Advent
One for All
Final Advent's Ultimate Guide to Battlefield 3
UPDATED: 8/24/13
Why hello! I did not see you there, Welcome to my Ultimate Tricks and Tips Guide to Battlefield 3!
Q: What the hell is this ****?
This is an all-out guide aiming to help anyone in the community in BF3. Whether you are a noob or not, I believe everybody needs a little bit of help. I will be taking in-depth looks and post good weapons, class, and vehicle setups. From maps , rank, jets and even throwing C4'ed jeeps into tanks, this guide will help give you a better edge in the multiplayer world of Battlefield 3.
No, there are a lot of people who are new to Battlefield 3 and I see that on an everyday basis. This guide is not only for noobs, but for average and even experienced players who need that little nudge. This guide will help ease and even get players ready for "Battlefield 4" that is set for release this fall.
Yes it will, I intend to release informations in "chapters", but it won't be complete all at once. I also want feedback and opinions from the community, so I can improve and put their opinions as well. That means I will probably link other threads so other people can get some recognition too.
I have been playing Battlefield since "Battlefield 2" to the "Bad Company" series and onward. It is one of my favorite games to put time and effort into.
Dunno, you probably got issues or something....
Well, let us get started!!!
Chapter 1: Battlefield 3 and You (for Beginners)
Before you jump in that that first match that may or may not contain at least seven to nine 100 Star colonels that wield M16A3s, there should be a few things to familiarize yourself with.
Get Familiar with the 4 Classes before anything!
For starters, you might not have much to work with when you first start, so decide what you would like to work with.
•Assault: This class is usually the pinnacle of Battlefield 3. Throughout your campaign, you will undoubtedly be seeing this class a lot (and I mean A LOT). These guys are the medics, so they run around reviving dead teammates, healing them and also healing themselves after firefights. Assault classes are armed with a variety of assault rifles that can dish out a good amount of damage, but pose little to no threat against vehicles. This would be a good class to initially start up as if you want to get used to the game.
•Engineer: These are the main force against ground and air vehicles. They go about it with Ground Vehicle Explosives(RPG, SMAW, Javalins, AT-Mines), Air-to-Air (Stinger, IGLAs). They also have abilities repair as well. They are armed with powerful, mid-ranged carbines to deal with threats up close. Choose this class when you go for vehicles or have a friend with you that is this class, so you can better your chances.
•Support: Support matches it's name very well. These guys are a force to be reckoned with because they have light machine guns that can suppress and tear through infantry for days. They have the ability to deploy ammo, technically making them into a turret that can't run out of ammo. Support infantry can also run with C4, so watch out for these guys, because they will sneek up on your tank when you least expect it. Run this class if you want to be a team-player or you just want to wreck ****.
•Recon: Last but not least, we have the Recon class. Yep, you guessed it, the snipers of the game. These guys are carrying about marksman rifles that can blow the head off of anyone at anytime, and semi-auto snipers that can give out nasty suppression. Their main attribute is to make you regret ever stepping outside for fresh air. Recon can also set spawn points with radio beacons, spot enemys, designate vehicles with SOFLAMS and just make you day a hell of a lot more miserable. Chose this if you like to be stealthy and want to pick people off.
Know your Ranks
Here is a nice little .GIF to show you the 145 ranks to get familiar with.
Unlocks
That thread should give you a general idea of what you expect to unlock with rank and assignments. Credit goes to Jason 7s
Premium:
What it includes:
ALL FIVE EXPANSION PACKS WITH EARLY ACCESS
Own all five uniquely themed expansion packs. The classic, reimagined and remastered maps of Back to Karkand; the unrelenting, fast-paced action of Close Quarters; the largest map in Battlefield history featured in Armored Kill, plus two more expansion packs: Aftermath and End Game. Get’em all and get’em at a discount with Battlefield 3 Premium.
EXCLUSIVE IN-GAME ITEMS
Stand out with exclusive in-game items including the one-of-a-kind ACB-90 knife and a set of Battlefield 3 Premium dog tags. Further customize your experience with Premium-only soldier and weapon camos and unique Assignments.
ACCESS POWERFUL FEATURES
With Battlefield 3 Premium comes the unique chance to reset your Score/Minute, Kills/Deaths, and Wins/Losses stats if you want a fresh start with your multiplayer soldier. To further recognize your status, we give you queue priority into servers, more decals for your Platoon emblems, and the ability to save your favorite Battle Reports forever.
EXCLUSIVE DOUBLE XP EVENTS
Rank up faster with exclusive Double XP events and other Premium events.
I believe it is worth it and will prolong the life of the game. Get it if you think you will be here for a while.
