COD Modern Warfare 3: Weapon Guides - SCAR-L [11/05/2012]

[BlackChaos]

Greetings once again fans of the Call Of Duty franchise!

This is the third edition of my COD Modern Warfare 3 Weapon Guide series. If you're not familiar with my work, you might not have read the previous guides I posted.
Have a look at my Gaming section compilation thread here for the previous guides as well as other great threads.
This is a series of Modern Warfare 3 guides aimed at helping the players to get a better understanding of how these weapons fare on the battlefield. They are based on my unbiased thoughts and opinions as an experienced gamer. Some of you might not agree and have differing opinions, but thats cool. Be sure to share your thoughts with us as well.

Also, these guides will now be exclusively posted in advance on GThreeForums.net before any other site.

I will be posting these often, so be sure to leave your suggestions for the next weapons guide.
If I miss something, or if I need to correct something, be sure to give appropriate sources along with your feedback.

Note: The following guide is only for Multiplayer. Weapon usage may differ in other game modes.

Today's featured weapons is:

SCAR-L

Type: Assault Rifle (Automatic)
Unlocked at: Level 6
HUD/Pickup Image:

Ammunition: 90 (starting) ~ 180 (maximum)
Magazine size: 30 rounds ~ 45 (Extended Mags)
Reload time (approx.): 2.4 seconds (Partially empty)
2.7 seconds (Completely empty)
Rate Of Fire (ROF): 750 rpm
Damage: 35-20 approx

The Scar-L is one of the most powerful assault rifles in the game and being unlocked early-on makes it one of the most common guns on the field. What makes the SCAR a potently dangerous weapon is its great iron-sights, excellent range, low recoil and fast reload speed. Coupled with a few attachments, this gun can outclass pretty much every other gun its category. However, it has lower damage compared to some of the other guns, and higher sway. These being its only downfall, the SCAR is still a formidable gun.
Its low recoil makes it a great choice for scopes like ACOG and the Infrared and its sway can be diminished using Breath or Stability. With the ACOG attachment, its already amazing range is increased further, making it deadly at the longer ranges. However, this gun faces difficulty against opponents at close range and is easily outmaneuvered by Shotguns and SMGs.

These are the various attachments available for the weapon. They have been given ratings and side notes depending on their usefulness. Sometimes I tend to copy the ratings for some guns. Thats because most guns of a category aren't really characterized much by their attachments, but at times are.

• Red Dot Sight - Unlocked at weapon level 2.
  [7/10] The default iron sights on the SCAR-L are decent. So there is little need for an RDS unless you're better when you have it attached.
  
• Suppressor - Unlocked at weapon level 5.
  [8/10] Stealth aside, the Suppressor attachment decreases the recoil a notch and although it decreases the range as well, for the SCAR its not really too noticeable.
  
• Grenade Launcher - Unlocked at weapon level 8.
  [4/10] In my opinion, there are other attachments more useful than the Grenade Launcher. Its a waste of time and effort to use it.
  
• ACOG Scope - Unlocked at weapon level 11.
  [9/10] I enjoy using the ACOG sight on this gun, especially with Stability slapped on because it offers great range as well controlled shots, which can be useful at times.
  
• Heartbeat Sensor - Unlocked at weapon level 14.
  [6/10] The HBS on any assault rifle is always a stable option. Although, it gives off that annoying beep and its forever distracting. You're better off using your minimap to look for stray shots.
  
• Holographic Sight - Unlocked at weapon level 17.
  [7/10] Check the comment for the RDS.
  
• Shotgun - Unlocked at weapon level 20.
  [2/10] Shotgun on an assault rifle is not the best idea. It severely lacks the punch regular shotguns have and is a pale comparison.
  
• Hybrid Sight - Unlocked at weapon level 23.
  [6/10] Similar idea to the RDS and Holographic, but I find switching it on and off the gun a bother.
  
• Extended Mags - Unlocked at weapon level 26.
  [7/10] The amount of ammunition in the clips is already quite good and its low rate of fire helps reserve bullets in that cartridge as opposed to spraying them all over the place.
  
• Thermal Scope - Unlocked at weapon level 29.
  [7/10] The low recoil makes it quite efficient with the thermal scope but I don't normally go with this attachment unless I'm feeling the mood and I have Stability or Kick on.

Weapon Proficiencies are special attachments or perks so to speak that can be added to a weapon. They come in a wide range of special characteristics, so we'll have a look of each one and what they have to offer to this class of weaponry. I'll add ratings as well since we're already on a roll here.

• Kick - Unlocked at weapon level 4.
  [6/10] The Scar-L has quite a low recoil on its part, being an Assault Rifle. Although Kick isn't useful in this case, with silencer on along with this proficiency gives the gun little to no recoil.
  
• Impact - Unlocked at weapon level 9.
  [8/10] In a heavy fire fight, its always good to have the advantage. Impact means there's a higher chance that you can kill you opponent even when shooting through comparably dense objects.
  
• Attachments - Unlocked at weapon level 12.
  [7/10] Not a big deal, unless you're looking for more advanced combinations like IR Scope + Silencer.
  
• Focus - Unlocked at weapon level 16.
  [6/10] Similar to Hardened Pro in Black Ops, Focus makes it so you'll flinch 50% less when shot. This can be useful is situations where you've got a bead on your target and have to take him down, but you're in the midst of a second fire-fight.
  
• Breath - Unlocked at weapon level 22.
  [6/10] A nifty new feature to MW3 is this proficiency which enables you to hold your breath while using assault rifles, making it reduce its sway while aiming and giving you marginally better aim. For the Scar-L, it can be useful, but can be a great deal more helpful when paired with an infrared scope or maybe the ACOG sight.
  
• Stability - Unlocked at weapon level 28.
  [8/10] Its like Breath, except you don't have to hold your breath to reduce the weapon's sway. I really prefer using it rather than Breath because its passive.
  
  

Along with the attachments, there are also Perks to consider when choosing the perfect class for this weapon. It all depends on your preference and what you're comfortable. Here are a few of my suggestions:


Blind Eye
The perfect perk for a stealth class or pretty much any class honestly, Blind Eye prevents the opponent's whirly birds from pin-pointing you and taking you down. Useful in FFAs where you're flying solo.

Quickdraw
Getting a quick aim is essential in long range standoffs where the opponent is just likely to kill you. With Quickdraw on, you have the advantage on your side, increasing the likelihood of you overcoming slow and bewildered enemy gunmen.

Marksman
The perk Marksman makes spotting opponents at long distances a menial task, provided they don't have Assassin Pro on. With the SCAR's effective long range capabilities, Marksman is the perfect addition.

[9/10]
An amazing gun with great capabilities. The only put-off point is its low damage, which makes it easy prey for faster or more powerful guns. Still, its range and low recoil earns its position of one of the greatest Assault Rifles in the game.

So that's the SCAR-L I hope you enjoyed this guide and learned a little about this weapon. Hopefully, you appreciate the great amount of time and effort it took to make this guide by leaving a comment below.

Which weapon should we showcase next? Please leave your suggestion below.

Guide compiled by BlackChaos