Rainbow Six: Vegas Weapon (and Equipment) Guide
Version: 1.0
Author: B Griff
Date Created: 1-23-09


CONTENTS:

A brief foreword  (drowerof)
Weapons/equipment by type  (epyt)
Equipment & Gadgets  (E&G)
Accessories accepted by weapon type  (seirossecca)
Weapons information  (snopaew)
Tips  (spit)
Good Loadouts  (stuodaol)
Where to find "drop" weapons  (pord)
Terrorist Loadout  (tsirorret)
Conclusion   (noisulcnoc)


A brief foreword:  drowerof

Although there is already a walkthrough/general FAQ for this game, I decided to 
write one that concentrates on the weapons because I feel that this is one of 
the main focuses of the game.  Also, the walkthrough FAQ, under the weapons 
heading, is missing a few entries.  I will attempt to give a more complete 
guide that includes everything weapons (and equipment) related.

As far as the aspect of weapons in RS:V goes, I don't think I have missed any-
thing, however, if you find any glaring omissions, feel free to contact me at 
[email protected] and I will be sure to correct the FAQ.  I will also in-
clude a few tips for weapons and how they are used in practice.



Weapons/equipment by type:  epyt

Equipment types fall into eight broad categories:

Assault Rifles:  These include the 552 Commando, AK-47, AUG A3, FAMAS, G36C, 
G3KA4, M8, MTAR21, & SCAR-H CQC.

Equipment:  This covers your Headset, Night Vision Goggles, Rope & Rappel 
equipment, Thermal Vision Goggles, Explosives, Snake Cam, and Vaccine.

Gadgets:  These include the Breaching Charge, C4, Flashbang, Frag Grenade, 
Incendiary Grenade, Riot Shield, and Smoke Grenade.

Light Machine Guns:  These are the 21E, M249 SPW, MG36, and MK46.

Pistols/Sidearms:  These include the 92FS, Desert Eagle, Glock 18, MK 23, 
Raging Bull, and USP40.

Shotguns:  These are the 870MCS, M3, SPAS 12, and XM-26 LSS.

Sniper Rifles:  This covers the M40A1, PSG1, Scout Tactical, and SV-98.

Submachine Guns:  These are the MAC 11, MP5N, MP7A1, MP9, P90, and UMP45.



Equpment & Gadgets:  E&G

Headset:  This keeps you in communication with your team, as well as giving you
video updates of the activities of the enemy.  This is not optional equipment, 
it is always part of your loadout.

Night Vision Goggles:  These are the antiquated analog "green screen" night 
vision.  Apparently Rainbow Six cannot afford new wave digital night vision.  
Nonetheless, these goggles come in useful in a couple of spots throughout the 
game.

Rope & Rappel Equipment:  Sometimes you need to rappel or drop in by rope.  
This is the standard rope and rappel equipment used by the Rainbow Six team.

Thermal Vision Goggles:  These allow you to see through a smokescreen by 
registering the temperature of the objects seen through them.  Warmer objects 
(such as humans) are seen in yellow, orange, and red.  Cooler, inanimate 
objects are usually shades of blue or purple.

Explosives:  One of your teammates places these on any number of target objects
that need to be destroyed.  Simply place the command and get away from whatever
is being destroyed.

Snake Cam:  Use it to look under doors and explore the next room.

Vaccine:  Use these to heal a fallen comrade.  If fallen friendly is in the 
line of fire, send your other R6 teammate, instead.

Breaching Charge:  These explosives bust open a door, damaging any enemies 
behind it.  They are fairly useful.

C4:  You can throw these charges to a remote area and detonate them by remote 
plunger.  Relatively useful.

Flashbang:  Blinds and disorients the enemy.  Very useful.

Frag Grenade:  Fills the area with deadly shrapnel.  Very useful gadget.

Incendiary Grenade:  Although not as deadly as a frag, these will generally 
kill or at least incapacitate your enemy.

Riot Shield:  Protects against most attacks from the front.  It is useful, 
although it takes the place of one of your weapon slots.

