Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (PC Version) Weapons and Enemies Guide:
Document Started: June 25, 2007
Last Updated:     August 29, 2007
by Alan Chan (joylock @ hotmail.com)
The Usual:
This document is mine. Please don't rip it off or take credit for it. That
being said, feel free to post it on any site you want, provided you a)
don't make any changes to it, and b) don't charge money for it. You
don't even have to get my permission to post it (as long as it remains
unaltered), but it would be nice if you emailed me and let me know
(joylock @ hotmail.com).
A Brief Word:
I've noticed that there are no FAQs for the PC version of GRAW. Seeing
as how the PC version is an entirely different game than the console
versions, I decided to write up a quick weapon/enemy guide for the game
for PC players. For those looking for a full walkthrough of the PC
version of GRAW, check out:
http://guides.gamepressure.com/ghostreconadvancedwarfighter/
Version History:
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*1.0: Initial Release                                                         *
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*1.1: Spelling/Grammer corrections                                            *
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*1.2: MOderate reformat for easier reading                                    *
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The latest version of this FAQ can be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- GENERAL GAMEPLAY AND COMBAT TIPS
- WEAPONS
- ALLIES
- ENEMIES
***********************************
*General Gameplay and Combat Tips:*
*******************************************************************************
COMBAT:
- Most of the combat in GRAW takes place at relatively long range.
A telescopic sight to allow you to zoom in and target more distant enemies
is almost a must-have.
- Try to crouch or go prone whenever possible in a firefight, both to reduce
your chances of getting hit, as well as to increase your accuracy and
control.
- Firing your weapon too rapidly results in recoil, causing your aim to
quickly jerk upwards. This is especially noticable when you're aiming in
zoomed mode. You can usually fire off 2 or 3 shots continuously; any
additional shots will cause your aim to bounce up towards the sky. Thus,
you'll need to pause for a split second between every 2 or 3 shots to keep
your aim steady.
- Use walls and other pieces of cover as much as possible to minimize your
exposure to enemy fire. Leaning around corners and firing your weapon is the
best way to take out enemies without exposing too much of your body to enemy
counter-fire.
- Be careful not to stand too close to a wall or object, however. In GRAW,
your guns have actual mass in the game world, and will "collide" with walls
or other objects in front of you if you stand too close. This automatically
causes you to lower your weapon, preventing you from firing it.
AMMO:
- The use of ammo magazines in GRAW is realistic. Whenever you reload by
discarding your gun's current magazine and popping in a new one, you'll lose
any remaining bullets in the old mag. This is opposed to most first person
shooters, where reloading unrealistically causes you to "magically" refill
your current magazine. Therefore, to conserve ammo, you should not reload
unless there aren't many more bullets left in your magazine.
- You cannot pick up enemy weapons in order to use them yourself. The only way
to switch weapons in the middle of a mission is at pre-designated supply
drop-off points, such as a friendly Blackhawk helicopter supply drop.
- However, unlike earlier tactical shooters, it is possible to restore your
ammo by collecting magazines from the guns of fallen enemy soldiers. Note you
can only do this if the gun you're carrying uses the same type of bullets
as the gun you're picking up. I.E., the Scar-L or M8 Carbine can only use
5.56mm rounds from enemy G36Ks or HK21Es, while the MP5SD can only use 9mm
rounds from enemy M9 pistols or MP5SD submachine guns.
HEALTH:
- In GRAW, you can survive slightly more damage than earlier "one-shot,
one-kill" tactical shooters (such as the first 3 Rainbow Six games or the
original Ghost Recon for the PC), but you still die fairly quickly when
compared to standard first person shooters. If you're lucky, you can survive
several separate, glancing bullet hits before dying. At the same time, a
single well-placed headshot or burst of automatic fire will kill you
instantly. As with any tactical shooter, the key to victory is to try and
avoid getting shot entirely.
- While there are no health packs or medikits in GRAW, it is possible to
restore the health of you and your Ghost teammates in the middle of a
mission. Whenever you load from a checkpoint, the game increases your health
and your team's health by a small amount above what it was when you first
reached that checkpoint (enough to take your lifebar from orange back to
green). Thus, to maximize your health, you should immediately reload every
checkpoint once you reach it, in order to restore some of your health each
time.
**********
*Weapons:*
*******************************************************************************
At the beginning of each mission, you'll be given the opportunity to outfit
yourself and your squadmates with whatever weapons and equipment you wish.
Each Ghost soldier can carry one primary weapon, one secondary weapon, and
one "extra" item such as extra ammo, extra grenades, or a ZEUS-MPAR missile
launcher.
However, each soldier also has a weight limit, so there's some restriction
as to how much heavy equipment they can carry. You cannot carry a sniper rifle
and a ZEUS-MPAR at the same time, for example. The maximum weight limit
for each soldier is approximately 135 units.
ATTACHMENTS:
In the console versions of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, you were given
a choice of several different firearms, each of which was actually the same
basic firearm with different attachments.  The PC version of GRAW uses a more
"modular" system that allows you to customize the specific attachments that
will go onto your base rifle. Possible attachments include:
- COMBAT SIGHT: A telescopic sight that allows you to zoom further when aiming.
This is almost a must-have, as it extends the range at which you can spot
and shoot enemies, which is vital in the game's many long-range firefights.
- SILENCER: A silencer that reduces the sound your weapon makes when fired.
