of your zoomed view. This will allow you to guide your rocket over long distances and make the kill. If you have a target which is moving make sure to lead the target since the SRAW and ERYX both cannot make fast turns. Some people to save time mark on their screen the center point of the circle so they can use that to guide the rocket and not have to go into zoom mode.

Knife: Best used with this class if you have a close kill to make but lack the DOA-12 unlock or if your DOA-12 needs reloading.

Pistol: Better bet for medium range kills than both your DOA-12 and your Submachine gun.

Strategy
The AT class is best used to take out vehicles. So you need to learn exactly what type of power it has. For this I recommend you check out our hit points page which gives you tips on exactly where to hit to get the most damage on enemy vehicles. In most cases one shot will not take out most vehicles besides buggies and boats in battlefield. It will set most land-based transports on fire with one well placed hits but in most cases the occupants will have time to escape. At that point you have to resort to normal infantry combat.

Since tanks, APCs, choppers with full health, will require more than one hit to bring down your going to need to learn to survive to make your second hit. This means don't just jump in front of the tank and go HAHA bamb, you will be dead seconds later.

Dealing with Main battle tanks (MBT):

Take cover: Since in most cases it will require more than one hit you will need to stay alive to get that second hit off! First try and hit your enemy when they are looking away from your position. Use the cover around you to hide. Remember to keep an eye on the gunner of the MBT. A smart gunner will keep his eye on the rear of the tank and take you out. Once you get your first shot off take cover again. Remember the tank is powerful and its main shell has splash damage so if it hits a wall directly behind you it can still kill you. Also the .50 cal the gunner is using can slice through tin fences. Even if MBT driver and the gunner miss where the first shot came from they will have a approximate idea of your location. To be safe its best not to take your second shot from the exact position you took your first. Hit and move if possible. Repair: A good commander will drop from time to time supply crates near friendly tanks to repair them. Make sure if you see this to take that out first or anyone repairing the tank before engaging the tank itself. In many cases tanks will buddy up with other armor. In this case a lone AT unit will have a nearly impossible task of destroying them. In this case either call for help and keep them off balance by hitting them randomly in weak spots. Try hitting one unit a couple times if no smoke hit the other sometimes you will find that only one has an engineer present and the other does not. An engineer cannot repair his own tank from the inside.

Where to hit: The main battle tanks weakest spot is the front tracks. Two hits its down instantly. This takes skill to hit (even more with a RPG) through and in many cases you cannot get a clear shot on it. If this is the case your second choice is the rear. It does slightly less damage but can get the job done. Hits to the rest of the tank will result in the need for 3 AT rockets to take the tank down.

Give chase: If a tank driver does not have a way to repair he will retreat quickly if the tank is taking heavy damage. The AT rocket has a long range get good using it and you can get him before he makes it out of the area. If he pulls around a corner give chase and try and predict where he is going so you can get a kill shot before he gets to safety. In many cases he will pull back to a spot where he can make repairs if this is the case try and steal the tank while he is out of it or kill him before he has a chance to enter the tank again. If you see a supply drop going to his position take it out! Now the tank driver is really up the creek. If he deploys smoke on his retreat you will need to learn how to estimate his position and take a blind shot. You may just get lucky.

Ultimately a lone AT unit against a tank is going to be a tough kill for the AT unit, two AT units working together can make quick work of a MBT even with support. The problem is how often do two AT units work together?

Watch for signs of damage: You can see 4 levels of damage when watching a tank.
 * 1) No smoke: healthy or mostly-healthy tank
 * 2) Smoke: Damaged tank, which may take as little as one, hit to destroy
 * 3) Sparks and smoke: Tank needs to take very little damage to be destroyed
 * 4) Flames: Tank's about to explode

Dealing with APCs : The problem with APCs is the fact they have a high rate of fire and the splash damage of the main cannon is very high. They only need two hits anywhere to be set on fire (direct hits). The problem is they are extremely fast and the high rate of fire in most cases doesn't allow for a second hit. If a tank and APC are buddied up aim for the APC it will take at least three quick hits to take down an APC being repaired. Your best bet is to have at least two AT units on one APC. Even one AT hit can spook a APC driver to flee, and two hits will cause the APC driver in many cases to just bail. (even if they aren't direct).

Attack choppers:: It takes two hits to seriously hurt a attack chopper (and more for the HIND) with a AT rocket but its rare to get one hit let alone two on even a rookie pilot. Your best bet is to take a shot from the rear on an attack chopper, which is very close. At any distance the attack choppers are just to quick to hit. The best use of the AT rocket against choppers is just to scare them out of the area. (this may be a different story in the next patch which will reduce the hit points of all choppers).

Transport choppers: When I speak of transport choppers I am mainly referring to the Black hawk. Trying to take down a Black hawk with just one AT unit is pretty futile at this point. The Black hawk with engineers and its powerful guns represent an almost impossible kill for a single AT unit. Your job in this situation is to try and aim inside of the chopper and kill the units on the inside. You can hit a repairing black hawk all day long with one rocket at a time and not make any progress so its best to try and kill the engineers on the inside of the chopper. Once a pilot sees that his health points aren't going up he may bug out buying the others on your team some time until it comes back. (and it will). As I stated before this may change with the upcoming patch.

Assault soldier
Gunners: Always stay on the lookout for potential threats to the helicopter and spot them out accordingly. Pick your shots wisely as well. infantry climbing into the AA and anti-tank class infantry are your #1 priority. At the same time, spotting tanks and APC's is very important. If in a heated situation you see a tank, spot him and then tell your pilot to "Go, go, go!" "Move it!" or "Hit it!". That way he will know that the spot came from you and that it is an immediate threat.

Pilots: Give your gunners an even wider view by rotating to the left and right. Throw in some full spins to check for incoming threats. I don't recommend hovering in the same spot for long as it will get you in trouble fast. However, in order to make your gunners life easier try not to make jerky movements while he is engaging an enemy infantry unit.

Evasive maneuvers
First of all, evasive maneuvers can often get you into more trouble than you were expecting if you don't plan what you are going to do, and where you are going to go. The number one reason for evading an attacker is to get in a safe spot, the second is to set yourself up for the kill. Plan your evasion maneuvers around setting up the kill.

AA Vehicles and ground placements: "Bob and Weave" as I like to call it, is very effective after a flare. Also, timing your flares is very important because if you flare and they don't shoot their missiles, you are a sitting duck. Trees can also come in handy as they reset the opposing forces' missile lock every time their view crosses one. You will also find that buildings and hills provide cover as well, especially if you have located the threat and recognize his POV in accordance with your chopper. As stated in the "Visualize" section, always know where the AA locations and AA vehicle spawn points are located (Often you can take them out even before they become a threat).

Airplanes: "Get out the way" Aviators like to come at you straight on, if you hear the warning indicator and suspect it is an enemy airplane simply flare and turn sharp. That way they will have trouble gunning you down. However, some aviators are smart enough to go into their air-ground mode which eliminates the missile lock indicator. This is another reason I try not to hover in the same spot for too long. To protect against these guys, listen for gun shots on your helicopter and watch your health. Attacking airplanes in your helicopter is possible. If your gunner is highly skilled a TV missile to the rear of the plane (I like aiming for the engines) can take out an airplane. Also, if you are having troubles with an airplane that is slowing down to almost a stop to kill you, launch some rockets at him. It is pretty difficult to land successful shots in succession, however, one rocket will take about half of the enemy airplane's health and make him think twice about messing with you.

FAV/Hummer/Vodnik: "Hit 'em Quick" If not taken care of swiftly these personnel transporters are the most dangerous Anti-Air vehicles against choppers. Mounted with a .50cal rotating turret on top of the vehicle, these little buggers can take you down in about 10 seconds flat. The best defense against these is either a well placed rocket or a good burst from the gunner. Tanks: "Get High or get Hung" Tanks only have the ability to aim so high, so if you spot one, raise above their POV and you will be safe. Most tankers will shoot at you once, see you pass, and usually forget about you, so swing around and take care of them when they aren't looking, or when you are right above them.

