All I will say is this concerning the stupidly useless and complex ammo system.

A headshot, regardless of ammo type, except perhaps the glass-cased poison rounds, if the target is helmetless / has had their helmet broken, should be an instakill..., unless you are saying that you can survive being shot in the head with an incendiary round / military grade FMJ...

Normal mil-grade ammo should be able to actually PENETRATE HELMETS, or at least take only 2 rounds to do so, as you would realistically be using FMJ rounds, which should definitely be able to penetrate helmets on a straight shot, unless the only ammo available in the entirety of Yara are non-jacketed rounds, i.e. pure lead (which would be bloody unlikely as automatic rifles would jam REALLY fast or not even load properly), or if the AI are wearing multiple anvils around their heads, which if it were the case may actually explain the games' stupidity sometimes...

Hi-Explosive / Blast ammo should be a 1-hit kill REGARDLESS of weapon type unless the enemy is perhaps like the FC3 / 4 heavy armor gunners / flamers, or are you telling me the FND has advanced light-weight blast / bulletproof armor for their basic infantry, which even countries with advanced armies are unlikely to have, which would be unrealistic seeing as they are supposedly stuck with bloody cold-war era / early 2000s gear. A human wearing basic body armor getting shot by a round containing an explosive charge would most definitely NOT be getting up again, not intact anyway.

This is should especially be the case in headshots if they are not wearing blast visored helmets, which I could possibly accept as detonating the round before it hits their faces, reducing the damage. The cheese that such a change would bring can perhaps be mitigated by restricting the Hi-ex ammo type to either shotguns, which can realistically chamber explosive slugs (FRAG-12), or the MBP .50, which should be able to chamber the Raufoss Mk211 12.7mm round.

And on that note for snipers... the [censored] MBP .50 (ANY .50 cal variant) should be 1-shot kill on ANY infantry, be it body or headshot, REGARDLESS OF AMMO TYPE unless they are perhaps like the above mentioned FC3 / 4 heavies, who even then should go down from at most 2 shots, or if using AP / Hi-ex, 1 round, seeing as it is FREAKING AP AMMO meant to penetrate ARMOR, on a round which even using basic FMJ can actually be used to SHOOT THROUGH ENGINE BLOCKS.

Armor Piercing ammunition doing slightly less damage to infantry I can buy into somewhat, given that a high-velocity round designed for penetrating armor would likely have a narrower wound channel and possibly less tumble than say, a hollow point or basic FMJ. But it should be able to do MORE damage to vehicles seeing as it should realistically, oh I dunno, PIERCE (the P, in ARMOR PIERCING?) the chassis and engine? ESPECIALLY if using the .50 Cal snipers, the basic FMJ round of which, even today, is able to disable vehicles and, when using AP rounds, even LIGHT ARMORED VEHICLES...

The RPG / RAT4 should ideally kill the basic helicopters and all cars in 1-shot, given that the helos themselves seem to be from the 1970s, the helicopters of which could potentially be brought down by RIFLE FIRE...I'll give a pass to the larger troop heli as it could plausibly, although unlikely be armored to withstand maybe 1-2 rocket hits, seemingly being a Mi-8.

@sam-samfisher


Agreed on the stealth aspects. I run ALL my weapons with suppressors if at all possible (only reason I am contemplating the Desert Eagle Survival) and I tend to play similarly with you, ala peeling the onion. Primary difference being that I generally settle for a single direction approach with AI teammates as synch shot homies for coordinated 4-man takedowns using the DMR / SNR on roving patrols and priority targets like Radiomen and the new Bodark cloakers, followed by the enemy Snipers / RPGs. After that it's sneaky Panther time with the ASR / Pistol combo.

Also I did use to run 30-round magazines, but found that due to the stupid tankiness of the UGVs in enemy camps / patrols, a 50-round magazine offered better overall utility, with the reload penalty being low enough to be offset by the benefit of having essentially an extra magazine to shoot before needing to reload.

Generally, if I do have to run loud (area defense etc) the same guns still seem to work better overall due to their handling characteristics. Also, unless you WANT to be swiss-cheesed, running loud in this game seems closer to a death sentence on anything harder than Hard difficulty, ESPECIALLY with the new Bodark units like the damn cloakers .

