Here is a brief introduction to the weapons of
Bad Company 2 Vietnam. I used each gun for two rounds each while playing Squad Deathmatch to get a good feel for them. We'll produce more in-depth guides for each of the new weapons in the coming weeks. I've also included short sections on the gadgets and specializations of Vietnam where they differ from vanilla
Battlefield.
Assault Weapons 
The
M16A1 is a powerful weapon, proving both accurate and damaging fully automatic fire at long ranges. Aim for the head if you have the time, as you will be able to kill an enemy in a fraction of a second. The M16 has good iron sights, which is good as you won't have the option of trading them for an optical sight. At close range however, whilst the A1 is served well by its fully automatic nature, damage output compared to submachine guns or light machine guns is not high.
The
AK-47 is a gun that many people wanted to see in
Bad Company 2, and now it's finally here. The famous weapon deals more damage than the M16A1, but is less accurate. It's worth noting that at long ranges the difference in damage is greater if you can get the same number of bullets on target. This makes burst firing a necessity at range. At close range, the larger calibre bullets should give you a solid advantage. The iron sights are similar to the AEK-971, as you'd expect, and seem good.
The
M14, unlike its counterpart in
Bad Company 2 vanilla, is available only to the Assault class. It's also unsighted and fully automatic. It's powerful with predictable recoil, but suffers from a very small 20 round magazine, even given its lower rate of fire. At close ranges, the M14 can run dry before you've taken down an enemy, so be prepared to switch to a pistol.
Engineer Weapons 
The
M10 is the first engineer weapon in
Vietnam. It sports a very high rate of fire and a comparatively large forty round magazine, which allows it to take on groups of enemies at close range. When fired in bursts at long range, it remains a viable weapon, although pales in comparison to the longer ranged assault rifles. It's best used in trenches and between buildings, where its lack of power at long range is a non-issue.
The
PPSh is the second, and most popular, engineer weapon in
Vietnam. While it has a smaller magazine than the M10, it does more damage and reloads more quickly. Its lower rate of fire and much lower recoil makes it more adept at longer distances, lending it more versatility than the M10. Overall, a top rate weapon.
The third engineer weapon is another found in vanilla Bad Company 2, the
UZI. This variant has a 32 round magazine, but otherwise behaves pretty similarly. Its closed sight is inferior to the PPSh and the M10, as it occludes a lot of the target, making it difficult to track moving enemies at range.
Medic Weapons 
The first weapon Medics have access to is the
RPK. It's a strong weapon, with a good mix of stopping power, predictable accuracy at long range as long as short bursts are employed, and a large 100 round magazine. It also has great iron sights, which allow it to be deadly at medium to long range. As with other medic weapons, it is at its best when stationary and crouching.
The second medic gun is the venerable
M60. It's much as it was in vanilla Bad Company 2, with relatively poor iron sights and a slow rate of fire. However, it does do a lot of damage, and this partly makes up for it. In vanilla, it was often used with a powerful scope as a long range weapon, and it struggles to fill this role without such a scope.
The final medic weapon is the experimental
XM22. It sports the full 200 round box magazine, and although its iron sights are bulky, provides excellent accuracy at long range. As with other weapons, it works best with graduated firing: taps at long range, bursts at medium range, and full auto only at very close ranges.
Recon Weapons 
Sniper rifles in
Vietnam are the only weapons that can be fitted with scopes. The semi-automatic
SVD is the first option, acting similarly to the Type 88 sniper rifle in vanilla
Bad Company 2. While it does allow for faster shots on a target, it does much less damage than either of the other sniper rifles and is difficult to use effectively – the first two shots are relatively easy to get on target, but the third is often a problem. It is slightly better than its counterparts in close range combat, where multiple shots mean multiple chances, but overall I cannot think of a situation in which an assault rifle wouldn't be superior.
The second semi-automatic sniper rifle is the
M21. This sniper variant of the M14 has a wonderful sniper sight which doesn't occlude your peripheral vision, even on 12x magnification. It also has a curious property of being to take down a Huey in less than twenty rounds with magnum ammunition, making Squad Deathmatch on Phu Bai Valley a good sight easier. Still, like the SVD it is difficult to take down moving targets, and in almost all cases an assault rifle is superior.