Anti-tank Infantry: "Peons" Unless people selecting the anti-tank are highly skilled in guiding their rockets, they normally are of little concern to me as a pilot. It is quite easy to see a rocket coming at you and dodge it. However, if you are trying to cap a flag, you may be in danger.

Capping flags
"Hang back and give 'em hell" First of all, I have to say that I don't condone capping flags in attack choppers unless they are very lightly guarded. Otherwise you run the risk of 3 SRAWs or ERYXs coming at you from all different directions. Remember, the main responsibility of the attack chopper is to support ground infantry. Therefore, we should not race ahead and try to capture flags unless they are unprotected. As chopper pilots we should hang back and look for prospective threats to our infantry.

More tactics
Note: Some of the material here may be covered above, however I encourage you read it regardless of this as the perspective of two different flying styles can be very useful.

My initial vision for this guide included an exact description of the core moves every pilot should possess in order to perform everything that was to follow, but it appears that I may have suffered delusions of grandeur or at the very least, overconfidence in my ability to convey this knowledge. As a result, I will simply assume that my readership is already well acquainted with the birds to the point where they can fly low (sub 40), turn rapidly and move with intent at all times.

Movement around structures and objects (avoidance, speed, trajectory)
The use of structures and objects for concealment and movement is one of the skills you should possess as a helicopter pilot in Battlefield 2. Essentially, this means having the ability to estimate your distances and projected trajectory on your way around the objects, all of this depending on the intended purpose of this series of moves. Practice flying close to the ground, avoiding and using the scenery as you make your way from one flag to any location of your choosing, but do so with a specific goal in mind: you may want to become comfortable with fast drops in altitude, followed by a fast course around structures, only to resurface in a more advantageous position. Perhaps your desire is to learn how to rotate around a particularly dangerous flag area for a capture assist to help a needy teammate ? These are all things you can decide to implement in your routines at your discretion. Ultimately, your skill at every one of them will determine how far you can take your chopper and how useful you will be to your team. Remember: a rounded pilot can do it all, so it would be important for you to learn how different helos move and what their limitations are in every situation.

Evasive maneuvers for land and air vehicles
Treat the following as helpful suggestions and possible methods/algorithms for evading threats in your immediate area. I will not suggest any particular way of dealing with boats for the simple reason that they are not a serious threat. Having an appreciable knowledge of the map you are currently on greatly enhances your chances of surviving surprise attacks on your chopper: you should always be in a position to tell where you are, the structures you can move around or use for concealment, the possible vehicles spawning in the area depending on which flags have been turned and finally, how to best use your current position against any particular threat. This will require practice...

Transports and Jeeps: if you aren't already doing so, you will learn to respect these vehicles if you value your time in the helos. Not only do most of them benefit from a great range of motion, but they are also equipped with powerful machine guns that cut through your chopper like a hot knife through butter. Make no mistake: should you give them even a few seconds of direct fire, you will be in a world hurt. As a result, it's extremely important that you learn to react rapidly to damage your chopper is taking. One of your first priorities is to determine the exact location of the offending jeep or transport vehicle, followed by moving to a safer place immediately: this is where the knowledge of maps and movement around structures becomes important. Your goal is to move away through the use of concealment or speed only to resurface in a more advantageous position to dispose of this threat... and only if your health permits it. Otherwise, you can offer a TV shot to your gunner if the option is available to you.

APCs: similar to the transport vehicles. They don't move as fast, but if you are caught by surprise, you may be on the receiving end of a dumb missile/rocket. Once you've made your way to a safer position, you can prepare your attack...

Tanks: arguably the same as dealing with an APC in most cases (rarely is the gunner position ever filled) but tread carefully, for one shot from the main tank gun can prove devastating. Make your way to a better location and prepare to punish the offending armor...

AA Vehicles: the guns are weak, but should you fail to flare up or do so in time, you could definitely be shot down. Do not underestimate them: use the transport algorithm to relocate but do not engage unless you have at least 70% of your health and a flare to use during the attack. If you have a gunner, put him in TV range and smile...

AA Emplacements: an annoyance you will learn to live with. Similar to a mosquito that simply won't go away, it seems that regardless of how many you swat, more come to replace the dead. Simply put, know the map and the AA emplacements so that you may relocate to a safer place or, in all honesty, flare up and ignore them if you can tolerate constant beeping: I prefer to dispose of them, but you can usually take evasive action and leave the immediate area without too much trouble, only to come back moments later to find the same offending AA short of an operator.

Jets: this is entirely up to chance. More specifically, you will either be faced with a good pilot that won't give advance warning before attempting to gun you down, or your aggressor will poke you first (through the use of his missiles), letting you know exactly what to do. Since their paths are usually rather straight, you should strafe in either direction, lose some altitude and face them to have a better idea of where they will turn, at which point you can determine where to go depending on your health and daring: some chopper pilots like the ensuing face-off, but don't take this chance against more competent jet fighters/bombers. The silent gun attacks can leave you with little and assuming your attacker makes a second run, your odds of surviving could be very low unless you drop and use your environment to stay concealed temporarily. Since many would-be ace pilots will fly straight at you guns blazing, it would be in your best interest to attempt strafing (moving to either side), as a ram will lead you back to a carrier or pad full of seagulls screaming "MINE!".

Attack helicopters: see the combat section.

Boats: Their gun range is limited and the damage dealt is respectable provided you are near and at an appreciable angle. As such, they aren't to be feared. If you have a gunner, his primary fire should dispose of these annoyances quickly enough, otherwise, two of your dumb missiles will suffice. Okay, so I mentioned boats. No, they aren't land or air vehicles... so sue me. :)

Combat concepts (pre-patch 1.2)
The following is a general nudge in the right direction for different situations you may face on the battlefield: take them as helpful suggestions and develop the style you are comfortable with. Naturally, some approaches will work better than others, so choose well and enjoy the pwn4ge that is to come...

Basic techniques: at this point, you should be comfortable with all types of movement. It should be easy for you to guide the chopper backwards, stop on a dime, do angled rotations and use the terrain to your advantage. What you will now have to learn is the shooting of dumb missiles at different speeds, angles and heights: this is very difficult to explain in writing, so I'm afraid you will have to experiment, although at this stage in the game, you should already have a good idea of how to proceed. Keep practicing these shots at all angles and heights until you can do them without having to make any conscious calculations.

At this point, you are ready to engage ground and air targets. Let's see if we can find a few techniques to help you on your way, shall we ?

Structures and Land objects: these shouldn't pose too much of a threat if you are careful and approach them wisely. Take the Essex, for example: if you *must* approach the carrier for any reason, your gunner should take it out several hundred feet prior to your arrival, but if he couldn't, it will be your job to take it out with a few dumb missiles. Try not flying in any straight manner, as this will make it easier to target you and will help the AT and Assault kits take you out depending on your height. AA emplacements are the same, though they're not as dangerous: if you're close enough and have already flared/avoided the AA payload, give your gunner a machine gun or TV shot on it, being mindful to flare up if you're unsuccessful somehow. In this situation, it helps to have an escape route planned.

Land vehicles: in keeping with the aforementioned evasive maneuvers for every type of land vehicle, try to keep your distance and let the gunner work his magic with the TV. Should he not be in a position to take the offending vehicle out, it will be your job to do it so pay attention to your position, possible hiding locations and escape routes: APCs are generally very easy to take out, as are tanks... though you should be very careful with the latter, as one shot from their turret will leave you in a world of hurt. Expect to use 4-7 missiles for each land vehicle: you aren't going to successfully hit all of them, so check your current load before engaging and realizing that you're going to require a second run...

Non-combative helicopters: A treat, really. Line up your gunner and let his TV missile do the talking. Should he miss, let him spam the machine gun while you empty your payload on (preferably) the side (at an angle) of the chopper. You will need practically all of your missiles to make critical damage so make sure you're ready to give your gunner another shot should the first run not work.

Combat helicopters: along with the jets, these are your main concern. Depending on the helo you're in, the tactics will change.