While I don't have all the class weapons unlocked (i.e. not hit class level 20) , I did pick up the Mk14 Assault, Koblin and M48 SAW drops for my primary Chara via 1-time Raid, and main diff from the MTX Mk14 (Ab) is the ability to swap buttstocks and barrels, which I do admit moderately mitigate recoil issues.

As for the other class specific weapons, they do not really seem worth the grind to level 20 due to the general lack of options compared to their baseline counterparts (Tactical SMG varients) and the seemingly WORSE handling in the case of the Mk48 SAW with no difference in damage compared to the baseline version.

Even the Tavor Scout doesn't seem worth it due to its low ROF and damage combo, which due to the restricted Semi/Burst triggers of the Scout-class guns, actually puts it behind others like the M4A1 / HK416 scout in terms of both stealth TTK, DPS and open-combat utility.

The only potential reason I would have to play the Raid would be for the Koblin, M82 Quantum, CSFP BAAL and the Over-under slug shotgun, and even then, their perceived benefits don't really seem to justify the sheer pain-in-[censored] effort. This is especially the case with the Koblin, which can more or less be replaced with the Honey Badger unless you are drone hunting.

Looking forward to seeing others replies on their loadouts and rationale for it too.

I noticed that after the Op. Motherland update, I can no longer use an underbarrel grenade launcher (UBGL) with the Mk14 Assault (Mk14A) and MTX Mk14 Assault 'Brown' (Mk14A"B")

It appears to have been removed from the Mk14 Assault gunsmith options.

Can you please explain if this is a deliberate move by the developers or an oversight error?

The whole reason I purchased the Mk14A"B" when it came out was so that I could give my characters the option of having a single multi-role / range gun with the capability to shatter UGV armor plates or quick-kill enemy vehicles while being able to engage infantry at both long and short range.

As it currently stands, as of this update, the Mk14A / Mk14A"B" is actually WORSE off than the baseline Mk14 in the game, despite its better damage, due to the fact that it cannot accept ANY of the long range sniper scopes that the Mk14 can except for the VC16 sight, which severely limits its utility at longer ranges.

Furthermore, the MTX version, the Mk14 Assault "Brown", appears to have a different set of gunsmith options than the normal Mk14 Assault in addition to having bugged/faulty underbarrel attachment options.

As per the following pictures, the standard Mk14A obtained from the Raid / Sharpshooter Class Lvl 20 Unlock has the option to modify both its barrel length and buttstock types.






However, the Mk14A"B" does NOT have the ability to edit those two options.







Furthermore, the underbarrel attachments for the Mk14A"B" do not display properly, both in and out of gunsmith, with most attachments appearing blank or displaying a different option after being selected.

As of this report, only the following 4 attachments appear correctly on the Mk14A"B", while the rest are not displaying properly.
- basic Underbarrel Rail
- Lightweight Vertical Foregrip
- RVG Vertical Foregrip
- SHIFT Vertical Foregrip

Sample screenshots of buggy Mk14A"B" underbarrel attachments as follows.






Can you please assist in providing answers as to WHY these issues exist and in resolving them, in addition to providing a reason as to the removal of the UBGL from both Mk14 Assault versions?


My thanks.

@sam-samfisher

I've generally used all the guns just for variety but have settled on the following out of sheer utility and ease of use.
Please note that I do NOT do raids and despise them so my loadouts tend to be geared towards baseline exploration gameplay.
Also, my primary shooting style tends to be either semi-auto or burst. The only time I full-auto mag dump is vs UGVs and Behemoths.


Pre-OML

Pistol: P45 for good all round handling / sights / recoil pattern. Alternatively USP Tactical for better sight picture but less utility at longer ranges than the P45 due to its muzzle climb and spread.
   Am avoiding the FN 5.7 and the Desert Eagle due to ammo sharing issues, ultra high recoil/instability and lack of suppressor in the latter case.


ASR: K1A w/UBGL for the higher damage, relatively fast Semi-Auto ROF and relatively long range. The UBGL is for 1-shotting incoming enemy cars or breaking off drone armor.
   Occasionally the Mk17 w/UBGL for a solo gun that still hits relatively hard and can effectively engage at both CQC and longer ranges.
   For fun, the M4A1 w/UBGL and a Burst/Auto trigger for an SMG-esque ASR that can handle UGVs.


