If you are a new player to the Battlefield series, then this guide is not for you. There are other great guides around the internet for the new Battlefield player (although they are not as good as this site’s. Shameless BattleStrats promotion, ). This guide is for the players who are looking for a more strategic article. You know the classes, their primary mission, and what’s expected of you. What I’m going to show you is how I, a combat veteran, play this game and my way of thinking about it. If you don’t believe me and think I am full of hot air, feel free to look at my stats (XBL TwoKrazi Dave) and judge for yourself. My K/D ratio just went to the positive last night, but my win/loss ratio is nothing to sneeze at. In short, I win consistently and I will show you how I do it.

Squad Warfare

The way I see Battlefield, it is not a FPS. You read that right, its not! I consider Battlefield more of a tactical exercise with shooter elements. And since we are thinking tactically, one should stop thinking of what YOU are going to do and what the SQUAD is going to do. Battlefield is all about unit warfare and engagements. Just like the real military, to be the most effective on the battlefield a squad should have one job with the tools of countering any threat that you may come across. When I play, I do not think of what class I will play, I think of what class the “squad” will play.

A general rule to follow with Battlefield is to stick with your squad. It’s always the better option than being a lone wolf. Once that is understood, know its time to consider your squad’s role in the upcoming fight. Try viewing your squad as its own class and your job is to counteract any weaknesses. Within the squad, there are four positions which I will call the “battle roster.” Suppose you and your squad mates decide to assault the objective. Well, you are not going to get the job done with four Recons. I don’t care how good you think you are. A group of two enemies that are mildly coordinated will kill all of you. Instead of this tragedy, organize an “Assault Squad.” Fill the battle roster with two Assault class, one Engineer and one Medic/Support. Looking at this tactically, you now have a lot of answers for whatever may be in your way. The Assault guys will have rocket support to take care of any emplaced soldiers and an LMG to suppress the enemy for the grunts to flank as well as the ability of the Medic/Assault to revive fallen soldiers to continue the fight; simple and effective. The only downfall of this roster is that your squad is walking into the area blind without the Recon and his/her motion mines.

Now that I have shown the ‘theory’, here are some battle rosters and their primary role:

Anti-tank squad: 2x Engineers, 1x Assault, 1x Medic/Support.This squad is for maps with lots of vehicles. This is more of a defensive squad, with the LMG and the slow reloading rockets. It can be used for attacking, but the lack of long-range rifles (only one Assault) and the reduced effective ranges of the SMGs and the LMG make closing with the enemy a priority, an arduous task considering that vehicle maps are quite open. This is a perfect ambush squad, with the LMG and the SMG better in close range. Even nastier options with this squad are the deadly combination of vehicles, close quarter maps, and RPG’s (Arica Harbour on Rush, etc). Occupy buildings with stealth, wait for the vehicles to pass by and hit them in rear armour. No vehicle will survive two direct rear hits and the LMG with SMGs will chew up the survivors. This is what the insurgency in Iraq is doing and I can testify it is quite effective.

The major downfall of this squad is range. The SMG has horrible damage at mid to long range, as well as the LMG. The only mid range weapon is the Assault class’s rifle and that player might have chosen the shotgun. The best way to implement this squad is to lie in wait, then blast the crap of the enemy when they pass by. Then move to a different location to stage your ambush to remain combat effective. Staying in one place announces to the enemy where you are and they will take steps to negate you. Stealth is your best asset in this squad.

Anti-Personal Squad: 2x Assault, 1x Medic, 1x Recon

This roster is perfect for infantry-only maps (Nelson Bay, etc). The battle rifles and the LMG were designed for this role, with the Recon’s long-rifle for starting the party early on as well as reconnaissance. Geared for the attacking player, it also suits well for the defense of objectives with the motion mines assisting the Assault guys on where to shoot. The LMG is used for pinning the enemy in place for the Assault guys to flank. This squad is great for when on the move, hunting the other team into extinction.

The obvious downfall is the absence of an Engineer and his rockets. This is not the preferred squad on maps with a significant vehicle (CAV, IFV’s, etc) that the teams can use. Also, dealing with emplaced gunners can be a problem as you have to rely on grenades to flush them out, which can be dicey. You might very well have a situation where the only squad mate alive after an engagement is the Recon who is better hidden then exposed.

