After its debut in Sniper Elite 5, Axis Invasion made a comeback in Sniper Elite: Resistance, giving you the chance to become the enemy and crash other players’ campaigns. Inspired by mechanics like the Souls’ series invasion, Axis Invasion can be a lot of fun if you know what you’re doing.
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Whether you’re the one being invaded, or want to start taking down players in their own games, it’s a mode that’d definitely worth trying out at least one.
What Is Axis Invasion?
Axis Invasion is a mode that lets you invade otherwise single-payer campaigns.
Once an invasion is underway, the goal is simple: kill or be killed. If the invaded player dies, they’ll lose progress in the mission and the invader will gain a rank. Each kill will unlock either a weapon or modifcation, or a skin for the invader.
Axis Invasion is enabled by default, however you can choose to turn it off through the main menu if you’d rather play the campaign in peace. To do this, go to Options, then Game, and set Allow Axis Invasion to either Off, or Invite Only.
Being Invaded
You can be invaded in most missions of the campaign, with the exceptions being the first and last chapters. In general, though, you can’t be invaded straight away, and must progress through the level before it can happen. The exact point invasion is enabled is listed in the pause menu.
NPC enemies are still a threat when you’re being invaded, but shouldn’t be your priority. Instead, finding and taking down the axis sniper should be the sole thing you focus on; this is because if you are killed, you can restart progress from the moment you were invaded. Progressing too far into the mission could result in progress lost.
That being said, if you are near the end of a mission, extracting will automatically win the encounter. Sometimes, dashing for the exit might be the best call.
The best weapon you have against an invading sniper is in your focus ability. By focusing, the minimap will give the vague direction of the enemy, with the whole minimap lighting up when they’re close enough. Use this liberally to track your opponent, as it’s a tool they don’t have.
You and the invader both also have access to phones spread across the map. After some time has passed without either of you seeing the other, the phones can be used to immediately show both players’ locations. It is a risky move to give yourself away, but it can be invaluable to know how safely you can move..
Tips For Being Invaded
- Don’t forget that your opponent doesn’t know where you are. Don’t panic and sprint away when the alert comes in, simply take it slow and sneak to somewhere where you can survey the area.
- Gunfire, explosions, and sprinting can all be heard by your enemy. Likewise, they also know the status of any NPCs they’ve tagged, so take care when killing enemies.
- Looking through your rifle scope gives off a glare that your opponent can see. Fortunately the same is also true for them, so you can use it to quickly pinpoint when an opponent is taking aim at you.
- Hunkering down and camping will eventually give away your location. It’s best to keep moving, even if it’s only within a small area.
- Remember the enemy is cleverer than your average NPC. Tall grass and cover won’t hide you from them.
Playing As The Axis Invader
When you first invade a player, you’ll spawn into a random position on the map. This will always be quite far away from your opponent, giving you time to get to cover, scope out the environment, and work out what your next move it.
Playing as the Axis Invader works slightly differently to playing as Harry Hawker. You have a number of unique skills, but also a few severe limitations.
|
Skill |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Eagle Eyes |
Tagging NPCs will show you the location of the last time they saw your opponent. |
|
Stay Sharp |
NPCs within range of you will detect your opponent quicker. This skill is on a cooldown, so use it sparingly. |
|
Sixth Sense |
You’ll receive a notification if the enemy manages to tag you. |
|
Wire Trapper |
You can rig the phones dotted throughout the level to explode when your opponent uses them. |
|
Grenade Throwback |
You can throw grenades that land near to you. |
|
Stabilised |
Using a bandage or med kit also reduces your heartrate. |
|
Back In The Fight |
You can use med kits to revive yourself when downed. |
|
Cardio |
Sprinting doesn’t increase your heartrate as quickly. |
|
Speedy Recovery |
Your health will begin to regenerate more quickly. |
The invader can safely move around the level, as they don’t need to hide from NPCs. This lets you sprint from sniping position to sniping position, with only the opposing sniper posing any danger to you.
However, you also receive much less information about the location of your opponent. You can’t track their movements, and instead need to rely on NPCs spotting them for updated intel on where they are. You also don’t know how far along in the mission they are, so you’ll need to physically check mission objectives to help determine where they’re going to head to next.
When making the loadout for your invading sniper, you don’t need to prioritise quietness as much as you normally would. Your shots won’t alert nearby enemies, so instead focus on recoil, damage, and stability to ensure you can hit your target when the time comes.
Tips For Playing The Axis Invader
- Where you spawn in helps narrow down where the opponent is. Spawning near the later objectives in a mission tends to mean your opponent is near the start, and vice-versa.
- Tag as many NPCs as you can. NPCs that have spotted an enemy will turn yellow, those engaging in combat with them will turn red, and those who are killed will disappear entirely.
- Use key enemies to work out your opponent’s position. For instance, an NPC sniper is an easy target, so if they’re not dead, your opponent likely hasn’t gotten far enough to kill them in the mission.
- Your SMG is a lifesaver in enclosed spaces.
- Trapping phones isn’t worth the use of time and resources. There are so many phones across the map that the chance of them using the one you rig is slim.
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