The only bolt-action sniper rifle is the powerful
M40. This sniper rifle does even more damage per shot than the M95, at a full 105 points of damage (compared to a healthy soldier's 100 health). It sports, like the M21, a strong and non-occluded scope, making it easy to keep an eye on your flanks while aiming for targets downstream. It is a fearsome weapon, combining the power of the M95 and the handling of the SV98; definitely the strongest option as for recon players in
Battlefield Vietnam.
All Kit Weapons 
The first all-kit weapon is one found also in vanilla
Bad Company 2: the
WWII Garand. In
Vietnam, there are no semi-automatic weapons for assault players, so this can be a useful stand-in. Its stats are identical to its vanilla counterpart, aside from a slight increase in firing speed. It does run out of ammo quickly, so be ready to switch to a sidearm if required.
The second all-kit weapon is also found in vanilla
Bad Company 2: the
870MCS. This shotgun is hard to judge for use in Vietnam; whilst using brush and other cover can make it extremely effective, there are also a lot of open spaces. While SABOT rounds can be useful in these situations, they're also rather hit-or-miss. Near points of conflict, like m-com stations, it comes into its own. It does do slightly more damage than the vanilla weapon, so try it to see if it fits your style.
Noticing a pattern here? The
WW2 M1A1 Thompson is also available in
Vietnam, and does far more damage here. This makes it an excellent choice for a close-combat recon kit. Overall, the Thompson is a surprisingly viable weapon, rivaling the excellent PPSh for close range firepower. Its only drawback is its relatively low ammo count, but you'll usually kill enough assault players that this isn't a problem.
The final all kit weapon is new to
Vietnam – the
M2 Flamethrower. It shoots a jet of flame about fifteen meters, and does enough damage to kill your target in half a second. Like a shotgun, its limited range often makes it far less powerful than it would appear; it is only really worthwhile for large groups of enemies. Against mobile targets on open ground, it's next to impossible to make a kill. For this reasons, use flamethrowers only when you are attacking or defending a known target, preferably inside or near a building. It's also important to note that once you set an enemy alight, they'll take significant damage for the next seven seconds if water or medpacks aren't employed.
The
M1911A1 is one of the two pistols available in
Vietnam. It's all but cosmetically identical to the vanilla 1911, so use it as you would its vanilla version. It's useful for weapons that run out of ammunition quickly or have limited range.
The
TT-33 is a new pistol for
Vietnam, but it has the same stats as the vanilla M9, boasting less damage but a larger magazine and faster rate of fire than the 1911. Which you use is up to preference, but this pistol appears to be the new favourite.
Gadgets and Specializations The gadgets of
Vietnam are functionally identical to their counterparts in vanilla
Bad Company 2. The 40MM grenade launcher for assaults is replaced with the
M79 grenade launcher, engineers get an
RPG-7 as normal and medics get
syringes that serve as defibrillators. Recons are a special case, as they get both
TNT, a C4 replacement, and the
mortar, to make up for their lack of motion mines.
Specializations are the same as
Bad Company 2, although red dot and ACOG scopes are missing, as is the vehicle sensor packages perk. The coaxial machine gun has also been replaced with a coaxial flamethrower.
Loadouts Here are a few suggested loadouts for you to play with, which I believe provide the strongest options in
Vietnam.
Assault: AK-47 w/ magnum ammo and lightweight
Engineer: PPSh w/ magnum ammo and lightweight
Medic: XM22 w/ magnum ammo and increased healing range
Recon: M40 w/ magnum ammo and 12x scope
I've chosen Magnum Ammo for all these loadouts, as in Vietnam you tend to rely on foliage rather than physical objects for cover. In this way, you're hard to spot, but once you are spotted you tend to die quickly. This contrasts with vanilla
Bad Company 2, where you frequently take random bullets whilst moving from cover to cover, and therefore a bit of body armor can keep you alive long enough to seek shelter. Players more prone to camping might prefer additional ammo or explosive damage, particularly as an Engineer. Recons can also benefit from lightweight if they're spending a lot of time chasing vehicles with C4.
Conclusion I hope you've enjoyed this guide. Please leave comments at the link below; let us know what your favourite weapons and loadouts are for
Vietnam.