Cobra: everything goes. You can do it all: fast and agile movement, TV missiles through the sky and tight pattern on dumb missiles for added precision. With this chopper, you can climb fast as well, so you should strive to have the height advantage for a few reasons: you are more difficult to spot, your gunner will have an easier time lining up TV shots and should the other chopper fail to spot yours, you will have the jump on him and thus, a chance at a surprise attack.

Chinese: although you have good mobility and TV missiles that can be used against clear skies, your missile pattern isn't as tight and your size can make you an easier target. I recommend a stealthier approach with this chopper, though you can engage every helo in air battles because of your TV missiles.

MEC: good mobility, excellent gunner machine gun and plating. However, your missile pattern isn't as tight and your size can make you an easier target. I recommend using this chopper to support the ground troops during an advance on the enemy flags. Although you may be able to use this bird in air battles, your gunner's inability to use the TV missile effectively against clear skies can put you at a clear disadvantage over long distances. Once you get to medium or short distances, you can destroy the other helicopter easily by letting your gunner hit the enemy with the machine gun while you let the missiles fly (preferably at an angle to the side to increase your target size).

You will need to get intimate with every chopper and know its abilities before you can use it wisely in battle, but there are a few common rules for every bird:

Important: if you are always flying in straight lines or have an easily discernible pattern to your movement, your enemy will find it much easier to take you out.
 * 1) Try to have the height advantage.
 * 2) Try to have the element of surprise.
 * 3) Try to hit from the sides to increase your target size (unless you are in the cobra).
 * 4) Try to keep yourself moving in as non-predictable a way as possible. This is very, very

Again, develop your own attack style, but be mindful of these suggestions: they work very well on 95% of enemy pilots. If you are to dominate the skies against the remaining 5%, take your flying and gunning seriously, engage your target intelligently and practice, practice, practice...

Jets: you should already hate them by now. If not, you *will* soon (as well as learn colorful new language your parents will be especially proud of). Unless you are a daring pilot with a very good gunner, try to avoid engaging them. The idea is to let them make a pass at you, follow them to what will be their future direction and let the gunner take a TV shot, if at all appropriate: of course, you can make dumb missile shots while they are coming at you but odds are good you will only hit them once. Otherwise, do not engage... take evasive maneuvers and spot for your friendlies to handle them.

Situational awareness
Although this should come to the pilot and gunner naturally, the development of this skill (especially in the pilot) can be of tremendous benefit to you and your team.

What do I mean by the above ? Having a very good understanding of the current situation your team is in, such as available vehicles (the whereabouts are also important), time/ tickets left (along with the most beneficial flags to capture based on numbering forces in the surrounding areas), who is in what and how skilled they are (so that you can approach a confrontation with them in as favorable a way as possible): in other words, you need to have a view of the battlefield in the same way a chess player sees a chessboard.

Ultimately, your understanding of the multiple factors involved in the current battlefield will enable you to make the most advantageous decision. The previously mentioned, in combination with a proficient gunner, will make you a very powerful ally.

Thanks goes out to FSSF|Sloi for this great addition/improvement on the original tutorial. Good luck out there!

Engineer
Engineer is deemed as being one of the hardest classes to play on the game, both in match play and in gaining stats. For that reason, very few people use the class in ranked servers. Engineers used in matches do not put in the time needed to learn the role effectively. This guide aims to provide you with hints and experience gained from playing the class over a variety of games in the Battlefield series.

Early preparation - pistols
Anyone wanting to play engineer needs to be prepared for the challenges of the role. The most important foundation to lay is the ability to use the pistol over a variety of ranges in both zoomed and unzoomed format. Due to the close quarters nature of the primary weapon, it is an important tool to have; unfortunately players won't stand next to you all the time and allow you to pick them off with a shotgun.

Old fashioned practice is the best way to achieve this, even if it means finding some willing moving targets and dragging them into the training server. Even when playing other classes, the pistol is always there to get practice with. Pulling it out a couple of times every map is a good way to build up skill with the weapon.

The pistol works equally well in all situations and positions, making it very versatile. It is an accurate weapon with very low recoil. Use of the zoom function further increase the accuracy, but requires practice to master. It is often a stronger choice over long range than a lot of primary weapons in the game.

Note - It takes 5 torso shots to kill a healthy player, less with headshots. It is important to practice landing several shots on a target quickly. Be careful when using at close range, only use it when your shotgun needs to be reloaded.

The specs with breakdown:
 * 92FS / MR-444 / QSZ-92
 * Magazine Capacity: 15
 * Magazines Carried: 7
 * Damage: 20 per shot - 5 torso shots needed for a kill
 * Accuracy: Medium/High
 * Min Deviation: 0.5 - Shot will not deviate far from aim point
 * Deviation Standing/Crouching/Prone: -/-/- - No change depending on state
 * Deviation Added per Shot: 0.125(3.5) - Very low amount allowing for fast rate of fire
 * Deviation Mod when Zoomed: 0.5 - Does not move away from further than minimum
 * Recoil: 0.5-0.8 - Recoil varies on movement and rate of fire
 * Recoil Mod when Zoomed: 0.25 - Recoil is halved when zoomed

Weapons
USMC/Chinese Shotgun - Both pump-action shotguns (causing a pause after each shot) which require accurate shooting in close quarters exchanges. This can be picked up easily with practice. As the shotguns provide a one-shot kill, it is worth lining up a shot and taking time over it. If you miss with your first shot, your opponent has been given an advantage.

It is also worth noting that reloads are made one shell at a time, providing very long reload times. If you're still not getting a kill and need to reload, it's time to put in some practice.

Shotguns are as effective and accurate on the move as when stationary. Move around as much as possible if you aren't confident with your accuracy to give yourself more chance of survival in close quarters combat.

Very ineffective at medium and long ranges. GET PISTOL WHIPPIN'

The specs and breakdown:
 * Clip Size: 7 - Each shell needs to be reloaded individually
 * Magazines: 30 shells - Shells should be used economically
 * Damage: 25x8 - 8 pellets fired, each causing 25 damage = 200 total damage
 * Accuracy: Low
 * Fire Modes: Pump-action - New shell must be 'pumped' after every shot
 * Min Deviation: 0.75
 * Deviation Standing/Crouching/Prone: -/-/- - No change when moving
 * Deviation Added per Shot: 0.2(3.0)
 * Deviation Mod when Zoomed: 0.9
 * Recoil: 3 - Very high recoil, aim must be reset after every shot
 * Recoil Mod when Zoomed: -

MEC Shotgun - A semi-automatic shotgun instead of the pump-action method. Due to the smaller shell capacity the one-shot kill advantage of the other shotguns is no longer available. Due to the higher rate of fire however, this is less of a problem. It is also faster when reloading, making it more suited to close quarters battles with multiple opposition. Accuracy is lower, but with the spread of the shells this is less of a problem. Recoil is reduced when zoomed.

The specs and breakdown:
 * Clip Size: 7
 * Magazines: 5
 * Damage: 12x8 - 2 shots required (Damage overall = 96)
 * Accuracy: Low
 * Fire Modes: Semi-auto - Faster rate of fire to pump action
 * Accuracy: Low
 * Min Deviation: 1.5 - Higher deviation from aim point due to semi-automatic nature
 * Deviation Standing/Crouching/Prone: -/-/-
 * Deviation Added per Shot: 0.2(3)
 * Deviation Mod when Zoomed: 0.9
 * Recoil: 3 - High recoil penalty
 * Recoil Mod when Zoomed: 0.75 - Recoil is reduced by three quarters when zoomed

UNLOCK - Jackhammer - A very underrated weapon unlock that can provide as many kills as longer ranged primary weapons when used effectively. It does less damage than the pump-action counterparts, but has a firing rate 7 shots per second (emptying the magazine). Long reload time and extreme recoil penalty. Useless past short range.

