Sniper Elite 5 returns players back into the shoes of the expert sniper and one-man army, Karl Fairburne, who must now cleanse Nazi-occupied France of Jerrys via sabotage, murder, and good old fashion long-range headshots. As the 5th installment to the Sniper Elite series, the game remains true to the tried and tested formula of the franchise whilst adding improvements that take the franchise to new heights.
Whilst the game brings back new and exciting achievements and goodies, Sniper Elite 5 adds a new Invasion Mode to mix up the gameplay. The mode occurs during the host player's campaign and has another ‘invade’ or enter someone’s mission playthrough, introducing some PVP elements to the otherwise single-player campaign experience.
This can be compared with Deathloop’s Julianna or Elden Ring’s Invader mechanic where the invading player’s goal is to take out and eliminate the host player’s avatar. In Sniper Elite 5, invaders will take on the role of an unassuming Nazi sniper and must hunt down and kill Karl Fairburne. Here’s how players can survive an invasion.
5 Focus On The Invader
As hinted in Sniper Elite 5's intense cinematic trailer, players will not find a red hue coating the invader. The invading player will simply appear like any other Nazi soldier (except in behavior). To get out on top during an invasion, host players will need to focus on taking out the enemy player as trying to manage both the main objective and looking out for the enemy sniper simultaneously will make things extremely difficult.
If players try to take on both, they will likely be killed. Therefore it's best for host players to keep their wits about them or better yet, lure the enemy player into a trap and kill them before continuing with the main mission.
4 Be Very Very Quiet
Maps are huge in Sniper Elite 5. Some may even take an entire two hours or more to complete depending on how stealthy players want to be. This means that it can be quite difficult for players to traverse through areas of the map. Of course, more map awareness means more opportunities to shoot opponents in their nether regions.
However, sniping enemies from afar and causing explosions will draw enemy players to a host’s location. It’s advised that hosts swap to more quiet weaponry to confuse or even elude the enemy for a while. Players on both sides can interact with phone booths to try and figure out where the other is.
Phones can be booby-trapped on either side, which means players will have to remove the trap to figure out where the other is. A quick note on hosts tapping a phone is that enemies will know if a host has been to an area, so caution is advised for Sniper Elite 5 players.
3 Play To Strengths
As the host player, Karl has several distinct advantages over the enemy sniper. First of all, host players can use their focus ability which will allow them to see through walls and detect enemy movement. This is extremely useful if hosts are hunkered down in a building that has tight quarters. Hosts can actively see enemy players moving about and plan or react accordingly to deliver the first lethal strike.
Moreover, enemy players can’t camp in places. The game issues a warning to enemy players who sit tight for too long and even eliminates them from the game if they continue to do so. This means that the enemy has to come straight for the host player no matter the circumstances.
2 Be Wary Of Enemy Strengths
Though Karl has abilities that will allow him to get an edge, the enemy player has advantages of their own. Enemies can interact with NPC nazis and increase their level of alertness. In addition to this, enemy snipers will be able to tell if a host has caused a commotion in a specific area. Invaders will detect yellow or red highlighted areas on the map denoting alerted nazi soldiers.
Every kill and successful objective completed provides additional intel for the enemy player as to where the host is. As each mission has several objectives, enemies can read where the host needs to go next and set up their ambushes, which can completely flip the table on who is the predator and who is the prey. If host players don't get outmaneuvered, they can turn the tide on the enemy and get that much-desired liver shot.
1 A Note On Sound
As the campaign morphs into a sort of cat vs mouse in invasion mode, there are some additional tips and hints that can give some better advantages to the host player. Karl normally talks out loud as additional clues and objectives are revealed. Although this is meant to help guide the player, enemy players can hear Karl should they be close enough. This is something that can’t be turned off and that is why players should always target the enemy sniper before completing more objectives.
On the flip side, the enemy sniper will most likely be running around trying to find the host player. Hosts should keep an ear out for sound queues like excessive panting (which means that the enemy player is near) or listen out for enemy nazis mobilizing or speaking more out loud for no apparent reason (as this can mean that the enemy sniper is mobilizing and addressing the NPCs).
Sniper Elite 5 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.