Multiplayer Guide (Mostly PS3) - Guide for Battlefield: Bad Company

Author: Sirami
Guide: Multiplayer – Battlefield: Bad Company - Class Guide

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Warning:  

This guide expresses personal opinions of the author.  The content presented 
is not intended to be taken as fact.  The opinions expressed are simply the 
advice of the author to the reader.  As such, please don’t contact me if you 
intend on flaming me for claiming that one weapon/class is better than another.
If you disagree, and can express your views civilly and constructively, feel 
free to contact me.  Otherwise, don’t bother.
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This guide is intended to aid new players in multiplayer, primarily when it 
comes to what weapons should be unlocked with unlock points, and also to help 
them decide which class they want to play.

First and foremost, I suggest playing each class a little to see what suits 
your style.  Even if you’ve played similar classes in other games, it’s 
probably worth it to check out the different classes, as playing a sniper, for 
example, in this game can be quite a bit different than playing a sniper in 
any other game.  Try it out first, to see if it still suits you.

Save your unlock points, so that you don’t waste them, and decide which class 
you want to specialize in.  Choosing the right weapon will help you immensely 
in multiplayer; as will unlocking the special items, so don’t waste your points!
There’s no way to undo your choices later.  If you want to get a feel for the 
special items, before you unlock them, play through the single player.  Every 
special item makes a cameo in at least one part of the single player game.

If you spend your points right, you should be able to play a maxed out class, 
with the best weapons and equipment within a single session of playing, and 
you might even begin working on a secondary class.  I can’t overemphasize how 
much specializing in one or two classes will help you.  Not only will you get 
the better equipment sooner, but you’ll learn how to play the class better.  
You might consider downloading the demo to try outthe different classes, as 
you would be able to unlock some things without having to waste your points 
if you change your mind later.  If you do that, you should probably get their 
special items first, so that you can get a feel for the class as a whole better.

This guide offers a brief description of each class, what they are good at, 
what weapons you should unlock for them, and a suggested order of unlocking.

Here’s a key for if you want to jump to any one class, quickly:

(copy the code, and paste it into your find function)
Assault: 	(AC78483)
Demo: 		(DM-78383228)
Recon: 	(RE-782994)
Special Ops:	(SP-09828385)
Support:	(SU-989283496)

I should note that I don’t personally feel that any class is overpowered, or 
more important than any other class, with the exception of the Assault class.   
I find that the Assault class is currently the most underpowered class, and any 
team can do fine without them.  All the other classes are almost always 
necessary to make a good team, however.  A team broken into squads of Demo, 
Recon, Special Ops, and Support is going to be the most versatile team, 
capable of dealing with just about everything the enemy throws at you, or 
tries to defend with.

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Assault Class:  Life-2, an94, M16	(AC78483)

The Assault Class is a barebones class that doesn’t excel in any one thing.  
As already stated, I’m not a big fan of this class, however if you want a 
jack-of-all, master of none, this is the class for you.  I suppose there is 
one redeeming factor to this class.  They do make good front line advancement 
troops, particularly in urban environments, as their grenades can take down 
walls, and their needle can quickly regen their health, if your support is 
too busy shooting, or you don’t have a support in your squad.

Their special item is a self heal needle, like in the single player, only 
instead of instantly healing you, it will heal you over time.  This can be 
good, as initiative usually determines who lives and who dies in a gunfight.  
If you have room and time to dart around a corner and heal yourself, that can 
make the difference between a won and lost match, due to your squad members 
being able to spawn around you.  If you plan on specializing in the Assault 
Class, you should definitely unlock the needle first.  

The an94 is a reward for buying the Gold Edition of BF2:BC.  If you don’t have 
the Gold Edition, you’ll have to rank up to 25 before you’ll have access to the 
gun.  This is a shame, as the an94 is the Assault Class’s best close quarters 
weapon.  I don’t find it as versatile as the M16, however, so if you can’t get 
it, don’t worry too much.

The M16 has decent long range capabilities, though the max amo capacity is so 
small, don’t expect to be sniping for long.  You can unlock the M16 with regular
unlock points.

