Seeing as you're operating as part of a squad, you'll be assuming a certain role within said squad according to what weapon you choose. There are five main types of player class in DoD:
In addition to their primary weapon, each soldier is issued with a pistol, a melee weapon, and maybe even some grenades.
Axis Grenadier
Weapon: Mauser K98
Operation: Bolt-action
Damage: Lethal
Accuracy: Very good
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 5-round stripper
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Bayonet
Grenades: 2
The K98 is the preferred Axis rifle due to its excellent accuracy and one-shot-kills capability. Shoot a DoD player in the toe with this thing and he drops. The bolt-action loading mechanism means cover must be sought between each shot. In the event of close-quarters combat, the sturdy bayonet can be used in a pinch.
Axis Stosstruppe
Weapon: Mauser K43
Operation: Semi-automatic
Damage: High
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 10-round box clip
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Buttsmack
Grenades: 2
The K43 is roughly equivalent to the American Garand, with a high rate of fire offset by slightly poorer accuracy and damage than the K98 or Enfield. A torso shot will drop a player, but limb shots won't kill outright. Lacking a bayonet blade, a swing of the K43's butt is a competent replacement.
US Rifleman
Weapon: M1 Garand
Operation: Semi-automatic
Damage: High
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 8-round stripper clip
Reload time: Quick
Secondary function: Buttsmack
Grenades: 2
The M1 Garand is a fast-firing rifle but its accuracy is not as good as that of the K98 or Enfield. It also only kills instantly with a head or torso shot. The Garand has a unique loading system which means it cannot be reloaded mid-clip; the entire clip must be discharged resulting in a distinctive - and loud - 'ping' sound. The Garand's bayonet blade was badly designed and was often removed, however the rifle's butt could be used to mash the skulls of any Axis soldiers who got too close.
British Rifleman
Weapon: Lee Enfield Mk. 1
Operation: Bolt-action
Damage: Lethal
Accuracy: High
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 2x 5-round stripper clips
Reload time: Medium (Slow to load 2 clips)
Secondary function: Bayonet
Grenades: 2
The Lee Enfield is a superb rifle, its only limitation being its slow bolt-action loading mechanism. One shot to pretty much anywhere on the body will kill an Axis player instantly, and with the ability to load two stripper clips at once a fair amount of damage can be dealt between reloads. The Enfield features a sharp bayonet blade which is best applied to the head.
Axis Unteroffizier
Weapon: Machinenpistole 40
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Low
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Low
Clip capacity: 31-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: None
Grenades: 1
The MP40 is the closest German equivalent to the Thompson or Sten guns available to Allied forces. It has a high rate of fire (although not entirely regular, giving the gun a distinctive stuttering report), so what it lacks in accuracy it can make up for in volume of lead.
Axis Sturmtruppe
Weapon: Sturmgewehr 44
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Medium
Clip capacity: 30-round banana clip
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: None
Grenades: 1
The STG44 is a decent all-round gun, although its poor accuracy makes long-distance fire impractical. Packing a bit more punch than SMGs like the Thompson or MP40, it can be very effective close-in; it can however be difficult to control on the run.
US Staff Sergeant
Weapon: M1 Carbine
Operation: Semi-automatic
Damage: Low
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: Neglible
Clip capacity: 15-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: None
Grenades: 1
The Carbine was basically a weapon for backup and rear-line troops, and it shows. Don't let the supposed rifle-caliber ammo fool you; this gun is about as powerful as an SMG shot-for-shot. The Carbine's advantage is a very high rate of fire for a semi-automatic, as well as barely-noticeable recoil.
US Master Sergeant
Weapon: M1A1 Thompson
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Low
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Low
Clip capacity: 30-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: None
Grenades: 1
The Thompson is a good gun for assaults as its light recoil and high volume of fire make it perfect for close-in, on-the-move fighting. At medium distance the gun can be used effectively in a crouching position, letting the spray coat your target.
