Battlefield 4 Knifing Hints and Tips

Knifing in Battlefield 4 can be tricky, due in part to the newly implemented counter knifing mechanic that allows players to reverse the knife kill back onto the player who is attempting to knife them. The counter knifing window lasts for around a second, which in FPS games should be more than enough time to initiate a counter knife kill.

Tips for knifing

To start off, these are the things that you CAN’T do with a knife:

- Counter a counter knife
- Knife someone while you are prone
- Knife someone when they are operating a static turret
- Knife someone on a ladder

Try not to knife someone from the front, as that will give them the opportunity to pull out a counter knife on you. Instead, try to knife from the side or from behind. This makes more logical sense anyway as if you run straight up to them from the front, they will likely have enough time to see you and shoot you before your knife gets anywhere near them.

There isn’t actually much benefit to keeping your knife out while running around. The knifing speed is increased only marginally and is therefore usually less viable than keeping your ranged weapon equipped, allowing you to pick off any enemies that have spotted you before you have the chance to get in range for a knife kill.

Be careful when approaching enemy squads while knifing. Firstly, it’s difficult to wipe out an entire squad without being seen. Secondly, the first player that you kill can respawn on a squadmate, and may therefore get a revenge kill on you. Furthermore, because it takes a few seconds for the knifing animation to conclude, you are left vulnerable for the duration.

If you see an enemy player knifing one of your teammates, you can interrupt the animation before it completes either by shooting them or performing a knife kill of you own. Be aware, however, you can still be counter knifed when approaching from the front of your enemy, so approach from the side or back.

The best class to use for knifing in Battlefield 4 is the Recon class, as it gives you the following useful perks:

Spec Ops field upgrade path
Imparts Stealth at level 1, providing you with the rather useful attribute of invisibility to motion sensors when you’re not sprinting.

Motion Sensor Balls/T-UGS
Portable motion sensing devices that will show you on the minimap is an enemy comes within range. The Motion Sensor balls are generally superior to the T-UGS, as they are invisible to enemy Motion Sensors, and you get three of them.

Personal Spawn Beacon
Allows you to respawn at the location where you deploy it. For the maximum effect, place it somewhere discreet in enemy territory so that you don’t waste time having to infiltrate their lines again.

Finally, ensure you’re using a suppressor if you’re playing a knifing match, as the element of stealth is your single greatest ally. If you have an unsuppressed weapon, you will show up on the enemy minimap when firing, and that means bad news for your knifing spree. Also keep in mind that heavy guns like LMGs will slow you down and therefore make you sluggish when attempting to sneak up on your enemies.

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