Smoke Grenade:  Creates a somewhat useful smokescreen for you to attack from 
behind.  Use your thermal vision goggles to see heat signatures of enemies 
behind the smoke.



Accessories accepted by weapon type:  seirossecca


Assault Rifles:

6X Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target 6 times.  Usefulness:  
Good.

ACOG Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target 4 times.  Usefulness:  
Good.

Laser Sight:  Improve weapon accuracy at the cost of alerting enemy to your 
presence.  Usefulness:  Average.

Reflex Scope:  Provides clear reticule in any light condition.  Usefulness:  
Average.


Light Machine Guns:

Laser Sight:  Improve weapon accuracy at the cost of alerting enemy to your 
presence.  Usefulness:  Average.

Recoil Control Stock:  Improve weapon accuracy by reducing recoil.  Usefulness:
Good.

Reflex Scope:  Provides clear reticule in any light condition.  Usefulness:  
Average.

Rifle Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target.  Usefulness:  Good.


Pistols (Varies by model):

MK 23, USP40, 92FS, Desert Eagle:

Laser Sight:  Improve weapon accuracy at the cost of alerting enemy to your 
presence.  Usefulness:  Average.

High-Capacity Magazine:  Increase magazine capacity.  Usefulness:  Good.

Glock 18, Raging Bull:

Laser Sight:  Improve weapon accuracy at the cost of alerting enemy to your 
presence.  Usefulness:  Average.


Shotguns:

Laser Sight:  Improve weapon accuracy at the cost of alerting enemy to your 
presence.  Usefulness:  Average.

Reflex Scope:  Provides clear reticule in any light condition.  Usefulness:  
Good.

Rifle Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target.  Usefulness:  
Average.


Sniper Rifles:

6X Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target 6 times.  Usefulness:  
Good.

12X Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target 12 times.  Usefulness:  
Good.

6-12X Scope:  Two-tier aim, increase by 6 or 12 times.  Usefullness:  Good.


Submachine Guns:

Laser Sight:  Improve weapon accuracy at the cost of alerting enemy to your 
presence.  Usefulness:  Average.

Reflex Scope:  Provides clear reticule in any light condition.  Usefulness:  
Average.

Rifle Scope:  Improve your aim by magnifying your target.  Usefulness:  Good.



Weapons Information:  snopaew

Because Notepad does not allow for tables, I am forced to present the following
information about the firearms in RS:V in a different format.  Each weapon name
will be followed by a series of letters, numbers, and symbols:

The first letter will denote the type of trigger group, in other words, the 
types of action that the weapon allows, as such:

A denotes a weapon with Semi-auto and Full-auto trigger group.
B denotes a weapon with Semi-auto, 3-round burst, and Full-auto trigger group.
C denotes a weapon with only Full-auto trigger group.
D denotes a weapon with Semi-auto, 2-round burst, and Full-auto trigger group.
E denotes a weapon with only Bolt action trigger group.
F denotes a weapon with only Semi-auto trigger group.
G denotes a weapon with only Pump-action trigger group.

The second letter, Y or N, denotes whether or not the weapon can be silenced.

The next series is a representation of Damage, Range, and Accuracy 
(respectively), followed by the maximum capacity (including "plus 1" if pos-
sible) of the weapon.  This is designated by a series of three numbers 1 
through 10 separated by hyphens, followed by capacity (a double-digit number).

The last series of numbers denotes the number of "clips" or magazines full of 
ammo that may be carried for the particular weapon.  This includes the clip 
that is automatically loaded when you bring the weapon up.  For instance, if 
you bring up the MP5N, before you have fired it once, it shows the number "8" 
in small numerals next to the "31" (clip capacity).  This is the number of 
clips BEYOND the one already loaded.  Thus you actually have 9 clips of ammo 
for this weapon.  Not applicable for pistols, as they are unlimited ammo.

The acronym HCM stands for "High-Capacity Magazine."  If this follows the 
Damage, Range, Accuracy, and Capacity & Clip numbers, this stands for the 
maximum capacity of the pistol when High-Capacity Magazine is chosen as the 
accessory.  