US Sergeant
Weapon: M3A1 'Greasegun'
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Low
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: Low
Clip capacity: 30-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: None
Grenades: 1
The Greasegun, or 'peashooter' as it is commonly known in DoD circles, is a strange gun. It has a low rate of fire for an SMG but better accuracy than many, meaning headshots are possible with careful aim. The distinctive 'put-put-put' sound of the Greasegun sounds rather bizarre next to the raucous reports heard from most other guns.
British Sergeant Major
Weapon: Sten Mk II
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Low
Accuracy: Low
Recoil: Low
Clip capacity: 32-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: None
Grenades: 1
The Sten is similar to the US Thompson, a good close-in weapon with light recoil and the ability to fill the air with a lot of lead. Don't use at long range unless prone, and even then only with a clear line of shot. Medium and short range are where the Sten excels.
Axis MG34-Schütze
Weapon: Machinengewehr 34
Operation: Belt-fed
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: Massive
Clip capacity: 75-round assault drum
Reload time: Slow
Secondary function: Tripod
Grenades: None
The MG34 is a light MG ideal for supporting assaults. It has a comparatively low rate of fire for an MG, which it makes up for by being very accurate for an MG. The low capacity of the assault drums means regular reloads, so the MG34 is not much use for providing suppressing fire.
Axis MG42-Schütze
Weapon: Machinengewehr 42
Operation: Belt-fed
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: Massive
Clip capacity: 250-round belt
Reload time: Slow
Secondary function: Tripod
Grenades: None
The MG42 is the big daddy of DoD MGs. The tearing sound of the operation of this gun is a testament to its insanely-high rate of fire, as is the fact that its barrel is prone to overheating. The MG42 isn't particularly accurate but with the amount of lead it sprays, it doesn't need to be.
Axis FG42-Zweiben
Weapon: Fallschirmjägergewehr 42
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 20-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Bipod
Grenades: 1
The FG42 was reserved for German Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) as it was compact and multi-purpose. Although not the easiest to control, this gun is actually excellent for assaults as it packs more of a punch than SMGs. In real life the bipod models were primarily used in support using the bipod, at which they would be very good if not for the prohibitively small 20-round clip.
US Machine Gunner
Weapon: .30 Cal Machine Gun
Operation: Belt-fed
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: Massive
Clip capacity: 150-round belt
Reload time: Slow
Secondary function: Bipod
Grenades: None
The .30 Cal serves as a halfway house between the two German MGs in terms of accuracy, rate of fire and ammo capacity, making it a versatile weapon. Its ability to sustain a continuous volley of fire means it excels at providing suppressing fire. The US Gunner doesn't have as much ammo as his Axis counterparts so you might regularly hear him shouting for ammo.
US Support Infantry
Weapon: Browning Automatic Rifle
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 20-round box magazine
Reload time: Slow
Secondary function: Bipod
Grenades: 1
The BAR is a jack-of-all-trades weapon similar to the Axis FG42; its primary use in the war was in support with the bipod down but in DoD you are more likely to see it used in an assault role as many players like the extra punch it provides over the SMG classes. Recoil is heavy and can be difficult to master at first.
British Gunner
Weapon: Bren LMG
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Medium
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 30-round banana clip
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Bipod
Grenades: 1
The Bren is actually closer to the BAR or FG42 than the belt-fed MGs available to the US and Axis forces. It is, however, a lot more useful as it has a 30-round magazine, allowing a more concerted assualt spray or a longer burst of covering fire. The top-loading clip can be a nuisance as it blocks some of your line of view.
Axis Scharfschütze
Weapon: Scoped K98
Operation: Bolt-action
Damage: Lethal
Accuracy: Pinpoint
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 5-round stripper clip
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Scope
Grenades: None
The Karbiner 98 was a good enough rifle that the best specimens were ideal sniper rifles with the addition of a scope. Like the standard K98, a single shot drops any man.
