There are four different classes (often referred to as kits) in Battlefield 3: Assault, Support, Recon and Engineer. While the differences aren’t as massive as in MMORPGs I usually write guides about, there still are some which will affect your gameplay style. The Assault class is like a medic with rifles that helps the players who are wounded, being able to heal and revive them. As you might expect the Engineer has Rocket Launchers suited for destroying vehicles, and is capable of repairing them as well. The Support class comes with new ammunition and soldiers with heavy machine guns on the road. The Sniper, as expected, takes down his targets from longer range with the ever popular Sniper Rifle, and also uses various explosives.

This image below will also give you a fairly good idea as to what each class is about:

And below we’ll go into more detail for each class and explain their ins and outs.

Table of Contents

Assault	Engineer	Recon	Support
Overview	Overview	Overview	Overview
Leveling	Leveling	Leveling	Leveling
Strategies	Strategies	Gameplay	Gameplay
Mid-Ranged Combat	Weapons	Strategy	Strategies
Kit Unlocks	Kit Unlocks	Weapons	Supression Fire
		Unlocks	Weapons
			Unlocks

Assault Class

This guide will tell you all you need to know about the Assault class in Battlefield 3. It includes a basic overview, a few leveling tips, combat strategies and weapon unlocks

1. Overview
2. Leveling Tips
3. Strategies
4. Mid-Ranged Combat
5. Assault Kit Unlocks

Assault Class Overview

The Assault class is perhaps the most familiar class to any FPS player: the standard assault rifle-wielding run-and-gun class which does best in short to mid-ranged combat. The Assault class’ special ability is a health pack, which can be thrown on the ground and then used to heal injured teammates.

Many players struggle with the Assault class as sniping classes are extremely popular in Battlefield 3, but with the tips in this guide, it will be no problem!

Leveling Tips

One of the best ways to level up in as an Assault player in Battlefield 3 is to always use your health pack. The health pack can be accessed by hitting the left arrow key on the numpad on your controller.

Players who are injured have a “+” sign over their heads need health, which makes it convenient for knowing where to place your pack.

Every time a friendly player heals from your health pack, you get 20 points every half second or so, which really adds up. You can easily earn a few hundred points from a single pack, which is worth the same as several kills just for the push of the a button.

The best thing you can do is put your health pack down by an area of combat. Think of your team in Operation Metro trying to storm up a heavily fortified escalator. You can put your health pack there so your team can run back when they take damage, immediately heal up, then re-enter the fray, all while you earn tons of points.

Strategies

The Assault class is effective both as a short-ranged and close-combat fighter. Both work and depending on how you set up your gun depends on how you play the class.

The most basic set-up you will use early in the game is an assault rifle like the M16 or AK74-M. These weapons are decent at both mid and short-ranged combat, but not particularly great at either.

For short-ranged combat, contrary to popular belief, most of the time you do not want to aim with these guns. The problem with aiming is that it takes too long to aim. By the time you aim and actually can see, you will already be dead.

There are really two ways you can get around this. The first way is to strafe which is the recommended method of this Battlefield 3 Assault class guide. In this case, you move side to side, not zoomed in, but keeping your opponent centered. This is known as strafing.

Since you are not zoomed in, your character can move pretty fast side to side so it makes it hard for your opponent to take you down, and if your aim is good you only need a few shots to take them out. The best part about strafing is that since you are not zoomed in, the heavy kick-back from the M16A3 and AK74-M are not a big deal.

Some pro players get around this by aiming and shooting at the same time – just aiming in order to get an accuracy boost, not to actually see the target better. This allows them to get a head shot and take the player out in 1 hit. This works better with a Sniper Rifle (or at the very least a heavy barrel) as many Assault class guns are not all that accurate and have high kick back, so if you miss on your first shot, you may have trouble getting a second one off.

To simplify, automatic guns work best for strafing, whereas single-shot or semi-automatic work best for the aim and shoot method.

