Sniper (Long War)

   Sniper

Long War Snipers are akin to the vanilla Sniper. With Squadsight as their first ability, they're able to inflict long range damage on enemy targets from a position of safety. Note that the Long War version of the perk does not function alongside Overwatch, unlike its base-game counterpart.

Primary Weapon: Sniper Rifles, Marksman Rifles, Assault Rifles, Carbines, SMGs.

Secondary Weapon: Pistols, Machine Pistols.

Class-Limited items: Alloy Bipod.

Abilities

Rank	Ability
Specialist	Squadsight Allows firing at targets in any ally's sight radius within weapon range, but critical chance suffers a -20% penalty. Extended range weapons (MEC primary weapons, Marksman and Strike Rifles, and LMGs) gain roughly five extra tiles range. Sniper rifles have infinite range. Overwatch fire does not extend to squadsight ranges, except with Marksman's and Strike Rifles.
	No other bonuses.
Lance Corporal	Low Profile Makes partial cover grant the defense bonus of full cover.	Deadeye Confers +15 aim against flying targets.	Lone Wolf +10 Aim and Critical Chance if not within 7 tiles of an allied unit.
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Corporal	Disabling Shot Allows sniper rifles to fire a shot that causes the target's main weapon to malfunction. The target may use Reload to fix the weapon. 2 turn cooldown. Cannot cause critical hits.	Precision Shot With sniper/long rifles, fire a shot that ignores squadsight critical penalties, has an additional +30% critical chance, and provides extra damage on critical hits based on the soldier's weapon tech level (+2 for ballistic/laser/gauss, +3 for pulse, +4 for plasma). With marksman's and strike rifles, allows an unlimited range shot with no other bonuses. 2 turn cooldown.	Snapshot For snipers, removes the sniper rifle's restriction on firing and Overwatch after taking a costly action. Any shots taken after using any costly action suffer a -10 Aim penalty. For rocketeers, reduces the aim and range penalty for launching a rocket after taking a costly action to 25% (from 50%).
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Sergeant	Damn Good Ground Confers +10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation, in addition to the usual elevation bonuses.	Ranger Confers +1 damage with primary weapons, rocket launchers, MEC secondary weapons and sidearms. Negates the long-range accuracy penalty with sidearms when shooting beyond 14 meters.	Sharpshooter +10 critical chance in all situations, +10 Aim against enemies in full cover.
	+2 Will.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Tech Sergeant	Executioner Confers +10 aim and +10 critical chance against targets at or below 50% health.	Vital Point Targeting Confers 2 bonus damage with primary guns, and +1 damage with sidearms, against humans and alien targets whose species have been autopsied.	Platform Stability Shots taken before any costly actions have +10 Aim and +10% critical chance. Also grants +10 aim for purposes of reducing scatter if the soldier has not moved this turn, and increases range of Blaster Launcher (which does not scatter).
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Gunnery Sergeant	Tactical Sense Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20).	Bring 'Em On Confers 1-4 bonus damage during critical hits (which is then multiplied by 50% due to the critical hit). The damage is higher when more enemies are in view (including squad sight vision). This results in +1.5 dmg for 1-2 enemies, +3 dmg for 3-4 enemies, +4.5 dmg for 5-6 enemies, +6 dmg for 7 or more enemies.	Lock N' Load Primary weapons receive one additional shot or burst before a reload is required, and you may reload your primary weapon as the first action of your turn without ending the turn.
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Master Sergeant	In the Zone Killing a flanked or uncovered target does not cost an action. Confers a -1 base damage and -10% critical hit chance penalty for each successive In The Zone kill.	Mayhem Confers +2 damage for suppression, SAWs, LMGs, explosive grenades, proximity mines and rocket launchers. Confers +4 damage for sniper and long rifles, marksman's, strike and reflex rifles using Standard Shot or Precision Shot.	Double Tap Allows a second action restricted to Standard Shot, Precision Shot, or Disabling Shot as long as the first action was a Standard Shot, Precision Shot, Disabling Shot, or Flush provided no costly actions were taken. 1 turn cooldown. (Note: Double Tap is cancelled in the following cases: (1) the first shot results in a kill, and no more enemies are visible to the unit, or (2) for gunners only, the first shot depletes the ammo.)
	No other bonuses.	+2 Aim.	No other bonuses.

