Here’s the Gunner Guide I made awhile back if anyone is interested in reading it. Thought it was a waste moldering on Kongregate, so I decided to post it here so newer players can gain knowledge from it. I hope this helps!
Class: Gunner
Chassis: Striker
Description: Gunner thrives in long distances. While being built for range, he moves relatively well and can deal substantial damage up close. A pro Gunner doesn’t tilt games dramatically, but his presence is felt. Gunner is not meant for capping, as you will find out if you adventure to the CP. Gunner also has the most skins in the game (4).
Weapons
1st Weapon: Assault Rifle.
Dps: 150 (750 per three round burst)
This weapon has great range and does some pretty good dps. 60 shots in a mag. Right click acquires target lock. When weapon is locked on it shoots in a semi-automatic three round burst. If the clip is full the first burst gets a bonus of four shots (one extra shot). This is another reason to always have your gun full all the time. When weapon is not locked on it goes fully auto. Using it on fully auto is harder but can land more hits in a shorter amount of time. It is good to pair full auto AR with your Q skill (Tactical Crouch). But be aware that you are a sitting duck. Q+AR+Shatter+Copter Kick is one of the more deadly short range combinations in the game. It sometimes ends in suicide but for the most part is worth it, especially if you have low health and are gonna die. It’s good to at least kill your opponent usually.
2nd Weapon: Rail Gun
Dps: Varies on distance (basically a lot of dps)
Cooldown: About 1.5 seconds
RG shoots a rail of light. It’s the only real sniper rifle in FFT. Rail Gun and Battle Rifle are the only guns in the game that do not acquire a target lock. Headshot gives your adversaries bell rung status which makes them unable to discharge weapons and move much slower. Crits are very random and can be game changers especially in duels. The closer you are to an opponent the less damage you will do. The farther away the more damage. RG does have a max range. The only map you’ll have to worry about that though is in Space Station. Training Arena used to have some problems but it doesn’t really anymore. I will say that sniping at different ranges can be very different. Space Station is a lot of long sniping, where footwork is less important than aim. Shuttle Bay is short range, so footwork is pretty important. The best way to become skilled with this gun is to practice. Just play it 24/7. Every shot helps you improve, even if you are sniping newbies. That’s one of the nice things with sniping, even when you face noobs you are getting better, whereas with other classes (say Scout) it’s harder to improve against noobs. There are several different sniping methods.
1: Stay on the ground. Basically, you just stay on the ground and move back and forth without jumping, adding randomization to your movements is key.
2: Hops. Hopping back and forth to make it harder for the enemy sniper to nail you.
3: Fast Q. When you hit Q it’s only long enough for you to shoot. The longer you are crouched the easier it is for someone to hit you. Headshots are a ton easier also.
4: Circles. This one is horrible for me when I try to go against. It’s where you go around in circles, WASD over and over again so that you gain speed. Typically you never scope with this method.
There are a lot of variations to all of these. Some people move across the whole map while they snipe, and some (like me) just stick within the ten feet they have been by the whole entire time. Just remember, it’s always more important to move randomly than to move fast.
There are mainly four different aiming methods.
1: Go for aim. Pretty simple. You follow your opponent with your cross-hairs and when you feel like you can hit him you fire.
2: Wait for aim. You predict your opponents movements. Hold you cross-hairs to the side you think he will go and fire when he goes there.
3: Strafing. This is where you swipe across your opponent with your cross-hairs and fire when you’re over him.
4: No scoping. Yes, this is a technique. The person never scopes and just uses the circle on the gun. Good for if you don’t want to lose speed, since scoping makes you move slower.
Every technique has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. It’s nice to switch it up if you are getting static. Wait for aim is good against players on the ground. Going for the aim is good for people who are in the air. No scoping is good for up close sniping. It all mostly depends on how good you are and which technique best fits your skill set. Certain techniques are good against certain people. For instance, rja will beat fifa, fifa will beat abu, and abu will beat rja. <(Not actually what happens, just an example) There are a lot of different techniques and variations but those are just some of the major ones. I personally stay on the ground, rarely if ever use my Q (usually only if I have the other person headshotted), and usually use the wait for aim method, but I vary it depending on how I’m feeling, whom I’m sniping, etc. The most important key to getting good with this weapon is practicing it over and over again. Practice practice practice.
Skills
Q Skill: Crouch
Dps: 0
Cooldown: No cooldown
Crouch gives your player a 100% more chance to get a crit. Obviously, you can only use it when you are on the ground. It’s usually used to snipe targets that cannot fire back, but is also used plenty in sniper duels. It’s sometimes paired with full auto AR. Be aware, any time you stop moving in this game you are an easy target. I suggest not using it during Sniper matches. If you do use it during sniper matches, use it as fast as possible. Good snipers will headshot you immediately if you stay with it too long. I sometimes use it if my opponent’s health is getting to that range where a normal shot won’t kill, but a crit shot will.