Mid-Ranged Combat

For mid-ranged combat, the Assault class is okay as well. What you want to do is fire your rifle in short, controlled bursts – just 1-3 bullets at a time. Any more than that and the kick-back from the weapon will interrupt your aim.

One of the best tips I can give you in this Battlefield 3 Assault guide is that if players are too far away, do not shoot them and give away your position as this may just cause you to get sniped.

Instead, aim at them and press “Q” on PC, select on PS3, or back on X-Box; this will place an arrow over their head so that your entire team can see them. This is called marking an opponent and someone closer on your team can then take them out. You get bonus points too for doing this.

One of the best things you bring to the table though as a mid-ranged combatant is actually your health pack. Be sure to throw these down if you are advancing through a choke point in a game mode like rush.

Assault Kit Unlocks

The Assault class usually uses a rifle, and optionally has a shotgun or a grenade launcher as mount. The assault rifle can be customized with different unlocks for many different kinds of situations. They are also equipped with a medical pack for healing and a defibrillator for reviving as paramedics do. Assault s a good all-around class, but if you like to be specialized at one area you can do so with unlocks. You can use various upgrades and different equipment and make your Assault specialized for certain situations at the cost of loosing specialization in some other.

Assault Kit	Required Score
Defibrillator	7,000
M416	20,000
M320	41,000
AEK971	72,000
F2000	113,000
M26 MASS	166,000
AN-94	232,000
G3A3	441,000
KH2002	441,000

Engineer Class

Battlefield 3 Engineer is a class that specializes in vehicles and heavy machinery. If you like taking out entire fleets of enemies with your bazooka then this is then Battlefield 3 Engineer is your man.

In Battlefield 3 there is an extensive use of vehicles and war machines. They give you an advantage in the Battle, however, the same on the enemy team can also pose a great threat to you. An attack helicopter can determine the fate of your entire team in a matter of seconds, only if it wasn’t for Engineer. It’s Engineers job to take them down before they cause any serious destruction.

The Engineer is extremely good at close range combat, thanks to his machine gun. and has a very good advantage against enemies. Other weapons are only used for defensive purpose. Their greatest strength is arsenal of weapons at their disposal for taking out vehicles and is therefore essential for the team.

1. Overview
2. Leveling
3. Strategies
4. Weapons
5. Engineer Kit Unlocks

Overview

The Engineer is a class which specializes in the usage of machinery, explosives, and close-quarters combat. The Engineer needs to use all of its special abilities to gain an advantage over the other Battlefield 3 Kits, so making use of all 3 strengths is a must for this class.

For weaponry, the Engineer primarily gets access to submachine guns, which give it the ability to protect itself and take down players at close ranges.

The Engineer is not very good at fighting players from a distance. Instead of trying to battle it out in long-ranged combat with a Sniper or Assault player, you should use your explosives (such as the SMAW) to blow up the cover your enemy is hiding behind. Sometimes you will kill them, but at the very least you will expose their hiding spot so your teammates can take the opponent down (or you can move up to a better striking position).

Finally, the ability to easily repair and destroy machines is what gives the Engineer its power. Machines play a big role in Battlefield 3, especially in certain game modes and maps. You might want to get good at the Engineer Kit so you can use it on maps where machines are particularly advantageous, when there happens to be few if any Engineers on your team, or when you need to stop enemy Engineers.

Leveling Guide

As an Engineer, you will earn points by winning matches and taking out enemy players just like anyone else. However, you can really rack up a lot of points by controlling machinery, repairing it, and destroying enemy machines. This can be a great way to boost your leveling, and if you are ignoring machines as an Engineer you might as well play another kit.

Play through the matches and use machines as often as you can in order to maximize your score in order to level up quickly and win more games.

Engineer Strategies

As an Engineer, you need to learn to make good use of explosives in order to be competitive and gain an edge on non-Engineers. By mastering explosives in addition to machines, you can really make the Engineer shine. If you ignore explosives and try to run around with a submachine gun, then you are wasting your time.

