Rifleman tactics?

[R20+]

Hello.
I really hate all run and gun rambo gameplay on RO2. There aren't many people playing countdown. So I play bolt action to encourage slower paced gameplay.

I want to ask what should rifleman do? Camp, defend, support, attack, capture or what? How to play with it? Hide or cover, etc?
Bolt action and semi tactics please.

 

[DesiQ]

Riflemen should be directly behind Assault on the way to caps. Cover the Assault group as it takes the main line of attack (watch out for MGs and snipers, for example), then push hard into the flanks while the enemy is distracted. You want to open as many paths into the cap as possible so that you can have as many warm bodies inside it as possible. Remember to pick up a pistol (or two) when you can, and don't be afraid to get in close. The bayonet makes short work of enemies, and having the pistols allows you to transition to them in emergencies.

Aside from that, keep an eye out for dead squad leaders who may have dropped smokes, keep grabbing grenades, that sort of thing.

 

[Clowndoe]

Definitly shouldn't camp. Depends on what you want to do, because you can attack or defend. One thing is for sure the only class that shouldn't be in the cap zone is marksman. The thing is when you have a bolt you really don't want to run into someone at pointblank because you will lose unless you're close enough to actually bayonet him. So you move from cover to cover, more methodically than an SMGer do your best not to run into an enemy by rounding a corner, and use your grenades to clear rooms. Another trick that sounds really dumb but, at least for me, you actually have to think of it, is to aim before you shoot. It's easy to panic when you run into an enemy and he sees you, and fire off a round and hope to hit, but that's the last thing you want to do. You have to decide either to line up the shot, or duck and try to get him from another angle. When you have the bayonet, your odds of surviving a close-quarters encounter go up drastically, as long as you know when to charge and when to shoot and when to run. With the bayo on you can actually make SMG users panic fire and die up close.

 

[flavin420]

Most importantly is having a microphone. Then teaming up with another rifleman and an assault tropper, if you can get a good 3-4 man squad going your golden. And then dont camp

 

[Vesper11]

You can do anything you want with a rifleman. Follow the basic rules (as many have mentioned -teaming up and protect your spawn point (aka SL)) and remeber that you are more vulnurable at medium-close range (automatics have an edge at those ranges). At close/room clearing range bayo and grenades are your best friends (throw a nade and get inside just a moment after it explodes - enemies might still be in cover or returning to their defensive positions and not expect you, also explosion provides some dust which concleals you). Also dont expect to hold against multiply enemies as you are easiliy overwhelmed (get a friend or grab someones semi-auto if you can), for this reason its preferable to know where you can retreat in case of "oh shi..." situation. Dont forget to peekaboo while bolting your rifle if the enemy sees you (and relocating) or simply strafe after every shot to throw off enemy aim a bit. And remember that most people cant tell a difference between mosin and kar98, and its low rate of fire reduces your "sound presence" to minimum.

p.s. Dont forget that rifle has quite good penetration and considering the enormous ammount of ammo you get as a rifleman, be sure to "check" suspicious cover or possible enemy locations.

 

[Verluste]

Take your distance, dont get close, take and hold but NEVER assault. If you take an area, do so when you are covering and following assault classes.

RO1 description of riflemen was to ''take and hold area's/ground'''.
In other words: the rifleman is a mobile camper helping his team.

 

[heeteepee]

As someone who plays mostly only rifleman. I find it is best to not plan what you are going to do in advance. But instead adapt to the situation you find yourself in.
The rifleman is also a good distraction. Sometimes, and only every so often, it is good to put yourself in a completely different and unexpected position perhaps even behind enemy lines and distract people. Yes you can't do much damage, but you can put a lot of worry into the enemy. Make them think there is more than one of you, use illusions. Throw grenades to make it look like from different areas.
Also a lot people say don't get into CQB, but with practice you will be able to adapt to certain CQB situations, yes it is true that it is best to get up close with a bayonet, then do so! Make the enemy uncomfortable and uneasy. Stay calm and believe that you are in control of the situation. Practice decent accuracy from the hip, one shot kills are regular with a bolt action rifle, just make sure you don't miss!
I agree with most of the above as the main things to do and yes they are the norm. But if you get a bit bored or want to try out different tactics, give this a go.

 

[Wookie87]

I tend to find the rifleman is an excellent unit for both attack and defence when employed properly. Indeed it can act as a good 'mobile' camper with its, high accuracy and powerful round to pick off foes at mid distance, covering assault units as they push up etc. They are also excellent 'storm' units under the right circumstances. Particularly in enclosed areas/buildings where the bayonet charge works wonders and causes panic. It seems many just aren't prepared for a guy jamming a pointy object in their eye from out of nowhere

A pistol is recommended. You find one, pick it up, and the grenades are your friend. All other suggestion on here are good too. The rifleman is quite under rated tbh.

