Engineer Class

Engineer Class

The Engineer class is very similar to assault. Players will often struggle to choose between the two for an offensive and close-quarters class. The obvious advantage of the engineers is their strength against vehicles. If a team does not take any engineers on a map where vehicles have a role, it is almost impossible to win, as Recon is the only other class with any sort of anti-vehicle capabilities (unless you include C4 assault players). The SMGs that the engineer class uses are best at close-range, and the fact that they are all silenced means you are harder to identify and locate. The trump card of this class is their explosive capabilities, however, provided by RPGs and anti-tank mines.

Weapons:

As with the assault class, many of the SMGs are very similar in terms of their abilities. The most balanced weapons are the 9A-91 Avtomat, the SCAR-L, the AKS-74U and the UMP 45. These all have decent rates of fire, but lose out on damage and accuracy to the assault rifles. If you are looking for something more diverse to suit your particular play style, the weapon with the highest accuracy is the AKS-74U. As mentioned above, it is fairly balanced overall, so is a good choice for those wishing to bridge the gap between SMG and assault rifle. The PP-2000 has the maximum rate of fire available, while the Uzi is a close second. These should be considered close-quarters weapons only, almost in the same manner as shotguns (though the ability to use Red Dot sights and scopes makes them a little more accurate). The 9A-91 has the highest accuracy, and is well balanced, meaning even new players should not be left out in the cold when it comes to competing on a level playing field.

Unlike the assault rifles, you get no additional equipment such as 40mm grenades as part of each SMG. The most important factor for you will probably be the nature of the iron-sights. The SCAR-L, for example, has very clear sights, while those of the 9A-91 are quite crowded. Once you unlock extra sights for the guns, this becomes less of an issue, but some players will prefer to leave the iron-sights and use another of the primary specialisations.

The SMGs are best at close-range

Weapon Unlocks:

The SMGs are unlocked at the following xp boundaries:

9A-91 Avtomat – 0 xp
SCAR-L Carbine – 2,500 xp
XM8 Compact – 6,500 xp
AKS-74U Krinkov – 15,000 xp
Uzi – 26,000 xp
PP-2000 Avtomat – 32,000 xp
UMP-45 – 43,000 xp

Equipment:

The rocket launchers take a lot of getting used to, as players must get into the habit of sneaking round the back of tanks, where one or two shots can take the vehicle out. Five or six may be required from the front. Jeeps can be taken out in a single shot, as can helicopters. You may assume that every RPG is the same, but that is not the case. For example, the M2 Carl Gustav is by far the best explosive weapon against enemy infantry, and you will regularly see players running round with only their Gustav to attempt to get stars with the weapon (and succeeding…). The RPG-7 is generally considered best against vehicles.

Both these RPGs are compatible with the tracer gun, which is a small dart launcher that takes the place of a player's pistol. Once you get a shot on a vehicle or person, the compatible RPGs can then lock onto it and steer towards it. The M136 AT4 is not compatible. This works much like the mounted anti-tank turrets, and can be steered manually by the player. The upshot of this is the ability to have a normal pistol, a great asset in close-quarters combat. Whichever you prefer, they are vital to any successful team.

To assist your team further, be sure to regularly use the Repair Tool, unlocked after a few games online. This gives you 20 in iterations as you repair a friendly vehicle (30 for a squad vehicle repair). Not only is this helpful to your team, but increases your points too. If you love driving vehicles or flying helicopters, an engineer is a good choice to allow you to make running repairs.

Finally, Anti-tank mines can be unlocked. These replace RPGs, but are even more satisfying to use. Placing them at strategic locations can result in regular double and triple kills, particularly if they are used with care.

Equipment Unlocks:

The equipment for the assault class is unlocked at the following xp boundaries:

RPG-7 AT – 0 xp
Repair Tool – 1,000 xp
Anti-tank Mine – 4,400 xp
M2 Carl Gustav AT – 8,700 xp
M136 AT4 – 19,000 xp

Specialisations:

The engineer class shares all the specialisations of the assault class. That means the SMGs are able to function at greater distances with the enhancements offered by scopes. The Marksman training implements an enhanced silencer, reducing recoil and increasing accuracy.

Specialisation Unlocks:

The assault class's specialisations are unlocked at the following xp boundaries:

(Primary) Red Dot Sight – 11,000 xp
(Primary) 4x Rifle Scope – 13,500 xp
(Secondary) Marksman SMG Training – 21,500 xp

Hints and Tips:

Decide on your favourite RPG. The trump card of the engineer class is its explosive anti-vehicle capabilities. The tracer gun has been enhanced in a recent patch, now making it physically possible for us mortals to hit helicopters with it. However, some engineers will resent losing their pistol slot for this addition. In that case, the M136 AT4 is the way to go. Despite using manual targeting, with practice you can get kills that would have been impossible with a tracer dart. Remember too that if you can hit it with a tracer dart, you could probably have hit it with a straight RPG. The tracers mean you can't accurately pick a part of the vehicle to target, such as the rear.

The M136 AT4 is the underappreciated part of the engineer class. This compilation shows what it can do.

Pick appropriate specialities. If you want to be as good as possible at anti-vehicular combat, make sure you use the extra explosive ammunition perk. This increases RPG ammo and anti-tank mine ammo.

Use anti-tank mines intelligently. It is easy to get more kills using anti-tank mines in a match than RPGs. However, you must be clever and not saturate the map with mines. If, for example, you play a Rush map, and the attackers don't find any mines at the first base, they will assume there are none at the second. You can then hit them with some sneakily placed anti-tank mines. Experienced players are usually cautious at the first base, so will take alternative routes to avoid mines. If lots of players are dropping lots of mines, you chances of hitting someone actually go down as the enemy play more carefully.

Hide anti-tank mines. For most players, anti-tank mines are easy to spot, even when in a high-speed vehicle like a quad bike. To combat this, try placing them in shadows or among permanent debris. This makes them harder to see and distinguish from other mess, and increases your chances of getting some free kills.

Be careful with explosives! A stray RPG can destroy your own M-COM station, costing you many points and possibly killing team mates. While laying anti-tank mines, if the mines are exposed to an explosion, you will be killed and the death will go down as a suicide.

Be adaptable. On a map like Isla Inocentes, consider taking a tracer-compatible RPG if you don't usually. It is very difficult to hit helicopters otherwise, while the new tracer-dart speed increases your chances using the gun. By the same token, on some confined maps, using a tracer dart helps little, and costs you the amount of time it would take to get a shot on without it (note also that you can of course use the tracer-RPGs in manual mode, you just can't steer them after launch!).

RPGs are not just for tanks. Use your explosive to take down buildings, kill infantry and cleave a path through the map. RPGs fire straight, so use them against snipers in rooftops or infantry on gun emplacements where bullets would not do the job.