Recon

This page was last updated during patch v0.7.1679''. The current patch is .''

Description
From the official page :

"The Recon-class battleframe is a powerful, versatile medium-to-long range combat support chassis. While the Recon-class frame is capable of providing resupply support, their strength lies in dispatching enemies from afar, keeping them safe from the front lines."

All Recon-class battleframes have a higher than average base movement speed, making them the fastest class of battleframes. They also have the lowest health, making them the most fragile of the battleframes.

General Strengths

 * The best class set at picking off targets at long range
 * Decent gradual long-term survivability with health regen per kill

General Weaknesses

 * Direct combat will get a recon trooper killed fast. so it is recommended that recon players not only have a good sniper rifle but also upgrade mobility and thrusters to escape potainal assailants.


 * Highly dependant on skill at getting headshots

Additional Notes
Note that this information is based off of Open Beta gameplay and could have changed since this post.

The Recon is Firefall's base sniper, with the variations expanding this in different ways. It is definitely what the official description says: good at picking off enemies at a distance, but not really designed to be right in the thick of a group firefight.

The Recon and its variants are definitely the kings of long range. True, the projectiles from other frame weapons can travel just as far and hit enemies, but with the Recon's scope not only are you more likely to actually hit the target you have a decent chance of putting a few headshots in too for the damage boost. Consequently, the Recon is not very good against groups at mid to close range; the Grenade Launcher is a very good choice for a secondary weapon to help counter this.

In terms of tactics for using this frame or its variants, don't be reckless. With the lowest health of the frames getting close to a large group of enemies carrying ranged weapons pretty much guarantees death. Stay at range and use the high accuracy of the Recon's weapons (with scopes) to put those headshots in; you'll be able to drop targets surprisingly quickly doing this.

Comparison of Nighthawk and Raptor
Considering how much cost and/or effort it takes to get a new upgraded frame it is a good idea to compare the options available before you make the plunge and buy one, to ensure that the frame you are getting will get maximum effectiveness through tactics that you like using.

The Raptor is designed to be a squad-support sniper, with a strong ability that help allies and a couple of other tactical ones. Allies will absolutely love Power Field. Its primary weapon, the Charge Rifle, initially has very low damage per shot that increases while it is scoped. At max charge a Charge Rifle shot will do more damage than a Sniper Rifle of equivalent level and build, but the charge time has to be carefully managed. This also makes it rather ineffective for hip-shots at close range on an enemy that rushes you, so you will need a good secondary weapon for this situation.

The Nighthawk is a much more traditional sniper as found in many FPS games and is more offensively built than the Raptor. The Sniper Rifle is very lethal in the hands of an experienced user, giving the Nighthawk the best reaction times for see-scope-bam-move on since it does not have a charge-up delay to reach maximum power.

For both of them you will need to be good at getting headshots. Since both rifles get an increased amount of extra damage for a headshot compared to the weapons of other classes, you need to get these in as often as possible to make these frames really shine.