Many newbie Battlefield 3 Engineers grow frustrated early with the class due to lacking the ability to take down other players with the SMAW. The missile has a somewhat slow travel time, and many players find that the enemy will sprint out of the way of the rocket before it lands.

If you are having trouble with this, it is because you need to predict where the enemy player will be in about a second’s time. If they are laying prone or crouched, you can shoot at them and you have enough time to land a hit. However, if they are standing up or moving, you need to think about where they are going to be.

The good thing is, it is easy to predict where players are heading – they are always heading for cover. Shoot at the nearest door and there is a good chance your opponent will run right into your rocket. Their other option is to stay out in the open and get taken down by someone on your team – either way its a winning play for you.

The other major strategy you need to master is the destruction of walls and cover. Through regular use of your Rocket Launcher or other explosives, you can literally put holes in the walls of buildings. This is particularly useful when your opponents are camped out inside a building. Keep blasting the door and walls with rockets and it will fall away. This will take away your opponent’s cover and allow your team to pick them off.

Weapons

Engineers are able to handle machine guns, tank mines and rocket launchers. They can repair allied vehicles with wrench on the battlefield. Players with right skills as an Engineer can completely change the game in a matter of seconds.

Engineer Kit Weapon Unlocks

The following is a list of Engineer kits and unlocks that you get in Battlefield 3 along with their respective scores and kills.

Weapon	Required Score
SG553
SA-18 IGLA	7,000
SCAR-H	41,000
A-91	113,000
FIM-92 STINGER	7,000
G36C	232,000
M15 AT MINE	20,000
EOD BOT	72,000

Recon Class

This Battlefield 3 Recon class guide talks about one of the two support classes in Battlefield 3 guide. Recon is also known as Sniper. I will go over basics of the Recon class along with some game play tips, tricks and strategies.

1. Overview
2. Leveling
3. Gameplay
4. Strategy
5. Weapons
6. Kit Unlocks

Recon Class Overview

The Battlefield 3 Recon Kit is the kit which contains Sniper Rifles and gadgets geared towards the gathering or concealing of information. Anyone who wants to use a high-powered Rifle and scope is encouraged to choose this class.

It is a common mistake to think that the Sniper is strong at long-ranged combat and weak at other types of combat. Once you have a lot of practice, mid-ranged combat is actually one of the Recon Kit’s greatest strengths. All you need to be able to do is be very quick with aiming, and you can get a 1-hit kill via headshot much more accurately than any other gun.

The one weakness that the Recon Kit does have though is short-ranged combat. You are best off pulling out a pistol if you are very close to an an enemy or are chasing down someone from behind. There is no need to aim a pistol – it is usually better to fire from the hip and strafe so you do not get taken out yourself. Pistols tend not to be very accurate, even when aiming, unless you are very close to the target, so it is hard to get a head shot even if you align your aim perfectly.

In addition to their prowess in combat, the Sniper gets access to some interesting gadgets such as the Tactical Unmanned Ground Sensor (T-UGS), which is one of the best gadgets in the game. You can use put it on the ground and it will scan for nearby players that are standing up. Note that it will not detect crouched or prone players and it can be destroyed.

Leveling Tips

As a Recon player, the bulk of your leveling points will be from taking down other players. However, if any player who gets marked by your T-UGS gets killed, you will get a few bonus points. Put this down in a crowded area and you will rack up a lot of bonus points quickly, even if it does not seem to contribute much to the battle!

Gameplay

For beginners it is recommended that you learn scoping from long ranges. Once you are comfortable and once you get a hang of the sniper riles, you can start moving closer to battles. Until then its a wise idea to stay back and support your team.

Mark players as soon as you see them so if some team mate has opportunity, they can kill the opponents. Scoping can be tricky at times and it varies a lot depending on your attachments and customization. Only practice will help you get a hold of these no other guide will. Judgement and patience are extremely important when playing with a Recon.

Unlike any other class, you get one shot in mid range combats. You miss it and you very well be dead and not get a chance again. So until you get a hold of sniper rifles, you know where you should not be – in midst of all the action.