E Skill: Copter Kick
Dps: 500
Cooldown: 8 seconds
Duration: 2 seconds
This kick is great for getting up close, knocking back opponents, stunning opponents for a moment, and gaining altitude for movement. Take into notice that if you use Copter Kick while crouched you do not go anywhere. It’s always a good escape rout to have. It comes in handy for sniper duels if you need a breather, since it’s very hard to hit a gunner who is in the middle of his kick.
F Skill: Shatter Bomb
Dps: 1000
Cooldown: 1.5 seconds
Duration: 10 seconds
The Shatter Bomb is a great way to change the tide of a confrontation. Nothing says more than a high dps and defense busting bomb. The bomb’s radius is pretty big, allowing you to hit multiple targets at once. When you hit someone with it, the defense of the hero affected by it is shattered (hence the term shatter bomb). Hitting someone midair with this bomb is tricky, but is worth the effort.
Movement
Movement in Space Station: This map is totally geared for a sniping Gunner. The long open ranges are great for sniping. Movement is a little tricky in this map because of the gravity and lack of slanted surfaces. As a sniping Gunner, you probably won’t move as much in this map as in other maps. Space+shift method is really the only way to get going fast in this map, once you get away from your base. This map is pretty nice if you are sniping since you have your base directly behind you. Health is a bit far away, but is in a covered area so you don’t have to worry about getting nailed by a stray rail shot. Getting grenades are a little harder as you have to travel through a lot of traffic. Requisitions help a lot in this map because a lot of the stuff you need is far away. If you have trouble sniping in this map, don’t worry. Some people find it very hard to snipe upside down. Being an AR Gunner in this map is actually pretty hard. With the gravity, it can sometimes be hard to nail someone with a grenade, or to land a copter kick.
Movement in Training Arena: N/A (I barely play this map.)
Movement in Moon Base: It really depends where you are in the map. In some places (mostly up on the catwalks) it’s really easy to move. But when you’re on the ground it’s rather difficult. It’s rather hard to snipe in this map because of all the different objects blocking your way. Getting a good view of the CP is probably the best shot you have at killing a lot if you’re sniping. If your enemies are capping a lot then you’ll have success. But if they’re not, you’re kinda screwed. This map is probably the most AR Gunner friendly map in the game. There’s no gravity to screw up your speed/timing. Plenty of objects to hide behind. Grenades and health are in plenty. Map is good size so you don’t get rekt by close range fighters, but not so huge that snipers destroy you.
Movement in Shuttle Bay: My personal favorite map to play Gunner on. Is ideal for a fast moving Gunner. You can get moving very fast with hardly even trying. Camping out near the grenades is good because you get a great view of everything and you’re near the health. Also, the ceiling is relatively low in Shuttle Bay so you’re not as vulnerable to Bombers as, say, Moon Base or Training Arena. Perfect for duels. Not many things to obscure your vision while sniping. Only drawback is how small it is, so lights and heavies are all over you. It’s nice to switch your sniping spot every once in awhile, especially if you have an Assassin or Scout in the room. Try to always keep them guessing where you are gonna go after you respawn.
Against other classes
I will go over what you should do against every class in the game. Nailing your opponent with your grenade (granted he doesn’t nail you with his) will almost always give you the victory (unless you’re vs a heavy). Most of what I say can be summed up in that you pretty much want to stay out of your opponent’s range the whole match. Gunner has the furthest range in the game and there’s really no reason to get close to your opponents. If all the classes in the game had a party, Gunner would be the anti-social one. Pro Gunners almost only use their Rail Gun, unless forced to use otherwise.
Gunner vs Scout
Scouts are very hard to snipe. When they have turbo on, pro scouts can be almost impossible to hit. If a Scout ever comes up from behind, you have two options. Q+AR+E+F or use E to gain elevation above the Scout. Once you are above a Scout it is a lot easier to deal with them. Once a Scout is predictable, he’s vulnerable to a rail shot. He’s most predictable and hittable after his Thunder Kick or when he lands his Chop with the Saber. If you see him moving in a straight line towards you, hit him with Rail and then gain elevation.
Gunner vs Assassin
Well, an instakill from behind doesn’t really have a good counter. Always be aware of your surroundings. Don’t spend much time scoped, as you will find out if you fight against a pro Assassin. Sniping Assassins are just as hard if not harder to snipe than Scouts. Assassin is by far the fastest class in the game. It’s pretty much Gunner’s nemesis. Do your best to stay away from them. If you are unfortunate enough to have one come close to you, get above them right away.
Gunner vs Bomber
The thing with fighting against a Bomber, is that even if you get above him, it’s almost impossible to stay above him. Especially, if he is a pro. Try to gain altitude, and then find a high spot you will be able to sit on for a second. Bombers thrive in staying high all the time. The way to defeat them is to get above them and stay above them. If you can lure him onto the ground that is great, but a smart Bomber won’t do that. Bombers are insanely hard to snipe. They move rather slowly but their movement is almost impossible to predict. Especially if he has his Q on.
Gunner vs Blazer
Tip: Stay out of Flamer’s range. Never come close to a Blazer and you’ll be fine. AR>Heat Ray. Now, if he sneaks up behind you, while you’re sniping, you’re in big trouble. You’re almost 100% gonna die because Flamethrower does so much dps, but you can still guarantee his death because of his low defense. Shatter+Kick+AR is your best shot. Since he’s usually slow moving and on the ground it’s not too hard to nail him with a shatter bomb.
