BF3 Roles

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

I'm interested in hearing what class you play and why? I'll start.

Engineer: This is my 'go to' class (same class I enjoyed most on BF42). Two things I enjoy are taking out armor and riding 'shotgun' in a vehicle so I can repair it. This is one reason why I will defer to almost anyone else to drive armor. I like to be ready to repair or to hop out and add my SMAW/RPG to the attack as needed. Generally I stick with the SMAW or RPG, but on some more open maps with mixed armor and air I will use the Javelin.

Assault: My second favorite. I like to use this when attacking on Rush maps or on the Metro map. It's nice to have the smoke. In the map with the mine tunnel I like to drop med packs at key junctures and try to keep reviving people. Sometimes I play this when I want a weapon that will 'reach' further than the Engineer's weapons.

Support: I like this class for defending on Rush maps because I can shoot for all day before running out of ammo. Sometimes I use it on the Metro map just to lay down suppressing fire. On a more open map in a squad with a SOFLAM up and a one or two Javelin Engineers I can keep them supplied and provide cover. Again having a weapon with a lot of ammo helps to cover.

Recon: I only have about 10 minutes playing recon. It has always been my least favorite class. I'm a little slow pulling the trigger so I like to have the ability to fire short bursts and full auto if needed. 'One shot -- one kill' doesn't apply.

In any event, I'll see what the squad needs and try to switch to that class to help out.

What do I enjoy best in being in a good squad? It is assaulting a flag and flanking the position properly. When someone is taking fire and you can enfilade the attacker or your teammate provides cover for you it is just so satisfying. The worst thing about being in a good squad? Good squads are aggressive. You really have to be particular when you spawn on someone.

[[JiF]pop51]

I dont have the same amount of time that most of you guys have but I agree with the same ranking and the same reasons that you stated,not much help I know just wanted to tell you.

[[JiF]Lt Gav]

When I 1st started playing BF3 I naturally carried on with my favourite class from BF2. I had been playing a lot of BF2 on Team Nitro servers where a group would get together most nights on Vent & we would work together as squads against the bots. So as I nearly always played Support there I just carried on. As Tissue, I liked the amount of bullets you get to play with from 1 clip & the fact you could gain easy points by dropping the ammo packs often (a point some players seem to forget as you chase them round spamming the Q button to try & get them to give up their precious)
But then I thought I ought to give another class a go so I switched to playing Engineer on the more open vehicle maps. I soon found what great fun I could have coming up with sneeky, devious places to put my mines. This meant that all of a sudden I was enjoying playing a new role more, so spent more time as Engy than Support. However this minecraft was taken away from me when all of a sudden the mines became visible on the mini map. They wrecked my fun those dastardly foreign johnnies!
But fun was restored with the unlocking of the Javelin The ability to play mind games with vehicle drivers from afar was great. With the addition of players willing to be spotters (especially Jimbo ) the fun was back in large bucket loads, trying to lock things in a galaxy far far away, wondering if that projectile launched at unseen targets was going to hit its mark. Oh the waiting game. Then boom another vehicle kill oh what joy to see a double kill with another helicopter biting the dust.
However after a while, I thought maybe on the more infantry based maps I might switch from Support to Assault This turned out to be a good move as I enjoy dancing around trying to revive my fallen team mates, it makes me feel that I am contributing more by picking team mates back up quickly than dropping them a few bullets & nades I even recently started using the USAS on Metro which I really enjoyed allied with the dropping med kits at fighting choke points as well as reviving lots.
The class I really don't get on with is Recon. I just don't have the patience to sit around trying to pick people off from afar like that. I prefer to be in the thick of it scrapping away.

So if my time stats are anything to go by it's

Engy 155 hours
Support 78 hours
Assault 59 hours
Recon 9 hours

Sometimes it just depends on what mood I'm in & that's the beauty of the game. Which class am I going to get most fun out of at a particular point in time. Well that's up to me in most part. Just so long as I am playing my part.

[[JiF]zougathefist]

When I started playing I went for the Engy as I liked the additional firepower that class offered, plus the smgs that you unlock were pretty good - A91 & G3C, especially when combined with the pre-patch IRNV scope. Like Gav I also looed for sneaky places to lay mines, one of my favourites (and still is) was to cap the flags on Davamand or Tehran conq. and mine the wheels of the jeeps that spawn. it can take a while but all of a sudden you get a triple kill when the enemy jump into the jeep to race for a flag. Similarly with Tehran rush, I like to mine the odd approaches that people take when attacking instead of the roads. Another trick of mine is to lay mines at the very edge of the out of bounds area when it looks as though the enemy will get both MCOMs. When the move up order comes the enemy always expect the route to be clear and it stops the advance in their tracks.
However I have moved away from using engy unless there is a lot of armour on a map - I have yet to find someone to squad up with to use the SOFLAM & Javelin effectively.
I use the support class a lot now - especially on TDM and SDM games as the claymores are awesome (200+ kills and counting) and you can rack up points by resupplying - I too find it really annoying when people won't drop ammo - it doesn't cost anything!
Another bonus of the support class is using an LMG with extended mag - you can take on 3 enemy without reloading, which is crucial in a fast moving situation, then drop soem claymores and find a quiet spot to reload.

