Recon

Recon is the team’s eyes. Their main weapon isn’t the rifle — it’s the binoculars: a spotted enemy shows up on the map for the whole team, and Recon gets paid every time a spotted target dies. A good Recon player earns money without even pulling the trigger.

Community numbers

Prices, levels and payouts below come from community guides as of Season 1. Bulkhead hasn’t published them officially, and patches may change them.

How to play Recon

1. Take a position inside the zone — on its edge: high ground, a rooftop or a slope overlooking the approaches. Score depends on how many players you have in the zone, so every body counts, including yours. Stay in the zone, just not in the middle of the firefight.
2. Spot everything you see: infantry, vehicles, helicopters. Marked targets show up on the map for your whole team.
3. Shoot priority targets: enemy snipers, spotters, machine gunners, the spawn APC radar.
4. Relocate after a few shots. A Recon who stays put too long becomes the other team’s Recon’s target.
5. Work with your squad. Call out where enemies are coming from and direct the mortar — Recon is the perfect spotter.

Spotting and cash

Spotting is Recon’s main income and the most underrated way to make money in the game.

How to spot

1. Equip a spotting tool (binoculars, monocular or rangefinder).
2. Raise it — RMB.
3. Put it on the target and hold until the red rectangle around it fills completely. Stop short and there’s no mark and no money.
4. Check the map (M): the target should appear on it.

You can spot infantry, ground vehicles and helicopters.

Payouts

Event	Normal	In the Hot Zone
Spotting a target	$100	$200
Refreshing a mark	$25	$50
Teammate kills a target with an active mark	$800	$1,600
Teammate kills a target after the mark expired	$400	$800

• Marks last a limited time. Refresh them while the target is alive: a kill on an active mark pays double.
• Payouts double in the Hot Zone — spotting enemies around the Hot Zone pays best.
• Spotting and spotted kills also give Recon XP, regardless of whether you’re in the zone.

Recon economics

Binoculars cost $75, and one kill on a spotted target in the Hot Zone pays $1,600. Even if your aim is bad, spotting pays for itself faster than any gear.

Spotting gear

Item	Price	Level	Notes
Binoculars	$75	start	basic spotting, no range readout
Monocular	$150	2	light, no range readout
Rangefinder	$400	8	shows the distance to the target
IR Rangefinder	$1,200	32	shows distance, advanced rangefinder

The rangefinder is the first big upgrade. It gives you exact distance, so you can set your rifle’s zeroing correctly (Page Up / Page Down) and give the mortar an exact range. Switch to it as soon as you start engaging past ~300 m.

Sniper rifles

Powerful manually-cycled rifles: slow rate of fire, but huge damage and the best range.

Rifle	Calibre	Price	Level	Notes
Scout Rifle TD	5.56×45	$1,100	start	Single-shot break-action, weak, but takes a good scope. The starter pick
Mosin Nagant	7.62×54	$4,500	10	Bolt-action. Great headshot damage, reliable headshots past 270 m
SV98	7.62×54	$5,200	19	Bolt-action, magazine-fed
MK22	.308 Win	$6,400	25	Bolt-action, magazine-fed
AMR 50	.50 Cal	$8,800	35	Heavy calibre. Highest damage, but heavy (12.5 kg) and slow

Marksman rifles

Semi-automatic rifles: less damage than sniper rifles, but you can fire rapid precise single shots without cycling a bolt. Lower recoil makes follow-ups easier. The best pick when there are many targets and they’re moving.

Rifle	Level	Notes
SKS	5	Semi-auto, 10-round magazine, soft recoil. A great first marksman rifle
SVD	12	Semi-auto, 10 rounds, 55 damage, bonus torso damage. ~$4,800
BMR-308	30	Late-track marksman rifle

Sniper or marksman?

Situation	Pick
Single targets at long range	sniper rifle
Many targets at mid range, tower assaults	marksman rifle
Vehicles and cover	AMR 50
Low on cash	Scout Rifle TD + binoculars

Other Recon gear

Item	Level	Why
Strelix suppressor	3	Hides where your shots come from
SKS bipod	7	Stability when firing prone (G)
3x–6x LPVO Short Dot scope	11	Versatile mid-range optic
Compound bow	17	Silent weapon that levels Recon
Claymore	22	A mine that covers your back while you’re scoped in
Ghillie suit (armour and helmet)	24	Camouflage, hides you from the kill cam — your victim doesn’t see where it came from

On top of the purchase price, every item has a one-time unlock fee. For example, the Mosin Nagant unlocks at level 10 for $50,000, and the AMR 50 at level 35 for $200,000.

Example builds

Starter (no unlocks), ~$4,850

• Scout Rifle TD + scope + suppressor
• Pistol
• Monocular or binoculars
• Basic armour, vest, starter backpack
• Bandages, resuscitator, spare ammo

SKS (level 7+)

• SKS + muzzle brake, bipod, 6x scope
• Pistol, small hammer — to build yourself some sandbags
• Helmet, armour, vest
• Bandages, 120 rounds of 7.62

SV98 (level 19+)

• SV98 + muzzle brake, bipod, 6x–10x scope
• Pistol, small hammer
• Helmet, armour, vest
• Bandages, 2 SV98 magazines, 80 rounds of 7.62×54

Levelling Recon

Recon XP comes from two things: spotting and damage or kills with Recon weapons (sniper and marksman rifles, the bow).

• A spot is worth roughly 25 XP, a spotted target dying roughly 150 XP.
• The fastest start is binoculars: spot everything while your team fights.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the zone. A sniper on a hill outside the zone earns their team zero points: score depends on how many players are in the zone. Stay inside, on the edge, overlooking the approaches.
• Forgetting to spot. One kill is good. Five spotted targets your team kills is much better.
• Not setting zeroing. Without Page Up / Page Down your bullets drop below the target at range.
• Shooting from one spot all match. Two or three shots, then move.
• Running the AMR 50 without cash to lose it. The most expensive rifle is the most painful loss.