Weapons that are included in the armory initially (before any progress is made 
in the game) are not marked with an asterisk.  Alternately, weapons that ARE 
only accessible by picking them up in the battlefield are asterisked to denote 
that they are "drop" weapons, meaning that you must end the mission carrying 
them to access them in later missions.  Twenty weapons (guns) are included in 
the non-drop lineup, the other 12 must be picked up in the battlefield.

Also, the Riot Shield must be picked up in the battlefield, it is not part of 
the initial weapons and must be picked up as other weapons are.

The last letter is the ROF, or Rate of Fire.  This is marked as H for high, A 
for average, L for low, VH for very high, and HB for high for bolt-action.  If 
the weapon's rate of fire is so low as to be negligible, it is not listed.


Here is the list of weapons with all denotations included:

552 COMMANDO:   B Y 8-7-4 31 12 H

AK-47:   A Y 7-5-4 31 12 * A

AUG A3:   A Y 7-2-5 31 12 * A

FAMAS:   A Y 7-6-4 26 15 H

G36C:   A Y 7-6-5 31 12 * A

G3KA4:   A Y 7-8-5 31 12 * A

M8:   A Y 7-6-4 31 12 A

MTAR21:   A Y 8-6-4 31 12 H

SCAR-H CQC:   A Y 7-8-5 31 12 A


21E:   C N 6-3-6 100 10 L

M249 SPW:   C N 8-4-4 100 10 A

MG36:   C N 7-4-4 101 10 * L

MK46:   C N 7-4-4 100 10 A


92FS:   F Y 4-6-6 16 HCM 19 

DESERT EAGLE:   F N 8-6-6 8 HCM 10 *

GLOCK 18:   A N 3-5-4 11 *

MK 23:   F Y 5-3-6 13 HCM 16

RAGING BULL:   F N 9-5-5 6 *

USP40:   F Y 4-3-5 14 HCM 17


870MCS:   G N 9-2-3 8 21

M3:   G N 8-2-3 8 21

SPAS 12:   G N 9-2-3 8 21 *

XM-26 LSS:   A N 7-1-4 6 33 * A


M40A1:   E N 10-9-10 6 16

PSG1:   F N 8-9-10 6 16 L

SCOUT TACTICAL:   E N 10-9-10 6 16 L

SV-98:   E N 10-9-10 6 16 * 


MAC 11:   C Y 4-2-6 33 16 * VH

MP5N:   B Y 5-2-8 31 9 A

MP7A1:   A 4-2-8 41 7 A

MP9:   A 5-2-9 31 16 H

P90:   B 4-2-7 51 10 * H

UMP45:   D 5-3-9 26 19 L



Tips:   spit

ALWAYS use the outfitting chest:

The reason being, even if you do not wish to change weapons, you will restock 
on ammo and if you have tossed a grenade, incendiary, or what have you, you 
will fill back up to three on it.  Needless to say that this can be vital 
depending on the mission you are playing.

ALWAYS "plus one" your weapon:

This is accomplished by pushing the reload button ("X" by default) AFTER you 
have already reloaded your weapon to the max.  Works with all weapons, except 
for the following:  21E, MK46, M249 SPW, M3, 870MCS, SPAS 12, and Raging Bull.

Smoke grenades quickly dissipate shortly after they stop hissing.

You cannot throw "gadgets" when you are holding the riot shield.

The "recoil control stock" has little use.  Though it does control the recoil a
little there are better accessories for LMGs.

The pump-action shotguns are slow in between shots.  The XM-26 LSS, although 
not found until later in the game, are much better for follow-up shots in semi-
auto mode.  I wouldn't suggest using it full-auto, though, as this burns 
through ammo too quickly.

For your two gadgets, you should probably use frag grenades and incendiary 
grenades, Unless you like to use smoke grenades a lot.  Flashbangs can work, 
too, but I prefer to have gadgets that actually do damage.  C4 isn't bad but 
somewhat slow to use so I usually skip on it.  