I have used the recon kit a bit but I don't feel the maps are well suited to sniping, it is too easy to find and kill snipers, the spawn beacon shows up and gives you away, the glare off your scope gives you away, squad members 'chuting in give you away, death cam gives you away etc....
That said if you can get into a hard to reach position it is possible to have a good run. For instance getting onto the raised higway on Tehran or the top of the construction tower in Gulf of Oman. Also if you can get onto a crane witout being seen and with a squad member to back you up then you can have some fun.
I have started playing TDM with the recon kit and an smg, If you stick a TUGS sensor somewhere out of the way (in a corner unit on a paris map or an upper floor of a building or up on a shipping container) you not only get spot enemy points but motion sensor assist points too. On some of the close quarters maps its good to play recon with a shotgun and drop the spawn beacon to keep the squad in touch with each other.
That said I have found one or two sneaky hidey holes and have been able to do some decent counter-sniping - if you are playing on a server with a death cam I find a good trick is if you kill someone to face the other direction immediately and if possible run to a wall - this way the cam shows a view of you face on from the other side of the wall - i.e. nothing distinguishable. This helps keep you hidden for a bit longer

The class I play least is Assault - which is odd cos it was the one I played most in BFBC2, although I played medic least in BFBC2 so maybe that is why. I always find myself getting killed whilst trying to revive ppl and I am very anti the noob-tube M320 - but I do see the value in the smoke grenades, very useful as a distraction whilst you flank the enemy.
I have started to use this class more but it is quite popular and can upset the balance of a squad if there is no support player

[[JiF]Daterminaytah]

i zooka you face!!!!!.... need i say more? lol

[[JiF]Uncle Stinky]

I'm finding my choice more and more depends on the map, and what my squad is doing. E.g., I almost always go Assault on the Metro map for the M320 (I'm a proud noob-tuber). I like Engy on Tehran because of the many vehicles and the open lanes of fire for the SMAW/RPG.

I am playing Recon a bit more than I'd like, just to get the final unlocks. It is frustrating to constantly use the Soflam and not have anyone use the Javelin, especially as you get hardly any points out of it. On the other hand, nothing is more satsifying than to lock onto a chopper and see him panic and fly into a construction crane.

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

Some great comments that have helped me focus my play a bit more. Thanks.

Last night I found myself playing support quite a bit in 'defensive situations'. I've also come to the conclusion that being in a good squad when the rest of the team doesn't understand the right stragety for the map can be frustrating. When most of your team is taking up defensive positions when they are supposed to be rushing .......

On another note, often when I find that 'good hiding place' the person that eventually gets me is a fellow JiF'er on the other team. A lot of players just don't clear the area like they should. By good hiding place I mean hiding in plain sight. Like behind a rock or structure waiting for people to run past you.

Tissue

[[JiF]zougathefist]

By good hiding place I mean hiding in plain sight. Like behind a rock or structure waiting for people to run past you.

I posted a while back about hoping to find some topdown overview maps to mark out the good ambush/hiding/sniping spots - has anybody seen something like this online?

I almost always go Assault on the Metro map for the M320 (I'm a proud noob-tuber).

hehe - you noticed that ikkle dig then

EDIT:
He shoots...He Scores!!
BF3 Maps

The crowd goes wild

[[JiF]BloodGod]

I like mixing it up. I also, am not the greatest sniper out there, but I like the challenge.

[[JiF]Smuckers]

I do belive my best role is the target. It seems that role always works best for me.

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

I do belive my best role is the target. It seems that role always works best for me.

I've come to the conclusion that with my K/D ratio my best strategy in Team Death Match is to hide....

