GTDun
08-09-2012, 07:16 AM
I'm not claiming that this is going to the best way for everyone to play with an LMG. But if you're like me (a guy who naturally plays a highly aggressive and mobile Scout) then this playstyle might just work for you. And just so we're clear - I'm nearing 10,000 kills and was getting tired of playing Scout and Engineer. For whatever reason I refuse to use Assault Rifles, so I decided to mix things up and try out the LMG's. Here are my findings (and tips):
Before continuing, you are going to have to decide what kind of player you are. In the most simple form, you're either aggressive or defensive. If you are defensive, there isn't going to be much in here to help you out (but there might be a few things). This is geared towards an aggressive playstyle.
Now, in order to be aggressive, we need our weapon to be capable of a couple things. First, it has to be pretty **** maneuverable, which LMG's really aren't. The best thing we can do to remedy this is to throw a Bipod Grip on them. This ups the maneuverability enough so that it isn't awful and we can actually work with it in close quarters. Second, we need a weapon with a rate of fire high enough to win the majority of close quarters battles. Unfortunately, most of the LMG's have low rates of fire, which IMMEDIATELY eliminates them from our pool of potential weapons right off the bat (In general, anything below 700 RPM and you are at a significant disadvantage in close quarters as far as LMG's are concerned). However, there are a handful of LMG's that actually do have decent rates of fire for us to work with (800-1000 RPM). These LMG's are the following:
Mk48 (Ghost)
Stoner 96 (Ghost)
PKP (Bodark)
So already, we have narrowed our focus to only three potential LMG's that can get the job done for an aggressive Scout mentality. But what other parameters must we consider? That brings us to our third and final consideration - recoil. Well, anyone who has used the Stoner 96 knows that its recoil is absolutely ridiculous. So just like that, the Stoner 96 is out of the question.
Which brings us to the final two - the Mk48 and the PKP. Really, these two are so similar that you could just choose whichever you like. HOWEVER, after extensive testing I have concluded that the PKP has noticeably less recoil than the Mk48, so it's my LMG of choice. Either one will serve you well though.
Now, here's a couple playstyle specific tips to help you out with this setup:
1) DO NOT I repeat DO NOT bother deploying your bipod. 95% of the time it is an unnecessary hindrance to your movement and evasive capabilities and all you gain is a SMALL increase in accuracy. If you are laying down prone, your accuracy is already amazing and there is no need for the bipod. If you are behind cover and deploy the bipod, you are dead unless the other team is terrible. For people that play more defensively... perhaps a bipod works for you because you are behind your teams frontline. But I push forward and need all the mobility I can get. Up close, a bipod is a death sentence when deployed. And the most important thing is that you cannot roll while prone with a deployed bipod. Rolling has saved my life too many times to sacrifice it for a miniscule increase in accuracy.
2) DO and I repeat DO pro-roll EVERYWHERE. If there is one thing that using an LMG will teach you, it's that if you hit the deck and fire in the enemy's general direction, you will win almost every time. LMG's and the art of the dropshot are intertwined. Do not forget this.
3) ONLY SCOPE IN WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Take advantage of your massive magazine. It isn't necessary for you to try and pop headshots with burst fire when you could simply L-trigger and go fully automatic. And keep in mind, you sacrifice your suppressive effects if you aren't going fully automatic. LMG's are at their best when you are unloading like Rambo. You might think it's a joke, but if you pro-roll and L-trigger in the right situations you will come out with multi-kills like it's a walk in the park.
4) Know when to push forward and when to just go prone and watch a key area. If you have pushed forward far enough, you can go prone outside of the enemy spawn and become a serious thorn in their backside. With a high-RPM LMG (like we decided on earlier) and a bit of good aim, they will be forced to deal with you before they can focus on the objective. That in itself is a victory, and one you couldn't have achieved sitting back on some sandbags with a deployed bipod. And before you flame me - NO it isn't spawn killing. You set up outside the spawn and shut down key nearby areas you know the enemy will be trying to access.
5) Body positioning is probably the most important part of using an LMG. With other weapons, you can get away with standing up and firing. But unless you are right on top of the enemy, firing from a standing position with an LMG isn't going to work out most of the time. For most engagements, it is preferred you roll into a prone position to fire and roll out when in danger, but there are also many situations that will arise where more maneuverability is needed and simply crouching can get the job done. Whether you are standing, crouched, or prone has HUGE effect on your accuracy with an LMG. You'll either learn that or die miserably.