You’ll also have an under-barrel grenade launcher on your gun.  Don’t be fooled;
the grenade launcher is just a fancy, hand-held wrecking ball!  All it’s good 
for is blowing down walls, and opening paths for your squad.  Don’t try to take 
down a tank with this, unless it’s got no visible life left in its health bar.  
Don’t try to take infantry out with this either.  A grenade to the head won’t 
kill them, unless they are already hurt.  It’s lame.  The splash radius is also 
pitifully small.  Even when two people are standing right next to each-other, 
you’re likely to only hit one of them.  Seriously, don’t use the grenade 
launcher in combat.
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Demo:  NS2000, ATM-00		(DM-78383228)

The Demo is a difficult class to get good with, but they are a great boon to 
any team, especially when forced to deal with pesky tanks.  Some well placed 
mines can completely stop a brigade of tanks coming to stomp on your base.  
Even so, placement of the mines will rely on your knowledge of the map, and 
will often rely on support from your team (keeping you alive long enough for 
you to run out and place them), and as such I recommend getting a better 
shotgun first.  There’s not much to say about the different shotguns.  All 
of them are good at killing up close, the NS2000 being the best, flat out. 
Don’t bother trying to kill anything more than 20 meters or so in front of you 
though.  Even at that range, it’ll take a barrage of shots to take anybody down.

Demo’s all come with a rocket launcher, which is good for taking out tanks, or 
other vehicles if you’re either lucky, or if the pilot/driver is lousy.  Don’t 
expect to drop anything in one shot.  Odd as it is, tanks can take a barrage of 
rockets before they are destroyed.  There are better ways to take out tanks, 
but the rocket launcher can suffice, especially if your target is down to low 
health, or if you have multiple people rocketing them.  The same is true for 
gold.  A good rocket shot or two can mean the difference between victory and 
defeat.  If gold health is low, don’t be afraid to fire a rocket at it.  Also, 
don’t be afraid to use your rockets to clear paths for your squads!  This is 
one of the main reasons for having a demo in an advancing party.  If an enemy 
is ducked behind a wall, inside a building, blow down the wall!  If there’s a 
big building between you’re squad and a vital location, open the wall for them!
That’s a large part of what you’re there for.  You can also use your rockets to 
take out all kinds of troops.  Just be sure to switch to your shotgun after you 
fire, unless you have cover to hide behind while you reload.

A good tactic to use with the Demo, is to have your rocket launcher out when 
making an approach, and if you see an enemy, fire a rocket, switch to your 
shotgun, and finish them.

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Recon: M95, LZ937		(RE-782994)

Recon’s are snipers.  They should have just called them snipers.  Something 
important to note, is that you’re never safe as a sniper.  Shooting a target 
without killing them will often lead to your being marked on the enemy radar.  
Walls aren’t safe, as explosives will take them down.  This is something you 
should keep in mind when playing a sniper.

You might be tempted to get as far away from the combat as possible, but this 
is also abad idea, as you are a spawn point for the rest of your squad.  
Snipers are great when backed by the support class.  A sniper and support 
can decimate a lot of people if placed in the right location.  If you’re 
playing well, you’ll soon find that the other team will be blowing down your 
sniping spot.  Don’t be afraid to retreat to a safer location, or to hold your
position if you feel that you can live long enough to distractthem from an 
advancing party aiming to take down some gold.

The first thing you should get as a sniper is the M95.  It almost kills in one 
shot and, like any other sniper rifle, will kill in one headshot.  The reload 
speed is low, but unless you’re a crack shot and can land a headshot every time,
the faster rifles will take up to three shots to drop a target.  The M95 is 
especially nice when you’ve got a support backing you, as one nick from an 
M60 will kill a target that’s been glanced by the M95.  Two good players 
working together can take out multiple targets very quickly, with this setup.

After you get your good sniper rifle, you should get the LZ937.  This nifty 
little contraption has one purpose: it’s great at taking out tanks.  Target 
the tank with the binoculars, and you’ll soon be controlling a guided missile, 
heading towards the ground.  This’ll take a little practice, but it’s important 
to master it, as this is a primary reason to play a sniper.

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Special Ops: XM8c/UMP/UZI, DTN4	(SP-09828385)

Special Ops should have been called Assault, because that’s what they are best 
at.  Special Ops have the best sustained damage over time in the game.  In order
of fastest killing gun to the slowest killing gun, it’s the UZI, then UMP, then 
XM8c. Each gun is different enough that you’ll likely want two of them.

