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Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Weapon Guides: Ballista Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle Guide

Hello everyone and welcome to another one of my Black Ops 2 weapon guides.

Today we're going over the community favorite sniper rifle.

The Ballista.

Weapon Profile

The Ballista is known as the FN Ballista, a rifle designed by FN Herstal in Belgium, the rifle was designed to meet the reuirments of the Precision Sniper Rifle program for the US Army.

The PSR program by the United States Special Operations Command to replace all current bolt-action sniper rifles in use by US special operations to instead have rifles chambered for .338 Magnum calibers, Lapua magnum and Norma magnum calibers.

The Ballista met these requirements but was not adopted by the US military, the Ballista was compared to the Remington MSR, the Armalite AR-30 and the Accuracy International AWM rifle from the United Kingdom.  The MSR is the rifle that won the PSR  contract and now the MSR has been put into service this year used by the USSOCOM .

Weapon Performance
In game, the Ballista is a high damage, fast handling sniper rifle and is unlocked at Level 43.

It deals 95 damage at any range but is not always a one shot kill, it has a damage multiplier of 2.0 on the head and neck and a 1.5 damage multiplier on the upper torso, middle torso and arms. You will only get hit markers if you hit the stomach, legs, hands and shoulders. Precision is key with using this rifle to gain a one shot kill.

Idle sway is very low, the Ballistic CPU will still help to maintain steady aim on target.

ADS speed is fast at 0.35 seconds, this is the fastest ADS speed for a sniper rifle which is why this is a popular rifle with quick-scopers.

Magazine size is decent at 7 rounds, the reload speed is slow at 2.97 seconds with rounds still in the magazine and 3.75 seconds if the magazine is completely empty.

The reticle for the scope is good and is very useful for ensuring the shot fired is shot in the one shot kill areas.
However that is not all in terms of optic attachments. Unlike the other rifles in tier the Ballista is the only sniper rifle that can use Iron Sights as an attachment.

The iron sights are clean but are very small and sharp, the challenge to ensure you will have a one shot kill while using the iron sights with the Ballista will prove troublesome as the aid you have on where the shot will go is a small white indicator.

In my experience with the Ballista I was able to actually get a hold of quickscoping, taking out opponents in mid range and close range engagements, even with the scope. I did get hitmarkers ever once in awhile but it was due to a panic shot and improper use of the scope.

When I unlocked the Iron Sights I found it to actually be harder to use them due to the small design and small indicator, I was able to get some needed one shot kills but more often than not I would get hit markers.

I would however suggest you mainly use the Ballista with a scope instead of the iron sights, in order to ensure maximum accuracy, the iron sights are for players who want a challenge and want to prove that you are a true marksman.

Class Build

For this build you will need the Overkill Wildcard and Perk 2 Greed Wildcard.

Equip the Ballista with the Ballistic CPU and Variable Zoom.

Although the idle sway is low, the Ballistic CPU is still there to ensure you are kept on target without holding your breath.

The Variable Zoom is to gain even more accuracy at range and of course the Ballistic CPU will be there to counter some of that added sway.

With the effects of Overkill the second primary you should equip is the Vector K10 SMG.

Although the Ballista is capable of good CQC ability in the right hands, we're not going to step into the quick-scoping territory with this build so the Vector K10 is there to ensure strong CQC ability .

As for your perks.

Lightweight

Toughness paired with Cold Blooded

and Dexterity

Lightweight will increase the sprint speed and will make sure you're the first one to a high vantage point to take out opponents running through high traffic areas and could beat enemy snipers to take control of those high traffic areas and make sure your team is kept safe from said enemy snipers.

Toughness will keep your strong against targets that spot you and fire at you attempting to take you out of your vantage point or take you out when they spot you in the shadows on the ground. Cold Blooded will keep your red name or target when seen by the Target Finder will be hidden from opponents, so if an opponent cannot spot you in the shadows you will have the element of surprise.

Dexterity is equipped to reach these high vantage points via boxes, open windows and ladders quickly and is also used to escape these vantage points via climbing out windows in case an enemy grenade reaches your nest. Dexterity will also be useful for when you're sprinting with the Vector equipped you will be ready quickly to take out opponents.

The Verdict

The Ballista is a fast handling sniper rifle and is unique as it is the only rifle to use iron sights. It is a strong rifle but requires precision to ensure constant one shot kills.

If the DSR handling is too slow and the SVU-AS is not getting the job done, the Ballista is the rifle for you for quick handling and power.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed and you have learned something useful, join me next time when I will be covering the 3rd handgun of Black Ops 2.

The Executioner.

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