ANY weapon is sufficient to beat any scene in Rainbow Six: Vegas.  Although I 
include some ideal loadouts in this guide, you should not be discouraged to 
pick up other weapons if you run out of ammo for one of your initial loadout 
weapons.  This is driven home by the fact that in the "Escape" scene from the 
first act, you are stripped of all but your pistol.  Yet after a few tries you 
should be able to beat this part.  Also remember that your team members, when 
you have them (which is for most of the game) are expendable, and you can send 
them ahead of you if you fear there is an enemy ahead, or ambush in waiting.  

Anytime you can get a height advantage, go ahead and take it.  When you have a 
height advantage you have the luxury of crouching behind cover that would 
normally not be sufficient to protect you from enemy fire, plus you can back up
when being shot at and usually be out of the line of fire completely.

Frag, Clear, Retreat:  

At many points in the game when you and your team enter a room you find there 
are many enemies behind the door.  The best thing to do in this scenario is to 
stack your allies up, frag and clear, and then, after your allies have taken 
out a few foes, call them to return to you, in relative safety, somewhere 
behind the door.  If you continue to let them fight in the room with the 
enemies, they are likely to be gunned down.  Now you are in an almost hopeless 
situation.  If you call them back before this happens you can restack them at 
the door so they can take down more foes.  When most are gone you can simply 
open and clear and Michael and Jung will pick off any stragglers and you're
done.

Flash and Clear, Weapons Free!:  

Unless a door is open, when you stack your team up against it, they can only 
use a flashbang if the "Rules of Engagement" is on "Infiltrate."  But if you 
are going into a situation where there are hostages at gunpoint, your teammates
won't fire on disoriented foes.  The best thing to do in this situation is to 
make the ROE (Rules of Engagement) Infiltrate as your teammates stack up, then 
execute the Flash and Clear command, and then immediately change the ROE to 
Assault.  Your teammate will still throw the Flashbang in the room, but will 
automatically attack any hostiles inside, which almost always saves the hos-
tages.

Upside-down Rappelling:

When you are creeping down a building on your rope, flip upside-down to attack 
enemies behind windows with your pistol.  If you stay right side-up when doing
so, you will find that most of your body is exposed to enemy fire.  When 
upside-down, only your head is exposed, giving your foes a smaller target.	

 
Good Loadouts:  stuodaol

There are a few combinations of primary and secondary weapons that work well 
no matter what the situation may be, they are as follows:

UMP45 & M249 SPW

UMP45 & SCAR-H CQC

XM-26 LSS & Riot Shield, plus Glock 18

MP9 & SCAR-H CQC

UMP45 & XM-26 LSS

MTAR21 & UMP45

and for massive firepower:

M249 SPW & P90

M249 SPW & MP7A1

and for great stopping power:

MP9 & 552 Commando OR MTAR21

for down-range combat:

UMP45 & PSG1 OR SCAR-H CQC

and finally, for close quarters:

XM-26 LSS & M249 SPW OR MAC 11 OR AUG A3

For your sidearm, until you have the Glock 18, the MK 23 is probably your best 
bet.  Once you have them all, depending on your style of play, you may prefer 
the Desert Eagle or Raging Bull.  These weapons have great stopping power 
(damage) but a slow recovery time between shots.  Also, the Glock 18 is full 
auto, so it acts as a tiny SMG, in a way.  I prefer the Glock but if you find 
after trying them all you prefer the "one hit kills" of one of the other guns, 
then go for it.  You will rarely use your sidearm anyway, except when rappel-
ling.  It is not very often you will run out of ammo in both of your main 
weapons, and even if you do you can simply pick up a dead terrorist's weapon.

Your selection in gadgets is somewhat mission specific, but for nearly all 
scenes, I chose the Frag Grenade and Incendiary Grenade.  There are only two 
scenes where I would pick differently, though if you play straight through you 
will not have access to an outfitting for one such mission:

In the scene "Spillways" there is a part where Jung must hack the dam computer.
Before you command him to do this, you can place a C4 charge in front of the 
overhead door that opens down the way where all the baddies pour out of (I 
think there are at least six).  Just keep your eye on the door and when it 
starts to open detonate it and that will take care of most of them, making this
part much easier.  If you're quick you can even throw another after at the 
overhead door behind you and kill the two terrorists that come through this 
one.  Unfortunately you have to carry C4 as one of your gadgets for quite a 
while since there is no outfitting chest near this part if you choose to go 
this route.