Tank Crew: 2x Engineers, 1x Assault, 1x Recon/Medic/Suport

This “squad” is all about the hard armour. Ideally, one Engineer should be driving or inside the vehicle and the other should be outside repairing the damage it will take. The Assault, and the one other should be outside the tank to follow up on the hole in the enemy’s lines that the tank will make. Keep in mind that the troops on the ground win games, not tanks. Tanks are support vehicles to the troops and nothing more. The remaining squad out of the vehicle should be used to take the objective with the tank supporting their efforts. Also, the crap will hit the fan and the tank will make a nice bunker for them to hide, reload and get health. And lastly, the ground troops will keep the pesky C-4 players from getting close to your precious vehicle and ruining your streak.

Recon Squad: 1x Recon, 1x Assault

This is for a two man squad. Four wanna-be snipers in one squad are annoying and do nothing for your team. This roster should be the maximum number of Recons on a team to maintain balance. It also makes it really difficult to find one Recon instead of six.

This squad reflects how snipers work in the military. There is a shooter and spotter. With this roster, this “team” has three jobs: Overwatch, Recon, and being a “HOG.” Each job has its own responsibilities and mission. It is not an excuse to work on your KD. Remember: by yourself you are nothing; it is the team that matters. The shooter is Recon and the spotter is the Assault. Since there is no spotting scope (not the one in the game, I’m talking about a real spotting scope) for the spotter, the spotter job is to provide ammo for the shooter, help spot targets and to protect the shooter. You all know the shooters job.

Now, for the missions. “Over watch” is exactly what the squad does; it “watches over” the battlefield. Find a nice high spot to survey the battlefield and park there. The spotter should keep ammo on the ground and watch his back from dog-tag hunting enemies. DON’T SHOOT! Every time the shooter shoots, a few things happen. Your position shows up on the minimap, the dead soldier knows exactly where you are and you are no longer hidden. In short, ineffective. So, unless it is absolutely essential to shoot, don’t do it. A good time to open fire is when a Mcom is armed, the soldiers that armed it are all dead and there are soldiers disarming it. This is a perfect time to fire.

Recon is gathering intelligence. This can be done a few ways. One way is by sneaking forward and spotting targets and throwing mines. Another is finding an uncompromised over watch position. However it is done, that is your job.

The next and last job is I call “being a HOG.” Probably the most annoying thing that all Battlefield players agree on is “wookies.” Wookies are enemy Recons that stay in one spot, do nothing but snipe, and are nothing more than the herpes of Battlefield servers. Being a “HOG, or “Hunter of Gunmen”, your final job is to shuffle these players off their mortal coil. Military doctrine states that the best way to counter a sniper is with another sniper. The only way to get rid of these players is to hunt them mercilessly. Kill them then move to another spot. I guarantee they will respawn and go right back to their favorite spot. They never learn.

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P.S. I can hear the wookies now.
“You’re a hypocrite.”
“If you can be a sniper, so can I.”
For one thing, stop calling yourself a sniper. Unless you have spent 5 weeks at Ft. Benning or Camp Lejune, you are not a sniper. Snipers are trained. You are not. So stop it.
Two: Your job is reconnaissance, nothing more. A recon that is not doing recon is a worthless waste of space.
And finally: listen to what your squad mates tell you when you say you’re going to spawn as a Recon. Groaning and overall displeasure should tell you that you clearly are bad this. I can say I have been told that when I spawn as a Recon, they feel a little better about the situation. It’s because I don’t sit in one corner all game, I don’t pad my stats, and I do everything I can to produce a useable, effective sit-rep that my team can use. I am an effective player. I am a Recon, not a wookie

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Thinking on what your squad’s role in the game will help tremendously. In fact, even if you’re stuck in a squad of randoms these strategies can be used. Just watch what they spawn as and act accordingly. It helps to know your maps and what is on the map. More importantly, stop thinking of the series as a FPS. Think of it more like tactical simulator that you can control one of the soldiers and you will do fine.

Hope to see you on the battlefield.