SNR: M82 for the faster refire rate, especially useful if caught at close ranges with no time to swap guns and the fact that it can down Azrael's in 1 shot while not breaking prone-camo when shooting due to its semi-auto action.
   The increased damage also helps ALOT versus UGVs compared to the weaker SNRs
   Note - (All bolt-actions break prone camo, and the touted range king, the Tac50 takes 2 shots to down Azraels, tested personally multiple times)


DMR: Mk14 Assault Brown [ Mk14(Ab) ] w/UBGL - Sometimes ran as a solo multi-purpose weapon or with an SMG, not often used beyond pure exploration and occasional whim due to the high recoil even on semi-auto.
   Occasionally the Scorpio Scout for its stupidly fast bolt action with high damage, but often swapped for the M82 due to the above-mentioned damage, and the fact that it seems to have a random shot cone even when aimed, with multiple instances of first-shot misses even with body shots on stationary infantry.


SMG: Honestly not used much due to range issues and ASRs providing better versatility but otherwise they are the Vector for the higher CQC ROF when needing to definitely kill something ASAP.
   The MP7 as a jack-of-all-trades SMG with relatively good range, but excellent handing / accuracy and ROF even in semi-auto.
   Occasionally used the Honey Badger and PDR for their higher damage, but often outclassed by ASRs for longer ranged accuracy and versatility.


STG: Unused, although the RU-12SG was fun with the suppressor for breach-and-clear / CQC stealth assault on the gas factories.


LMG: Generally unused for the same versatility reasons as the SMGs but if pushed, T95 for the faster reload and better handling while still doing decent damage and having good round count. Lower ROF also enhances ammo conservation in firefights.
   Occasionally the L86A1 if I want to run a 7.62mm ASR / DMR instead of the usual 5.56mm versions, for the same reasons as the T95.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Post-OML

The introduction of the weapon class optimisations helped to pare down the different gun types to the following due to not having to worry as much about weapon accuracy / handling.
Note that my primary rationale is as usual versatility and utility, although I will admit that the new OML guns are fun.


Pistol: M1911 w/Extended mag for a stupidly stable, high capacity, heavy damage pistol that is viable for stealth, yet can mag-dump if needed vs the new armored targets like the OML Bodark breachers / dreadnoughts.
   The new gun class optimisation basically makes the weapon a semi-auto .45 caliber ultra-compact CQB rifle substitute, although I will admit the poorer sight picture tempts me to revert to the P45.


ASR: M4A1 w/UBGL and 100-round box mag and semi/auto trigger for an ultra-general-purpose ASR/SMG/LMG hybrid that can handle stealth, open group combat and vehicles / UGVs at nearly any range.
   Again, the optimisation has basically negated the M4A1s high recoil and allowed it to function as a makeshift high accuracy / stability LMG substitute that reloads MUCH faster than the LMGs, yet retaining an ROF to rival SMGs for CQC work, even on semi-auto.
   Occasionally the Mk17 w/UBGL for the same reasons as pre-OML.
   May swap the Mk17 to the AC-AR when unlocked if testing indicates better recoil and shot groupings, although range is an issue.
   K1A on occasion if using ASR's as secondary guns due to pre-OML reasons.
   If affordable, ACR Assault if wanting to LARP GRFS, or just run a solo 5.56mm ASR due to its sheer versatility, ease of handling and damage output. Can function as K1A substitute, but $$$ issues.


SNR: M82 for pre-OML reasons, and also how the optimisation also heavily reduces muzzle climb allowing for even faster follow up semi-auto shots.
   NOTE - more or less replaced with DMRs due to OML's greater focus on heavy armor assault / stealth infantry requiring multiple rapid shots.
   Likely only to be used if sniping UGVs and/or if my primary ASR uses 7.62mm.


DMR: G28 for general purpose range work due to the high 7.62mm ammo pool, low recoil and fast refire rate. The ability to basically function as a long range rifle that still allows for decent CQC work if caught is very appealing.
   If affordable on my character(s), the M110 to replace the G28 due to having basically the same stats, but slightly better range and the ability to swap buttstocks to better mitigate different recoils or increase ADS in CQC work.
   NOTE - The Mk14 Assault variants are no longer considered due to having the UBGL removed, which coupled with the inability to use most of the sniper scopes and higher recoil renders it LESS useful than the baseline Mk14 as a general purpose solo gun.
   DMRs used only if primary ASR is 5.56mm to avoid ammo sharing issues.


SMG: Generally unused, see ASR rationale above, although the MP7 and Honey Badger may be used on occasion for CQC fights.

