Sniper Elite III – Tips for Becoming a Sniper Elite [Guide]

The predecessor Sniper Elite V2 had given wider audiences this brand of sniper gameplay that was first introduced in the first Sniper Elite, but it has now changed even more in Sniper Elite III for the sake of realism and fixing broken mechanics. It’s a bit harder now as environments are more open and enemies are better at finding where you are now, so you need more tactical options in order to address these additional scenarios.

If this is your first time playing a Sniper Elite game, then perhaps you may want to read the first guide for Sniper Elite V2, which details various things like leading, using focus mode, and so on.

Declare a hiding spot before taking out enemies

The relocation mechanic was added to this game so that players are forced to move after firing a shot that alerts enemies of your location. Back in Sniper Elite V2, you could just sit tight and pick them off; in this game, you will be shot full of holes if you stick around. Therefore, whenever you’re planning to take enemies out at any point, you better have a hiding place ready to run to.

When you fire a shot that gets heard, enemies will become suspicious. Once they confirm your presence, you’ll get a relocation warning, which tells you that you must move to a hiding spot. If you do just that, the enemies will give up looking for you after a while. It’s still kind of cheap, but it’s a bit more realistic compared to the previous game.

If up against individual enemies, consider close quarter takedown or the Welrod

For both conserving sniper rifle ammo and staying undetected, going for a melee takedown does take a bit of effort, but it will keep you from being spotted by other enemies. If it’s a bit too risky to get up close, then you’ll have to take a well-placed headshot with your Welrod silenced pistol. Just make sure that the enemy is alone and there’s no one else in the area so that you stay undetected.

There may be some situations where there are two enemies side by side, and you want to take them out without getting detected. There are a few solutions to this problem, such as throwing a rock to distract one and taking out the other, then the one that got distracted.

Use binoculars to tag enemies

This should have been in the previous guide, so see this as more of a reminder for Sniper Elite III. Using the binoculars helps you scout out the area and identify who you need to take out first. You’re looking to eliminate targets that will have a clear shot at you right away if you are ever detected.

Take out enemies on higher ground first, especially since they’re most likely snipers that can take you out quickly. If there is sound masking available in the area, then use it to stay undetected. Once you’ve taken them out, proceed to either relocate or take out the rest on lower ground.

Use sound masks

This was tackled in the aforementioned Sniper Elite V2 guide, but sound masking is even more important now in this game. While it was present in the previous game, you’ll encounter more of it in Sniper Elite III, so use every instance of it to your advantage. Take note that there’s usually a pattern that comes up, like every 10 seconds or so.

Once you get the pattern down, go for your next kill once the a sound masking opportunity starts. You shouldn’t push it by going for two kills as you may fire off the second shot when the sound mask finishes. This is another reason why you should get the pattern down, so you can get a rhythm going and take everyone out in the vicinity without being detected.

Take note of enemies’ awareness states

This new feature in Sniper Elite III lets players know if an enemy is aware of their presence or not, which helps in the stealth aspects of the gameplay. If you’re playing with stealth, then awareness state indicators should be a big help. If ever yellow circles appear, you’ll know that you have to hide better. If you see red circle, maybe you should get away from there.

If you’re playing in higher difficulties, they become very important, and you’ll find it a bit more challenging if you play without them since you’ll need to go by vocal cues to know if an enemy is suspicious and looking for you.

Be patient

This is perhaps the golden rule in this game, and it can’t be emphasized well enough. It’s true that Sniper Elite V2 turned out to be conducive for run-and-gun play, but that’s less likely with this game. Maybe it won’t be as apparent if you’re playing in a more casual difficulty setting, but you’ll definitely need to sit tight and wait for your chances if you’re playing at harder difficulties.