Note that a silencer doesn't completely silence a weapon; your enemies will
still become alert to danger when your fire a silenced weapon at them. What
the silencer does do is make it harder for enemies to pinpoint your
location, which gives you more time to shoot enemies before they figure out
where you are shooting from and return fire.
- GRENADE LAUNCHER: An attachable, under-mounted, single-shot grenade
launcher which fires a 40mm grenade round that explodes on impact. Great
for taking out clusters of enemy troops, or enemy light armor vehicles.
- FRONT GRIP: A rifle foregrip that allows you to grip the weapon better,
allow for better stability when firing the weapon. The front grip reduces
recoil, and thus you can get off more consecutive shots before the weapon
begins to "bounce", ruining your aim. Note that the front grip cannot be
equipped along with the grenade launcher, since they both occupy the same
spot on a weapon. Note also that the front grip is only available for the
Scar-L and Scar-H assault rifles.
==================
=Primary Weapons:=
===============================================================================
M99 Sniper:
Caliber: 12.7 x 99 mm
Capacity: 1
Firemode: SS
RPM: N/A
Velocity: 850 m/s
Info: Long range sniper rifle
Accuracy: 48
Impact: 80
Stability: 100
Weight: 88
Attachments: None
Extra Rounds Available: 20
BRIEF BLURB:
A high-powered sniper rifle with a long-range scope. The M99 can put down
any human opponent with a single shot, and the scope allows you to target
enemies from long range, outside the effective range of their own weapons.
The drawback of the sniper rifle is that it has no magazine or clip, so
you need to spend a few seconds reloading it after each shot.
Excellent at picking enemies off at long range, but the low rate of fire
can get you killed in medium-range shootouts. The sniper rifle is best
paired with a MP5SD submachine gun for medium-range encounters.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Barrett M99 "Big Shot" .50 BMG rifle is a high-powered, single-shot sniper
rifle which serves as the only sniping weapon available to you in the game.
Extremely powerful, a single shot is all it takes to put down any human
opponent. The sniper rifle's integrated scope has significant range,
allowing you to pick off enemies from a good distance away. There's also no
scope drift in GRAW, so you can even reliably fire the sniper rifle standing
up or leaning around corners.
The big drawback to the sniper rifle is its extremely low rate of fire. Because
the M99 has no clip, you need to take a couple seconds re-chambering a new
round after every single shot. Ammo for the sniper rifle is also limited;
you start each mission with only 21 rounds available, and you cannot pick
up extra clips from fallen foes like you can with the M8 carbine or Scar-L
assault rifle (you can select extra ammo for the sniper rifle at the weapon
equip screen, for a total of 36 rounds, although the extra rounds will add
additional weight to your inventory, preventing you from carrying a
submachine gun as a backup weapon).
EVALUATION:
The increased range of the sniper rifle can actually make many sections of
the game much easier, by allowing you to pick off enemies outside their
effective range of fire. I highly recommend it for situations when you're
assault enemies dug in at a fixed position, such as the roadblocks on Mission
9: Bulldog or the final assault against Carlos Ontiveros and the Aguila 7
in Mission 11: NATO on the Line. At the same time, the sniper rifle is poor
for "assault"-type missions where you need to advance through enemies
soldiers, and unless your sniping skills are extremely good, the sniper rifle
can get you killed in more close-range encounters where the enemy is better
able to return fire at you.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you're a Counter-strike AWPer or otherwise highly skilled with precision
weapons, the sniper rifle may be the gun for you. Players of a more average
skill level may want to forgo the sniper rifle, and stick to the more
user-friendly assault rifles like the M8 carbine or Scar-L assault rifle,
which allow for a greater degree of error due to their higher rate of fire.
If you really want the sniper rifle, but your AWP skills aren't quite l33t
enough, you can always bring along a MP5SD submachine gun with an attached
telescopic sight as a secondary weapon for those situations when you want
a higher rate of fire. You can also use your Ghost squadmates as support to
provide covering fire for you while you pick off enemies with the sniper
rifle.
Regardlessly, it's a good idea to equip one of your Ghost squadmates with
a sniper rifle, so they can pick off distant enemies and enemy snipers for
you (your AI teammates have many faults, such as a seeming inability to seek
cover when they walk into enemy fire,  but at least they're good at spotting
enemies and pretty damn accurate when you give them a sniper rifle). Ghost
3 (Allen) begins each level with a sniper rifle by default, so you're probably
best off leaving it with him and letting him serve as your squad's designated
marksman.
MR-C:
Caliber: 5mm
Capacity: 50
Firemode: SA FA 3RB
RPM: 900
Velocity: N/A
Info: Mid range assault rifle
Accuracy: 62.5
Impact: 39
Stability: 68
Weight: 33
Attachments: Combatsight, Silencer, GL
Extra Magazines Available: 10
BRIEF BLURB:
A light assault rifle with a 50-round magazine and a high rate of fire.
The MR-C fires 5mm caseless rounds, which unfortunately have less stopping
power than regular 5.56mm NATO rounds. It often takes 2 or 3 shots from the
MR-C to kill enemy soldiers. Due to the special bullets, you also cannot
acquire extra ammo for the MR-C from enemy soldiers.