Tactics - When facing shotguns, it is common practice to jump and move around as much as possible. The Jackhammer has the ability of causing one shot kills. When an opponent begins to hop around, unload the shotgun and spin in their direction. The rate of fire and your ability to move faster than them will cause a hit and a kill. This weapon can be used to mow down multiple targets in one magazine with the same method of spinning. Be very careful to aim close to the target when firing, and be prepared to switch to pistol when reloading, it takes too long otherwise.

It is the easiest of the shotguns to use when it has been mastered. Take time to practice and be able to use it effectively. This shotgun will greatly increase your chances of increasing your stats when playing as the engineer; it can greatly improve your kill percentage.

The specs and breakdown:
 * Clip Size: 7 - All shots can be fired in a second
 * Magazines: 6 - Use supply drops and support players to keep stocked up
 * Damage: 15x8 - Total damage = 120
 * Accuracy: Low
 * Fire Modes: Full Automatic
 * Accuracy: Low
 * Min Deviation: 1.5
 * Deviation Standing/Crouching/Prone: -/-/-
 * Deviation Added per Shot: 0.3(3)
 * Deviation Mod when Zoomed: 0.9
 * Recoil: 4 - Huge recoil penalty
 * Recoil Mod when Zoomed: 1 - Recoil reduced by three quarters when zoomed

AT mines
Notice the driving style of players in ranked servers, you'll find that they tend to drive in the centre of the road at all times. When playing matches, this can be exploited. Consider the road moving vertically on the screen. A common tactic for engineers is to place mines across the road as below.

This method canvasses the whole road, stopping any enemy vehicles. It is worth noting however that this road will also be unusable by friendly vehicles. For match play, I propose the following tactic.

By laying the mines in the centre of the road, they will intercept most enemy vehicles (who ride along the centre part at all times). Friendly vehicles will know of this tactic, and will be able to drive along either of the sides of the road, providing safe passage along these roads. It is the job of the engineer to clear any enemy mines that may be placed along these pathways in mined areas.

Warning: Mines can be detonated by numerous things, check the link below for useful information on mine placing tactics and mine specifications. Be sure to flag up areas that have been mined to squad leaders, especially those used by friendly vehicles. They can then ensure that their squads are aware of the threat and use the sides of the roads in those areas.

Wrench
If only you could hit people over the back of the head with it, I probably wouldn't use anything but the trusty wrench. As an engineer, you're there to do a job, and it's not to get kills, it's to repair everything so that the rest of your team can get them. It is useful to be able to hop out of your vehicle and make a few running repairs. Keep in contact with your driver and crew, and use this option when it's available to you. There's no point going into battle with your tank falling apart.

Running around in the line of fire is sometimes part of the job. When doing so, it's important to keep on the move all the time. As an engineer, you will become a prime target if you're keeping tanks firing on a location. Switch positions and sides as much as possible, but be wary of vehicles moving, you don't want to get team killed. For extra protection, coordinate with your team-mates and crawl underneath their vehicle. As long as they only move forwards or backward, you won't be killed.

On the left you can see what it looks like when a wrench is put over something that is in need of repair. On the right is an item which cannot be repaired. The yellow circles indicate if it can be repaired or not.

For extra protection, hop into a vehicle and move close to the vehicles that need to be repaired. In close proximity, your vehicle doubles up as a repair station but with some armored protection. A team of several engineers in a vehicle can provide great repairing power for team vehicles.

Commander resources are essential. Keep an eye on their status on your HUD and either move over to repair them, or report it to your commander in order to allow them to drop supplies.

Roles that engineers sometimes forget are their ability to repair bridges. It doesn't take long to repair a damaged bridge. Get covering fire from one of your team's vehicles, repair the bridge, then hop in and move across.

Another forgotten role is the ability to remove some explosives with the use of the wrench (claymores and AT mines)


 * Basic Repair Badge
 * 5 repair points IAR
 * Veteran Repair Badge
 * IAR: 10 Repair points
 * 15h played while Engineer
 * Expert Repair badge
 * IAR: 25 Repair points
 * 250 repairs
 * 100h played while Engineer
 * Basic Engineer Badge
 * IAR: 10 kills while Engineer Class
 * Veteran Engineer Badge
 * IAR: 20 kills while Engineer
 * 15 hours while Engineer Class
 * Expert Engineer Badge

Sniper
First off after a ton of question yes the M95 yes it can here is a video of a pilot being shot while hovering This is just a basic few things you should know to help you to be a bit more productive while being a sniper. No one likes a sniper, snipers hate other snipers and other players hate snipers so in general most people hate you. Aiming with a sniper rifle is somewhat of an art form and really the best way to get good at it is to practice and learn lead! So most of this will be for tactics and how to best use the tools you have at your disposal.

Visual First of all if you want the best results from a sniper rifle you need to have a long draw distance set on your graphics. You can change this to 100% under your graphics settings.

One of the most important advantages of the sniper is of course its ability to kill at a distance. So if you're rushing the front line don't do it with a sniper rifle! Now shots at a distance require a accurate shot. I've seen some people with the perfect headshot but keep missing it. Well first off I notice them clenching the mouse as they press the button. If you have a high sensitivity setting on your mouse even the click of the mouse can throw off your shot. So think of going to your control settings and setting a secondary fire button. I use a joystick button set off to the side of my keyboard. This way you line it up and click the other button and your cross hairs don't budge at the last second because of mouse movement. Sound Now the best way to keep aware of what's going on around you while zoomed in is sound. Make sure you're able to clearly hear what's going on. Many times just keeping my ears opened has saved my butt from being knifed. Watch this video if you listen before the knife you can actually hear the foot steps of the approaching solider. Now another important thing is to hit and run! You kill a guy once he's going to be pissed and looking for you. Most likely will respawn as a sniper. He even may have seen you right before you put one in him so it's best to hit and move. Pick an area and figure out a rotation of spots to shoot from. Hit move to your second spot hit move to third. Now also if you do find a good spot and you don't want to move for whatever reason remember if you kill someone you have 15 seconds (on ranked servers) once that 15 seconds is up hide. That way when the guy makes his respawn he will be looking for you if you're down and hidden he will A. Think your not in that spot, B. think oh you've moved on, or C. Come stab you. After a few moments you can pop back up and hopefully he has moved on. Remember even if you have the best spot in dice brilliance they decided to add a game feature called UAV, which has the ability to see through even the best hidden spot. So keep on the move or at the very least you'll have artillery falling on your head after a short while.

Weapon of choice As the sniper kit you get your rifle of course which is great for long distance but up close your going to get whipped. So you also have the pistol, which is great for medium distance shots while you make your retreat. If you find yourself up close and personal the pistol doesn't have great stopping power so you may want to switch to the knife one stab one kill. If you're good with it even a shotgun user can be dropped before they know what hit them. You also have grenades, which are great for lobbing at flags to clear out attacking troops and various other uses. The most interesting weapons of all though is the claymore. For more information on the use and spec's of the claymoreOver focused Keep and eye on your minimap. One reason snipers are hated is because they get over focused on their cross hairs and they don't watch the minimap. I've sat so many times with no spawn point and one sniper sitting off in his super duper secret sniper spot with no idea that we have no flags. I doubt any veteran hasn't experienced this. So keep an eye out if your team is in trouble join the fight and get a flag back! Also if you're not paying attention to what's going on around you, you may find that the flag right under your perch has just changed to the enemy side and you're surrounded with 5 guys with knives. Keep your ears and eyes open. Watch your minimap and make sure your sound is way up!

Sniping is a subject someone could write a novel about but this is just a simple guide you can find more in-depth guides with everything to bullet drop stuff to leading your target. GOOD LUCK!

MEDIC

The Medic Class is no doubt one of the most played kits in Battlefield 2. The #1 player in the world has over 800 of his 1200 hours played as medic. His point per minute is approaching 4, which is about twice as much as most people. This is because the medic gets the most rewards for services rendered to the team.

Medic Class Specifications: Unlocks: L85-A1 (great for medium range sniper work, but bad recoil makes it hard to aim on auto. Not much stopping power. ) G36E (xpack only. Great gun) Pistol 4 Grenades - Grenades are a very useful tool, see the grenade page. Health packs Shock Paddles Visit our sponsor!

