Support infantry that kills infantry with one shot. Low survivability. Low rate of fire.
Note: This page refers to the USF unit. For the Wehrmacht version, refer to here:
The Sniper is a USF infantry unit. In skirmishes it is available from the
As the name implies, it is a marksman unit that can kill infantry at long range in a single shot. Unlike most infantry in the game, the Sniper is a solo entity rather than a squad comprised of multiple members. Their extreme accuracy means they will typically never miss a target unless it is retreating, in which case they have a chance of missing. Snipers have a longer sight and weapon range of 40 meters compared to the typical 35 for most units. They can also camouflage via the Concealment passive while in cover and out of combat. Upon reaching veterancy level 1 the USF Sniper can choose between the Medkit or Stealth Reconnaissance abilities. More info can be found below.
Snipers can be lethal threats that inevitably will always force a reaction from opponents. With the ability to instantly kill a soldier with every shot, they can be one of the most effective Manpower drain tools against opponents. This is due to forcing enemy infantry to be at a disadvantage almost immediately in any fight (as less soldiers mean less overall health and damage), which then typically results in unfavourable trades for the opponent over the long term.
However, they come with several downsides. Snipers have one of the largest target size out of all infantry (in other words, they are far easier to hit). This essentially means even the briefest of contact with enemy fire puts them at risk of dying, with typical small arms capable of wiping them out in short order. As expected, they also have a slow rate of fire. In addition, every time a Sniper fires the opponent receives special audio and visual indicators that point out the approximate location of the Sniper.
Since they are solo entities, healing is an important consideration as they cannot simply reinforce. Lastly, they are very expensive with high production cost and upkeep.
Snipers overall are high risk niche units. Given their extreme vulnerability due to how easy it is to eliminate them, a high amount of micromanagement and strategic knowledge is required to make good use of them. In addition, they need support from other units as otherwise they can be easily overrun and killed. With an expensive cost on top of all this, they are notoriously difficult to utilize and thus players often favour spending resources on other assets.
If one can deal with the 'high maintenance tax' they impose however, Snipers are fantastic for being an immense Manpower drain tool against opponents. If left undeterred a Sniper can wrack up a large kill count over the course of a match, generally forcing unfavourable trades for the opponent which inevitably leads to more costs due to constant reinforcing. This efficiency is greatly increased against elite infantry - despite having more durability and costs, any soldier can still be felled in one shot. Psychologically, Snipers also tend to elicit the strongest reactions from opponents, with many players often being more reckless or spending more effort to take them out - this can be taken advantage of in various ways, such as luring enemy units into traps like minefields.
In order to best utilize and keep Snipers alive, one must support them appropriately. They must be given room to work, meaning they need support from the player's other units to prevent them from being rushed or flanked. Good use of their Concealment is a must to help keep them alive, as they can remain hidden until opportune moments to strike arise. Additionally, if one can deal with the 'micromanagement tax', constantly moving the Sniper in between shots is very helpful in order to throw off enemy counter reactions, as well as allowing the Sniper to re-cloak in cover.
Remember, Snipers have a massive target size compared to other infantry, so it is extremely easy to deal damage to them even with small arms at long range. Flanking and cutting off their retreat route is a common way to kill them. Additionally, light vehicles in particular are one of the best counters to Snipers, as their high mobility means they can easily rush Sniper positions and effectively chase them even in retreat.
900 XP
2700 XP
5400 XP
All USF units can choose between one of two veterancy abilities specific to them, upon reaching veterancy level 1.
Medikit: Unlocks access to the active ability Medkit. When activated, Medkit will heal up to 55 health over a 20 second duration while they are out of combat. Entering combat will disable the healing effect. Has no speed penalty. A useful ability as healing is an important consideration due to their nature of as a solo entity that cannot be reinforced. As such, any health loss makes using the Sniper even riskier, though healing will help mitigate this.
Stealth Reconnaissance: Active toggle ability. When toggled on, the unit becomes camouflaged but at the cost of greatly reduced movement speed, inability to capture territory, and inability to fire weapons. Visually the unit will dive to the ground and crawl during this stealth mode. As with all camouflage abilities, the unit will be revealed if an enemy unit comes too close. Essentially a useful stealth ability that is strictly for recon purposes due to disabling weapons and territory capture. A somewhat redundant ability for the USF Sniper since they can already cloak in cover. However, it is great for hiding in plain sight especially if there is no cover nearby to make use of its default camouflage ability.
180
Concealment: Passive ability. The unit gains camouflage when in cover and out of combat. This means the unit is invisible to enemies unless they get fairly close. Moving out of cover for a few seconds, using abilities, or attacking will remove this invisbility. Snipers do not gain ambush bonuses for firing from camouflage.
This unit can benefit from the following upgrade available at the Infantry Support Center:
Survival Training: Increases the maximum health of all infantry entities (individual soldiers) by +10 health.
Springfield-sniper-us | Near | Mid | Far |
---|---|---|---|
Accuracy | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Range | 10 | 25 | 50 |
The USF sniper rifle has a very slightly faster rate of fire compared to the Wehrmacht equivalent.
No matter how much health an infantry target has, the Sniper will always kill it in one shot assuming it does not miss.
Health increased from 80 to 100
Manpower cost decreased from 340 to 300