The MR-C can fire in 3-round bursts to compensate for the reduced power of
each individual round, but personally I don't like it. Use the more powerful
M8 carbine or SCAR-L rifle instead.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The most "high-tech" rifle in the game, the Crye Modular Rifle - Caseless
uses advanced 5mm caseless ammunition, chambered in a bullpup design for a
futuristic look and feel. You can recognize it as the rifle being held by
Captain Mitchell on the front cover of the game. The MR-C is an accurate,
stable, and lightweight weapon with a very high rate of fire and a large
magazine capacity. It can be fired in semi-auto, full-auto, or 3-round burst
modes.
The big drawback to the MR-C is that its 5mm bullets are relatively weak.
It often takes 2 or 3 direct hits from the MR-C to put a rebel soldier down
and keep him down, in contrast to the 1 or 2 hits required by other assault
rifles. The MR-C's 3-shot burst mode does somewhat compensate for the weaker
individual bullets, but overall it still isn't quite as good as the more
individually powerful rounds fired by the other assault rifles.
Another major downside to the MR-C is that you can't get extra ammo for it
off of slain enemy soldiers, since none of them carry the next-gen caseless
5mm rounds the weapon uses (most enemies carry 5.56 x 45 mm rounds). The only
way to replenish your supply of MR-C ammo is at friendly ammo drop points
located at fix positions throughout each mission.
EVALUATION:
Due to its relatively low stopping power, I really don't recommend the MR-C.
In the game's frantic firefights, it's very important that each and every
one of your shots count. Enemies dive for cover and pepper you with
suppressing fire, so you may not get a chance to get in a 2nd or 3rd shot
if the 1st shot doesn't do the job properly, especially at longer range where
hitting your targets is less certain.
Still, the MR-C's high rate of fire and large magazine capacity allow you to
spray bullets quite rapidly with it. If you do use the MR-C, I recommend using
the 3-round burst or full-auto modes instead of trying to take out enemies with
single-shots.
M8 Carbine:
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm
Capacity: 30
Firemode: SA FA
RPM: 750
Velocity: 910 m/s
Info: Mid range assault rifle
Accuracy: 60
Impact: 60
Stability: 68
Weight: 28
Attachments: Combatsight, Silencer, GL
Extra Magazines Available: 10
BRIEF BLURB:
One of the game's two "default" assault rifles. Like the SCAR-L, the M8
carbine is a well-rounded weapon that should serve you well in most of the
game's firefights. Most enemies can be put down with 1 or 2 shots, and
the weapon has good accuracy and range. You can even get extra ammo from
slain enemies by taking the magazines from their dropped weapons.
Be sure to attach a telescopic sight to help with the game's many long-range
urban shootouts. The telescopic sight on the SCAR-L is somewhat larger than
on the M8 carbine, so I like the SCAR-L slightly more.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
Based on the experimental XM-8 rifle developed (and, in real life, recently
rejected) by the U.S. military, the M8 carbine is in many ways an improved
version of the H&K G36. Made almost entirely of lightweight polymers, it is
the lightest primary weapon in the game. Featuring good accuracy, stability,
and stopping power, the M8 carbine is probably one of the most well-rounded,
easiest to use weapons in the game.
Because the M8 carbine uses 5.56 x 45 mm ammo, you can actually pick up extra
ammo for it from fallen enemy soldiers, since most of them carry 5.56 x 45mm
ammo.
EVALUATION:
Overall, the M8 carbine is one of my favorite weapons in the game. Attach
a combat sight to it, and you can engage enemies at longer range,
significantly improving your odds of survival. I highly recommend using
either the M8 carbine or the Scar-L assault rifle as your primary weapon for
most missions, with a combat sight and possibly a grenade launcher to make
things easier.
The only real downside to the M8 carbine is that its attached scope is the
smallest in the game. This doesn't affect how far the weapon can zoom,
although it does give you a smaller viewing area while you're zoomed.
Ghost 2 (Kirkland) carries an M8 carbine by default. I recommend you let him
keep it, as it's a good reliable assault rifle.
MK48 LMG:
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm
Capacity: 180
Firemode: FA
RPM: 850
Velocity: 920 m/s
Info: Support machine gun
Accuracy: 20
Impact: 60
Stability: 28
Weight: 88
Attachments: None
Extra Magazines Available: 4
BRIEF BLURB:
A compact belt-fed machine gun. The MK48 light machinegun has a high rate
of fire and a large ammo capacity, allowing you to saturate an area with
more than a hundred rounds before needing to reload. On the downside, the
MK48 is not as accurate as an assault rifle, and also lacks a telescopic
scope for targeting distant enemies. You also cannot pick up extra ammo
for it from slain enemies.
Personally, I recommend an assault rifle over the machinegun, although you
can assign one to one of your teammates if you want some decent suppressing
fire.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The MK48 is a compact, belt-fed machine gun capable of firing off almost two
hundred rounds before needing to be reloaded, allowing you to practically
throw up a wall of hot lead with it. Its high rate of fire is tempered by
its relatively low accuracy, making it more suited as a squad support weapon
for providing suppressing fire than as a primary assault weapon for actually
picking off enemies at long range. It's also quite heavy, so you'll need to
arrange the rest of your equipment carefully if you decide to bring one into
a mission.
Although the MK48 LMG uses 5.56 x 45 ammo, you cannot get extra ammo off of
enemy corpses. That's because the MK48 is belt fed, and the ammo magazines
carried by enemy soldiers are incompatible with it. You can't even get extra
MK48 LMG ammo from the HK21E machine guns that enemy soldiers drop, even
though you can get extra ammo for your 5.56 mm assault rifles from those
weapons. It's all rather arbitrary, really.