Now we are done giving a look into Battlefield 3, it's time to enter the real Battlefield
Chapter 2: Weapons and Which Ones to Utilize
Now it is time to go deep into the weapons aspect. I will post mostly the best weapons and the right attachments for them(feel free to comment if you want me to add more). This chapter is for beginners, also for people seeking tips on weapons and for people to find their ideal choice. So lets start shall we?
Assault Rifles
•AEK-971
-Superior at close range
-Will drop people at mid-range with controlled bursts
•M416
-Very accurate
-Good stopping power at ranges
-Ideal with KOBRA or Holo
-Doesn't need a Forgrip
•AN-94
- Good at medium to long range
- One of the best burst fire assault rifles
•M16A3
- Gun for all Situations
- Lethal with almost any attachments
•SCAR-L
- This gun is made for long ranges.
- Works well with scope
- I recommend Heavy Barrel for all the guns listed above. It increases accuracy and range at the expense of Hip fire accuracy. Flash Suppressor is also good if you want better accuracy and no flash.
- Forgrip is also encouraged, but not recommended at all times. Most guns can stand without it, but that is up to you.
- KOBRA, Reflex and Holographic sights are ideal
for assault rifles. Most iron sights are crappy but are good with the AEK-971 and M16A3
- I only recommend silencers on high rate of fire weapons because it is hell on low rate weapons. But again, it all depends on your play-style. Don't use them unless your trying to be steathy because rushing with silencers is not the best of ideas.
- The only gun I could think of with a laser sight is the AEK. It would make it extremely lethal at close range.
Carbines
•M4A1
- All around good carbine
- Reliable with Flash Suppressor
•SG553
- A personal favorite
- Very good with Holo, Forgrip and Heavy Barrel
•A-91
- Bull-pup rifle
- Works well with Laser sight or Heavy Barrel.
•QBZ-95B
- One of the only Carbines that can use Heavy Barrel and Laser Sight together.
- Highly Recommended
•MTAR-21
- Made for close quarters domination
- Good with Flash supp. or Laser Sight
- High Rate of Fire
Carbines seem to do much better with different combinations than assault rifles. Carbines are good to use in situations, but certain assault can beat them out most of the time.
Light Machine Guns
•M240B
- One of the best LMGs
- High Rate of Fire
- Bipod is a must
•M60E4
- Very strong stopping power
- Low rate of fire
- Works well with bipod and extended mags
•PKP Pecheneg
- Very Powerful
- Lowest ROF of all LMG
- Good with Extended Mags
•M27 IAR
- More mobile than other LMGs
- Pretty accurate
- Use Silencer or Heavy Barrel
•L86A2
- Accurate
- Mobile
- Laser sight, Heavy Barrel, or Ext Mags
All LMGs are good to an extent. A way for the heavy LMGs is to stick back with a bipod and blast away at infantry, but will probably get you killed if your in the wrong location at the wrong time. One of the only heavy LMG to rush with successfully the M249 because of its high RoF and sometimes the M240B because of its stopping power. The more lightweight ones (M27 IAR, L82A2, etc) are better to run around with. Squad Suppression is the best with LMGs.
Sniper Rifles
•L96
- My personal favorite
- Low drop off
- Good with laser sight and straight-pull bolt
•M417
- Accurate
- High Suppressive Effect
- Laser Sight and Bipod is Suggested
•SKS
- One of the best semi-auto snipers
- Low recoil
- Flash suppressor and iron sights make it feel like a assault rifle.
•M98B
- One of the best bolt-actions in the class
- High Damage
- Works well with Straight-pull bolt and laser sight
The Bolt-Action snipers are good to lay back with, and should have a Straight-Pull Bolt attached to them unless you are for extreme long range sniping, so in that case, use a bipod to steady your aim. They can one shot an enemy up close if it hits them before they mow you down. I would carry an auto pistol like the G18 or 93R to take care of unwanted house guests. As for semi-auto, they are good to advance with but can easily be beaten by a carbine or an assault rifle.
Shotguns
Now it's time to get into the non-kit based weapons. Shotguns are a great way to get up close and personal with enemies. There are two types of shotguns: pump-action and semi-auto. Pump action is good for blowing away that guy who is too close for comfort and semi-auto being for clearing out multiple enemies or laying suppressive fire. They use 4 types of rounds: Buckshot(close range), Flechette(mid range), Slug(mid-long range), Frag(Explosive/Suppressive) Here are my top choices:
•870 MCS
- Pump-action
- A great shotgun for beginners
- Great with Buckshot or Slug Rounds
•DAO-12
- Semi-auto
- Good semi-auto to start out with
- Can get with free "Physical Warfare Pack" DLC
- Good with Extended mags and Flechette Ammo
•SPAS-12
- Pump-action
- Fast firing
- very reliable
- recommended with slugs and extended mags
•Saiga 12K
- Semi-auto
- Personal favorite
- You can clear a room with this
•General Tips
- When using shotguns, you should bring a high powered pistol with you (44. Magnum, M1911,etc .) It will help if you target is at an insufficient range for you shotgun.