Well that about does it. Hopefully this helped someone out there. As I mentioned before, this isn't the end-all-be-all LMG guide. It's more of a "wow, this **** actually works!" guide from a (temporarily) converted Scout player. Who would of thought these big lumbering guns could work so well in an aggressive playstyle. Well with a high-RPM LMG and the help of its disorienting suppressive effects - they actually work pretty **** well!
Before continuing, you are going to have to decide what kind of player you are. In the most simple form, you're either aggressive or defensive. If you are defensive, there isn't going to be much in here to help you out (but there might be a few things). This is geared towards an aggressive playstyle.
Now, in order to be aggressive, we need our weapon to be capable of a couple things. First, it has to be pretty **** maneuverable, which LMG's really aren't. The best thing we can do to remedy this is to throw a Bipod Grip on them. This ups the maneuverability enough so that it isn't awful and we can actually work with it in close quarters. Second, we need a weapon with a rate of fire high enough to win the majority of close quarters battles. Unfortunately, most of the LMG's have low rates of fire, which IMMEDIATELY eliminates them from our pool of potential weapons right off the bat (In general, anything below 700 RPM and you are at a significant disadvantage in close quarters as far as LMG's are concerned). However, there are a handful of LMG's that actually do have decent rates of fire for us to work with (800-1000 RPM). These LMG's are the following:
Mk48 (Ghost)
Stoner 96 (Ghost)
PKP (Bodark)
So already, we have narrowed our focus to only three potential LMG's that can get the job done for an aggressive Scout mentality. But what other parameters must we consider? That brings us to our third and final consideration - recoil. Well, anyone who has used the Stoner 96 knows that its recoil is absolutely ridiculous. So just like that, the Stoner 96 is out of the question.
Which brings us to the final two - the Mk48 and the PKP. Really, these two are so similar that you could just choose whichever you like. HOWEVER, after extensive testing I have concluded that the PKP has noticeably less recoil than the Mk48, so it's my LMG of choice. Either one will serve you well though.
Now, here's a couple playstyle specific tips to help you out with this setup:
1) DO NOT I repeat DO NOT bother deploying your bipod. 95% of the time it is an unnecessary hindrance to your movement and evasive capabilities and all you gain is a SMALL increase in accuracy. If you are laying down prone, your accuracy is already amazing and there is no need for the bipod. If you are behind cover and deploy the bipod, you are dead unless the other team is terrible. For people that play more defensively... perhaps a bipod works for you because you are behind your teams frontline. But I push forward and need all the mobility I can get. Up close, a bipod is a death sentence when deployed. And the most important thing is that you cannot roll while prone with a deployed bipod. Rolling has saved my life too many times to sacrifice it for a miniscule increase in accuracy.
2) DO and I repeat DO pro-roll EVERYWHERE. If there is one thing that using an LMG will teach you, it's that if you hit the deck and fire in the enemy's general direction, you will win almost every time. LMG's and the art of the dropshot are intertwined. Do not forget this.
3) ONLY SCOPE IN WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Take advantage of your massive magazine. It isn't necessary for you to try and pop headshots with burst fire when you could simply L-trigger and go fully automatic. And keep in mind, you sacrifice your suppressive effects if you aren't going fully automatic. LMG's are at their best when you are unloading like Rambo. You might think it's a joke, but if you pro-roll and L-trigger in the right situations you will come out with multi-kills like it's a walk in the park.
4) Know when to push forward and when to just go prone and watch a key area. If you have pushed forward far enough, you can go prone outside of the enemy spawn and become a serious thorn in their backside. With a high-RPM LMG (like we decided on earlier) and a bit of good aim, they will be forced to deal with you before they can focus on the objective. That in itself is a victory, and one you couldn't have achieved sitting back on some sandbags with a deployed bipod. And before you flame me - NO it isn't spawn killing. You set up outside the spawn and shut down key nearby areas you know the enemy will be trying to access.
5) Body positioning is probably the most important part of using an LMG. With other weapons, you can get away with standing up and firing. But unless you are right on top of the enemy, firing from a standing position with an LMG isn't going to work out most of the time. For most engagements, it is preferred you roll into a prone position to fire and roll out when in danger, but there are also many situations that will arise where more maneuverability is needed and simply crouching can get the job done. Whether you are standing, crouched, or prone has HUGE effect on your accuracy with an LMG. You'll either learn that or die miserably.
Well that about does it. Hopefully this helped someone out there. As I mentioned before, this isn't the end-all-be-all LMG guide. It's more of a "wow, this **** actually works!" guide from a (temporarily) converted Scout player. Who would of thought these big lumbering guns could work so well in an aggressive playstyle. Well with a high-RPM LMG and the help of its disorienting suppressive effects - they actually work pretty **** well!