25. Cut Off Flanks
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=75
A lot of players only reserve Smoke’s gas grenades for countering defuser plant attempts, and don’t get me wrong, it’s the strongest use for Smoke’s special gadget. But it’s actually quite versatile so you shouldn’t be one dimensional when it comes to using it. One good example of another use of the Smoke’s gas grenades is by using it to cut off flanks. As seen in the video above, Siege youtuber alyttleton cut off the flank on the Chalet’s library hall.
Smoke’s gas grenade is one of the best area denial devices in the game and it can deter enemies from going to an area for ten seconds. And in Siege’s time frame, that’s a long time. Because alyttleton cut off the flank on the library hall, he basically forced the attackers to push the half-wall area, and that made attacker movements much more predictable.
24. Avoid Leaving the Gas Grenade
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=275
When playing Smoke, it is very tempting to just leave one of your gas grenades in an area that attackers often use for planting the defuser so that when they do, you can just simply hit the special gadget button and that will surprise the attackers, possibly killing one or two of them. But that tactic actually seldomly works. That’s because Smoke’s gas grenades are destructible and if you just leave it lying somewhere it can be disabled.
It can be through a lot of things, like Thatcher’s EMP grenades, Twitch’s shock drones, explosives from attacker utilities, and so much more. It’s even more risky now because of the newest attacker utility in the game, which is the impact EMP grenade. So, when playing Smoke, it’s better to just throw your smoke grenades right before you detonate it.
23. Know the Gas Grenade’s Damage
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=440
Knowing in detail how your special gadget affects opponents can really help you time it in certain situations, especially when it comes to countering a defuser plant attempt, which is one of Smoke’s main roles. Note that it takes seven seconds to plant the defuser, and knowing this, if you detonate your gas grenade too late, the attacker might be able to tank the damage and successfully plant the defuser.
With that said, Smoke’s gas grenades can actually make quick work of enemies who choose to stay and tank it, and it’ll inflict substantial damage to those who will attempt to swing it. As shown in the tests that Siege youtuber alyttleton performed, it takes about five seconds for the gas grenade to kill a 3-armor operator, 4.5 seconds to kill 2-armored ones, and four seconds for operators with 1-armor rating.
22. Do Not go Roaming
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=495
Smoke is one of those defenders who absolutely must not leave the objective spot until they’ve used the full potential of their special gadgets. That’s because Smoke’s gas grenade is one of the best special gadgets when it comes to area denial, so Smoke must stay in the objective spot in order to counter defuser plant attempts or attacker push in general. Smoke’s gas grenades will have no use whatsoever for roaming.
Some cheeky players might try roaming with Smoke, thinking that they can throw their gas grenades behind the enemies. And that’ll be great if the player pulls it off, but most of the time, especially in higher ranks, it’s too risky, and Smoke is too valuable of a defender when it comes to securing the objective spot, so if he gets taken out before all three of his gas grenades have been used, it’ll be a major waste for the defender team.
21. Hold the Astronomy Room in Villa
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=601
When you’re playing Smoke in Villa and the objective spots are the trophy and statue on the second floor, the best thing for you to do is hold the astronomy room. That’s because the astronomy room can hold multiple important angles such as the bathroom, connector, and even the cement area. You might not be able to see the attacker that is going to plant on the cement area but it doesn’t matter because your gas grenade will reach him and push him back.
For holding the astronomy area, you would want to go with the deployable shield as your secondary gadget. That way you can add more cover beside the desk and you won’t easily fall victim to pre-fires from the bathroom angle. With your shotgun as your primary weapon, you’ll be able to create a rotation hole connecting the astronomy room and the trophy and through there you’ll be able to guard the connector area. This spot is vulnerable to grenades though so you’d want to have a Jager ADS or Wamai Mag-NET protecting you from them.
20. Create head-high holes
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=915
This is usually done on walls that are facing the usual defuser plant sites. Just as demonstrated in the video, you can use these head-high holes for throwing over your smoke grenades to the attackers when they’re attempting to plant or even to just deter them from pushing. Behind the wall while crouching, you’d be in relative safety. There’s always a danger of getting wall banged of course, but taking that risk is better than swinging to more dangerous positions just to deploy your gas grenades.
For Villa, as we can see in the video above, the head-high holes that you should create would be at the right wall between the office and bedroom when you’re on the bedroom side. You can also use those head-high holes for fragging enemies coming in from the office balcony to the main entrance and you can do that from the closet area. That’s why it’s also very important to make a rotation hole on the left wall of the closet that is connected to the piano hall when you’re inside the closet spot.