Point Breakdown Heal Points - 1 point per heal - This is achieved through a number of actions. 1) Someone picking up one of the medication bags you have thrown on the ground

2) Holding your medication bag near a wounded soldier. Note: Holding your bag or picking up one of your own health packs does not give you points.

3) Entering a vehicle will allow people that either enter the vehicle or get close to it to be healed.

Revive Points - 2 points per revive 1) Equip your shock paddles (aka defibrilators) and use them on a critically wounded teammate. The Basics

Important changes from patch 1.2

Paddles DO reload while not in use, however their charge characteristics have been changed as follows. - Medic Packs and Defibrilators now share a "charge" - You carry 3 medic packs and have 4 shocks (if you shock one after the other) - If you shock once and switch to the medic pack, you will have 2 medic packs left. They will still slowly regenerate, but what this means is. - You can't spam Medic Packs and then expect your defibrilators to be charged. - After 4 shocks with your paddles there will be about a 2 second wait before the paddles begin to charge back up.

While playing as a medic you must always be aware of what is going on throughout the battle. Stay close, but not too close to the larger groups of your fellow troops as they will often need to be healed or even revived. Always listen for troops calling for a medic and check your minimap for a flashing icon. Your minimap will also display where critically wounded troops are.

Wounded symbol on minimap Critically wounded Make sure to also watch the health indicator above friendly troops this will let you know if you need to throw them a medic pack. "Sniff sniff make it better" Using the Shock paddles for good. This is best done from the prone position. Aim the HUD crosshairs at the soldier's body and click the fire button.

If it doesn't work try again until it is successful. When reviving, you have to think about where the person you are reviving got shot from. If you heard shots from the right and then a call for medic, check the area first and then revive. Many times, you will notice that people will actually throw a grenade at the soldier they have just killed in hopes to kill you as you revive him. Try and follow these steps so you and your just revived team mate aren't instantly killed:

1. Survive 2. Secure Area 3. Revive 4. Check to see if you and your team mates need healing

Another thing to remember is that just because the bar above a soldier's body has disappeared, it does not mean he can't be revived. It does however mean you have very little time to reach him. If you fail to make it in time (15 seconds on ranked server) you will just be trying to revive thin air.

Reviving soldiers in water can be difficult, but it is possible if any part of their body is out of the water. Often the critically wounded soldier will float and a small area of his chest will be exposed. If he is close enough to shore, you can revive him by aiming your crosshairs at the exposed area. Using the Shock paddles for evil. Most people know that the shock paddles are deadly to enemy soldiers. They can disrupt the heartbeat of a living person and thus kill them. Personally, I don't do this often because I prefer using the knife. The knife is quicker and has virtually no reload time so it seems to be a better choice. However, there are certain situations that may favor the use of the shock paddles. For example, if you have just revived or are headed to revive a soldier and run into an enemy at least one try with the shock paddles is definitely a good defense mechanism. If I don't get him on the first charge I then switch to my primary weapon. Plus it makes people go ooooh shock paddle kill.

Misc: When Squad leader try and be medic especially if you are behind enemy lines and a spawn point is not near by. This will allow you to revive your crew but just as importantly be revived. If team mates are near by and you are taken down, have them pick up your kit with the "G" key and this will allow them to revive you and keep the squad rolling.

Medic packs: These can be used as lures. Throw one down and wait, many times an enemy will roll in and try and heal himself and you'll be lined up for a perfect kill. On the other side don't just throw down packs in enemy territory this will just allow them to use your own medic packs against you.

Medic packs being held are much slower to heal than ones on the ground. You can instantly be healed by medic packs on the ground. The disadvantage to this is if you throw the medic pack down the enemy can see right where you are since medic packs can be seen by the enemy when they are released. So they see one show up then shortly after disappear they know your there.

SUPPORT

The Support class when utilized properly can be a valued member to any team.Now with the changes made by the 1.2 patch the support class weapons are able to dish it out as well if not better than the assault class weapons. Going prone is still recommended but you at least have a chance now while standing. You can be a spec-ops best friend going behind enemy lines and giving him the ammo he needs to take out all of the enemies assets. Or a commanders new buddy buy holding a flag with your relentless machine gun fire. To be effective in this class look no further than its name SUPPORT.

SUPPRESS- Suppression is what these guns were designed to do. Keep the enemy's heads down and you and your team has a better chance at keeping your own. Suppression fire is best in burst. Make them afraid to take a peek or throw a nade. Your teammates will thank you.

UNDERSTAND- Understand the role you play on a team. Most of us when we think of machine guns have visions of Rambo mowing down hordes of bad guys standing in two feet of brass all in a blaze of glory. The truth is you are there to help our your team hence the name Support. It might not be glorious but somebody needs to do it.

PRONE- Going prone is the key if you want to kill someone with the machine gun. Going prone increases accuracy with any gun but it is essential with a machine gun. To prone is to pwn.

PKM- This is the biggest loudest gun you can get.With the release of the 1.2 patch this gun is even more deadly. It has a distinctive sound and draws a lot of attention. This gun has massive stopping power and can give squads a real bad time. One unique feature this gun offers is its ability to shoot through some soft cover such as the tin fences or wooden wallsOWNERSHIP- Take ownership of the class. Fulfill your role to the best of your ability be it suppression or supply do what it takes to help your team win.

RESUPPLY- "Ammo here!" Toss those bags around like they are going out of style. See a teammate fire an anti-tank rocket? toss him a bag. Don't forget you can resupply vehicles too. Hop in a Hummer and go escort a tank. Remember a well supplied force is an effective one. With less down time waiting on supply crates your team will be more efficient.

TEAMWORK- Its all about the team. Support your guys everyway you can, be a vital member of the team. If you like being a part of the whole the Support class may be for you.

HELICOPTOR PILOTING GUIDE

HELICOPTER PILOTING: (USMC) AH-1Z Cobra / (MEC) Mi-28 Havoc / (PLA) WZ-10

Helicopter Specifications: (USMC) AH-1Z Cobra Pilot controls: 4 Canisters of 8 - hellfire missiles Gunner controls: 20mm nose mounted cannon 8 - Optically guided anti-tank missile

(PLA) WZ-10 Pilot controls: 4 Canisters of 8 - 57mm barrel rockets Gunner controls: 23mm nose mounted machinegun 8 - HJ-73 "Red Arrow" anti-tank missile

(MEC) Mi-28 Havoc Pilot controls: 4 Canisters of 8 - 80mm unguided rockets Gunner controls: 30mm nose mounted cannon 8 - Optically guided anti-tank missile

1.2 Attack Chopper Tutorial Addendum Movement around structures and objects:

Before 1.2 came along, it was favorable for any helicopter pilot to use the terrain intelligently to avoid detection and acquire targets stealthily: it is no longer an option. Sadly, alterations to the helicopter have made it nearly impossible to stay airborne for extended periods without the use of cover at all times. Plan your route carefully and be ever more mindful of your surroundings.

Evasive maneuvers for land and air vehicles:

As a result of your decreased hitpoints, you are now highly susceptible to machine gun fire coming from jeeps and transport cars: it would be a terrible mistake for you to ignore them at this point. Armored personel carriers are relatively benign and pose little threat to the experienced and intelligent pilot: stay out of their line of fire and you will be fine. Tanks, on the other hand, are now to be respected and dealt with from their blind spots: do not engage them from any direction that could result in a turret hit.

AA emplacements and vehicles are now your main priority. Before freely entering an area to support the advance of your ground troops, you must first clear it of IGLA and Stinger weapons: this patch has given the 'newbies' a dangerously effective way to deal with air support, so make sure you know their emplacements and occupancy. You should also endeavor to destroy any mobile AA vehicles in any given area, even if unmanned. Prioritize the anti-air weaponry and your flight won't be as stressful.

