These are pictures of sniping locations
NOTE: I HAVE MULTIPLE MAPS UP, SO IF YOU WANT A SPECIFIC ONE, USE CONTROL F TO FIND IT.
KEY:
Rounded off rectangles indicate sniping spots.
Rectangles with sharp edges indicate that from one spot, you’ll be sniping everything within the rectangle.
Yellow lines indicate where you’ll be sniping from a given spot.
Blue rectangles are spots that I consider to be very good.
Yellow rectangles are spots that I consider to be good in the right situation.
Red rectangles are spots I consider to be bad. They are either too well known, or have no cover…or both. You can still snipe from them, but don’t choose red if you’ve got an option.
I have lettered a few locations on some maps, which are NOT sniping locations, but are worthy of discussing and are usually valuable target areas.
OVERGROWN: Overgrown is a level where it seems everyone brings out their sniper class for a little training. Because of this, you’ve got a high risk of being counter-sniped while picking off people. To counter-act this, you have to avoid the well-known spots even more than usual and seek out the more subtle, less known spots. The spots I prefer have you shooting across the map, with very little showing. Since they are not always used, and since very little sticks out, it’s unlikely that you’ll be counter-sniped here.
VACANT: Vacant is a very small level, so not one every thinks to snipe here. Most people will whip out their SMG or shotgun classes, and run around the level. The one thing that redeems this level for sniping is it's exterior. It's fairly big, but it's wide open, so people can't jump from obstacle to obstacle as they approach you, which is a bonus.
Still, it's a little on the small side for a conventional sniper scope. I highly recommend you get a M40 with an ACOG for this level. The ACOG to help with close up shots and the M40 because it's got increased power with the ACOG. Finally, the area you will be sniping in is pretty wide-open, and you will be moving from spot to spot often, so claymores are not a necessity here. I'll still show the claymore locations if you'd prefer to have claymores, but don't feel guilty by grabbing frag x3 or bandolier instead.
CRASH: Crash is a level with a good balance. It has close range combat, sniper friendly distances, and everything in between. However, it also has a 3-story building which is very well known as a sniping spot. In a typical game, you generally have people sniping and counter-sniping for position 6, or the 3-story building. You will usually have rushers working their way down the alleyway between positions 1 and 2. Finally, you may have a little assault battle going on between positions 2 and 3. As you can see, there’s quite a lot going on. You want to find spots that isolate you from people’s crosshairs, but still give you a view of the enemies.
BOG: Bog is one of my favorite levels. However, I am also aware it is among many people's lists of most hated levels. Within literally the first 5 seconds of a match, you can see the other side where the enemies are spawning. I believe because of this many people automatically think "Oh, I can see the other side. It must be a small level. I'm gonna rush." They then proceed to either get clogged up in the grenade and suicide run festival of area A or they run out into the open and get sniped time after time.
People begin to hate Bog after a while and I feel it's because you can see the other side really easily. The problem is that they left two factors out of the equation when deciding to rush: the openness of the level, and the linear nature of the level. Because Bog is open, it's perfect for sniping and it's really difficult to jump from cover to cover, making a sniper's job much easier. Secondly, Bog is a very linear level in that there is pretty much one set way to go and not a whole lot of swapping sides or flanking goes on. This allows you the liberty of choosing another perk instead of claymores if you'd like.
WETWORK: Wetwork is a level where you are forced to chose between long-range sniping or point blank close quarters combat. A lot of times these battles are isolated. As a sniper, your job is to 1st eliminate the enemy snipers, preferably convincing them to not snipe on this level, and then going for the run n' gunners.
It has two 'towers' on either end which you snipe from, and also two platforms relatively close to the middle of the map. This is a very thin, long ship, so side-swapping is almost non-existent. Because of this, I will not show claymore locations. In most games, you never switch sides, and if it happens, you will be fully aware of it. I recommend bandolier for this level. After the snipers are gone, you'll be taking shots at rushers and will have about a split second to hit them. Naturally, you're going to miss a lot of shots, so bandolier helps out here.
STRIKE: Strike is a map with two main, conventional, sniping buildings. However, it also has a LOT of small, one man sniper locations or corners. Because it has two high-profile buildings and a lot of small little spots, a good deal of counter sniping occurs here and you never really know where they're going to shoot from. The good news though is, most snipers use stopping power, and those that don't use overkill, so whenever a UAV comes up, you can be fairly certain where the enemy snipers are.
DOWNPOUR: Downpour is a small, rainy level where vision is restricted because of the rain. Because of this, and the fairly tall grass, many people whip out their ghost class. You want to have claymores ready lest one sneaks up on you. Also, there are generally two people sitting on the mounted guns at either side of the map, so you want to have spots which aren't in view of them. Another thing worth noting is it's tough to see through the rain without an ACOG or sniper scope, so you should keep that in mind and take advantage of it. In this level, the majority of the action is centered around location 2.
You will see a lot of people using ghillie suits, but trust me, the sniper never gets used.
Finally, ACOG is optional here. I personally use it, but usually when I see other people snipe here they grab the standard scope.
CROSSFIRE: Crossfire is a map with a lot of long range shooting. It has 5 buildings people snipe in and 2 routes people rush up. There are two high profile buildings at either end of the street which are pretty much bent on destroying the sniping abilities of the other. On one side of the street are 3 buildings, each aimed mainly to take out unsuspecting rushers. My favorite buildings have views of the two high profile ones, but have the ability to ignore them in favor of rushers if needed.
AMBUSH: Ambush is a symmetrical map, with 4 well known sniping locations, with a few other less known spots. It also is a level with tons of glitches, but those spots aren't generally too good for sniping anyway because in Ambush‘s case, most of them involve you jumping across the streets for areas with mediocre cover and poor views.. With each side having two sniper spots, all of which are well known, you can get some pretty good sniper battles going on between them.
Each team usually has 2-4 people sniping, while everyone else is fighting down on the central street. If you're sniping, you want to first kill the enemy snipers, then grab the people in the streets. So, a good sniping spot here has good cover, views of the enemy's sniping spots, and also a clear view of the street.
BLOC: Bloc is another level, like Overgrown, where a bunch of people decide they want to snipe. However, it is also like Wetwork in the fact that you cannot avoid sniper to sniper confrontations. I gave the spots that are either open to rushers or have poor views yellow and red ratings. I’d also like to point out that locations 6 and 7 are on the lower level, while locations 3 and 4 are upstairs. I’ll show you the best spots and how to effectively use them, but at the end of the day, success in Bloc is about your skills as a sniper, not your unbeatable spot.
COUNTDOWN: Countdown is a very large level, with no set buildings that are decent enough for sniping. The core of the level is a maze, with near infinite paths you can take and enemies around every corner. Around the exterior, are huge open areas and long lines of sight. You best bet for sniping on Countdown is going to be on the perimeter of the level, looking not only into the center, but along the edges as well.
PIPELINE: Pipeline is a large, semi-symmetrical level. It has two big, tin buildings, and the majority of the fighting happens between them, although few people brave the open street between them. A good sniping spot on this level, will either have views of one of the buildings, or it will have an excellent view of enemies navigating behind these buildings. Since a good amount of the action is within range of an AK-47 or MP5, cover is a very valuable asset and is essential in the spots. Finally, although some of the fighting is over close ranges, at least close for sniper standards, there is the need to make an occasional long range shot, so I do not recommend the ACOG here.
