Hello, this is XboxAhoy and this is the fifteenth episode of my Black Ops 2 Weapon Guide.
This time, we're covering the Tac-45.
The second pistol, and high-damage semi-automatic option - taking on a similar role to the 6-round
revolvers seen in previous games.
The Tac-45 is based on the real-life FNP Tactical, manufactured by FN Herstal.
Introduced in 2006, the FNP is a modern semi-automatic pistol available in a variety of calibres,
designed as flexible offering for police and special forces.
With its roots in earlier FN designs, the FNP can be thought of as an update to John
Browning's classic High Power handgun design.
The FNP-45 is chambered in the .45 ACP cartridge, the same powerful round the M1911 fires, and
this power is reflected in-game.
The Tac-45 is a high damage pistol: although it shares the same basic damage profile as
the Five-seven, the Tac-45 has a much longer 2-hit kill.
This means in most functional circumstances - i.e. at a close range - the Tac-45 will
deal greater damage than the Five-seven.
At a distance, however, you may need up to six shots to kill - which means the Tac-45
will find itself at a disadvantage for a number of reasons.
The Firecap is lower, for one - the Tac-45 will top out at 625 rounds per minute with
an able trigger finger, compared to the Five-seven's 750 rounds per minute.
This doesn't make much functional difference, as firing this quickly will hamper your accuracy
and quickly deplete your magazine - with the Tac-45 it is generally better to ensure your
shots count.
Hipfire performance is good, in line with the other pistols: combined with the higher
close-range damage, the Tac-45 will prove relatively reliable when fired from the hip.
Recoil is significantly higher than the Five-seven: not enough to really harm effectiveness at
a close range, but it might limit your long-range potential.
Aim time is very quick, at around 130 milliseconds - and you'll move at 100 percent of the maximum
base speed, as with all the pistols.
Magazine capacity is another area in which the Tac-45 loses out to its semi-auto rival:
unlike the generous capacity of the Five-seven, you'll have a mere 10 rounds per reload.
Although this is significantly better than the high-power revolvers in games past, 10
rounds can quickly disappear, and this means the Tac-45 is a weapon that calls for careful
shot placement for maximum effectiveness.
Reloads are very quick, if quite frequent - at 1.45 seconds.
Your initial ammunition supply is quite limited - as you'll be equipped with just 4 mags upon
spawn, for just 40 rounds total by default.
The Tac-45 is primarily suited to a backup role: its rapid handling and limited zone
of usefulness means it's more effective as a close-range backup than as a surrogate primary.
Nevertheless, a pistol-only class can still be quite effective - and our build with the
Tac-45 is a tactical loadout for a tactical pistol.
Our first choice is the Secondary Gunfighter Wildcard, permitting two attachments for your
secondary weapon and enabling us to enhance the Tac-45's strengths while combating some
of its weaknesses.
Our first attachment is the Long Barrel - this will enhance the Tac-45's range, especially
useful on weapons with a large contrast between their minimum and maximum damage.
Long Barrel will extend your range by 15%, and as such you'll enjoy a correspondingly
larger two-hit kill zone, extending the reach of your pistol.
Our second attachment choice is Fast Mags - while 10 rounds is generally sufficient
for a single engagement, if you're running the pistol on its own the shallow magazine
will make reloads frequent.
Fast Mags will help to lessen this issue, and can prove a lifesaver in cases where you
encounter two enemies in quick succession: while in theory you only need two shots to
kill, in practice you'll find 10-round magazines are easily left empty.
The remainder of our class focusses on the use of lethal and tactical equipment: these
choices can augment your pistol's effectiveness as part of our tactical loadout.
The Perk 2 Greed wildcard permits two choices from the second tier, for a very powerful
combination when making extensive use of your equipment.
First up is Scavenger - this perk proving useful for both your pistol and grenades.
The Tac-45's smaller magazines means your initial supply is limited, so the extra ammunition
you'll pick up whilst using this perk will prove useful.
Additionally, you'll have an unending supply of lethal and tactical equipment, too - which
works well with our other tier two choice, Fast Hands.
Fast Hands speeds weapon switches and equipment use, lessening the odds you'll be caught short
mid grenade-toss.
Tactical Mask is our final perk choice, and will prove particularly useful when making
liberal use of concussion grenades or flashbangs.
Stunning yourself is an almost inevitable side-effect of using such equipment, and Tac
Mask will reduce the odds that such a mistake will spell your undoing - while protecting
you from your enemy's tactical options as well.
Our final two points are spent on the lethal and tactical grenades of your choice: our
perk selection means you can afford to be quite flexible in this regard.
C4 was my preferred lethal option, with its uncompromised explosive performance tempered
by a short effective range - but frag grenades, semtex or even the combat axe could work well
here.
Your Tactical options are a little broader - concussions or flashbangs are the most traditional
choice, and will work very well to immobilise or blind opponents, making them easier to
kill.
Other choices can be effective, however - whether you employ smoke grenades in objective game
modes, use sensor grenades to eke out the position of stubborn foes, or blackhats to
deny enemy equipment and air support.
In any case, the combination of Fast Hands and Scavenger is a very powerful one when
used in tandem with the equipment on offer - and a pistol class with the Tac-45's close-range
punch is the perfect vessel to put such tactics to use.
That's our build - an equipment-heavy loadout with Tactical as our watchword.
Such an approach is a great way to tackle both the Tac-45's and the tactical option's
challenges in tandem: yielding some impressive XP rewards while remaining a rewarding way
to play.
In any case, the tactical grenades will give you an edge in close-quarters gunfights - a
stunned enemy will prove much more pliant to this pistol's two shot kill.
The Tac-45 is an excellent secondary backup for those able to accurately place shots upon
close-range targets.
Its high close range damage means even those without rapid trigger fingers can quickly
down close-range assailants, and the rapid switch times associated with the pistols means
the Tac-45 is a very viable backup weapon.
Of course, you pay for this higher damage with some adverse handling traits when compared
to the Tac-45's nearest rival, the Five-seven.
A smaller magazine and elevated level of recoil means careful shooting is necessary, and outside
of your two-hit kill zone you'll find yourself at a distinct disadvantage as a result.
Still, the pistols intended role is as a close-range backup - and to that end the Tac-45's elevated
damage makes it more than a fair trade-off.
This high-power handgun fires a hard-hitting round, certain to impact your opponent's momentum,
much to their chagrin.
Indeed, the mighty Newtonian force of the forty-five calibre...
...might elicit an equal and opposite reaction.
Thanks for watching, this has been XboxAhoy.
Join me next time, when I'll be covering the last of the default unlocked weapons: the
FHJ-18 AA.
Until then, farewell.