EVALUATION:
The MK48's relative inaccuracy can be a hinderance, although the bullet
saturation effect does compensate for this at medium range (you can be sure
that a least 1 or 2 of the dozen or so bullets you unleash at your target
will hit him). A greater issue is the weapon's limited range, as you cannot
mount a combat sight onto it, limiting the distance you can spot or target
enemies with it. Since most of the game's combat takes place at long range
in a large urban environment, you're generally better off using an assault
rifle as your primary weapon. If you absolutely desire machine gun support
fire, assign this weapon to one of your AI-controlled squadmates instead of
using it yourself.
Ghost 1 (Brown) comes equipped with a MK48 light machine gun by default. He's
good at providing suppressing fire with it, but is less likely to actually
kill distant enemies than if he were equipped with a more accurate assault
rifle. If you want, you can replace Brown's MK48 with a M8 carbine or Scar-L
assault rifle.
Scar H:
Caliber: 7.62 x 45 mm
Capacity: 20
Firemode: SA FA
RPM: 600
Velocity: 710 m/s
Info: Heavy caliber assault rifle
Accuracy: 48
Impact: 68
Stability: 54
Weight: 39
Attachments: Combatsight, Silencer, GL, Front Grip
Extra Magazines Available: 10
BRIEF BLURB:
A more powerful assault rifle that fires a heavier round than the M8 carbine
or SCAR-L. The more powerful round comes at the cost of a lower clip size and
reduced accuracy and stability.
The M8 carbine and SCAR-L can already kill enemies in just 1 or 2 shots, so
the extra power of the SCAR-H really isn't necessary. Personally, I find that
the increase in stopping power isn't worth the decrease in ammo capacity
and accuracy. Extra SCAR-H ammo is also very rare during missions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
A heavy assault rifle, the Scar-H is chambered for the more powerful 7.62
x 45 mm round (7.62 x 51 mm in real life), rather than the smaller 5.56 x
45 mm NATO round used by the game's other assault rifles. The heavier round
gives the Scar-H greater stopping power, but at the cost of reduced accuracy
and stability. The larger rounds also result in a smaller magazine size,
requiring more frequent reloading of the rifle.
Because the Scar-H uses 7.62 x 45 mm rounds, you generally won't be able to
get extra ammo for it off of your fallen enemies, since they mostly carry
5.56 x 45 mm rounds. However, in the last few levels of the game, the enemy
special forces soldiers of Aguila 7 carry Scar-H rifles into battle, so you'll
be able to get extra ammo from them.
EVALUATION:
Actually, the Scar-H may be overpowered for the purposes of Ghost Recon. The
M8 carbine and Scar-L assault rifle can already put down an enemy after 1
or 2 shots, so the extra power of the Scar-H doesn't really seem needed,
especially considering the cost in accuracy and stability the extra damage
entails. With that said, the Scar-H does have some usefulness in defeating
the body armor worn by Aguila 7 special forces soldiers; you have a better
chance of killing them with 1 shot instead of 2 when using the Scar-H instead
of the Scar-L.
Because much of the game takes place at long range against fairly mobile
targets, accuracy and stability are just as important as stopping power.
Overall, I recommend the more well-balanced M8 carbine or Scar-L assault
rifle over the Scar-H assault rifle.
Scar L:
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm
Capacity: 30
Firemode: SA FA
RPM: 750
Velocity: 870 m/s
Info: Mid range assault rifle
Accuracy: 60
Impact: 60
Stability: 60
Weight: 34
Attachments: Combatsight, Silencer, GL, Front Grip
Extra Magazines Available: 10
BRIEF BLURB:
The game's default assault rifle; you start out equipped with it in
the game's first mission, and it will also be your default rifle in the
weapon loadout screen at the beginning of each subsequent mission. The SCAR-L
is a well-rounded assault rifle with good accuracy and range, and can usually
put down enemies with only 1 or 2 shots. You can even get extra ammo for it
from slain enemy soldiers.
Be sure to attach a telescopic sight to the SCAR-L to aid in the game's
many long-range firefights. The SCAR-L has a slightly larger scope view than
the M8 carbine, so I recommend it slightly more.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Scar-L is your character's default rifle. You'll automatically be
equipped with it in the game's first mission, and it will be your default
weapon on each mission's initial weapon selection screen. With good accuracy,
stability, and stopping power, the Scar-L is one of the game's most
well-rounded weapons, along with the M8 carbine.
The Scar-L and M8 carbine are quite similar. The M8 carbine has a slightly
higher muzzle velocity, is a bit more stable, and also weighs less. The Scar-L,
on the other hand, features lighter-weight optional attachments (i.e. the
grenade launcher attachment for the Scar-L weighs less than the equivalent
attachment for the M8 carbine). The Scar-L also has a larger telescopic combat
sight (although the actual level of zoom appears similar).
Notably, in addition to the standard combat sight, silencer, and grenade
launcher attachments, the Scar-L and Scar-H rifles can also be equipped with
a front grip attachment. This increases the weapon's stability, but also
slightly reduces its accuracy. The front grip and grenade launcher cannot
be equipped at the same time, since they occupy the same space on the rifle.
EVALUATION:
Overall, I recommend using either the Scar-L or the M8 carbine as your primary
weapon, equipped with a combat sight and (if you want) a grenade launcher.
Personally, I prefer the Scar-L due to the larger telescopic sight and lighter
attachments, but your mileage may vary.