Use T-UGS to get extra points. This helps unlock further items in your kit much faster. For more kills learn mid-range sniping as fast as you can. You will only get so many kills from long ranges, for more you have to play mid-range.

For close range combat use pistols. Practice these, even with playing with other classes at times. This will be extremely important for survival in mid range combats as well when you miss shots and enemies come too close. In situations when you are reloading or in some kind of delay, try to strafe, jump, whatever it takes to make yourself a difficult target to hit.

Strategy

As mentioned earlier in this Battlefield 3 Recon guide, the Recon Kit really excels at mid to long-ranged combat. At long range, you really need a Bipod equipped in order to reliably take out players (unless they are stationary). Otherwise, you should always mark players before shooting them so your teammates that are closer can take them out.

Should you engage in longer-range combat, you will have to account for “bullet drop”. This means aiming above players rather than directly at them. This only is a factor for very long shots, and you typically only aim about half a crosshair up for a very long shot. This of course varies based on weapons and attachments.

The best Recon players push up and do not stay prone sniping all the time. With a lot of practice, you can aim and get a head shot very quickly. The trick is to move your view into the approximate area of a player before aiming. That way, when you aim you will already be on top of them and will have little (if any) adjustment to make in order to get a head shot. The best players are able to do this extremely quickly and can take out players in less than a half a second. They just need a lot of practice to get to this point.

As a Recon player, you are also in charge of keeping T-UGS sensors down in hot areas. This will not only mark where players are at but will also earn you a lot of points in the process. Additionally as a Recon Player, you need to take care to mark as many players as possible for teammates which are a bit further up.

Finally, should you get caught in close-range combat, pull out your pistol and get in the habit of using it. They are a lot stronger than most players would give them credit for, especially if you can aim accurately, strafe, and (or) get the jump on your opponent.

Weapons

Battlefield 3 Recon class is all about snipers and scopes. It’s their best weapon. Extremely good at long ranges, can get good at mid ranges with practice and pistols for short.

Additionally they also have Tactical Ground Sensors that can scan and reveal standing players within a given radius. Doesn’t work for players that are crouching though. This is one of the best and extremely useful gadgets since you might be at times so busy with your scopes that you wont notice enemies sneaking up on you.

Recon Kit Unlocks

The US soldiers will start with a MK11 gun while the RU soldiers will get a SVD. Further weapons can be customized with the use of attachments which are unlocked with the amount of points below.

Kit Unlock	Score Required
SV98	9,000
T-UGS	18,000
SKS	36,000
SOFLAM	63,000
M40A5	99,000
MAV	146,000
M98B	203,000
M39 EMR	203,000

Support Class

Battlefield 3 support class is designed to help the team and support players in need. It would not be a wise idea just playing a support cause you like it if your entire team is full of support characters. Pick the right character or pick the right team, and you would have more fun, more level up and more unlocks!

Support class is well known for its suppression fire, or as I call it cover fire. They have light machine guns, low accuracy, but very high on ammo. These are good for long ranges rapid fire. They don’t really kill some one due to lack of accuracy, but the fact that you can keep on going helps your team when in need. These guns are good at mid-ranged combats, but not so much at close and long.

Another good feature of support class is ability to drop ammo for your team mates. Every time some one picks up your ammo, you earn points. This way you can end up earning a lot of points.

You may not see yourself having a good Kill to Death ratio, thus the important thing to note while playing any class is that you play your role and do your part in the team. It’s not about who has the best K:D ratio but about who played their part the best.

1. Overview
2. Leveling
3. Gameplay
4. Strategies
5. Suppression Fire
6. Weapons
7. Weapon Unlocks

Overview

The Battlefield 3 Support Kit is, as advertised, designed to support other players. As a result, this is a class you will want to choose if you have a good team which is worth backing up. It is not all the useful if you are playing random pick-up games and your team is not working together.

This class uses light machine guns, which can put out a lot of low-damage bullets but also lack accuracy from a distance. This is good for suppression fire at long ranges and can be used to take down opponents at short-mid ranged combat (but not too close).