*Perks tagged with blue are fixed even with Second Wave Training Roulette option is enabled

Stat Progression

Rank	/ Level			Total
			*			*
Specialist	0	4	5(-6)	0	4	5(-6)
Lance Corporal	0	4	5(-6)	0	8	10(-12)
Corporal	1	4	3(-4)	1	12	13(-16)
Sergeant	0	4	2(-3)	1	16	15(-19)
Tech Sergeant	0	4	2(-3)	1	20	17(-22)
Gunnery Sergeant	0	4	2(-3)	1	24	19(-25)
Master Sergeant	1	4	2(-3)	2	28	21(-28)

• Note that, even without Hidden Potential turned on, there is a chance of gaining 1 extra will per level (shown in parentheses above). Psionic soldiers can also gain 1-6 extra will per psi level (1 + rand(6)).

Tactical Advice

Long War Snipers are quite similar to vanilla Squadsight snipers, but there are a few differences. Overwatch only works up to limited range, even with Squadsight, 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 the role of "snap shot" skirmishing snipers is filled by snipers with a Marksman Rifles and the Scout. With In The Zone and Double Tap, snipers are some of your highest damage soldiers. Watch your ammo consumption with Double Tap and ITZ; 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.

The three main 'trick' shots, Precision Shot (aka: Headshot), Disabling Shot, and Snapshot are now all on the same tier of Corporal, and thus, mutually exclusive. Disablers help out greatly for doing alien captures and temporarily negating dangerous threats, Precision Shooters are for bringing down heavy alien units, and Snapshot Snipers can hit with flexibility. You may want to customize their names to easily distinguish between them in the Barracks and squad deployment screens (for example: #eadshot, Dis@bling, and $napshot, and putting #, @, or $ at the start of their first name).

If Training Roulette is chosen, a lot of the same advice applies as in Vanilla, plus the various altered/custom Long War abilities (eg: "Lock N' Load" does NOT allow for firing the Sniper Rifle weapons after reloading without Snapshot, as it consumes the first action of a turn: you can still use Steady Weapon, or their pistol slot weapon, instead.

Sample Builds

In the Zone Cleaner

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Deadeye	Snapshot	Ranger	Vital Point Targeting	Lock N' Load	In the Zone
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	N/A
Strengths	In the Zone cleanup dmg/utility, Snapshot flexibility
Weaknesses	somewhat mediocre single target damage
Preferred battle sites	Anything with high enemy density: Terror missions, large UFOs, Base Assaults, Base Defense
Most common Loadout	Scope/Neural Gunlink/Illuminator Gunsight, Alloy Bipod, Hi Cap Mags, and/or +1 Damage items
Power Ranks	CPL for flexibility, TSGT for dmg, MSGT for In the Zone cleanup capability
Description	Classic In the Zone build - finish off multiple (up to 10 in theory) weakened and exposed enemies each turn, from the back line or in the air in late game. Ranger and Vital Point Targeting give reliable damage over crit chance, which is essential for executing an ITZ chain. Snapshot combos with Lock N Load and In the Zone to allow reloading and more firing. Deadeye is nice for guaranteeing hits against flyers, who gain a defense bonus equal to that of Low Cover while flying but still count as exposed for In the Zone.
Strategic Analysis	Relies on cover destruction and support fire to expose enemies and bring their health into range of a guaranteed kill, especially as each kill with ITZ reduces the next shot's damage by 1 and critical chance by 10%. Flying targets also count as exposed.

Long Range Assassin/Fist of God

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Lone Wolf	Precision Shot	Ranger	Vital Point Targeting	Bring 'Em On	Mayhem
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	+2 aim
Strengths	horrifying single target dmg that can delete most enemies outright
Weaknesses	lacks flexibility requiring good positioning and support, tends to overkill
Preferred battle sites	All, especially large maps
Most common Loadout	Aim/crit boosting item(s), Hi Cap Mags for Gauss Long Rifle
Power Ranks	TSGT for dmg, GSGT for more crit/Pre. Shot dmg, MSGT for even more dmg
Description	The Sniper in this role stays behind and relies on its Squadsight. 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. Can guarantee a kill against a squishy enemy every turn, or crack a seemingly invulnerable late-game mech enemy.
Strategic Analysis	Good positioning before the fight actually starts is extremely important with this build to guarantee a devastating first strike against alien pods. Ranger + VPT + Mayhem provide you with +7 average damage which should be enough to guarantee you one shot kills even without a critical. Therefore Precision Shot should only be used when needed against dangerous, bulky units like mechanicals, Muton Elites, and of course psionics