Gunner vs Commando
Watch out for that nasty Remote Charge. Keep clear of the Butt Stroke. Staying above a Commando makes it harder for him to melee you. Don’t worry too much about his secondary, Battle Rifle, most Commandos don’t even use it and when they do they don’t know what they’re doing. If you’re sniping him and he snipes back with BR, don’t panic if he lands a couple hits on you. He’ll need probably 10-15 hits to kill you whereas you can kill him in 2 to 4. So pretty much, stay away from him and kill him at range with RG. RG>BR.
Gunner vs Tank
Keep away from Tanks. You never know when they will put up their bubble. Sniping heavy classes is relatively easy to do. Tank can do practically nothing at range. When using AR still keep your distance. Always be moving because once he catches you with his grenade your chances are grim. Tank’s R+F is incredibly powerful. It’s always risky to come in close to a Tank with your Copter Kick. The pain with Tanks is that even if you headshot them they can still activate their Q and walk away almost unharmed, but remember once a Tank activates his shield you have won a victory. Tank’s are pretty easy to predict because of their jetpack. It’s a charged burst so they are usually moving in one direction and can’t change their direction very well in midair.
Gunner vs Blaster
Gunner is actually a decent counter to Blaster. Stay as far away from Blasters as possible. They are fast moving and can unload a heck of a lot of dps. Sniping a Blaster is always the most effective way for taking them out. ARing is a bigger task. Blaster’s Minigun has great dps and good range for something of that nature. Rocket Launcher is slow moving, but if timed rightly is worse than Minigun. To kill a Blaster head on you absolutely have to land a hit with Shatter Bomb.
Gunner vs Tech
The best way to stop a Tech spam is to use Rail Gun. If you have trouble hitting moving objects take out the turrets first, this will help your teammates and give you a morale boost. If the Tech is any good disabling him will be a different matter. They can be tricky but if you’re any good with Rail you should be able to take them out. ARing two Techs who are together is nearly impossible to destroy. The time it takes to kill them is better spent elsewhere.
Gunner vs Shocker
Shocker is probably the best non-attacking way to counter a sniping Gunner. He can be pretty hard to take out. Sniping him is the long way but by far the safest. You can try to slide inside his Aegis and nail it with your bomb and copter kick but that can be dangerous if he’s a halfway decent Shocker, and backfires a lot.
Gunner vs Gunner
I saved this one for last, because it’s the most important. This is the best 1v1 in the game. Two Gunners, sniping each other. It takes real skill to be good at 1v1s. 1v1 sniping is a lot different than regular sniping, and is easier to land hits. The reason? The opponent Gunner is sniping back at you, so he won’t be moving as fast as, say a Scout or Commando who is running away from you. 1v1 sniping is probably my favorite thing to do in the whole game. There’s so many different styles and ways of sniping, every single person is completely different in how they duel. It’s also a lot of fun to try to switch up your own style of sniping to match it up against a certain other style of sniping that your opponent is doing. At high levels it almost becomes a chess match. Headshots can be so crucial in these duels. If you headshot your opponent, you’ve pretty much got it in the bag. The minute they Q (kneel), is your chance to headshot them. The thing you have to always keep in mind is not to get too excited or nervous while you’re sniping. I know this can be difficult and it’s what used to happen to me a lot. I’d be like: “omgosh I’m sniping against UM, I need to hit him like every time I shoot”. My palms would start sweating and the mouse would get slippery. Sometimes, it’s not who is better at sniping, but who is more focused and relaxed. Concentration is very important in predicting your opponent’s movements. Just don’t focus so hard your nose hits the screen (has happened to me before, lol). It’s another good reason to find a sniping spot you like and feel comfortable in. You don’t want to be in the open too much, but you also don’t want to be getting hung up on obstacles. It also can be difficult sniping on slanted surfaces, if you slide while you snipe. Practice practice practice. Talent is natural, but skill comes from practicing. Just remember, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
Tips
Always keep your assault rifle clip full. Randomizing your movements are crucial for 1v1ing. Don’t get nervous while sniping. Try to concentrate and predict your opponents movements. Be comfortable with your sniping spot and always keep an eye on your surroundings. Don’t stay scoped too long, it’s a hard habit to break and it’s bad in the long run. Stay far away from your opponents. Never let them come near you. Every shot helps, practice practice practice. Can’t say this one enough.
Terminology: Dps=damage per second/shot. CP=Control Point. Chassis=The framework or structure of a group of classes. Class=Hero. Weapon=a thing designed for inflicting damage. AR=Assault Rifle. RG=Rail Gun. crit=critical hit. BR=Battle Rifle. Flamer=Flamethrower.
That’s pretty much all I can think of. I tried to keep it as simple and readable as possible. I know it’s long, but this wasn’t supposed to be a quick walkthrough. If you have any questions let me know. Please list things you think I missed.
-Beli
