[This info is current as of Update 7 but may change]
Introduction
The Rifleman is the only role in Hell Let Loose that can restock their team with ammo. An effective Rifleman can be a fierce combatant, taking out enemy infantry effectively and efficiently with their rifle at medium and long range and keeping their allies stocked up on ammo so they can keep laying on the hurt. This guide aims to give you an overview of the fundamentals and helpful tips to enhance your understanding of the Rifleman role. We’ll take a look at the loadout of the Rifleman and then dive into some basic info, tips, and tactics.
Kit
The Rifleman is the backbone of the infantry in Hell Let Loose, providing accurate medium and long range fire with their rifles. Their kit may be bare bones in comparison to specialist roles like the Medic and Engineer but the rifleman is no less effective at supporting their team. The tools given to the Rifleman aid them to provide a strong base of fire in both offensive and defensive scenarios, clear enemy positions with frag grenades, strengthen defensive lines through mines and fire superiority, set up choke points and traps, and fuel assaults. Their most impactful tool is their ammo box which plays a crucial role in supporting infantry with ammunition, Anti Tank personnel with rockets, Engineers and Anti Tank soldiers with mines, Machine gunners with both bullets and cover, as well as smoke and fragmentation grenades to aid in pushing dug in positions and strongpoints.
US
M1 Garand - Semi-Automatic
12 magazines, 8 rounds each, 96 rounds total
German
Karibiner 98K - Bolt Action
12 magazines, 5 rounds each, 60 rounds total
Common
Ammo Box
Bandage - 2
Grenade - 2
Score and XP
As a Rifleman you will earn 30 support score for every ammo box you place (You can only have 1 down at a time) and 10 support score every time an ally uses your box. Your primary source of combat score and xp is killing. The Rifleman is one of the combat oriented roles on the battlefield and getting into the thick of things with your squad and coming out on top will net you steady points.
Function
The primary function of a Rifleman is to provide their team with a steady base of fire and ammunition to keep up the fight.
Force Multiplier
As an effective Rifleman you are uniquely kitted to keep your squad locked and loaded with sufficient ammunition, grenades, rockets, and bandages to hold out during even the most intense of battles. You are a versatile piece on the board that can enhance your squad’s effectiveness by doubling their supplies, aiding them in neutralizing enemy armor and cutting through enemy infantry. The more bullets your squad mates have, the more enemies they can potentially kill.
Ammunition
Every soldier needs a good supply of ammo if they plan on keeping in the fight for a good long time. As a Rifleman, one of your primary jobs is to keep your allies well stocked. The two roles that will love you the most for supplying them with fresh ammo are the Machinegunner who can always use more belts when holding down a position or suppressing the enemy to cover a push, and Medics who have the lowest bullet count in the game for their primary weapon. Other roles such as Anti Tank and Engineer will appreciate the extra rockets and mines while hunting tanks and setting up defensive traps around strongpoints.
As a rule, place your ammo box in covered, but accessible locations during defensive gameplay so your allies can get to your box and survive while resupplying.
While on an offensive push, hold onto your ammo box until your allies have thrown their smoke but don’t hold onto it forever, get your box down in a covered or concealed spot and keep the push moving. This offensive tactic is especially important to keep in mind for the beach assault on Omaha, keep smoke rolling and get your team to the sea wall.
While playing alongside Anti Tank personnel, follow them but try to stay concealed and out of their way to resupply them with rockets and cover their flanks from infantry as they hunt tanks without drawing too much attention to them.
While helping an engineer, play like Support and redeploy to keep fresh ammo coming to help them cover the point and roads with mines.
Gameplay Tips
A Rifleman who balances combat with supporting their squad can be both an effective soldier and an effective force multiplier, increasing your squad’s overall combat effectiveness and taking out enemy infantry alongside your allies. This section aims to teach you some of the basics of the role to get you on your way to mastering the ins and outs of being a deadly and efficient Rifleman on the battlefield.
Frags and Smoke Grenades
It is important to mention, and remember, that as a Rifleman you can effectively double the number of frags and smoke grenades that your squad has at their disposal. This might not seem like a lot but when trying to clear out enemies from a fortified position, the extra explosive ordinance and concealment can be the difference between rooting the enemy out to take the position and getting cut down while approaching.
To put it in perspective, a six man squad made up of a:
1) Squad Leader - with the NCO loadout (3 frags and 3 smokes)
2) Assault - with the Grenadier loadout (6 frags and 4 smokes)
3) Auto Rifleman (2 frags)
4) Supply (2 frags)
5) Medic (2 smoke)
6) Rifleman (2 frags)
Starts with 15 frags and 9 smoke grenades but after resupplying, they can use 28-30 frags and 16-18 smoke grenades from just one resupply as 5 of your squad members can resupply off of your one box.
Bandages
Have you ever been caught bleeding with no bandages and no medic in sight? We’ve all been there and it’s a rough time. Besides the medic with their supply of 20 bandages, each soldier deploys with a total of 2 bandages, which go pretty quickly in an intense engagement. As a rifleman, you can help up to 5 allies double their bandage count to help keep them in the fight for longer. It’s not always the right move, especially if medics are around, but if allies around you are bleeding and out of bandages remember that you can help them out by giving them a fresh set.
Machinegun Nests
Machinegunners on the battlefields of Hell Let Loose have struggled to find good positions with clear lines of sight and ample hard cover to keep them from getting picked off by pesky sharp shooters since the outset. A rifleman can help them out by using their ammo box next to sandbags or ambient cover like fences, walls, and buildings to give their Machinegunner some elevation and cover in front of their body to get their gun off the ground while keeping them close to their fortifications.