Battlefield 3 strategy guide – attacking and defending on Operation Metro

 

Today I have a strategy guide for attacking and defending in Rush mode on Operation Metro.

These tips are for competitive players looking for an edge. My advance warning – if you’re a casual player, this will be tl;dr!

Attacker Tips:

• Area 1 (the park): Stay out of open areas as much as possible. Your enemies will be using cover and the prone position a lot. But don’t hang back and snipe the entire round – your team will lose before you get past the first objectives. Advance through hedges and between cover such as concrete walls and large trees. Take down objective Alpha first as it’s more difficult to approach. Before arming, check around the generator at Alpha for enemies and check the playground at Bravo. Once armed, cover from behind the concrete walls nearby each point.
• Area 2 (tunnels): Keep away from all of the long hallways as much as you can. You’re likely to find support and snipers posted up and waiting for you. Move quickly between areas of cover. The short hallways in the center of the tunnel and the subway cars make for good cover while on the move. Guard Bravo from the stairway once armed, and Alpha from the nearby train cars or a corner inside the room.
  
• Area 3 (subway entrance): Both objectives have multiple points of attack. You’re sure to run into groups of defenders at both escalators and the stairway. Push up as a group and throw down health and ammo. Avoid running out into open areas. To approach Bravo, take the stairs at the right, then work to clear out the hallway at the right with nades and heavy suppressive fire. Try approaching either point from the far set of escalators by poking out and picking off enemies until you can sprint to cover up top. Defend both points by positioning yourself with a wall between you and the enemy spawn, and wait for enemies to round the corners.
• Area 4 (city streets): Regroup with your squad to the side of the glass doors at the subway entrance. Push outside quickly as the bright light will make targeting difficult from the doorway. Use the bus and signs as brief cover as you run to the row of buildings. From here, you can choose to provide cover from the objectives, or to arm. If you chose to cover, head up the stairs of the center building to cover Alpha from the windows. To watch Bravo, any of the buildings’ upper floors will get you a view of the area surrounding the objective. To arm Alpha, push around the right side of the building into the objective and cover from inside. Arming Bravo is more of a challenge since you’ll need to put yourself out in view of the enemy spawn. Run down the stairs or hop the ledge, then find cover in the bushes or behind vehicles near that wall. Clear the area of enemies, then round the bus to arm. Cover the point from any position you can find which blocks your back but gives you a view of the objectives.

Defender Tips:

• Area 1 (the park): If using long range weapons, defend across the bridge from Alpha or behind the rocks near Bravo. Spot all your enemies, as you’ll have eyes on many but will not be able to take them all down. If using short to mid range weapons, either chose a more defensive role by taking cover behind the concrete walls running near both points or along the radar units. For a more aggressive role, keep enemies far from the objectives by pushing to the rocks just past the playground or to the ring of bushes surrounding “the great tree” (the biggest tree in this stage).
• Area 2 (tunnels): The two most effective playing styles here are “prone” or “aggressive.” There are plenty of places to go prone – if using recon/sniper, set up around the train cars at the far right where you have eyes on the enemies’ entrance to the tunnel. The support class is also very effective with LMG’s, particularly with a bipod and extended magazine. Try pushing all the way up to the enemy’s left side entrance, then backtrack to end of the narrow tunnel. Use indents in the wall for partial cover. Any other long tunnel makes a good place to set up prone as support. For a more aggressive role, keep close to the areas surrounding the objectives and use an assault rifle, shotgun, or LMG. Be sure to equip tactical flashlights to blind attackers. Keep on the move and check nearby halls for enemies.
• Area 3 (subway entrance): This stage also offers either defensive or aggressive playing styles to be effective. Ranged weapons, LMG’s, and rockets are effective from areas near the objectives. Stay close to a wall which faces the attacker’s deployment and use it for cover when you need to reload. For aggressive players, use assault rifles or LMG’s and equip the extended magazine. You’re likely to run into several enemies bunched up around a corner, so keep your weapon reloaded and don’t forget to use your grenades. Carefully push up the hall at the left and peek out the doorway for a view of the far escalator and stairway where you’re likely to find big groups of attackers.
• Area 4 (city streets): The final stage has fairly narrow choke point at the glass subway entrance doors. Go prone outside one of the sets of doors and wait for enemies to exit in front of you. The bright sunlight will make you harder to target. Spot enemies as you begin to fire. Extended mags are useful here since multiple enemies will often come out at once. If too many enemies are breaching the exits, fall back. Set up in the windows of the center building to prevent enemies from arming Alpha, or simply post up inside the room with the MCOM. To cover Bravo, post up alongside the wall that runs the street, closest to the attackers’ deployment. Enemies will approach Bravo by dropping over the wall or down the stairs with their backs to you. Don’t give up on winning the round if the attackers have made it this far – defenders have a lot of cover and can stop the attackers’ momentum.

Now go kick some butt on Metro!