Hello operators,
As a special forces team, Thunder is expected to act swiftly, infiltrate, complete their objectives and exfiltrate.
One of the most valuable tools an Operator can use, when trying to achieve these objectives, is silence. Approach your enemy stealthily, like a cat on the prowl, so that unaware opposition forces will pose little to no threat. Taking them out or arresting them silently will prevent alarms being sounded, and, consequently, any plans they may have to defend against an assault will be rendered useless – or at least delayed to a point where their impact will be significantly smaller.
You can silently take down an enemy
You can get close to an enemy and force him to surrender
This is very important. Alerted enemies will have their arms at the ready and will see you approaching from the angles they're expecting trouble from. Also, reinforcements can arrive, catching Thunder off guard. In some cases, the alarm might force the enemy to make a move, leading to them fleeing the area or destroying crucial evidence that might have guided you a step in the right direction. This will force Thunder to react, shaking what could have been a sound plan and forcing the squad to improvise, therefore increasing the mission difficulty.
Footsteps are among the things that can alert enemies and they can be heard from various distances, depending on the speed of motion. Sprint and the enemy will be able to hear it from several meters away, sparking their curiosity and alertness. Crouch and move slowly and you'll be able to approach a distracted enemy to a point where you can take him out silently without causing much of a commotion.
Sound radius while moving crouched and aiming down sight
Sound radius when moving crouched
Sound radius when sprinting
When heard or spotted, you'll be forced to engage the enemy. Taking them out before they have a chance to raise the alarm, either by shouting to their nearby companions or by shooting at you, can help you complete your objectives, and this is where silencers come into play. Some guns, like the MP5SD6 or the AS Val, have built-in suppressors that'll muffle the sound of gunshots. Other weapons have specific silencers that can be attached to their muzzles at the expense of some projectile muzzle velocity, and they will add some extra weight onto the weapon. A silenced weapon will have a much smaller radius of detection for the shots being fired, enabling you to safely eliminate enemies from a distance.
Unsuppressed weapons will, of course, alert any nearby enemies, although this won't necessarily mean that every single enemy in the mission area will flock towards Thunder or know exactly where they are. Some enemies will scan Thunder's last known position, but some others may be assigned with the task of protecting a certain area. In any case, if they don't find Thunder, they'll gradually lower their guard, assuming you might have left the area. In other cases, the enemies might just be too far away to hear the engagement and get involved in it. However, certain loud noises, like explosions or demolitions, might alert them!
We hope that knowing what alerts opposition forces will help you tackle the difficult missions you have ahead of you, Operators. As usual, we'll be happy to answer any questions you might have on our Discord server.
STORM OUT.