In the scene "The Doctors," right near the end there is an outfitting chest and
then you go into a room where Jung must hack the computer to open the blast-
proof doors in the level above you.  Immediately after he starts hacking 10-12 
terrorists enter and try to shoot you and your team.  This part is much easier 
if you equip smoke grenades as your second gadget.  You can throw them at the 
feet of Michael and thus provide cover for your team as you pick the baddies 
off one by one.  Be prepared to use all three and afterward, make sure you 
visit the outfitting again to switch back to incendiary grenades.


Where to find "drop" weapons:  pord

Here is a list of the drop weapons, with where you can first (and in some 
cases, second) find them as you play through the scenes.  Please note also that
many drop weapons can be found in the Terrorist Hunt mode, and if you can't 
beat terrorist hunt with the weapon you want in hand, just have it on you when 
you get killed.  When the menu pops up asking if you want to retry, just move 
the cursor to "Quit to Menu" and if you check your inventory, you should now 
have the weapon.

MAC 11: Carried by the terrorist watching TV at the beginning of "Inbound," the 
very first scene of the game.  Also, throughout the rest of the scene several 
terrorists carry it.

P90:  Carried by a terrorist in the casino vault in the scene "Security."  Also
pops up throughout the rest of this scene.

MG36:  In the first interior room of "Exclusive Gone Wrong" one of the terror-
ists is carrying it.  If you don't find it there, it is used throughout this 
scene by various enemies.

AUG A3:  "The Strip" scene.  Many of the enemies here carry this Assault Rifle.

G36C:  On a second playthrough, I found one of the enemies in the "Exclusive 
Gone Wrong" scene, the very first room (with the skylight) was carrying this 
weapon.  If you can't get it there, however, you can get it in the scene "Tower
Assault" in the Vertigo Spire.  Several enemies in this scene carry it, 
especially in the patio outside.

G3KA4:  This is first found about halfway through the very first scene, 
"Inbound" and several more times throughout the Mexican Border scenes.

AK-47:  The first enemy you ever encounter, the first in the scene "Inbound" 
carries this ubiquitous weapon.  Also, in the scene "Fremont" directly under 
the canopy is a big firefight with many terrorists (where you save the family's
daughter).  Several of the terrorists are carrying the AK here.

SV-98:  Found in the room that connects to a walkway that crosses the trainyard
at the beginning of the scene "Trainyard."  Also, there is one in the VIP 
lounge in the scene "Exclusive Gone Wrong" and on top of the scaffolding at the
end of the street at the very end of the scene titled "Mafia House."

SPAS 12:  These are found all over, but the first instance is in the scene "The 
Strip."

XM-26 LSS:  There is one in the dark, fiery last part of "Hell's Gate" when you 
are descending the bell tower.  Otherwise, pick it up in the "Gabe" scene, in 
the first hallway where you see arcade games wrapped in brown paper and cello-
phane.

Glock 18:  The first one I found was in the street area of "The Strip."  There 
is also sometimes one in the "Prime Time" scene. If you don't find it in one of
these two places you may have to wait till quite a bit later (Irena carries 
one).  I would suggest getting it here, though.

Desert Eagle:  The first instance of this is in the "Security" scene, though it
is also available in "Extraction," the last scence of Act II: Calypso Casino.

Raging Bull:  I first found this pistol in the "Exclusive Gone Wrong" scene on 
the casino floor that features dragon statues (not the one the VIP lounge over-
looks).  Sometimes you cannot find it there but you can find it in the next 
scene, "Fremont."  Barring that, the first two enemies in the scene "Mafia 
House" are carrying it.