- I only recommend sights on shotguns if you are using slug rounds or a semi-auto. Iron sights should be fine on pump-actions without slugs.
- Extended Mags is a MUST. I can't stress how the extra ammo can help you in sticky situations and keep you from reloading too often.
- Slugs rounds are one of the best, but you need to be accurate. They can take down an enemy faster than Buck or Flechette. Just don't miss!
PDWs
PWDs are non-kit based weapons that offer close range protection with great hip-fire accuracy, and great mobility for running about. Their high rate of fire can mean trouble for that guy trying to get your tags. They are really fun to play with if you are play TDM, Rush or Conquest on certan maps. Here are my top picks:
•UMP-45
- Offers great stopping power
- Good for rushing
- Aqquired at a low level
- Low fire rate
- Good with Tactical Light, Flash Suppressor
and any sight
•P90
- High fire rate
- High magazine (55 rounds)
- Good with Laser and Flash Suppressor
•AS VAL (sorry Kite )
- Good damage
- Made for CQB
•MP7
- Good versatility
- High rate of fire
- Good range
Don't always use PDWs in every situation, I believe these guns are good to mix it up every now and then, but always loses to a high-powered assault rifle at range. Use these when you are protecting objectives (M-COMS, Flags) or for that one guy trying to steal that Attack Helicopter you what 5 minutes to spawn
Pistols
Here are your sidearms of the game. Choosing which pistol can decide the outcome of an encounter. There are a good variety of sidearms in the game to decide on, so let me help ease a load off your brain before your enemies brain you.
93R
- Burst Fire
- High RoF
- Low damage
- Good for Assault Class
44. Magnum
- Most powerful handgun available
- Medium RoF
- Available in Scoped variant
- Recommended for Assault and Support Class
•G18
- Fully Auto
- High RoF
- Recommended for Recon class
•M1911 S-TAC
- My personal favorite
- One of the best in the game
- High Damage
- Advantage of a Suppressor and Tactical Light
- Recommended all classes
•M1911
- High Damage
- Low Clip
- Can drop enemy at mid range
- Basic Variant is preferable
•MP443
- High Clip
- Medium Damage
- Tac Light is preferred
- Useful with Engineer class
And that is it for the weapons!!! I hope you found any of the recommendation above useful. I may have missed a few, but try every weapon you can and find the one that clicks with you, because to each is to their own.
Chapter 3: Vehicle Breakdown and Advanced Tactics
Vehicles are essentially the most biggest features in the game. Battlefield 3 offers a variety of air and ground vehicles, each with their own advantages. In this section I will breakdown each individual vehicle and also give good setups do you don't get blown out the sky or get C4'ed too often.
MBT (Main Battle Tank)
The MBT is one of the main vehicles that you will find in BF3. They are mostly located on large maps and some on are small ones too( Seine Crossing, Grand Baazar,) MBT's are good for two thing: Blowing stuff up and messing up infantry. Their main cannon can kill about anything and, if your a really good shot, take out air support as well. The shear size and slowness of MBT's can make it a weakness to C4 and RPGs, so I would not advise running into a crowd of soldiers. The MBT can sit up to three people: One who drives and operates the main cannon, the second seat is for the secondary heavy machine gun, and lastly, the third seat for target designation. Having three people in a tank is a good advantage, especially if they're engineers as well. Keep at a distance and aim your cannon carefully, and you can do well.
Anti-Infantry:
If you are aiming to kill as many people as possible, this setup is for you. I recommend this for small maps with MBTs.
- Proximity Scan
Detects enemy infantry near your vehicle. Good for if you don't want people coming near you with C4 or AT Mines or if you want to hunt them down.
- Thermal Camo
Can show thermal heat signatures of enemy infantry or vehicles. Very useful to find units that are hiding, see AT mines, and so you don't mistake a building for tank.
- Coaxial LMG
Basically a machine gun that will mow down infantry units without relying on your main cannon too often.
Pure Anti-Vehicular Combat:
If you are out to cause some destruction and set out to destroy vehicles, then here is a good setup for you:
- Autoloader
This is a nice upgrade if you want to have your main cannon reload faster. This for having an upper hand against other tank foes so you can kill them faster.
- Zoom Optics
I would suggest this if you would like to sit back with your tank or get the drop on an enemy at range.
- Guided Shell
This is technically a shell that can lock-on to enemy vehicles. This weapon packs a punch and to make it more powerful, I would have a teammate designate air vehicles by sitting in the third seat of the tank.
Pure Defense
If you are afraid of getting destroyed, protect an objective from the enemy, then this defense setup is for you. There will be a few upgrades listed here, so combine them together to see what works for you.