Jets manned by competent pilots are no longer something you can defend against: the only real evasive trick is constant relocation to avoid their sights, but even this may not prove sufficient to fend them off. Ultimately, you will need the help of AA and friendly jets to be free from their attacks. Attempt to nip away at the airplanes using your turret. If a plane is smoking your gunner may be able to take him out quite easily. Check the media section for the video showing this technique.

Combat concepts:

Stay away from the carriers. That said, it would be preferable for you to let your gunner attack IGLA and mobile AA vehicles with his TV missile: this will make them more important now than they've ever been before. Using the TVGM is now a required skill... well, unless you enjoy re-spawn time conversations.

Land vehicles (including APCs and tanks) should be dealt with from afar, as close encounters can leave you seriously injured. Endeavor to give your gunner the shots. Since machine gun fire is more effective, you can combine this weapon with missiles to destroy non-combative and combative helicopters alike, but remember that for the latter, it works both ways: air battles are now (if AA doesn't interfere) shorter and highly dependent on the element of surprise (read: who sees the other first). Stay away from jets.

Since your chopper now has less health and is more susceptible to anti-air missiles, strive to plan your attacks carefully.

Situational Awareness:

I am tempted to say that this skill is no longer optional, but as is the case with many talents and abilities, it may be innate. Still, it can and should be developed as it is now more important than ever to be aware of what's happening on the field.

Conclusion:

Helicopter flight and combat was challenging before the 1.2 patch came along, so the changes you have seen may seem discouraging: just remember that you overcame your difficulties learning to fly and gun, so you can adapt and dominate again if effort is made to do so. Good luck... Advanced Piloting Lesson 1 - Survival

Visualize Before you get your chopper airborne, try to visualize all of the AA placements on the current map. With patch 1.2 and the increased effectiveness of AA this is VERY important. Take into consideration what flags the enemy has captured around you and what your team's current status may require you to do. Then map your plan of attack around the parameters you have set for yourself. If you do this correctly, every time the missile lock indicator goes off or you take damage you should have a good idea of where the threat is coming from and will be able to make evasive maneuvers that will ultimately allow you to eradicate the threat. Keep your head on a swivel. One of the most important things to do while piloting one of the attack choppers in BF2 is to always be aware of your surroundings. This includes the location of trees, cranes, and buildings. However, the most important aspect of survival as an attack chopper pilot is constant awareness. I like to think of it in terms of four L's.

Tip #1 "The 4 L's"

Listen - Listen for enemy spotting calls from teammates, especially your gunner. Look - Look on your mini-map to determine the location of the threat. Re-Locate - Locate yourself in a position that is appropriate for the spotted threat. Let loose - When you have relocated yourself appropriately, engage the enemy threat and take it out.

Repair, Repair, Repair Just as the title indicates, always repair your attack chopper. Taking a hit from one SRAW may not get your armor in the red, but combined with heavy fire from a turret .50cal or another SRAW you will find yourself in a hurt locker. Plus, we all know that if you go down, there tends to be four billion people waiting for your chopper.

Lesson 2 - Pilot/Gunner Relationship

The "TV MISSILE" The TV missile (as it is commonly called) is one of the most powerful weapons in BF2. If utilized correctly it can make tankers hide, APC's flee, and enemy choppers steer clear. The first thing to know as a pilot is where your gunner is looking in his TV view. These screenshots, taken simultaneously, show the relationship of the views between pilot and gunner while using the TV missile.

For those who fly with the same person on a regular basis: First of all, communication is the most important issue here. If I am playing with friends we use Team speak, if I am playing by myself I always invite my gunner to my squad. Both are effective forms of communication and I highly recommend using one of them. The point is obviously to be able to spot a tank or other hostile vehicle and let your gunner know, and vise versa. Next on the list is the ability to call shots. I have just started doing this more and more and it has proven very useful. If a vehicle poses no apparent threat and is giving itself to the pilot, let the pilot take it. If for example, its an AA vehicle, you should let your gunner take it from long range. The choices are up to you depending on the circumstances. The main thing that this allows you to do is conserve TV missiles and rockets. If done correctly, you should both be spent on the way back for supplies. (Note: I usually like to have a few rockets on me for the fly back just in case)

Pilots: Setting up your gunner for shots on Tanks/APC's/Helicopters/etc. is the most crucial part of piloting an attack chopper in BF2. Determining the skill of your gunner is also a very important part of piloting. Regardless of your gunner's skill, you still need to know how to set him up as best as possible. Gunners: One of the most common issues I see with the use of the TV missile is that most people don't know that it is possible to continuously guide it. Using the correct technique on guiding your missile is very important. Clicking frantically will sometimes get you a kill, however, you also run the risk of misguiding it right at the location of the opponent. I prefer to use only as many clicks as I need to. For example, an object traveling left to right in your guiding view needs to be "led". Start the missile where you think the target will be when the missile reaches it. After practice you will seldom have to re-guide your missile. On the other hand, this is pretty hard to do with enemy choppers because they are always changing their movement patterns. Just remember to readjust only when necessary.

Nose Mounted Cannon This is the POV relationship from pilot to gunner. As you can see, the pilot's view is very limited. On the other hand, the gunner has quite a wide ranging view.

Gunners: Always stay on the lookout for potential threats to the helicopter and spot them out accordingly. Pick your shots wisely as well. infantry climbing into the AA and anti-tank class infantry are your #1 priority. At the same time, spotting tanks and APC's is very important. If in a heated situation you see a tank, spot him and then tell your pilot to "Go, go, go!" "Move it!" or "Hit it!". That way he will know that the spot came from you and that it is an immediate threat.

Pilots: Give your gunners an even wider view by rotating to the left and right. Throw in some full spins to check for incoming threats. I don't recommend hovering in the same spot for long as it will get you in trouble fast. However, in order to make your gunners life easier try not to make jerky movements while he is engaging an enemy infantry unit.

Lesson 3 - Tactics

Evasive Maneuvers First of all, evasive maneuvers can often get you into more trouble than you were expecting if you don't plan what you are going to do, and where you are going to go. The number one reason for evading an attacker is to get in a safe spot, the second is to set yourself up for the kill. Plan your evasion maneuvers around setting up the kill.

AA Vehicles and ground placements: "Bob and Weave" as I like to call it, is very effective after a flare. Also, timing your flares is very important because if you flare and they don't shoot their missiles, you are a sitting duck. Trees can also come in handy as they reset the opposing forces' missile lock every time their view crosses one. You will also find that buildings and hills provide cover as well, especially if you have located the threat and recognize his POV in accordance with your chopper. As stated in the "Visualize" section, always know where the AA locations and AA vehicle spawn points are located (Often you can take them out even before they become a threat).

Airplanes: "Get out the way" Aviators like to come at you straight on, if you hear the warning indicator and suspect it is an enemy airplane simply flare and turn sharp. That way they will have trouble gunning you down. However, some aviators are smart enough to go into their air-ground mode which eliminates the missile lock indicator. This is another reason I try not to hover in the same spot for too long. To protect against these guys, listen for gun shots on your helicopter and watch your health. Attacking airplanes in your helicopter is possible. If your gunner is highly skilled a TV missile to the rear of the plane (I like aiming for the engines) can take out an airplane. Also, if you are having troubles with an airplane that is slowing down to almost a stop to kill you, launch some rockets at him. It is pretty difficult to land successful shots in succession, however, one rocket will take about half of the enemy airplane's health and make him think twice about messing with you.

FAV/Hummer/Vodnik: "Hit 'em Quick" If not taken care of swiftly these personnel transporters are the most dangerous Anti-Air vehicles against choppers. Mounted with a .50cal rotating turret on top of the vehicle, these little buggers can take you down in about 10 seconds flat. The best defense against these is either a well placed rocket or a good burst from the gunner. Tanks: "Get High or get Hung" Tanks only have the ability to aim so high, so if you spot one, raise above their POV and you will be safe. Most tankers will shoot at you once, see you pass, and usually forget about you, so swing around and take care of them when they aren't looking, or when you are right above them.