Axis FG42-Zielfenröhr
Weapon: Scoped FG42
Operation: Automatic
Damage: Medium
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 20-round box magazine
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Scope
Grenades: 1
The scoped FG42 is by far the most versatile of the sniper classes, with the unscoped weapon being more than adequate for defence or assault. It requires two shots to take someone down but the automatic fire means this is achievable if you're quick. The FG42 is the only scoped weapon which has a crosshair in unscoped mode.
US Sniper
Weapon: Springfield Sniper
Operation: Bolt-action
Damage: Lethal
Accuracy: Pinpoint
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 5-round stripper clip
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Scope
Grenades: None
The Springfield was actually a WW1 weapon, converted to sniper rifles to meet demand during WW2. It performs well in this capacity, with one-shot-kill capability and precise accuracy.
British Marksman
Weapon: Lee Enfield No. 4
Operation: Bolt-action
Damage: Lethal
Accuracy: Pinpoint
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 5-round stripper clip
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Scope
Grenades: None
The Enfield No. 4 Sniper sacrifices the second stripper clip in order to add a scope, resulting in a powerful sniper rifle which is easily a match for the K98 or Springfield sniper variants.
Axis Panzerjäger
Weapon: Panzershreck
Operation: Manual
Damage: Lethal, area-effect
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 1 rocket
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Shoulder
Grenades: None
The Panzerjäger is a tricky class to play, the weapon being impossible to fire unless you first shoulder it (which takes time and restricts your mobility). The rocket arcs in flight so you have to compensate by aiming up slightly. The Panzershreck's flameguard can restrict your view a fair amount, so be careful.
US Bazooka
Weapon: Bazooka
Operation: Manual
Damage: Lethal, area-effect
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 1 rocket
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Shoulder
Grenades: None
The Bazooka is, for all intents and purposes, identical to the Panzershreck in terms of operation, the only difference being that the bazooka does not have the cumbersome flameguard installed.
British PIAT
Weapon: PIAT (Projector Infantry Anti-Tank)
Operation: Manual
Damage: Lethal, area-effect
Accuracy: Decent
Recoil: High
Clip capacity: 1 rocket
Reload time: Medium
Secondary function: Shoulder
Grenades: None
Despite working on a radically different principal (the PIAT was more like a spring-loaded crossbow that fired rockets), in DoD the PIAT works similarly to the Bazooka and Panzershreck weapons, except that it doesn't leave such a huge smoke trail.
Pistols in DoD are roughly equivalent to the M1 Carbine; they have very fast semi-automatic fire, negligible recoil and pack about as much punch as an SMG shot-for-shot. They're not quite as accurate, however, so you may often require a whole clip to take out an enemy. The British Webley revolver has a six-bullet clip, the American Colt 1911 has seven and the Axis Luger has a luxurious eight bullets per clip. Every class in the game carries a pistol and two spare pistol clips.
Left to right: Axis Luger, US Colt 1911, British Webley
When you're in a tight spot, or if you want to make a stealthy kill, or even if you're just out of ammo, you will need to rely on your melee weapon. Every class carries some form of melee weapon; the British and Americans carry a combat knife (the latter often plundered from a Garand bayonet fitting) while the Axis prefer to use their sharp field spades (although the Axis Fallschirmjäger paratroopers carry a knife, not requiring the extra weight of a spade).
Left to right: American combat knife, Axis field spade, British combat knife, Axis Fallschirmjäger combat knife
The grenade is a useful weapon for smoking out entrenched (or just plain camped) enemies, and all light/heavy infantry carry at least one. The Axis Steilhandgranate (literally 'stickhandgrenade') is notable for its curious design with a wooden handle, intended to increase the thrower's leverage and therefore range. The British and American forces use more traditional pineapple grenades, the latter of which is much more difficult to pick up in DoD than the others for some strange reason.
Left to right: Axis Steilhandgranate, American and British pineapple grenades
www.lamsey.co.uk | (c) 2007 Liam McBrien | All bytes reserved
Homepage
Journal
DoD Guide
Email Encrypter
Photos
Zebedee