VKS - Call of Duty Ghosts Weapon Guide

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In this episode: the VKS - a Russian sniper rifle with integral suppressor, chambered for a large-calibre subsonic round.

The VKS's damage is high, capable of killing with a single shot to the head, neck, or torso.

This damage profile is identical to the USR, although the VKS lacks the option to enhance damage with the chrome barrel attachment.

Unlike the other sniper rifles, this damage is not preserved over the longest sightlines: at such ranges you may need two shots to kill, although a single headshot will always prove sufficient.

Your rate of fire is limited to 400 rounds per minute - quite a generous rate for a sniper - but of course, you should seek to moderate your output depending on your target.

Hipfire performance is as poor as any other sniper rifle, best saved for the direst of emergencies - a backup pistol will prove far more reliable than hoping to land a lucky shot.

Recoil is mild by sniper standards, although enough to disturb your aim off a mid-to-long range target: good fire control is necessary to reliably land follow-up shots.

Aim time is very slow, at 450 milliseconds - and you'll move slower than most, at 85 percent of the base movement speed.

Magazine capacity is the greatest within the sniper rifle category, at 10 rounds - and should prove sufficient for most circumstances as long as you're careful on the trigger.

In any case, reloads aren't too painful, at 3.43 seconds.

Building a class for the VKS is relatively straightforward: as the weapon is silenced by default, it makes sense to fully embrace a stealth sniper role, augmenting the weapon's intrinsic performance with a set of perks designed to conceal your position.

Your attachments are a more open choice: Extended Mags is probably the most useful option on offer, with its 50 percent enhancement to capacity granting more sustained defense without pausing to reload.

It can also pay to equip an optic of your choice - and the thermal scope is a useful option for maps with poor visibility, as it will highlight enemies bright white.

Pair it with a smoke grenade for the ultimate in concealment: you'll retain a view of your enemy but remain entirely hidden from their counterattack.

For your perks, anything from the stealth category will work to help conceal your firing location - but perhaps most important is Off The Grid, which will prevent you from appearing on enemy SatCom sweeps.

If your position is compromised you'll have enemies making a beeline directly for you, and will likely end up in a gunfight that won't be on your terms.

By staying off radar you can exploit a position for longer, and with luck you can repel large numbers of unaware enemies before more direct reprisal.

Incog is another option that can assist on the stealth front: you'll be invisible to enemy thermal scopes, which can prove useful should you use a smoke grenade to escape.

If you're lying prone in a position off the beaten track, an unwary foe might wander right past you without ever knowing you were there.

Blind Eye is another useful choice if your enemy is making use of the Oracle killstreak - without this perk your position will be highlighted through walls in bright orange momentarily.

Finally, make sure you pack a secondary handgun: in cases where you are rumbled it pays to have a decent backup to use in close quarters.

It's worth attaching the suppressor to that choice, too - while you do lose some effective range it's often wise to not reveal a hidden firing location while despatching the unfortunate soul that stumbled upon you.

The VKS is a powerful weapon purpose-built for a stealth sniper role.

Few weapons can kill an opponent in a single shot, and even fewer are capable of doing so while remaining hidden.

The other options in the sniper class can be suppressed, but the VKS's integrated suppressor comes without cost - and you benefit from both lower recoil and semi-automatic fire.

Although you do experience damage drop at range, no other sniper rifle is better equipped to land a second shot on target.

Unfortunately, the VKS is also the sniper rifle most likely to need a follow up shot - and the one-shot ability of the snipers is really their key advantage.

The damage drop means you will be more effective at a slightly closer range, but the slower handling and aim time means this can be risky - choosing a good position is essential, and remaining undetected a must.

Still, a player capable of adapting to a stealth role can be very frustrating indeed for the opposing team: a well-hidden thorn in their side will quickly earn their ire.

This weapon's stunning silent peformance will leave your opposition...

...as quiet as the grave.

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S01E209 - Tac 12 - Call of Duty Ghosts Weapon Guide