Anti-tank Infantry: "Peons" Unless people selecting the anti-tank are highly skilled in guiding their rockets, they normally are of little concern to me as a pilot. It is quite easy to see a rocket coming at you and dodge it. However, if you are trying to cap a flag, you may be in danger.

Capping Flags "Hang back and give 'em hell" First of all, I have to say that I don't condone capping flags in attack choppers unless they are very lightly guarded. Otherwise you run the risk of 3 SRAWs or ERYXs coming at you from all different directions. Remember, the main responsibility of the attack chopper is to support ground infantry. Therefore, we should not race ahead and try to capture flags unless they are unprotected. As chopper pilots we should hang back and look for prospective threats to our infantry.

Part 2 - By FSSF|Sloi (One of my friends and very accomplished pilot/gunner)

Note: Some of the material here may be covered above, however I encourage you read it regardless of this as the perspective of two different flying styles can be very useful.

My initial vision for this guide included an exact description of the core moves every pilot should possess in order to perform everything that was to follow, but it appears that I may have suffered delusions of grandeur or at the very least, overconfidence in my ability to convey this knowledge. As a result, I will simply assume that my readership is already well acquainted with the birds to the point where they can fly low (sub 40), turn rapidly and move with intent at all times.

Movement around structures and objects (avoidance, speed, trajectory)

The use of structures and objects for concealment and movement is one of the skills you should possess as a helicopter pilot in Battlefield 2. Essentially, this means having the ability to estimate your distances and projected trajectory on your way around the objects, all of this depending on the intended purpose of this series of moves. Practice flying close to the ground, avoiding and using the scenery as you make your way from one flag to any location of your choosing, but do so with a specific goal in mind: you may want to become comfortable with fast drops in altitude, followed by a fast course around structures, only to resurface in a more advantageous position. Perhaps your desire is to learn how to rotate around a particularly dangerous flag area for a capture assist to help a needy teammate ? These are all things you can decide to implement in your routines at your discretion. Ultimately, your skill at every one of them will determine how far you can take your chopper and how useful you will be to your team. Remember: a rounded pilot can do it all, so it would be important for you to learn how different helos move and what their limitations are in every situation.

Evasive maneuvers for land and air vehicles

Treat the following as helpful suggestions and possible methods/algorithms for evading threats in your immediate area. I will not suggest any particular way of dealing with boats for the simple reason that they are not a serious threat. Having an appreciable knowledge of the map you are currently on greatly enhances your chances of surviving surprise attacks on your chopper: you should always be in a position to tell where you are, the structures you can move around or use for concealment, the possible vehicles spawning in the area depending on which flags have been turned and finally, how to best use your current position against any particular threat. This will require practice...

Transports and Jeeps: if you aren't already doing so, you will learn to respect these vehicles if you value your time in the helos. Not only do most of them benefit from a great range of motion, but they are also equipped with powerful machine guns that cut through your chopper like a hot knife through butter. Make no mistake: should you give them even a few seconds of direct fire, you will be in a world hurt. As a result, it's extremely important that you learn to react rapidly to damage your chopper is taking. One of your first priorities is to determine the exact location of the offending jeep or transport vehicle, followed by moving to a safer place immediately: this is where the knowledge of maps and movement around structures becomes important. Your goal is to move away through the use of concealment or speed only to resurface in a more advantageous position to dispose of this threat... and only if your health permits it. Otherwise, you can offer a TV shot to your gunner if the option is available to you.

APCs: similar to the transport vehicles. They don't move as fast, but if you are caught by surprise, you may be on the receiving end of a dumb missile/rocket. Once you've made your way to a safer position, you can prepare your attack...

Tanks: arguably the same as dealing with an APC in most cases (rarely is the gunner position ever filled) but tread carefully, for one shot from the main tank gun can prove devastating. Make your way to a better location and prepare to punish the offending armor...

AA Vehicles: the guns are weak, but should you fail to flare up or do so in time, you could definitely be shot down. Do not underestimate them: use the transport algorithm to relocate but do not engage unless you have at least 70% of your health and a flare to use during the attack. If you have a gunner, put him in TV range and smile...

AA Emplacements: an annoyance you will learn to live with. Similar to a mosquito that simply won't go away, it seems that regardless of how many you swat, more come to replace the dead. Simply put, know the map and the AA emplacements so that you may relocate to a safer place or, in all honesty, flare up and ignore them if you can tolerate constant beeping: I prefer to dispose of them, but you can usually take evasive action and leave the immediate area without too much trouble, only to come back moments later to find the same offending AA short of an operator.

Jets: this is entirely up to chance. More specifically, you will either be faced with a good pilot that won't give advance warning before attempting to gun you down, or your aggressor will poke you first (through the use of his missiles), letting you know exactly what to do. Since their paths are usually rather straight, you should strafe in either direction, lose some altitude and face them to have a better idea of where they will turn, at which point you can determine where to go depending on your health and daring: some chopper pilots like the ensuing face-off, but don't take this chance against more competent jet fighters/bombers. The silent gun attacks can leave you with little and assuming your attacker makes a second run, your odds of surviving could be very low unless you drop and use your environment to stay concealed temporarily. Since many would-be ace pilots will fly straight at you guns blazing, it would be in your best interest to attempt strafing (moving to either side), as a ram will lead you back to a carrier or pad full of seagulls screaming "MINE!".

Attack helicopters: see the combat section.

Boats: Their gun range is limited and the damage delt is respectable provided you are near and at an appreciable angle. As such, they aren't to be feared. If you have a gunner, his primary fire should dispose of these annoyances quickly enough, otherwise, two of your dumb missiles will suffice. Okay, so I mentioned boats. No, they aren't land or air vehicles... so sue me. :)

Combat concepts (pre-patch 1.2)

The following is a general nudge in the right direction for different situations you may face on the battlefield: take them as helpful suggestions and develop the style you are comfortable with. Naturally, some approaches will work better than others, so choose well and enjoy the pwn4ge that is to come...

Basic techniques: at this point, you should be comfortable with all types of movement. It should be easy for you to guide the chopper backwards, stop on a dime, do angled rotations and use the terrain to your advantage. What you will now have to learn is the shooting of dumb missiles at different speeds, angles and heights: this is very difficult to explain in writing, so I'm afraid you will have to experiment, although at this stage in the game, you should already have a good idea of how to proceed. Keep practicing these shots at all angles and heights until you can do them without having to make any conscious calculations.

At this point, you are ready to engage ground and air targets. Let's see if we can find a few techniques to help you on your way, shall we ?

Structures and Land objects: these shouldn't pose too much of a threat if you are careful and approach them wisely. Take the Essex, for example: if you *must* approach the carrier for any reason, your gunner should take it out several hundred feet prior to your arrival, but if he couldn't, it will be your job to take it out with a few dumb missiles. Try not flying in any straight manner, as this will make it easier to target you and will help the AT and Assault kits take you out depending on your height. AA emplacements are the same, though they're not as dangerous: if you're close enough and have already flared/avoided the AA payload, give your gunner a machine gun or TV shot on it, being mindful to flare up if you're unsuccessful somehow. In this situation, it helps to have an escape route planned.

Land vehicles: in keeping with the abovementioned evasive maneuvers for every type of land vehicle, try to keep your distance and let the gunner work his magic with the TV. Should he not be in a position to take the offending vehicle out, it will be your job to do it so pay attention to your position, possible hiding locations and escape routes: APCs are generally very easy to take out, as are tanks... though you should be very careful with the latter, as one shot from their turret will leave you in a world of hurt. Expect to use 4-7 missiles for each land vehicle: you aren't going to successfully hit all of them, so check your current load before engaging and realizing that you're going to require a second run...

Non-combative helicopters: A treat, really. Line up your gunner and let his TV missile do the talking. Should he miss, let him spam the machine gun while you empty your payload on (preferably) the side (at an angle) of the chopper. You will need practically all of your missiles to make critical damage so make sure you're ready to give your gunner another shot should the first run not work.

Combat helicopters: along with the jets, these are your main concern. Depending on the helo you're in, the tactics will change.