====================
=Secondary Weapons:=
===============================================================================
M9:
Caliber: 9 x 19 mm
Capacity: 15
Firemode: SA
RPM: 600
Velocity: 380 m/s
Info: Handgun
Accuracy: 20
Impact: 40
Stability: 28
Weight: 09
Attachments: Silencer
Extra Magazines Available: 4
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The basic sidearm of the US military, the M9 pistol has relatively low range
and average stopping power (2 or 3 shots are usually needed to drop most
enemies). On the plus side, it's very lightweight, adding very little
encumberance to your inventory. As a semi-automatic weapon, you need to pull
the trigger each time you want to fire a bullet. The rate of fire is fairly
high, and the 15-round magazine lets you fire off a decent amount of bullets
before needing to reload.
EVALUATION:
Because most of the game's combat takes place at long range, the M9 has limited
utility. You want to avoid running out of ammo for your primary weapon, which
is the only reason for you to switch to your secondary weapon. Also, because
enemies frequently drop 5.56 x 45 mm ammo, if you're using the M8 carbine
or Scar-L assault rifle, there's no reason for you to be running out of ammo
in the first place.
Gl 8:
Caliber: 9 x 19 mm
Capacity: 19
Firemode: SA FA
RPM: 600
Velocity: 340 m/s
Info: Handgun
Accuracy: 20
Impact: 40
Stability: 20
Weight: 07
Extra Magazines Available: 4
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Glock 8 machine pistol is a handgun similar to the M9, except it features
a full-auto fire mode that allows you to hold down the fire button and spray
bullets as fast as possible. Unfortunately, this feature results in the Gl
8 pistol being slightly less stable than the M9 pistol. On the plus side,
it's the lightest firearm in the game, barely encumbering you.
EVALUATION:
The M9 and Gl 8 are in many ways interchangeable in terms of stats and
performance, although neither is an ideal weapon for the game's long range
urban warfare firefights. The main difference is the Gl 8 has a full-auto
firing mode instead of the M9's attachable silencer, which you may or may
not prefer depending on your playing style.
M8 Compact:
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm
Capacity: 30
Firemode: SA FA 3RB
RPM: 750
Velocity: 740 m/s
Info: Heavy caliber sub machine-gun
Accuracy: 29
Impact: 60
Stability: 29
Weight: 25
Attachments: Silencer
Extra Magazines Available: 4
BRIEF BLURB:
A shortened version of the M8 carbine, reduced to SMG size for use as a
secondary weapon. Retains its powerful bullets, but has reduced accuracy
and stability. Is also still relatively heavy. Also cannot mount a telescopic
sight. Overall, I prefer the MP5SD submachine gun.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The M8 compact is actually a shortened version of the M8 carbine, converted
to SMG size with a shorter barrel and smaller butt-stock. These size
reductions significantly lower the weapon's accuracy and stability, but its
rounds still pack the heavy punch of a full-sized assault rifle.
The M8 compact is the most powerful secondary weapon you can carry, but it
is also significantly heavier than a pistol such as the M9 or Gl 8. This can
be a problem, depending on what other equipment you're also carrying (i.e.
heavy primary weapons such as the sniper rifle or MK48 light machine gun,
or a heavy support weapon such as the ZEUS-MPAR missile launcher). There's
a limit to the total amount of weight you can carry, and carrying lots of
weight will slow your character down.
EVALUATION:
Due to the significant weight penalty, I recommend against the M8 compact.
Also, if you're using a primary weapon that uses 5.56 x 45 mm ammo, like the
Scar-L, there's no point in carrying around an M8 compact, because if you
run out of ammo for your primary weapon, you won't have any for your M8 compact
either.
Nonetheless, the M8 compact is the most powerful secondary weapon in the game,
and may serve as a reasonable fall-back weapon if you want to carry a sniper
rifle as your primary weapon (although I would recommend the MP5SD over the
M8 compact, due to the attachable telescopic sight).
MP5SD:
Caliber: 9 x 19 mm
Capacity: 30
Firemode: SA FA 3RB
RPM: 800
Velocity: 370 m/s
Info: Sub machine-gun
Accuracy: 29
Impact: 40
Stability: 34
Weight: 29
Attachments: Combat sight
Extra Magazines Available: 4
BRIEF BLURB:
A silenced MP5 submachine gun. Less powerful than an assault rifle, and
requires 2 to 3 bullets to kill most foes. Still, it has decent accuracy
and range, and can even mount a combat sight for targeting distant foes.
Overall, I recommend bringing the MP5SD SMG as a backup weapon if you
carry a sniper rifle as your primary weapon, so you'll have an automatic
weapon for medium-range combat.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
An MP5 9mm submachine gun with an integrated silencer. As a submachine gun,
it has a higher rate of fire and clip size than a pistol, but still has less
range and accurate than a full assault rifle. Like the M8 compact, the MP5SD
is also relatively heavy, which can be problematic if you're carrying other
heavy equipment such as a sniper rifle or ZEUS-MPAR missile launcher.
Unlike the M8 combat, the MP5SD uses a different ammo type than the game's
assault rifles, so it is possible to use it as a backup weapon if you run
out of ammo for your primary weapon. On the other hand, you really shouldn't
be running out of primary weapon ammo in the first place.
The MP5SD can also be equipped with an optional telescopic sight to improve
its accuracy and increase its range. With a telescopic sight, the MP5SD can
function almost as well as a primary assault rifle.
