Sniper (Long War)

Sniper

Correct as of beta 13 (07.07.2014)

Long War Sniper is akin to the vanilla Sniper. With Squad Sight as your first ability, the Sniper is able to inflict long range damage on enemy targets from a position of safety. Squad Sight no longer functions with Overwatch.

Primary Weapon: Sniper Rifles, Marksman Rifles, Assault Rifles

Secondary Weapon: Pistols, Machine Pistols

Special items: None

Abilities

Rank	Ability
Specialist	Squad Sight Allows firing at targets in any ally's sight radius, but at -30% critical chance; Does not extend overwatch outside visual range.
	No other bonuses.
Lance Corporal	Low Profile Makes partial cover count as full.	Gunslinger Confers 1 bonus damage with pistols and negates the long-range accuracy penalty when shooting beyond 14 meters.	Lone Wolf Bonus +10 aim and +10% critical chance if you are 7 tiles distant from allies
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Corporal	Tactical Sense Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20).	Precision Shot With sniper/long rifles, fire a shot with +30% critical chance and +3 to +6 critical damage based on the tech level of the sniper rifle. With marksman/strike rifles, allows an unlimited range shot with no other bonuses. 2 turn cooldown.	Snap Shot Allows the sniper rifle to be fired after moving, at a -10 aim penalty.
	Provide +2 Aim +2 Will +1 Mobility.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Sergeant	Executioner +10% Aim against targets with less than 50% Health.	Sharpshooter Bonus 10 aim against enemies in full cover, crit chance +10% against all targets.	Damn Good Ground +10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation in addition to the usual elevation bonuses. (including while flying)
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Tech Sergeant	Lock N' Load +1 shots/bursts in primary weapon. Reloading as first action no longer ends turn.	Ranger +1 damage with primary weapon	Aggression Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight(max +30%).
	No other bonuses	No other bonuses.	Provides +2 Will.
Gunnery Sergeant	Disabling Shot Allows the Sniper to fire a shot that causes the target's main weapon to malfunction. The target may use Reload to fix the weapon. The shot cannot inflict a critical hit. 2 turn cooldown. (-10 Aim, reduced Damage)	Bring 'Em On Adds 1 damage on critical hits for each enemy the squad can see (up to 5).	Vital Point Targeting Additional 2 damage against any human target and alien targets whose species has been autopsied.
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Master Sergeant	In The Zone Killing a flanked or uncovered enemy does not cost an action. Incurs a stacking critical hit chance penalty for each successive In The Zone kill.	Mayhem Confers extra 2 damage to LMGs, Sniper Rifles, Rockets, Suppression, Grenades, and Mines.	Double Tap Allows both actions to be used for Standard Shot, Headshot, or Disable Shot, provided no costly actions were taken. 1 turn cooldown. (Can't be used with Snap Shot)
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.

Stat Progression

Rank	HP at level	Total HP	Aim at level	Total Aim
Specialist	0	0	8	8
Lance Corporal	0	0	4	12
Corporal	1	1	4	16
Sergeant	0	1	4	20
Tech Sergeant	0	1	4	24
Gunnery Sergeant	0	1	4	28
Master Sergeant	1	2	4	32

Tactical Advice

Long War Snipers are quite similar to vanilla squadsight snipers, but there are a few differences. Squadsight no longer works on overwatch, and snipers no longer have access to the Opportunist perk, making them considerably less good defensively - you'll find snipers can't demolish enemy packs on sight before they can even take cover like they can in vanilla. Squadsight is gained immediately and unconditionally, so there are no more "snap shot" skirmishing snipers (that role goes to the Scout). However, snipers can still have Snap Shot at Corporal rank, and it's not mutually exclusive with Squadsight, allowing snipers more mobility without greatly compromising their offensive ability. But combined with Double Tap, they can be excellent soldiers on the battlefield, trading between two shots, and 1 move and 1 shot: in effect, some damage has been traded for some mobility in the Long War. Plus Head Shot and a high crit rate, they can still be quite strong. Watch your ammo levels, though, so High Cap mags are a good item for them.

Snipers can use sniper rifles, which act like vanilla sniper rifles, and only allow firing if the user hasn't moved unless they are Snap Shot trained, but they can also use Marksman Rifles, which are shorter range sniper rifles that can be fired after moving. Snipers can use assault rifles as well, but this isn't particularly useful in practice, since the Infantry class generally performs better with assault rifles. As in vanilla, Snipers gain the most aim per rank, ending with 7 more aim than any other class at Master Sergeant.

Also, note that despite having five tiers of weapons, Mayhem still only grant +1/+2 damage, with Beam laser and Gauss granting +1 damaged, while pulse and plasma grant +2

Role: Assassin, Long Range Offense

The sniper in this role stays behind and relies on its Squad Sight. It is the classical "one shot - one kill" role where you focus on doing maximum damage per shot and landing every possible shot. For this, high aim soldiers are preferred and perks are centered around gaining more aim and damage.

Sample sniper:

Lone Wolf -> Precision Shot -> Sharpshooter/ Damn Good Ground -> Ranger -> Vital Point Targeting -> Double tap.

Note: Ranger + VPT provide you with +3 minimum damage, which should be enough to guarantee you one shot kills even without a critical. Precision shot, Lone Wolf and Sharpshooter provide you with additional critical chance. Double tap is the signature ability, with which you can take on two separate adversaries in one turn, or focus on one tough one.

Role Stalker, Mid to Long range Offense

A mobile, versatile sniper who uses terrain and mobility to find himself on the flank or even behind enemy lines. It makes heavy use of In the Zone, which works against flanked and exposed targets (such as flying and those with no cover), which in turn requires the sniper to have a suitably large ammo magazine. While not staying far behind, the sniper should still keep some distance from the main group because of the short range penalty of the Strike/Sniper rifle. Perks focus on critical chance and utility.

Sample sniper: Lone wolf -> Snap Shot -> Sharpshooter -> Lock N' Load -> Bring 'Em On -> In the Zone

Note: Since Lock N' Load only works together with Snap Shot ( you can not shoot after taking a costly action, reloading included), the two perks go together. With Lock N' Load, Ammo conservation project and Hi-Cap magazine your sniper rifle will have +3 maximum ammo (!), more than enough for In the Zone. If you plan on taking a Marksman Rifle to avoid taking the Snapshot perk, here is how the sample will look:

Lone wolf -> Precision shot -> Sharpshooter -> Aggression -> Bring 'Em On -> In the Zone

You will have less ammo and more critical chance.