GHOST RECON WILDLANDS SNIPER RIFLES EXPLAINED

Analysis of Wildlands Sniper Rifles

Sniper Rifles are a huge part of Ghost Recon Wildlands because they can dictate the way missions are planned. Snipers can take up position up to a kilometre from an enemy camp and still provide deadly cover from the Ghost team. Snipers can shoot padlocks off prison doors from the relative safety of a leafy hillside, take out snipers as they protect entrances, and even shoot attack helicopters from the sky.

Such is the interest in sniping in Ghost Recon Wildlands that an unofficial “long range kill” championship has sprung up on Youtube, with new videos showing ever increasing kill distances.

Wildlands is the very first Ghost Recon game with bullet drop physics built in, making sniping a greater challenge than it has ever been. Maximise your effectiveness as a sniper using our guide below to make sure that every shot counts.

A quick feature check that you may not be aware of: when selecting your sniper rifle from the loadout menu, take a look at the new sniper vest that will appear, it comes complete with appropriate rounds!

Sniping in the Wildlands

Two types of sniper rifles are available in Ghost Recon Wildlands, semi-automatic and bolt-action. The main difference is rate of fire. With a semi-automatic the rate of fire is dictated by the sniper – as fast as you can pull the trigger, the faster the shots ring out. With a bolt action however, the reload time dictates the rate of fire – making every shot count. But this is where a bolt action sniper rifle usually wins, as they deliver a heavier punch than a semi-automatic – causing greater damage.

Your sniper rifle selection therefore will depend on your mission, or play style. If you anticipate taking out a group of fast moving cartel members, a fast shooting semi automatic will be your preferred sniper rifle. On the other hand if you’re planning a slower approach, picking off enemies one at a time, then the deadly strike of a bolt action should be your first consideration.

There is one other consideration, vehicles. A sniper rifle can bring a convoy to a halt, or drop a helicopter out of the sky – but only if it is a high powered bolt action sniper rifle can you be sure that one shot will deliver that show stopping power.

Finally think carefully about attaching a suppressor to your sniper weapon as they drastically affect bullet speed. As a rough guide, we have seen impact times increase over a 1km distance from 2 seconds to 4 seconds – that’s something you will definitely require to compensate for with moving targets. Watch the video below to see the suppressor effect in action with a timer running.

https://youtu.be/1iV-RpsUzQU?t=1m50s

Sniper Rifle Stats Explained

Lets start with the one stat that is more particular to the sniper rifle than any other weapon in Ghost Recon Wildlands – Range. The range metric dictates how far a bullet will travel before it starts arching downwards – i.e.bullet drop. Wildlands is the first Ghost Recon game to include bullet drop, and snipers will have to compensate for this when making long range kills. The greater the range metric – the less you will have to compensate for bullet drop.

Another interesting metric for sniper rifles in Wildlands is the Penetration factor. This dictates how well the bullet will travel through a solid mass – yes – you can make kills through solid objects in Wildlands. Look for a sniper rifle with a high penetration stat if you are planning on vehicle attacks or taking out sentries through solid objects.

Finally, there’s one skill you will be keen to upgrade as a sniper – the Stable Aim skill. With this skill scope sway will become less of a challenge to locking onto your target, meaning fast target acquisition, and increased chances of striking the target. If first time kills is your priority, work towards upgrading the Stable Aim skill in combination with a sniper rifle that has a high Accuracy rating – this is a killer combo for snipers.

Wildlands Sniper Rifle Locations

There are 13 sniper rifles in Ghost Recon Wildlands. Eleven of these are available from the start, if you know where to look, and the last two are exotic sniper rifles that require to be unlocked. Once you find a sniper rifle, it’s yours to keep and thanks to the open world gameplay in Ghost Recon Wildlands, you are free to fly around the map and collect these sniper rifles at any time.

Check this youtube video by Infsleeper to see every Wildlands Sniper Rifle in action, both with the suppressor on and off. The video also shows where on the map to find these sniper rifles.

The complete range of sniper rifles in Wildlands is shown below, including details on where to find them!

M40A5 SNIPER RIFLE

Bolt Action | Itagua

M40A5 Damage
M40A5 Accuracy
M40A5 Handling
M40A5 Range
M40A5 Rate of Fire
M40A5 Noise Reduction
M40A5 Penetration