19. Hold the Piano in Chalet
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=824
When the objective spot is on the bedroom and office on the second floor, the best thing for you to do as the Smoke player is to hold the piano area. Obviously, you would want some Jager ADS or Wamai Mag-NET support for this because the piano area is really susceptible to grenades from the library hall and the window. You’ll also want to go with the deployable shield so that you can put it over the piano and it will provide you with great cover.
You’d also want to create bottom holes on the left wall of the half-wall on the library hall’s side. That way you’ll be able to shoot attackers that are pushing the half-wall and are overextending. And when you’re on top of the piano and they’ve breached the right wall of the half-wall from the lobby short side, with some holes on the top of the unreinforced wall that I mentioned before, you’ll be able to strafe opponents at the window of the office balcony.
18. When You Should Go for the FMG-9
https://youtu.be/9voLqg-YihM?t=57
The FMG-9 isn’t a bad weapon by any means. It’s actually a great weapon for fragging enemies since its recoil is very easy to control, does a good amount of damage per shot, has a very decent rate of fire, and a good size for its magazine capacity. The only reason why most experienced players wouldn’t recommend the FMG-9 for Smoke is because the shotgun brings more to the table when it comes to versatility through making holes around the map.
So, should you totally ignore the FMG-9? I wouldn’t say so either. Most beginners wouldn’t be able to use the shotgun and the SMG-11 well for fragging enemies because of their drawbacks. The shotgun can be quite hard to use because of its limited range, and the SMG-11 has a very rough recoil. So, if you’re just starting the game and just want to get a feel for how to use Smoke. The FMG-9 is a good starting weapon, but I do recommend switching to the shotgun for your primary as soon as you’ve become more comfortable with the game.
17. Are the Barbed Wires Completely Useless?
Well, if Smoke is playing alone then I would say yes. Luckily for him, Siege is a team game, so no, there would actually be rare times when the Smoke players should go for the barbed wires. And those rare times would be when the other defenders are already carrying deployable shields as their secondary gadgets. The Smoke player could simply ask them to put up a deployable shield on the spot that he’s going to hold. With a deployable shield from a teammate and a barbed wire in his own arsenal, he would actually be able to hold that spot better than just having a deployable shield alone.
16. Use the Suppressor on the FMG-9
Now I said this in one of the entries in this article, if you’re playing Smoke, you should be running with the M590A1 shotgun most of the time because it just adds a lot more versatility to Smoke’s gameplay and it actually can teach you more discipline as a player. However, on the rare occasions where you deem it better to run with the FMG-9 which is far from a bad weapon, I would recommend you to run it with a suppressor.
The FMG-9's recoil is very easy to manage because it mostly only goes on a straight vertical path, so the player only has to worry about holding it down for the most part. So, you don’t really need an attachment that provides recoil control benefits for it. So, you should go with the suppressor because it will provide you with a lot more advantages. It will dampen your weapon’s gunshot sound, hide its muzzle flash, and remove your shots’ directional threat indicator. And all that will help you avoid giving away your position.
15. The Reflex B is Great for Shotguns
Because the M590A1 shotgun is a very important weapon for Smoke. It is also very important for us to discuss the best attachments for it. I already discussed the laser in one of the entries above, but for its other attachment option which is its sight, what I would recommend players to use is the reflex B. For most guns, especially the automatic ones, I wouldn’t recommend the reflex B because its reticle is quite wide so it’s not that good for pinpoint shooting.
However, a shotgun like the M590A1 wasn’t made for pinpoint accurate shooting. Its shots are made of multiple pellets and they’re fired on a spread. So, you don’t really need pinpoint accuracy with this shotgun. What you need is a sight that will give you a clear and wide frontal view while aiming down sights. And because of the thin frame of the reflex B sight, it’s the best for shotguns like the M590A1.
14. The SMG-11 is Great with a Flash Hider
The SMG-11 is a really great secondary weapon for Smoke. Although it’s officially labeled as a secondary weapon and a machine pistol, it can very well serve as a primary weapon because as its name says, it’s a submachine gun. The SMG-11 is what basically allows Smoke to freely equip the M590A1 shotgun for his primary, because with the SMG-11, Smoke is granted the ability to strafe opponents effectively even at medium range.
