If there is a Battlefield 6 class in need of a good PR team, it's Recon. The image of a sniper in Battlefield isn't a glowing one: they perpetually linger on the rear fringes of your team's HQ, dreaming of flashy headshots while cold reality serves occasional hit markers on a distant medic's foot. Recon players are often observed travelling in packs – never towards the objective, mind you – and crowd the nearest summit, their collective scope glare drawing the attention of secondary gunners in tanks who kill them as an afterthought.
I primarily play Support, which means my drive to get onto the objective – and zap anyone who falters in their duty with defibrillators – is at odds with the average Recon player. Somewhere along the way, the reputation of Recon players also soured my perception of the class itself. I adore sniping in shooters, yet choosing to play the class felt like putting on a mark of shame – a big, glinting sign that told my teammates I was only there for kills.
But after making a real go of the class in both Redsec and Battlefield 6's attack and defend modes, I've seen the light. Recon may not have all the tools that make Support the greatest class, but there are situations where a good sniper can make or break a match. Emphasis on good.
Out of sight
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I've already outlined what makes a bad Recon player, and I stand by this. Sitting back and ignoring objectives sucks, and repeat offenders should be forced to snipe with iron sights for their sins. But neither am I asking for snipers to get their running shoes on and fight on the frontlines of a point. You can play the objective without necessarily barreling headfirst into it, which is something I've only come to appreciate since making an effort to better understand Recon.
Take attacking. For as much as I'll go to bat for my darling M60, it can only do so much against defenders who have dug into distant rooftops and rocky hillsides – no matter how ludicrous a scope I attach to it. Smoke grenades are phenomenal for closing most gaps, but they're more effective against head-on targets, and aren't a long-term solution for clearing those rooftop-dwellers. This is where Recon comes in – it's far and away the best class for shaking loose stubborn defenders, removing priority targets and softening up a site so that medics can usher Assault players forward like wayward lambs. Plus, you're still getting to plonk down and chase headshots – you're just doing it somewhere useful!
While the prevalence of open weapon queues means anyone can technically pick up a sniper and get to work, Recon (rightly) remains the best class to use them with. Automatic spotting is ludicrously helpful for your team – if not outright broken, unless my ability to tag unseen enemies hiding behind sheds is the awakening of a latent superpower. But best of all is Recon's drone, which is so powerful that I'm shocked they aren't shot down seconds after takeoff. The drone (formal name: XFGM-6D) is equipped with thermal vision, meaning it will have tagged half a dozen baddies on your screen before you've even spotted half of them. It can also remotely destroy equipment through walls, meaning you can light up targets for infantry while clearing mines ahead of tanks – all without leaving whatever vantage point you've settled into.
Since treating Recon as a specialist role, I've found myself reaching for the class quite often. Defending on Operation Firestorm? Climb up a rig, send your drone up, and let the points roll in as you let your team know where every single enemy in the game is about to attack from. Struggling to break through on Liberation Peak? Counter-snipe along the hillside to open it up and watch as your team floods over the chokepoints from all sides. Broadly, if I can't brute force onto a point as Support – and it's not because of tanks that need clearing as an Engineer – I'll switch to Recon because aside from all of the reasons above, fatal headshots mean anyone you kill can't be kept on the frontline by pesky medics. Only I'm allowed to do that!
All said, consider this my formal apology. Recon, I wasn't familiar with your game. If my shouting from the rooftops (see: quietly whispering from a prone position) brings just one more player around, I'll consider myself atoned. And if you find your HQ swamped with snipers who besmirch the good name of Recon, you're legally allowed to drop smoke grenades on them. They'll never see it coming.