EVALUATION:
If you want to carry around a sniper rifle as your primary weapon, you might
want to bring along an MP5SD with combat sight to take care of any situations
where you need a higher rate of fire. Be aware, however, that the combined
weight of the sniper rifle and MP5SD will slow you down significantly, as
well as prevent you from carrying any further equipment, such as extra ammo
or a ZEUS-MPAR.
================
=Other Weapons:=
===============================================================================
M67 Frag Grenades:
Grenades Available: 4
These are your standard frag grenades; pull the pin and let em' fly, and watch
them explode a couple seconds after landing. The longer you hold down the
fire button, the further you'll throw the grenade. Be careful, though,
because you'll automatically throw the grenade after a second or so, when
your arm reaches its maximum throw distance. Be sure the grenade doesn't hit
a wall and bounce back right at you.
Grenades are the only weapons in the game that let you attack enemies not
in your line of sight; you can throw them over walls or around corners to
clear out any enemies hiding there. Enemies generally aren't agile enough
to avoid a grenade, so they'll usually die if they're inside the kill zone
when the grenade lands. Grenades are therefore best used to flush out enemies
behind cover, or positioned in such a way that you can't get a straight shot
at them without exposing yourself to return fire.
Although you normally can only carry 4 grenades at a time, it is possible
to select extra grenades at the weapon loadout screen; you'll get a total
of 10 grenades in total, but will be affected by the extra weight.
Grenade Launcher:
Grenades Available: 4
This optional attachment to your assault rifle is a single-shot grenade
launcher that fires a 40 x 46 mm grenade round that travels in a nearly
straight line and detontates on impact. The grenades are affected by gravity
and thus their range is not infinite, but they can still travel a decent
distance. The grenade launcher is great for clearing out tightly packed
groups of enemies, and can also be used to take out enemy gun emplacements
or light armored vehicles.
Instead of a standard crosshair, the grenade launcher attachment uses a
tiered rangefinding aiming reticle to help you aim the grenade based on the
range to your target. The further away the target, the higher you need to
aim your weapon to compensate for the effect of gravity. The grenade launcher
is fairly easy to use at medium range; just point and shoot. It gets much
tricker to accurately hit targets at long range, due to the expertise needed
to master the rangefinder, so you're probably better off not using the grenade
launcher against distant targets.
Your Ghost Team squadmates don't seem to be able to use the grenade launcher,
so don't bother equipping them with one; it'll only reduce the accuracy of
their assault rifles.
ZEUS-MPAR:
Caliber: N/A
Capacity: 1
Firemode: SS
RPM: N/A
Velocity: 250 m/s
Info: One-shot anti-tank
Accuracy: 100
Impact: 100
Stability: 80
Weight: 64
The ZEUS-MPAR missile launcher (known in real-life as the FGM-172 SRAW) is
a portable missile launcher system that fires a guided 140mm anti-armor
warhead which can track enemy targets by anticipating their movements. In
the game, the ZEUS-MPAR is powerful enough to defeat a M1A1 Abrams tank in
one shot, and can also be used effectively against enemy APCs or helicopters.
The ZEUS-MPAR cannot be used against enemy personnel, as the targeting system
is unable to lock onto human opponents.
To use the ZEUS-MPAR, you need to aim it at an enemy target for a few seconds
in order for the system's computer to lock onto the target. Once locked on,
you can fire the missile, which will guide itself to the target's location
and detonate. The ZEUS-MPAR is a one-shot, disposal weapon; you can only fire
a single missile from it, and a single soldier can only carry one ZEUS-MPAR
at a time.
Primarily, the ZEUS-MPAR is intended as an anti-tank weapon, although it can
also be used against enemy helicopters if they give you trouble. While it
can also be used against enemy armored cars, this is generally a waste of
the weapon's power.
While you can only carry one ZEUS-MPAR, you can also equip your squadmates
with them. To get your squadmates to attack a target with the ZEUS-MPAR, point
your crosshair at a viable target (i.e. a tank or helicopter) and send your
squadmate the "attack" command on the Cross-Com.
The main drawback of the ZEUS-MPAR is that it is quite heavy, which can be
problematic if you want to carry other heavy equipment such as a sniper rifle
or light machine gun.
=======================
=RECOMMENDED LOADOUTS:=
=======================
FOR THE PLAYER:
1) Standard Loadout
Primary Weapon: Scar-L (Attachments: Combat Sight + Grenade Launcher)
Secondary Weapon: None
Extra Item: Extra grenade launcher rounds
2) Sniper Loadout
Primary Weapon: M99 Sniper
Secondary Weapon: MP5SD
Extra Item: None
FOR THE GHOST TEAM:
1) Infantryman
Primary Weapon: Scar-L (Attachments: Combat Sight + Front Grip)
Secondary Weapon: None
Extra Item: ZEUS-MPAR
2) Sniper
Primary Weapon: M99 Sniper
Secondary Weapon: None
Extra Item: None
3) Machine Gunner
Primary Weapon: MK48 LMG
Secondary Weapon: None
Extra Item: None
*********
*Allies:*
*******************************************************************************
===============
=Controllable:=
===============================================================================
Ghost Team:
Appearance: Elite soldiers wearing tan uniforms, heavy body armor, and
electronic visors
Weapons: Any
DESCRIPTION:
The Ghost Team are your AI-controlled special forces teammates. There are
3 of them; Brown, Kirkland, and Allen. You select their armaments at the
beginning of each mission, and will guide them through each of the game's
11 missions (although there are a couple of "Lone Wolf" missions where you
will fight solo instead of alongside your squad). Proper utilization of your
squad will form a large part of your success or failure in the single-player
campaign.