Shield:  Though I wouldn't call it a "weapon," per se, it takes a weapon slot 
and is picked up like a weapon so I include it here.  The riot shield can first
be picked up at the VERY beginning of the scene "The Strip," something I missed 
the first time through.  Just look around the bodies of policemen/SWAT in the 
area where you first link up with Michael and Jung andyou'll see it lying on 
the ground.  The second place you can find it is under Fremont Street.  After 
you go down the stairs after fighting the terrorists in Fremont St. proper, you
find yourself in an underground sewer-like system.  The riot shield is leaning
against the wall in one of the first hallways you walk through.

Turret:  The turret is a stationary weapon used by terrorists in many levels, I
won't try to list them all here.  You cannot pick up a turret (Light Machine 
Gun) so you cannot add it to your inventory.  You can use it, and it feeds from
a 100-round belt, much like the LMGs that you CAN carry.  It does not come in 
very useful, really the only time I used one was in the scene "Escape."  I only 
include it here so that I can say my Weapons Guide is "complete."  It is of 
limited accuracy, cannot be silenced or accessorized, and no statistical data 
is available for it.


Terrorist Loadout:  tsirorret

Here is a quick guide so that you know what to expect to be up against when you
enter a level.  It is simply what the terrorists are carrying for each scene.  
It is not 100% accurate because the weapons seem to be randomly generated, to a
certain degree, but is for the most part pretty accurate.

Act I: Mexican Border

Scene 1: Inbound
MAC 11, AK-47, G3KA4, 92FS, 870MCS

Scene 2: Trainyard
AK-47, SV-98, G3KA4, 870MCS, 92FS, MP5N

Scene 3: Mines
AK-47

Scene 4: Escape
870MCS, G3KA4, AK-47, MP5N

Act II: Calypso Casino

Scene 1: The Strip
Shield, AUG A3, Glock 18, SV-98, 21E, SPAS 12

Scene 2: Security
552 Commando, Desert Eagle, P90, SPAS 12

Scene 3: Prime Time
MAC 11, AUG A3, 21E, SPAS 12

Scene 4: Dr. Smythe
AUG A3, 21E, MAC 11, SPAS 12

Scene 5: Extraction
AUG A3, 21E, MP5N, Desert Eagle, SPAS 12

Act III: Downtown Vegas

Scene 1: Exclusive Gone Wrong
MG36, SPAS 12, 552 Commando, P90, Raging Bull, SV-98

Scene 2: Fremont
AK-47, Raging Bull, 552 Commando, Shield, MG36, SPAS 12, P90

Scene 3: Mafia House
Raging Bull, SPAS 12, P90, MG36, 552 Commando, SV-98

Act IV: Vertigo Spire

Scene 1: Tower Assault
92FS, P90, 870MCS, 552 Commando, G36C, UMP45

Scene 2: Tower Bar
UMP45, 552 Commando, 870 MCS, 92FS, G36C, MG36

Act V: Dante's Casino

Scene 1: Hell's Gate
AUG A3, UMP45, XM-26 LSS, MP5N, FAMAS, MK 23, USP40

Scene 2: Gabe
XM-26 LSS, AUG A3, UMP45, FAMAS

Scene 3: Kan
P90, Sniper Rifle (probably SV-98), MG36, FAMAS, XM-26 LSS

Scene 4: Data Hub
P90, MG36, FAMAS, XM-26 LSS

Act VI: Nevada Dam

Scene 1: Tourist Center
MTAR21, UMP45, 552 Commando, XM-26 LSS, MK 23

Scene 2: The Dam
UMP45, 552 Commando, FAMAS, MTAR21

Scene 3: Spillway
UMP45, 552 Commando, FAMAS, MTAR21

Scene 4: Facility
FAMAS, MTAR21, MK 23, 552 Commando, MG36

Scene 5: The Doctors:
FAMAS, MTAR21, 552 Commando

Scene 6: Irena
FAMAS, Glock 18

Scene 7: Top of the Dam
552 Commando, MG36, P90, MTAR21


Conclusion:  noisulcnoc

I hope you have enjoyed my Weapons Guide and found it useful.  If you wish to 
reproduce this guide elsewhere please acknoweldge me (B Griff) and provide a 
link to the original on Gamefaqs.com.