SVU - Call of Duty Ghosts Weapon Guide

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In this episode: the SVU - a bullpup Russian marksman's rifle, essentially a shortened version of the earlier Dragunov design.

The SVU's damage is high, as with most of the marksman rifles: you'll kill in two shots to the body up close, or with just a single headshot.

At a longer range, the SVU loses its ability to kill with a single headshot - but you'll never need more than two shots to kill an unprotected opponent.

Rate of fire is limited to 400 rounds per minute, which is the lowest firecap within the Marksman class.

However, accuracy is your prime concern with the SVU - and a moderate rate of fire is key to making your shots count. It's best to go easy on the trigger to ensure the recoil completely settles for the next shot.

Hipfire performance is poor, far worse than any automatic weapon - and approaching the unaimed accuracy of the sniper rifles.

Recoil is moderate, with a higher level than the other marksman rifles to offset the SVU's elevated damage at range.

Good fire control is necessary to make effective use of your shots - two patiently placed shots are far more effective than a haphazardly spewed half-magazine.

Aim time is average - the same as a typical assault rifle, at 300 milliseconds: and your mobility is the same as the automatic rifles, at 90 percent of the base speed.

Magazine capacity is average for the SVU's class, at 18 rounds: or 27 with extended mags.

These shots are sufficient for sustained defense if employed carefully, and in any case reloads are relatively painless at 3 seconds flat - about average compared to the other rifles.

The SVU boasts the highest ranged damage of all the marksman rifles, never needing more than 2 shots to kill.

Because of this, it remains effective even when silenced - and so a stealth build is perhaps the best route to take with this weapon.

The silencer is a good first attachment choice, then - keeping you off the minimap when you fire, and helping keep you safer while occupying a firing position.

Pair this with an optic of your choice - the Thermal Hybrid is a versatile option that can pierce smoke and other battlefield obscurants.

It will add some recoil when compared to the default scope, so for the most controllable option you may want to retain the conventional optic.

For your perks, the stealth tier should be your go-to: Off The Grid is useful to preserve your positional advantage, by keeping you invisible to enemy sat-coms.

Incog can be useful too, as enemy players won't see your name above your head: and you'll be invisible on thermal scopes, too.

Reflex can be useful for a more rapid close-range defense: you're better off relying on a handgun or picked-up weapon when an enemy draws near, and reflex will improve your ability to ready yourself.

Smoke grenades are a very logical pairing with the thermal scope, and it can be worth spending a point on the Extra Tactical perk to double up.

A silenced weapon, thermal scope and smoke grenades work spectacularly well in concert together - such misdirection can prove frustrating to fight against.

With two smoke grenades you can cover a key objective for a substantial length of time, and with the thermal scope attached you can still pick off enemies foolish enough to wander into your foggy zone of death.

The SVU is the most powerful weapon on offer within the Marksman Rifle category, offering a consistent ability to kill your enemy with just two well placed shots.

This higher ranged damage means that when compared to the alternative marksman rifles, you'll be much more able to compete at longer distances - accurate players will be rewarded with reliable kills.

Unfortunately, when compared to its peers the SVU has a lower firecap and higher recoil, which tames this damage advantage to bring it in line with its peers.

This does mean you might have to play in a more conservative fashion, and should attempt keep your enemy at an arms reach, where you'll be able to exploit the weapon's damage advantage.

Still, the weapon is relatively easy to handle and bridges the gap between the marksman and sniper rifles: and when fired accurately will quickly despatch any enemy that stands in your way.

So, if you're ever caught short and need a saviour...

...the SVU will see you through.