 

[The_Cook]

rifleman is the do it all class. assault, defend, what ever. defense is best, cover is always your friend. if you assault always make sure you're slicing that pie.

 

[Obey]

Use gangster tactics as russian, it seems to be very effective and the germans hate it.

 

[Verluste]

Use gangster tactics as russian, it seems to be very effective and the germans hate it.

What are gangster tactics exactly?

 

[[SP]Alfonso]

One thing you can do as riflemen is support your MGer, give him your ammo, cover his flanks and help him to stay alive.
The same goes for your Squad Leader or Commander, even Antitank guys will be grateful for your support.

 

[Princerunner]

It seems like many here haven't actually tried different tactics as rifleman, because 4/5 times you kill the enemy before they detect you, so your slow fire rate isn't a problem as long as you can aim fairly well.

Before you have the bayonet you'll have a noticeable disadvantage at distances under 15 meters, but once you've get the bayonet you'll do fairly well except at ranges between 3-15m. Hold a bit of distance or get really close; just minimize the middle ground.

Even worst case situations are completely doable as long as you don't panic, but don't expect too much. Playing rambo with the bolt isn't the most effective tactic (not the least either), but it's the key to learning how to survive tough spots with it.

 

[[SM]Fluttershy]

What are gangster tactics exactly?

I think his post was a reference to how during the German campaign of RO2:HoS, the German narrator constantly references how the Russians are using "gangster" tactics to attempt to stop the Wehrmacht. Looking at it historically, it probably is a reference to how the Russians would consistently "hug" German positions to nullify the benefits of artillery fire / combined arms tactics.

 

[DesiQ]

I think his post was a reference to how during the German campaign of RO2:HoS, the German narrator constantly references how the Russians are using "gangster" tactics to attempt to stop the Wehrmacht. Looking at it historically, it probably is a reference to how the Russians would consistently "hug" German positions to nullify the benefits of artillery fire / combined arms tactics.

Not only 'hugging', but also the tendency of Russians to slink through sewers and ruins and attack them from the rear, which they felt was dishonorable since the Germans were civilised people trying to have a clean and civilised war.

 

[Landrik]

What are gangster tactics exactly?

The sheer amount of SMGs they tried to put into their men's hands. They wanted to increase the firepower so all they had to do was spray and pray. What were the infamous gangsters of the 20's doing? Spraying and praying. Gangster tactics.

 

[[TORO]Patosentado]

I play bolt-action rifleman 80% of the time, and you can do almost everithing required, from long distance cover to capturing...
Only getting in close spaces, such as Grain elevator stairs will make you suffer, that

 

[Sgt York]

ive played over 80 hours on rifleman. I think you can do anything with it. Watch how much engery you have, so you have speed,,, be ready, and if the opfor is close,, its too late to shoot,,,go for the bayonet,..your dead if you try to trade shots against the faster guns. Sometimes Il duck behind a wall and let them follow me in. I play aggressive,, and am often in the upper half to top third in points. yep I can die.. but getting a multi bayonet kill on three opfor players makes the game. and I dont care if my guy is killed for the team... I would like to get a share of the objective points, if dead,, and think that should be fixed to be fair.

someone posted about not using the rifle to assult... If this was true team clan play that would be great,,, I think instead we see guys pick assult and stand behind a wall and have shoot outs without moving up. I might die, but ill take one or two with me to open the way.

Also for any commander class players reading this,,, please call in arty,,, thats your job. and squad leaders how about throwing some smoke.....
Thank you.

 

[DesiQ]

Also for any commander class players reading this,,, please call in arty,,, thats your job. and squad leaders how about throwing some smoke.....
Thank you.

It's also the squad leader's job to mark arty for the Commander. Without a squad leader doing it, the Commander has to waste time trying to mark things himself, and his range and situational awareness are often very limited compared to squad leaders, especially if people don't use VOIP at all except to complain (which is pretty much all pub players). I once tried to play Commander, asked my team on VOIP if some people could play SL to mark arty for me (of course no one did), and then had to put up with my dumbass teammates complaining about arty not dropping where they needed it because I had to run around and mark it myself. I ragequit soon after.

I also once played SL and marked arty all over the place (and announced it on VOIP too: "tank marked for arty," etc), but the Commander kept using the commo rose to order me to mark arty without ever using my markers (and only rarely dropping arty in the first place). I had some choice words for him on open chat.

 

[Animal_Mother]

What are gangster tactics exactly?

That's when the russians win...oh wait, they did.