STG: Unused

LMG: Unused, see ASR rationale, although T95 could be used as spare high-capacity 7.62mm ASR alternative.

Do let me know what you think.

I agree concerning the need to swap out the current directives or at least bring back a few of the others.

They are still playable in missions, but trying to run solo exploration in the open world with the current directives setup is way too risky / crippling at higher difficulties given the lethality of the enemies and the sheer number of them (looking at you "Fragile Armor"...) unless you happen to have an insanely optimised build.

I would love for the "Ragers" and "No Regen" directives to be brought back as they offer some additional challenge whilst still being fairly reasonable post-combat; e.g.. healer skills can heal you AFTER the shooty shooty is done without having to run all the way back to safehouses to refill armor kits. Or enemies basically gaining a quick stimmie / adrenaline (HP) boost after getting [censored] off at you killing their buddies.

@noxious81

I can see the limitations in that, but I was actually wondering why not increase the personal CHARACTER inventory rather than the shared storage box inventory.

The shared inventory can currently store 300 items, so I was wondering if it would be impossible to increase character inventory to maybe 200?

@olalaquebien

I can accept the smaller caliber sniper rifles not being a 1-shot kill if they are using 7.62mm NATO or equivalents, at most up to .338 magnum. Anything else after that however is going to either blow a fist sized hole in you, or at the very least cause huge / lethal amounts of soft tissue damage from the kinetic energy behind the round, fancy body armor or not.

As to the lack of prone, unfortunately I don't think the engine can actually manage that...being basically a modified version of the CryEngine..

@flanker1six

Those are indeed good guns to use due to their damage and ROF at CQB, but how exactly do you deal with that punishing recoil?

Also, the ammo pool, especially for the FN5.7, seems like an issue to me especially if you are using a 5.56mm primary. Unless you only use pistols?

Ooh yes, optical camo is a game changer in the main story mode.

Upgrade your Opti-camo to maximum and have fun. It really adds a new dimension to tactical flexibility in infiltration and stealth phases of gameplay.

It also means you no longer need to drop and cover yourself with crap to hide from Azrael drones as it works against them if not in combat.

@clemsondriver

Yep, and that's kinda the sad truth of the situation...

@Revenant-UK

Honestly I agree with you concerning the stupidity of the raid in a mil-sim tactical shooter series. But you dont really need the Koblin, unless you are drone hunting. The Honey Badger more or less performs the same as it and the blueprints can be bought in Maria's store. Or you can do the Bodark storyline in the main game to unlock a custom skin version of it. As an added plus, since the Honey Badger is classified as an SMG (idiotic really since it basically uses an assault rifle equivalent cartridge IRL and full on 7.62mm NATO in-game), the Panther Class can retain full damage while shooting it with a suppressor.

Hope this helps.


@clemsondriver

While the whole 'high-risk-high-reward' concept may work for a pure looter shooter / rpg, it doesn't really work with a series like Ghost Recon, due to the premise of the series in the first place.

I personally feel that the main issue is that they tried to introduce pseudo looter-shooter and rpg-style mechanics into a series that has primarily been focused on near-future mil-sim and semi-tactical combat (for the later GR games that is. The OG GR games kicked [censored] in the tactics department). As a result the game basically came out half-baked with glitches that persist even today like enemy spawn issues (behemoths...) and REALLY crappy initial gameplay experience, and the backlash if you recall, basically caused Ubi stocks to tank after release.

The primary fanbase for Ghost Recon never really liked the raid that much in the first place, given the mechanics and difficulty with it, and the locking of content behind it while requiring a 4-player team, in a series previously known for an immersive SOLO tactical mil-sim experience. Furthermore, the sheer ludicrousness of the raid bosses as I mentioned (I.E. the "[censored]-of-a-weakpoint") in a previously semi-realistic series further breaks immersion.

Furthermore, while I do understand the devs (or maybe upper management / marketing etc...) at Ubi want to incentivize the raid, the original primary GR fanbase seemed to prefer a more decent and immersive solo storyline experience. Instead what was received was a half-baked attempt at basically cloning the Division series, but reskinned as ghost recon instead, with gameplay mechanics that were at times outright useless and weapon stats that made literally no sense (e.g. the damages for some weapons being inconsistent despite literally having the same calibers, arbitrary buffs / debuffs on attachments, etc). Furthermore, the original locking of many cosmetics behind the raid, which were previously free in prior games and also BASIC ISSUE in the military, did not make sense, and the locking of certain weapons behind it is basically a slap in the face to long time players / supporters of the franchise, who may view this move as a way to forcefully pad gameplay time.