Cobra: everything goes. You can do it all: fast and agile movement, TV missiles through the sky and tight pattern on dumb missiles for added precision. With this chopper, you can climb fast as well, so you should strive to have the height advantage for a few reasons: you are more difficult to spot, your gunner will have an easier time lining up TV shots and should the other chopper fail to spot yours, you will have the jump on him and thus, a chance at a surprise attack.

Chinese: although you have good mobility and TV missiles that can be used against clear skies, your missile pattern isn't as tight and your size can make you an easier target. I recommend a stealthier approach with this chopper, though you can engage every helo in air battles because of your TV missiles.

MEC: good mobility, excellent gunner machine gun and plating. However, your missile pattern isn't as tight and your size can make you an easier target. I recommend using this chopper to support the ground troops during an advance on the enemy flags. Although you may be able to use this bird in air battles, your gunner's inability to use the TV missile effectively against clear skies can put you at a clear disadvantage over long distances. Once you get to medium or short distances, you can destroy the other helicopter easily by letting your gunner hit the enemy with the machine gun while you let the missiles fly (preferably at an angle to the side to increase your target size).

You will need to get intimate with every chopper and know its abilities before you can use it wisely in battle, but there are a few common rules for every bird:

1- Try to have the height advantage. 2- Try to have the element of surprise. 3- Try to hit from the sides to increase your target size (unless you are in the cobra). 4- Try to keep yourself moving in as non-predictable a way as possible. This is very, very important: if you are always flying in straight lines or have an easily discernable pattern to your movement, your enemy will find it much easier to take you out.

Again, develop your own attack style, but be mindful of these suggestions: they work very well on 95% of enemy pilots. If you are to dominate the skies against the remaining 5%, take your flying and gunning seriously, engage your target intelligently and practice, practice, practice...

Jets: you should already hate them by now. If not, you *will* soon (as well as learn colorful new language your parents will be especially proud of). Unless you are a daring pilot with a very good gunner, try to avoid engaging them. The idea is to let them make a pass at you, follow them to what will be their future direction and let the gunner take a TV shot, if at all appropriate: of course, you can make dumb missile shots while they are coming at you but odds are good you will only hit them once. Otherwise, do not engage... take evasive maneuvers and spot for your friendlies to handle them.

Situational Awareness

Although this should come to the pilot and gunner naturally, the development of this skill (especially in the pilot) can be of tremendous benefit to you and your team.

What do I mean by the above ? Having a very good understanding of the current situation your team is in, such as available vehicles (the whereabouts are also important), time/ tickets left (along with the most beneficial flags to capture based on numbering forces in the surrounding areas), who is in what and how skilled they are (so that you can approach a confrontation with them in as favorable a way as possible): in other words, you need to have a view of the battlefield in the same way a chess player sees a chessboard.

Ultimately, your understanding of the multiple factors involved in the current battlefield will enable you to make the most advantageous decision. The previously mentioned, in combination with a proficient gunner, will make you a very powerful ally.

Thanks goes out to FSSF|Sloi for this great addition/improvement on the original tutorial. Good luck out there! The Anti tank kit primary role in battlefield 2 is to take out vehicles. Although many players currently use the how to

RANKING

Private

Global Score: 0 	Private is the first rank it does not require any points

Private 1st Class

Global Score: 150 	Private 1st Class is your first promotion.

Lance Corporal

Global Score: 500 Unlock Available Lance Corporal is your first promotion, which will include your fire unlocked weapon. Consider choosing the unlocked weapon to which kit you tend to use more. Also if you own special forces you will receive two unlocks for every one normal unlock you get.

Corporal

Global Score: 800 Unlock Available Corporal also is a promotion which includes an unlock.

Sergeant

Global Score: 2500 Unlock Available Sergeant is the third rank in which you will receive an unlocked weapon.

Staff Sergeant

Global Score: 5000 Unlock Available Staff Sergeant This is the first rank in which many people "work" for enjoy the promotion it gets much harder from here on out. You also receive an unlock for this rank.

Gunnery Sergeant

Global Score: 8000 Unlock Available Gunnery Sergeant can take a bit for the causal player to reach. Its best by this point to start gathering badges you will need them down the road. Also once again you will receive an unlock for this rank.

Your next rank is determined on score and if you have the required amount of badges. Once you meet 20 thousand points you will move on to your next rank, but if you have the badges needed you will also bump up to the next level as well. If you do not acquire all the badges by the time you reach 20 thousand you will not be able to attain First Sergeant and you will move on to Master Sergeant. You CANNOT once reaching Master Sergeant reach First Sergeant. Master Sergeant

Global Score: 20,000 Unlock Available If you have this rank you did not meet the minimum badge requirements for first sergeant. Your next rank will either be Master Gunnery Sergeant or Sergeant Major depending on what badges you acquire.

First Sergeant

Global Score: 20,000 Unlock Available This rank requires most of the basic badges: Basic knife Combat Badge, Basic Pistol Combat Badge, Basic Assault Combat Badge, Basic Anti-tank Combat Badge, Basic Sniper Combat Badge, Basic Spec Ops Combat Badge, Basic Support Combat Badge, Basic Engineer Combat Badge, and Basic Medic Combat Badge

Your next rank will either be Master Gunnery Sergeant or Sergeant Major depending on what badges you acquire.

As before the next two ranks are dependant on points and what badges you have. If you do not meet the badge requirement for the higher rank you by the time you reach 50,000 points you will be unable to obtain it. Even if you obtain the badges required further down the road. Master Gunnery Sergeant

Global Score: 50,000 Unlock Available If you have this rank you did not meet the minimum badge requirements for Sergeant Major. You will not be able to obtain Sergeant Major even if you receive the missing badges required for Sergeant Major.

Sergeant Major

Global Score: 50,000 Unlock Available This rank requires most of the basic badges: Basic knife Combat Badge, Basic Pistol Combat Badge, Basic Assault Combat Badge, Basic Anti-tank Combat Badge, Basic Sniper Combat Badge, Basic Spec Ops Combat Badge, Basic Support Combat Badge, Basic Engineer Combat Badge, and Basic Medic Combat Badge, Basic Armor Badge, Basic Transport Badge, Basic Helicopter Badge, Basic Aviator Badge, Basic Air Defense Badge, and Basic Ground Defense Badge

Sergeant Major of the Corps

Global Score: N/A This rank is only held by one player at a time. The player chosen for this award is the best preforming Sergeant Major. (this is how we think it works still)

2nd Lieutenant

Global Score: 60,000 	This rank can be obtained by reaching 60k points.

1st Lieutenant

Global Score: 75,000 	1st Lieutenant can be obtained by reaching 75k points.

Captain

Global Score: 90,000 	This rank can be obtained by reaching 90k and being a total point whore.

Major

Global Score: 115,000 	Major can be obtained by reaching 115k points.

Lieutenant Colonel

Global Score: 125,000 	Lieutenant Colonel can be obtained by reaching 125k points.

Colonel

Global Score: 150,000 	Colonel can be obtained by reaching 150k points.

Brigadier General

Global Score: 180,000 	Brigadier General can be obtained by reaching 180k points and have the fallowing awards Awards: Expert Armor Badge, Expert Transport Badge, Expert Helicopter Badge, Expert Aviator Badge, Expert Air Defense Badge, Expert Ground Defense Badge (can you say impossible or at least damn hard)

Major General

Global Score: 180,000 	Brigadier General can be obtained by reaching 180k points and have the fallow awards: Expert Knife Combat Badge, Expert Pistol Combat Badge, Expert Assault Combat Badge, Expert Anti-tank Combat Badge, Expert Sniper Combat Badge, Expert Spec Ops Combat Badge, Expert Support Combat Badge, Expert Engineer Combat Badge, Expert Medic Combat Badge

Lieutenant General

Global Score: 200,000 	Lieutenant General: you can obtain this rank by reaching a global score of 200k (damn thats a lot of bf2).

General

Global Score: 200,000 	General: This is given to the higest ranking player of the month (yes people have more than 200k!)