BEHAVIOR:
Your Ghost teammates will engage any enemy forces they encounter, and will
also follow out your orders to the best of their ability. You can move your
Ghosts either directly with the Cross-Com system, or set up semi-complex
attack routes for them in the game's tactical map. Besides providing you with
extra firepower, Ghosts can also relay the positions of any enemy soldiers
they spot in their field of vision; these enemies will be highlighted by
a red diamond on your viewscreen.
The squad AI in GRAW is decent, but far from perfect. Your Ghosts do some
things quite well, and other things quite poorly. Learning to understand the
strengths and weaknesses of the game's AI can contribute greatly to your
success.
Ghosts are very good at spotting enemy soldiers; much better than you are,
in fact. This makes them great for noticing enemy ambushes or snipers. They
are also fairly adept at long-range combat, and if you give them a sniper
rifle their accuracy is downright deadly.
A.I. WEAKNESSES AND HINTS:
One of the AI's greatest weaknesses is a tendency to stumble into the enemy's
field of fire, and what seems to be a complete inability to properly retreat
to cover when shot at. To avoid these problems, proper positioning of your
Ghosts is key. If one of your Ghosts comes under enemy fire, you can order
them to run for cover by selecting them individually in the Cross-Com and
ordering them to move to a safe area.
One thing you'll soon notice is that, if you order your Ghosts to move as
a team, they'll spread out over the battlefield, and will sometimes totally
seperate from each other by going down alleys or seperate streets. While this
is probably intended to maximize their cover area and field of fire, it can
have the unintended consequences of one of them stumbling into enemy fire
because they rounded a corner or exited cover when you didn't want them to.
To move your Ghosts more precisely, select each one individually and order
each one to move to a specific position. This technique allows you to manuever
your Ghosts into a more specific area, such as behind a particular piece of
cover.
Sikorsky Cypher UAV:
Appearance: White, TV-sized, UFO-shaped spy drone
Weapons: None
A remote-operated flying spy drone capable of relaying battlefield data to
your Cross-Com system. UAV's are occasionally deployed by your superiors to
support you and your squad. The UAV uses a helicopter-like rotor system to
hover in place above the battlefield. It can be ordered to fly anywhere on
the map, either by ordering it directly with the Cross-Com or plotting its
route with the tactical map.
The UAV automatically highlights any enemies it spots on your Cross-Com,
causing them to be marked with a big red diamond on your viewscreen. You can
also take remote control of the UAV's camera, to view the battlefield from
above. The camera can automatically lock on to any enemies in the UAV's view,
allowing you to spy on their location and activities.
The UAV is also apparently invincible; I have never encountered any instances
of enemies shooting at one, let alone destroying it.
The UAV is very useful for scouting ahead, as well as for spotting enemies
and potential ambushes for you. By marking enemy positions on your viewscreen,
the UAV makes it much easier to locate and take out your foes. Just be aware
that the red diamond that marks each enemy position will disappear if the
enemy ever leaves the UAV's line of sight.
AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter:
Appearance: American attack helicopter
Weapons: Missiles
At several points in the game, you will be able to call in airstrikes with
your Cross-Com. You cannot target airstrikes at random locations or enemy
personnel, but can call in airstrikes on any enemy vehicles, including tanks
and troop transports.
To call in an airstrike, select the Apache in your Cross-Com, then point your
cursor at a target and select the "attack" option.
After an airstrike order is given, an Apache attack helicopter will fly by
and bombard your selected target with several missiles, destroying it
completely.
To call an airstrike on a dangerous target (such as a tank), it's a good idea
to cue up the "attack" option on your Cross-Com while hiding behind cover,
then dashing out and quickly targeting the enemy, then dashing back behind
cover after you activate the "attack" command. This minimizes the amount of
time you're exposed while calling in an airstrike.
Artillery Cannons:
Appearance: Not seen on-screen
Weapons: Artillery bombardment
Towards the end of Mission 4: Strong Point, you'll acquire the ability to
call down artillery bombardments with your Cross-Com. Unlike airstrikes,
artillery bombardments aren't limited to specific targets; you can pretty
much bomb the Hell out of any point in the map. Just point your crosshair
at the area you want blown to bits, then send an attack command to the
artillery cannons with your Cross-Com. Your allied artillery cannons will
proceed to blast the area with explosive shells, creating multiple explosions
near the point you indicated.
Artillery bombardments can be used to clear an area of enemy troops, as well
as to destroy a pesky tank that acts as a roadblock against you towards the
end of the level. Be aware, though, that bombardments can be imprecise, so
enemy soldiers may be lucky and survive a bombardment. Either call in more
bombardments, or send in your Ghost troops to finish them off.
M1A2 Abrams Tank:
Appearance: American main battle tank
Weapons: Main cannon, machine gun turret
You'll have control of a couple friendly tanks in two of the game's missions,
Ready for Bear and Fierce Resistance. Like your Ghost Team, tanks can be
ordered to move to a position either by directly pointing them there with
your Cross-Com, or planning out a route for them with the tactical map.
Tanks are quite tough; they are impervious to small-arms fire, and can only
be damaged by high-power explosives. The only enemy units capable of harming
a tank are other tanks, Havoc attack helicopters, and enemy anti-tank
soldiers equipped with RPG launchers.