All I will say is this concerning the stupidly useless and complex ammo system.

A headshot, regardless of ammo type, except perhaps the glass-cased poison rounds, if the target is helmetless / has had their helmet broken, should be an instakill..., unless you are saying that you can survive being shot in the head with an incendiary round / military grade FMJ...

Normal mil-grade ammo should be able to actually PENETRATE HELMETS, or at least take only 2 rounds to do so, as you would realistically be using FMJ rounds, which should definitely be able to penetrate helmets on a straight shot, unless the only ammo available in the entirety of Yara are non-jacketed rounds, i.e. pure lead (which would be bloody unlikely as automatic rifles would jam REALLY fast or not even load properly), or if the AI are wearing multiple anvils around their heads, which if it were the case may actually explain the games' stupidity sometimes...

Hi-Explosive / Blast ammo should be a 1-hit kill REGARDLESS of weapon type unless the enemy is perhaps like the FC3 / 4 heavy armor gunners / flamers, or are you telling me the FND has advanced light-weight blast / bulletproof armor for their basic infantry, which even countries with advanced armies are unlikely to have, which would be unrealistic seeing as they are supposedly stuck with bloody cold-war era / early 2000s gear. A human wearing basic body armor getting shot by a round containing an explosive charge would most definitely NOT be getting up again, not intact anyway.

This is should especially be the case in headshots if they are not wearing blast visored helmets, which I could possibly accept as detonating the round before it hits their faces, reducing the damage. The cheese that such a change would bring can perhaps be mitigated by restricting the Hi-ex ammo type to either shotguns, which can realistically chamber explosive slugs (FRAG-12), or the MBP .50, which should be able to chamber the Raufoss Mk211 12.7mm round.

And on that note for snipers... the [censored] MBP .50 (ANY .50 cal variant) should be 1-shot kill on ANY infantry, be it body or headshot, REGARDLESS OF AMMO TYPE unless they are perhaps like the above mentioned FC3 / 4 heavies, who even then should go down from at most 2 shots, or if using AP / Hi-ex, 1 round, seeing as it is FREAKING AP AMMO meant to penetrate ARMOR, on a round which even using basic FMJ can actually be used to SHOOT THROUGH ENGINE BLOCKS.

Armor Piercing ammunition doing slightly less damage to infantry I can buy into somewhat, given that a high-velocity round designed for penetrating armor would likely have a narrower wound channel and possibly less tumble than say, a hollow point or basic FMJ. But it should be able to do MORE damage to vehicles seeing as it should realistically, oh I dunno, PIERCE (the P, in ARMOR PIERCING?) the chassis and engine? ESPECIALLY if using the .50 Cal snipers, the basic FMJ round of which, even today, is able to disable vehicles and, when using AP rounds, even LIGHT ARMORED VEHICLES...

The RPG / RAT4 should ideally kill the basic helicopters and all cars in 1-shot, given that the helos themselves seem to be from the 1970s, the helicopters of which could potentially be brought down by RIFLE FIRE...I'll give a pass to the larger troop heli as it could plausibly, although unlikely be armored to withstand maybe 1-2 rocket hits, seemingly being a Mi-8.

Agreed. Or at least have SOMETHING like an attacking FND convoy that assaults the outposts and you need to successfully defeat them or they re-capture the outposts, like in Div 2.

I wouldn't mind the group Raids too much honestly if the bosses actually had BIGGER HIT SPOTS...

As it is the current bull-shittium invulnerable chassis armor plating and tiny-AF a**hole of a weak spot on the raid bosses is what gets me, oh, that and the fact that medics cannot self-revive (way to cripple us Ubi), and the fact that there is literally no way to refill ammo once inside the boss arenas.

So basically not only do we have to deal with AI-aimbot infantry shooting us, we also have to deal with what is essentially a super-guntank / super-sized daleks if they had dual 30mm autocannons, muli-missile systems, and the ability to flatten us while there is almost ZERO cover for the players, and no way to damage them aside from the tiny star-warsesque exhaust port in their super-duper-magic-fairy-metal armor plating, while we, the players, have VERY limited ammo, no armor, [censored] for health, no way to pick ourselves up, and did I mention this, ZERO EFFECTIVE COVER.