Double Tap Crit Monster

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Lone Wolf	Precision Shot	Sharpshooter	Platform Stability	Bring 'Em On	Double Tap
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	N/A
Strengths	Great damage output against one or two enemies per turn
Weaknesses	lacks flexibility requiring good positioning and support, goes through ammo quickly
Preferred battle sites	All, especially large maps
Most common Loadout	Scope/Neural Gunlink/Illuminator Gunsight, Alloy Bipod, Targeting Module, and/or Hi Cap Mags
Power Ranks	Gains power steadily with ranks, MSGT doubles dmg when active
Description	A Sniper that prefers to dish out two high damage crit shots each turn, versus one extreme damage shot. Kill two squishy enemies each turn, or focus both shots on one tough enemy. Potentially highest damage output of all builds, but has to stop to reload often. Functions similarly to the pure assassin build. A targeting module can improve crit consistency and damage significantly in early game.
Strategic Analysis	Good pre-fight positioning, ammo management, keeping track of Double Tap uptime is key to maximizing the effectiveness of this build. Ideally you want to have 5 shots in your sniper rifle so you can DT, shoot, DT again, reload, and repeat. If you don’t have Ammo Con. yet and can only have 4 shots consider repositioning and/or steadying or even reloading between DT turns if the situation allows for it. When using the Gauss Long Rifle Hi Cap Mags are mandatory until Ammo Conservation, and even then it’s still probably a good idea. Precision Shot with the full assortment of +crit stacking gear, perks, and eye gene mods will guarantee a 100% crit chance even against Hardened or In Cover foes, while a non-Precision Shot attack will come with 50% less crit chance and is better for exposed biological targets. Aim stacking (including Sharpshooter) can also give you a 100% hit chance straight through full cover.

The Most Interesting Sniper in the World

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Deadeye	Disabling Shot	Ranger	Vital Point Targeting	Lock N' Load	In the Zone
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	N/A
Strengths	In the Zone cleanup dmg/utility, very flexible, good support with Disabling shot
Weaknesses	sacrifices dmg output, needs to be close to the frontline
Preferred battle sites	All, doesn’t mind maps with bad sightlines
Most common Loadout	Strike Rifle, aim/crit boosting items
Power Ranks	CPL for support, TSGT for dmg, MSGT for ITZ cleanup
Description	See classic In the Zone build, but with Disabling Shot and a Marksman Rifle. Disabling Shot is arguably the best control perk in the game, completely neutralizing some of the most dangerous enemies in the game for a turn as well as making captures significantly less dangerous and more consistent. Using the Marksman Rifle ensures the sniper won't have blocked Line of Sight in a moment of desperate need. It also allows the build to use In the Zone without Snapshot, and allows moving and shooting without an accuracy penalty. Deadeye eliminates the difficulty of activating Lone Wolf while using a strike rifle and improves aim against flyers for ITZ chains and clutch Disabling Shots.
Strategic Analysis	Requires careful planning to keep enemies out of range, but within the +5 tile Squadsight range of the Marksman Rifle. Regular Sniper Rifles can be used instead of Strike Rifles if desired on large maps with generally open sight lines, such as roadway maps and landed small/medium UFOs.

Skirmisher

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Low Profile	Disabling Shot	Ranger	Vital Point Targeting	Tactical Sense	Double Tap
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	N/A
Strengths	Relatively safe on the frontline, good dmg output with Double Tap
Weaknesses	Lack of aim perks can make shots somewhat inconsistent
Preferred battle sites	All, doesn’t mind maps with bad sightlines
Most common Loadout	Strike Rifle, aim/crit boosting items
Power Ranks	CPL for support, GSGT for safety, MSGT for dmg
Description	A Sniper that prefers to play at mid range, and can save the squad with a clutch Disabling Shot to take enemies like out of commission for a turn. Low Profile and Tactical Sense allow safe use of the Marksman Rifle to get into otherwise questionable positions and land crucial shots. Overall damage output is also good, especially when Double Tap is available.
Strategic Analysis	This sniper doesn’t mind being on the frontlines nearly as much as other builds. As long as you mind your flanks and keep enemy fire focused on your tank units it will likely never even be shot at despite being on the frontlines with the rest of your soldiers. Be wary of enemy explosives, however, especially when taking positions with destructible cover. Compared to “The Most Interesting Sniper in the World” (another build that focuses on Strike Rifle use) it can move up against enemies much more confidently, performs better damage against grounded targets in cover, and can shoot the same target twice in one turn. However, it lacks some consistency against flyers and of course lacks In the Zone cleanup potential.

See also

Long War: Soldiers
	Soldiers Assault Infantry Rocketeer Gunner Sniper Scout Medic Engineer
	MEC Troopers Marauder Valkyrie Archer Goliath Jaeger Pathfinder Guardian Shogun
	Officers Psionics Gene Mods S.H.I.V.s