First, the XM8c is probably the best gun for taking out targets at a distance.  
Just like with the assault class, don’t expect this to last all that long 
though, as you’ll quickly find yourself out of amo.  To get this gun, you’ll 
need the Gold Edition, or you’ll have to wait until you max your rank.

The UMP is probably the most versatile of the three guns.  It has great close 
distance killing power, and can manage some long distance shots.  The main 
reason to pick this over the XM8c is that your primary function probably 
shouldn’t be sniping as a special ops.  There’s several classes that are just 
better at this.  The UMP will allow kills from across a street, down a hall, or 
on the other side of a parking lot, but will also mow down targets at close 
range.  That said, even if you have the gold edition, the UMP is a sound 
purchase.

The UZI has the best damage over time in the game.  That said, it’s horribly 
inaccurate.  The UZI has an acquired taste to it though, and many will find 
it more useful on certain maps that force a ton of close quarters combat.  
To get the UZI, rank up to rank 4 on the downloadable demo.

After you pick whatever gun you want, you should get their explosives.  It’s 
basically C4 with a remote detonation.  This is good at taking out tanks, 
though you’ll likely suicide for trying.  It’s also good for opening up walls, 
if you lack an Assault or Demo.  It can also be used when trying to escape.  
Throw it down, run, turn around, and wait.  Don’t expect to use that trick too 
often though.  I recommend getting these after you get your first gun, and 
before you get your optional second.

I find that special ops are probably the most straight forward class, and 
recommend it as a starting class, if you simply don’t want to deal with the 
less straight-forward classes.
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Support: MRTR-5, M60		(SU-989283496)

The support class very much lives up to its name.  You can drop a near 
infinite number of health packs on the ground.  When anybody runs over them, 
their health regenerates as if they just got a heal needle plunged into their 
chest.  Holding on to the health packs also regenerates the Support’s health.  
The support class is vital as a backbone for a sniper, or any other group that 
wants to hold down a position for any amount of time.  A single support unit 
can sometimes keep a group alive, holding one spot, for as long as it takes 
the enemy group to mortar/tank/demo the hell out of your position.

Supports should also probably be the gunner or driver in your tank!  When the 
tank’s health starts to get low, hopping out of the tank and gunning down your 
targets is a very viable option, so long as you have the M60.  After that, 
you can repair your tank and get back on the road.

The support class’s best weapon is the M60.  The M60 will usually take down an 
Assault class (actual Assault class, not the specialist), if you both see 
each-other at the same time and unload into eachother, and will quickly drop 
people that you spot first.  It’s probably the second most capable weapon in 
terms of sniping capability, next to all the regular sniper rifles, when firing 
in short bursts.  The clip on the gun is so large that you’ll rarely need to 
reload (though reloading takes so long that you better hope your squad is there 
to back you up).  Basically, it’s the gun to have for any situation when 
playing the support class.

That said, this gun will take you time to get.  You have to sign up for EA’s 
newsletter in order to unlock it.  
Go to http://preferences.fun.ea.com/ea/mf_BattlefieldBC.asp and enter a 
valid e-mail address.  It’ll take about 4 days for them to send you your 
unlock code, that you can then use in the game to unlock the M60.  While 
it’s cool that you don’t need to spend an unlock point in order to get the 
best support gun, it sucks that you have to go 4 days or so without the 
M60.  If you want to play the support class while you are waiting for it, 
you can make due with the MG36.  It does just about as well at mid to close 
range, as it fires faster, dealing less damage per shot.  It’ll hurt you if 
you try to snipe with it though, as sniping with automatics is best done with 
short bursts, and you’ll need longer bursts to drop anything with the MG36.

What I recommend doing, is getting the MRTR-5 first; a device that can call 
down a mortar strike (great for opening up a building where enemies are 
camping, for whatever reason; and also for taking out a stationary tank).  
While you’re waiting, I would either play another class, or just make due with 
your default weapon.  It’ll feel good to unlock the M60 after using the default 
weapon for so long.
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And that’s all the classes.  I may decide to expand this guide at a later time, 
possibly including map strats and/or squad tactics, also maybe detailing the 
unique 5 guns that you don't get with unlock points, or rank ups.  Don't 
message me asking how to get them though.  Honestly, I think that the means to 
get them is simple enough not to warrant a guide, but we'll see.

If you spot any errors in this guide, or would like to contest any information 
presented within, feel free to e-mail me:  

[email protected]

~Sirami