Sniper Rifle

“

You'll be needin' another use for that neck! Click to listen — The Sniper on headshots.

”

The Sniper Rifle is the primary weapon for the Sniper class. It consists of a wooden stock outfitted with a long metal tube and bolt action, a telescope attached to the top, plus a laser dot emitter for precision marksmanship.

The rifle has excellent accuracy, no damage falloff, and is one of two weapons with a zoom sight. The zoom display features a charge meter and a small red or blue dot in the center (the laser dot). When zoomed-in, the charge meter increases gradually from 0% to 100% during 4 seconds indicating the amount of damage that will be done by the shot. The laser dot of your team's colour will appear where you are aiming when zoomed-in. The size of the dot increases as the shot charges. The charge meter resets to 0% after a shot is fired or when the scope is unzoomed. Players are therefore required to continually zoom in on an enemy if they wish to deal the full amount of damage against an enemy. During zoom, movement speed for the class is slowed to 27%, and slowed even further to 0.01% when crouching. Furthermore, zooming cannot be performed when the Sniper is jumping or falling. Firing the Sniper Rifle when not zoomed will deal minor damage.

Should the player deliver a shot to an enemy head while zoomed in, this will result in a Headshot, which will deliver a guraranteed Critical hit. As such, the Sniper Rifle is unable to deliver random Critical hits any other way (except during Humiliation or with a Kritzkrieg). Headshots cannot be scored if the Sniper fires while unscoped.

Observant players will be able to detect a Sniper Rifle being used by the team-colored dot that will appear on walls or floors wherever the Sniper is aiming while zoomed in at the time. Competent Sniper players can circumvent this problem by deliberately aiming at objects in the foreground, luring enemies into a false sense of security.

Damage

• Base: 50 (0% charge or unscoped), 150 (100% charge)
  • Damage increases by 1 for every 1% charged.
• Bodyshot: 43-57 (0% charge or unscoped), 128-172 (100% charge)
• Headshot (scoped only): 150 (0% charge), 450 (100% charge)
  • Damage increases by 3 for every 1% charged.
• Mini-Crit: 67.5 (0% charge or unscoped), 202.5 (100% charge)
  • Damage increases by 1.35 for every 1% charged.
• Critical hit (humiliation or Kritzkrieg only): 150

Note: Distance from the target does not affect the Sniper Rifle's damage. Damages are approximate and determined by community testing.

Function times

• Attack Interval: 1.5
• There is a 200 ms delay before a zoomed Sniper shot can get a Critical hit. (source)
• There is a 1 second delay before the damage of a zoomed Sniper shot increases.

All times are in seconds. Times are approximate and determined by community testing.

Previous Changes

February 14, 2008 Patch

• Added a small delay (200 ms) before a zoomed Sniper shot can get a Critical hit.

Related Achievements

Pyro

Firewatch Ignite 10 Snipers while they are zoomed in.

Sniper

Be Efficient Get 3 kills with the Sniper Rifle without missing a shot. Jumper Stumper Kill a rocket or grenade-jumping enemy in midair with your Sniper Rifle or the Huntsman. Trust Your Feelings Get 5 kills with the Sniper Rifle without your scope.

Dropped Dead Kill a Scout in midair with your Sniper Rifle or the Huntsman. The Last Wave Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you waving to them.

Trivia

• The Sniper never actually inserts a new bullet whilst reloading. Howver, as some rifles can do this, it is possible. One example is the Springfield, which has a charger on it, only ejecting the empty bullet when the bolt is active.
• When the Sniper Rifle ejects a shell, the shell comes out of the side opposite the ejection port.

Gallery

• Sniper Rifle 1st person cropped.png

  1st person view.

• 

  Full 1st person view.

See also

• Sniper Rifle Strategy
• Headshot