- Reactive Armor or Proximity Scan
Reactive armor will add an extra set of armor playing to your MBT, making it withstand more punishment. But beware, once you get hit, your armor will disappear and your tank will be normal again. This is for having a little extra defense on your side. Proximity scan would be for staying back on a flag and not wanted people in your business.
- IR Smoke
Deploying this smoke will protect your tank from incoming missiles that have locked on to you. You should definently use this, because it will save your tank and keep you from the vulnerability of repairing too often.
- HMG or Canister Shell
The HMG is a powerful gun that has good accuracy and that can pick off enemys at range. Canister Shell is a secondary weapon that is basically a big-a** shotgun. This can wipe out an enemy dumb enough to charge you while your cannon reloads.
IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle)
The IFV is a light- armored tank which is primarily used against infantry hence the name. It can seat up to seven people and can offer extreme cover with LMGs in the front, sides and rear of the tank. It is a vehicle with a higher speed and more maneuverability than the MBT. You can find this vehicle on medium sized maps and small maps alike. In Squad Deathmatch, there is one located in the middle of the map for one of the four teams to control. IFVs can be para-dropped in the End Game DLC.
Anti-Infantry
Since this is mostly an Infantry-based vehicle, this will be the best one if you're out to blow up soldiers to kingdom come.
- Reactive Armor or Proximity Scan
Same as with the MBT, this will allow for quicker reload times. Reactive will offer some extra protection.
- IR Smoke or Thermal Optics
Will protect you against locked-on missiles. Your IFV has maneuverability to dodge RPGs, but this will be needed to protect from those pesky javelins. Thermal Optics will let you see infantry that are close to you
- Coaxial LMG
Great secondary for picking of enemies if you can't use your main gun.
Anti-Vehicle
The IFV isn't as anti-vehicle as an MBT. They can easily lose fights with them in four shots of their main cannon. As you grow more experienced with the IFV, you can counter that and win fights against larger vehicles.
- Belt Speed or Reactive Armor
Can give you an edge in a fight with a quicker reload, combine this with good driving and you can win. Highly recommended against vehicles
Extra Armor can dampen the amount of damage you take against another vehicle.
- Zoom Optics
Use this to sneak up on a tank to get your first shots in at range.
- APFSDS-T Shell or ATGM Launcher
This can switch from the explosive shells to an armor-piercing shell that can cause more damage directly to tanks.
Mixed Combat
- You you are trying to get the best of both worlds or just wanting to plow through everything ground related, here are your best choices.
- Belt Speed
- Zoom Optics
- ATGM Launcher
- Reactive Armor
- Thermal Camo
- Coaxial LMG
Tank Destroyer
The Tank Destroyer is essentially a Light Tank. They have the maneuverability of an IFV and the the firepower of a MBT(with slightly less damage). I am gonna be honest, this vehicle exists mainly for anti-vehicular combat, so I wouldn't recommend any infantry setups for this type of tank. TD's are only available in the Armored Kill DLC.
Here are a few good setups to help get you acquainted:
Offensive Vehicular Combat:
This would be for rushing into the combat without any regrets. Useful for taking on enemy MBT's and other ground vehicles.
- Autoloader
- IR Smoke
- TOW
- Reactive Armor
- Extinguisher
- Guided Shell
This would be preferred if you want to protect you objective from the enemy or just want to sit back.
- Proximity Scan
- Zoom Optics
- Guided Shell
- Reactive Armor
- Thermal Optics
- Coaxial LMG or HMG
The Mobile AA is tank that is focused on destroying aircraft then anything else. Not much to detail, but this tank is equipped with a mini-gun capable of shreding air and infantry to pieces as well as anti-air missiles. I highly recommend using this if you want to sit back and support your team by contolling the skies above.
Mobile Artillery
The Mobile Artillery is a vehicle that is only available through the Armored Kill maps. If you want the rain down hell on your enemy, this vehicle is the way to go. The trick to successfully use this vehicle is to find a location that you know the enemy will be(the flags, MCOM are an example).
Transport
Transport vehicles are the fastest ground vehicles in the game that can get you to the places you need to go. I am gonna be honest though, the transport vehicles can get you killed very quickly if don't use them properly. These vehicles can hold up to three people and consist of three seats: driver, side seat and gunner. The smaller types, the Dirtbike and ATVs, can hold only two people. and are only available though DLC. On large, vehicle based maps, I do not suggest you use it too much because everyone will come after you and your buddies for an easy kill.
My method for effective use:
What I like to do is run the support class, equip C4, place them on my transport vehicle, and run them into tanks. I know this maybe the stupidest move you can pull, but I can tell you that it works. It is very effective because the C4'ed jeep can blow a tank and surrounding infantry to kingdom come in one go(if you are successful that is..). This is a fun alternative and your foes won't see it coming.
Winner of July 2013 Topic of the Month!
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