Hello, this is XboxAhoy and this is the thirty-second episode of my Black Ops 2 Weapon Guide.
This time, we're covering the Ballista.
Unlocked at level 43, Black Ops 2 marks this bolt-action rifle's introduction to the Call
of Duty series.
The FN Ballista is a Belgian sniper rifle design, developed by FN Herstal in late 2010.
It was designed for the US Army's Precision Sniper Rifle program, competing alongside
the Remington MSR and Accuracy International AWM, amongst others.
The specification called for a high precision, lightweight platform chambered in a powerful
.338 calibre round.
The Ballista design is heavily modular, with the barrel, bolt and firing pin rapidly interchangeable
to fire a variety of cartridges - and in-game, the Ballista is chambered for the .338 Lapua
Magnum round.
Ultimately, it was the Remington MSR that eventually won the PSR contract, a similar
design to the Ballista with a similarly modular approach.
In-game, the Ballista is a one-shot kill weapon: killing with a shot to the head, neck, mid-to-upper
torso and the arms.
When paired with the suppressor, you'll kill with a shot to the head, neck, upper torso
and upper arms only.
The sniper rifles see no damage drop-off, so this lethality is preserved out to any
distance - and, like its peers, the Ballista's ability to penetrate walls is high.
As a bolt-action weapon, rate of fire is very slow: as you'll need to manually cycle the
action after every shot fired, your maximum output is a pitiful 51 rounds per minute.
Paired with woefully poor hipfire performance, it's vitally important to make shots count
with the Ballista - a miss will leave you critically exposed in the time it takes to
ready the next shot.
Recoil is moderate, pulling up and to the right - but this is not a factor with the
slower rate of fire: your aim will recentre before the bolt is fully cycled.
Otherwise, handling is fairly good for the sniper rifle class: the Ballista is the nimblest
option available.
Aim time is moderately slow by most standards, but 50 milliseconds faster than its peers
- at 350 milliseconds.
Switch times are marginally faster too - and you even gain a 1 percent mobility bonus,
as you'll move at 96 percent of the base speed.
Magazine capacity is fair for its class, too - 7 rounds grants a two-round advantage over
the other bolt-action option, the DSR-50.
Reloads are fairly slow, taking 3.10 seconds to complete: but are infrequent, given the
slow rate of fire and limited overall consumption.
Our build with the Ballista takes advantage of its faster handling, with a class designed
for more aggressive use of the sniper rifles.
Designed to get into position fast and quickly scope in and eliminate your opposition, the
Ballista rewards those with rapid reflexes and the ability to get onto target very quickly.
Our first selection is the Laser Sight: while you'll never want to rely on your sniper rifle's
hipfire, slightly enhancing your last-ditch defence can pay off when caught by surprise.
Should an opponent rush your position, it's worth firing a shot before switching to your
secondary - the one-shot kill potential can quickly resolve an unfavourable gunfight before
it even starts.
With the laser sight, you'll land this single shot more often: so for aggressive sniping
builds it can be worth the point spend.
Next, Extended Clip gives you 10 rounds per reload instead of 7: better supporting kill
sprees by eliminating the need to pause to reload.
With one-shot lethality 10 rounds can go a long way, and it's normally a better idea
to focus on your sights than your remaining ammo count.
Fast Mags might be the better choice for a compulsive reloader, but if you can stem the
urge - the extra 3 rounds might prove useful.
As an alternative, you could swap out this option for an optic of your choosing - the
unique option of the Iron Sight is a workable option for smaller maps.
Next, we open up a highly mobile and reactive perk selection with Lightweight: boosting
your mobility by 7 percent.
With it, you'll arrive at sniping positions more quickly, and the perk will otherwise
boost the Ballista's potential for aggressive play.
Next, Fast Hands plays an important defensive role: rapidly switching to your secondary
will prove very useful in close quarters.
Any of the handgun options will be more effective than the bolt-action Ballista, and as such
switching to your secondary is a very wise move indeed if you're taken by surprise.
Next, Dexterity also helps amp up your reactivity: lessening the risk of sprinting near the opposition,
and permitting a push into dangerous territory without incurring too severe a penalty.
While you should try and limit the times you're caught mid-sprint with a bolt-action weapon,
the milliseconds shaved off with this perk might prove decisive in acquiring your enemy
in your scope before delivering a lethal shot.
Next, a good close-range secondary is essential with any bolt-action weapon, and for our class
we're equipping the fully automatic KAP-40.
While its magazine may be short, it performs like a pocket-sized SMG, with a high rate
of fire shredding close range targets.
Not content with a single pistol, however - we also equip the Dual Wield attachment,
granting a second KAP-40 for double the potential lead dispensation.
Paired with Fast Hands, you'll have near-instantaneous access to 1875 rounds per minute: spraying
these two pistols the perfect answer to any foe hoping to push their close-range advantage.
While this configuration is only effective at a close range, as a backup the dual KAP-40s
are a particularly potent defence.
They can prove sometimes useful at a mid-range, however: in cases where you hit an opponent
with your Ballista, but the shot does not kill - a single additional shot from your
KAP-40 will always finish them off.
While Dual Wield isn't the most precise way to deliver this single coup de grâce, their
sheer volume of fire will normally prove sufficient.
Our final two points are less critical to the build, and can be used to secure an additional
perk instead should you wish: however, the addition of two concussion grenades is useful,
giving you a way to hold an enemy in place while you line up a shot.
When paired with Fast Hands, any of the lethal or tactical options can be substituted here,
depending on your preference.
That's our build - a sniper class built for speed, to leverage a positional advantage
with one-shot ability.
Even with a speedy set of perks, you should remember that a bolt-action weapon is not
forgiving in close quarters: these perks make it easier to use a sniper rifle aggressively,
but you should remember that you'll perform best in a long-ranged role from a good covered
position.
Also of note is the unique attachment available for the Ballista: the Iron Sight.
This option replaces your default scope with a standard-magnification mechanical option
instead - an interesting alternative for smaller maps, but tricky to use at any sort of distance.
Its unique nature does give it appeal, however - and the attachment opens up a new way to
play with the weapon, ideal if you like a challenge.
The Ballista is the nimblest sniper rifle on offer, offering greater reactivity than
any other of the precision rifles.
Despite this speed, it retains considerable lethality, only losing the one-hit kill upon
the lower portion of the torso when compared to the more powerful DSR-50.
It is this combination of speed and lethality that make it an ideal choice for a more mobile
sniper role, although this does demand a high degree of precision to be effective.
It is the slow cycling of the bolt-action that will be your downfall, should you miss:
the second or so it takes to ready your next shot often sufficient for your enemy to retaliate.
The smaller one-hit kill zone can prove troublesome in such critical gunfights, too - an enemy
wounded but not killed outright will be a threat until you're able to finish them off.
Still, if you prefer a faster pace of gameplay the Ballista is the sniper rifle that best
fits the bill.
Capable of quickly scoping in and delivering instant lethality - if you're able to deftly
leverage the one-shot power of this lightweight rifle...
...you'll send your enemy ballistic.
Thanks for watching, this has been XboxAhoy.
Join me next week, when I'll be covering the KAP-40.
Until then, farewell.