Offensively, tanks are equipped with a main cannon, and a top-mounted machine
gun. The machine gun is manned by a U.S. soldier on the roof of the tank.
The gun is effective against enemy personnel who get too close to the tank,
but it becomes useless if the U.S. soldier firing it is killed by gunfire.
The main cannon itself is quite powerful, but cannot target enemy soldiers,
and thus can only be used against enemy tanks.
In fact, friendly tanks won't use their main cannon at all, even in
self-defense against another tank, unless you specifically order them to
attack a target. In tank combat, you need to directly issue an attack order
either with the Cross-Com or the tactical map, or else your friendly tank
will just sit there and be blown away.
====================
=None-Controllable:=
===============================================================================
U.S. Soldier:
Appearance: Soldier wearing armor vest and tan uniform
Weapons: M-8 carbine
Friendly U.S. soldiers can be found fighting the rebel Mexican military units
at several points in the game. U.S. soldiers are equipped with armor vests,
and fight with M-8 carbines. They are somewhat more effective than their rebel
Mexican military enemies, but still have a tendency to die, especially since
they're usually in situations where they are outnumbered and in an inferior
combat position. U.S. soldiers are generally found defending a particular
position or area, and will not follow you or assault other areas of the
battlefield.
Still, they provide useful support in the firefights in which they appear.
Take advantage of their support whenever they're available, but don't rely
on them too much to fight your enemies for you.
UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter:
Appearance: American transport helicopter
Weapons: 2 side-mounted chaingun turrets
The Blackhawk helicopter will be your primary means of entry and extraction
for most of the game's missions. A Blackhawk will fly you into the combat
zone at the beginning of many missions, and a Blackhawk will land to pick
you up at the end of most missions also. Blackhawks will also sometimes set
down in the middle of a mission to drop off extra supplies for you. You can
use these supply drops as an opportunity to refill your ammo or even switch
your weapons and equipment.
Blackhawks are armed with a chaingun on each side of the helicopter, each
one manned by a U.S. soldier. Blackhawks will provide some covering fire for
you when they land and take off, but don't rely on them too much to do the
fighting for you.
Stryker Armored Fighting Vehicle:
Appearance: 8-wheeled, brick-shaped armor vehicle
Weapons: Automated, roof-mounted machine gun turret
An 8-wheeled armored motor vehicle designed for transporting troops into and
around the battlefield. The Stryker is usually used either to pick up or drop
off your squad from a combat zone, or to drop off extra supplies for you.
On a few occasions, Strykers will also provide some fire support to you and
nearby U.S. soldiers.
The Stryker is well-armored, and cannot be destroyed by small-arms fire. It
is also equipped with a computer-controlled machine gun turret on the roof,
which can provide suppressing fire against any attack enemy soldiers. Because
the turret's gunner is safely concealed inside the vehicle, enemies cannot
disable the turret by killing the gunner.
President Ballantine:
Appearance: The President of the United States, wearing a black suit and tie
Weapons: M9 Pistol
The President himself makes an appearance on the battlefield at the very end
of Mission 7: Quarterback. You rescue him from a squad of Aguila 7 soldiers
hiding inside the concrete basement foundation of a construction yard. Once
rescued, the President will follow you around like a regular Ghost soldier
(although you can't issue him orders).
Surprisingly, the Pres is packin' heat in the form of a M9 pistol. He'll
even shoot at any enemies that appear in his line of sight. Really, though,
he's only with you for less than a minute. All you have to do is escort
him to a nearby blackhawk, which will transport him out of the mission
area.
General "Bulldog" Martin:
Appearance: General wearing General's uniform and hat
Weapons: M9 Pistol
Like President Ballantine, General Martin is another VIP that you'll need
to protect briefly. He shows up at the end of Mission 9: Bulldog, after his
helicopter is shot down. You basically need to defend his crash site from an
attack by a couple squad of Mexican soldiers, after which a blackhawk will
touch down nearby to pick the General up.
The General is equipped with an M9 pistol, but doesn't really fight, instead
taking cover behind a vending booth for the brief fire-fight. This is just as
well, since you fail the mission if he dies. He does peek out and pop off
a few shots if you let any Mexican soldiers get too close to his position.
**********
*Enemies:*
*******************************************************************************
Rebel Soldier:
Appearance: Soldier wearing green uniform
Weapons: H&K G36K assault rifle
DESCRIPTION:
The standard soldiers of the Mexican army, who are staging a coup de tat
against the Mexican government, under the leadership of General Carlos
Ontiveros. Mexican soldiers are armed with H&K G36K assault rifles, a few
steps up from the usual AK-47s that your typical military entertainment bad
guys generally pack. They don't seem to be wearing any significant body armor,
however (in fact, many aren't even wearing helmets, instead going into combat
packing boonie hats), and will usually go down after only 1 or 2 shots.
BEHAVIOR:
GRAW's enemy AI is reasonably good; enemy soldiers run for cover as soon as
combat begins, will fire from behind cover, and will almost never wander out
of cover to give you an easy shot at them. They've got decent aim, even at
long range, and can also support each other with covering and suppressing
fire. If caught in the open, enemy soldiers may sidestep while firing in an
attempt to make themselves a more difficult target. When shot at, soldiers
will duck deeper behind cover to avoid being hit. Enemies can also sometimes