The general weaknesses of this class are both short and long-ranged combat. The position of the Support player would be in between Engineer/Assault players and Recon players. You can drop Ammo Kits on either player and use your light machine gun to spray enemies behind fortified targets.

Leveling Guide

Whenever someone on your team gets a kill from a target that you are suppressing with target fire, you get 50 points (which is worth half a kill). You can really rack up a lot of points just by using Suppression fire and making the most out of your large ammo clip.

Speaking of Ammo, another great way to earn points is to drop your Ammo Kits (directional pad left button) so that your teammates can get more ammo. Every time people on your team pick up ammo from the pack, you earn points (double points for squad members). This adds up to a lot of points.

As a result, the Support class may actually get the bulk of its points from ribbons, suppression fire, kill assists, and ammo packs rather than from direct kills. This is something to keep in mind because you do not need to have a high K:D ratio to be an effective support player (though you want to avoid deaths as much as possible).

Gameplay

Suppression fire is something you would be doing majority of your time. Due to the inherent nature of their light weight machine guns, i.e. rapid fire with tons of ammo, they are able to ensure that enemies do not dare confronting you until you are done. When used right along with team, you can help them push through some of the tough spots as well as help ones that are stuck in a no-where-to-go situation.

Additionally throw ammo for team when you see them reloading. Typically when you are with a team, you would easily recognize players who need ammo the most, try to help them for free points.

Focus on your game play to Support, rather than to maintain a high kill:death ratio. It might need some practice but look for some right opportunities and help your team to your best.

Strategies

As mentioned above, one of the things you bring to the table as a Support Class is the extra ammo. One of the best things about the Ammo pack is not that it replenishes ammo though but rather that you can also get extra explosives out of it. This can really come in handy.

For example, lets imagine you are on Rush Mode and your team just lost the first set of objectives. You and a player with C4 can start taking down cover on the way to the next set of objectives. Throw C4 all over the trees on the map and then blow them up. Throw down an Ammo pack and let your teammate reload.

By taking out all of the trees, the opponent will have less options for advancing through cover on the way to the next objective. Advancing head-on is suicide as your Recon and Assault players can then pick off players as they run across the map.

Suppression Fire

As mentioned above, the Support class’ weaponary is good at Suppression fire. Due to its low bullet accuracy, it will not take down enemy players easily from range unless they are standing out in the open for a long period of time. However, their guns do have a very high fire rate and a lot of ammo in each clip.

How does this help? Imagine this situation: you are on Operation Metro on offense and are trying to push the third objective, but the enemy is firmly entrenched in the hallways in the back of the building. You can start spraying the enemies encampment with your machine gun.

This will not likely take anyone out, but it does force them to take cover until you are done shooting. During this time, your Assault Kit teammates can push forward to try to flank the opponents or get in position to arm the objective. Your Engineers have plenty of time to line up their Rocket Launchers to take out enemy cover (or even get close enough to plant C4).

Weapons

The light weight machine gun is an excellent as well as must-have weapon for Support class in Battlefield 3. These weapons have higher recoil but also come with plenty of ammo. You can go on and on and help your team mates in need until they are safe.

However, that’s not it. They have a whole bunch of unlocks and customization that can make Support class even more fun to play.

Weapon Unlocks

Just like all other classes, even the Battlefield 3 Support class comes with a series of unlocks that you can achieve by gathering more points or kills. Every time you help your team with ammo, or explosives, or killing enemies with suppression fire, you get points.

The number of unlocks we have for Support kit is so huge that it really makes it fun to play. With so many customization, you can expect almost everyone to be on unique in distinct in some or the other ways.

Support Kit	Required Score
C4 Explosives	17,000
M249	6,000
PKP Pecheneg	35,000
M224 Mortar	60,000
M240B	100,000
M18 Claymore	140,000
M60E4	200,000

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I sincerely hope this post shed some light on BF3 classes and that you find it useful. If you do, don’t forget to click some like buttons below! You can also check our other articles for BF3 strategy guides with more detailed guides.