[[JiF]War Trophy]

I tend to stick with the engy class. I like the A-91 rifle, using a holo scope (the one with the red ring, not the dot). Most other scope reticules are invisible against the background, even with HD settings. Of course this scope is only useful up to medium range, so I lack accuracy over distance. But the damage I cause over short distances is worth any of it's shortcomings. I have unlocked other engy rifles, but I stick with the A-91 because I hate starting at the beginning again, trying to earn the gadgets for the new weapon. So I have a stockpile of rifles in my inventory without any add-ons, becuse the default gunsights obscure my field of vision.
Although if anyone was to recommend a decent engy weapon that beats the A-91, I would bite the bullet and try to earn the upgrades...
The rpg and smaw are great weapons, especially against infantry, Apart from the A-91, I have more infantry kills with the zooks than any other weapons in my inventory.
I find the stinger and the javelin to be very ineffective weapons though, as an aircrafts' countermeasures (IR flares) render them useless. I have never brought down a chopper or plane with it, and find a mounted machine gun a lot more effective against aircraft. Perhaps EA should consider a patch to bring these weapons into the game more.

Occasionally I run with the assault class when I need long range weapons, but I find there is too much recoil, which makes the weapon useless for the fine aiming adjustments needed at long range. I will equip it usually when fighting from the rooftops with medium range scope, using it's firepower to drop an enemy quickly before they can disappear into a building below.
The Famas weapon seems very popular though, and I wouldn't mind owning that baby, but I don't know if I'll have the patience with assault class to earn the weapon.
Not my favourite class, but I do have respect for the assault class, as I've earned the avenger ribbon numerous times after being revived and healed by an assault medic

To me the support class has a limited role, purely for resupply in urban type battles and spray and pray type combat. Claymores are fairly useful in stairwells against unsuspecting newbies who haven't masterd the minimap yet (like myself), but death by AT and AP mines are fairly rare in the game, I've noticed. Having said that, I do find myself playing this class to help out team mates on maps such as Metro Station and the one with Alleyways where engys quickly run out of zook ammo.

I don't use the sniper class much as I like to cover a lot of ground in short time, getting involved hands-on in the battles, but this class has some really neat gadgets. I sometimes wish the classes could mix and match all the gadgets in the game.

Which class gets the "back to the future style" hoverboard? That looks like an awesome piece of equipment, I saw it for the first time last night, as an enemy whizzed about over our heads at our last spawnpoint, machinegunning us down as we spawned, basically winning the game on his own.

This post is longer than I intended, probably more of a cry for help to find my direction or what I should be aiming for to improve my game lol

[[JiF]zougathefist]

Although if anyone was to recommend a decent engy weapon that beats the A-91, I would bite the bullet and try to earn the upgrades...

WT, the G3C is worth persevering with its the next unlock after the A-91, once you get the bits to mod it its more accurate and steady, has a nice rate of fire too.

I find the stinger and the javelin to be very ineffective weapons though, as an aircrafts' countermeasures (IR flares) render them useless. I have never brought down a chopper or plane with it,

for the javelin you really need to work with a sniper using the SOFLAM but the stinger is good if you use it properly - with a newbie pilot they will fire their flares when you get lock, then you can fire with more chance of hitting them
It also helps to work with another stinger one fires to get the pilot to fire flares before the other fires.

If you can get up high it is easier to keep lock on the flier, more dangerously you can find an open area to get lock but you are more at risk from snipers

The FAMAS is pretty good its worth taking the time to get, I am not a fan of the assault class, I find it weak for Rush and Conquest but if you want to rack up the unlocks play assault on TDM/SqDm modes to help out your team - you can also unlock the coop weapons if you complete the missions.

To me the support class has a limited role, purely for resupply in urban type battles and spray and pray type combat. Claymores are fairly useful in stairwells against unsuspecting newbies who haven't masterd the minimap yet (like myself), but death by AT and AP mines are fairly rare in the game, I've noticed.

I have over 300 CLaymore kills and about as many AT mines - like Gav said its all about being sneaky where you place them. But since the most recent patch the AP and AT mines are much more visible - it only used to be if you spotted them that they would show up

[[JiF]Lt Gav]

The new patch is addressing the mines/claymores showing issue - Mines, Claymores, C4 and other deployable items will now only appear on the minimap when spotted by a teammate

Also re your Silver Surfer War that is someone riding on a MAV but after the patch - The MAV can no longer be used as an elevator

One of the biggest changes I saw right near the bottom of the long list was this - The M224 Mortar can no longer be deployed in an area that is out of combat for another team like a home base or other protected spawn

[[JiF]zougathefist]

That's an interesting development re. the mortar because you can still use one to fire back into an out of bounds area so it doesn't give any particular advantage - wonder why they are changing it?

I was playing Rush last not on Wake and we stopped the attackers at the first two MCOMs (ok we had two more players than them) but I was mortaring like crazy - killed the same guy 4 times in a row and laid smoke because they all reverted to snipers instead of trying to blow the MCOMs - ended up with 11-1 and top scored. the point being that they were using their mortars from the spawn area but it gave them no advantage as I could hit them as easily as they could hit me.