Now, even though the SMG-11 is a very powerful gun, it has a big drawback. And that is its really strong vertical weapon kick. It’s even harder to control now that the devs have overhauled the recoil progression of weapons across the board. That means it’s tougher now to hold down the recoil of weapons during long sprays. But with the flash hider, you’d be able to hold down the SMG-11 quite well and shoot it with great accuracy at close to medium range.
13. He is Great Against Sens
https://youtu.be/9voLqg-YihM?t=504
Everyone knows that Smoke is a great counter to smoke + defuser plant attempts, but with Sens, one of the newest operators in the game, it has become a lot harder to stop defuser plant attempts because of all the cover that their R.O.U. Projector Systems provide for the attacking team. And Sens have three of those R.O.U. Projector Systems so she can really cover a lot of area with wide curtains of light.
Luckily for the defending team, Smoke has three gas grenades, and they may not be as wide as Sens’ light curtains, but they’re area of effect is bigger in diameter. Besides, more experienced players can make a very educated guess on which angle behind the Sens’ R.O.U, Projector Systems are the attackers planting. So, they will still be able to counter Sens effectively.
12. Use the Vertical Grip on the SMG-11
As discussed above in the entry about the SMG-11's flash hider, the main weakness of this weapon is its very strong vertical recoil. And the flash hider does a really great job at reducing it, but unfortunately, the flash hider is not enough. So, I recommend players to go for the vertical grip instead of the angled one when using the SMG-11.
The vertical grip greatly reduces the recoil of the SMG-11 will help you line your shots better when firing with it. The angled grip may help you go into aim down sights faster, but for the SMG-11 which is very important for Smoke, reduction of its rough recoil takes center stage. The flash hider and vertical grip working hand in hand to reduce its recoil and stabilize its shots will really help you control this amazing gun.
11. The Gas Cannisters Are Very Sticky
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=256
It’s a minor detail in Smoke’s overall gameplay but it is something that should be remembered, especially by new players who are just about to try Smoke. Unlike many special gadgets or secondary gadgets for that matter, Smoke’s gas grenades, once thrown over, will stick to any surface that it hits. It’s very unlike Valkyrie’s Black Eyes which are also sticky, but have surfaces where they’re incompatible with, and would fall if they hit those surfaces.
This can be a major advantage for smoke, but it also means that you should be very careful when throwing it over at your enemies through holes that aren’t that wide. Because it can easily stick to the sides of the hole opening, and you wouldn’t want that. Because if you accidentally detonate it, it could cause some damage to your teammates, and if you try to pick it up you might leave yourself vulnerable to attacker fire.
10. Attach the Laser to Your Shotgun
https://youtu.be/sFx8HRkvL6Y?t=156
Smoke’s M590A1 is one of the most powerful shotguns in the game and the best way to maximize the potential of its powerful shots is by attaching a laser to it. The laser would tighten the hip fire pellet spread of the shotgun, so when you fire it on enemies from a hip fire position, the laser guarantees that more of the shotgun’s pellets would hit the enemies. And of course, the more pellets that go to your opponents’ bodies, the more damage that they take.
When all the pellets of a shot from the M590A1 goes to an attacker’s body, it’s almost a guarantee that he or she will be dead. That is why the laser is very important for the M590A1. Now, the laser does have a major drawback, which is it can give away your position. However, with Smoke, you’d mostly be running with the M590A1 shotgun as his primary and the SMG-11 as his secondary, so you could treat the SMG-11 as your primary and only switch to the shotgun when the enemies are near you.
9. Do Not Peek Unnecessarily
https://youtu.be/9voLqg-YihM?t=509
Smoke is a very valuable defender especially later in the round because of his powerful area denial special gadget which is the gas grenades. So, him risking his life just to get kills when other defenders could do it to him instead is a very bad idea. Especially because Smoke’s guns aren’t really great for long range strafing. Since you’d usually want to run with the shotgun as your primary and the SMG-11 as your secondary weapon, you’d always have limited range.
So, it’s better to not get tempted to peek at enemies especially when they’re at long range, because more often than not, they would have better guns than you for long range strafing. And it’s not just about the guns themselves. Smoke’s primary shotgun and his SMG-11 doesn’t have any scope that can provide him with a higher level of zoom. And of course, it’ll be hard to hit opponents with a 1.0x sight. So, better play defensively so that you won’t end up wasting your gas grenades by taking them to the grave.
8. Deployable Shield Should Be Your Secondary Gadget
https://youtu.be/9voLqg-YihM?t=67
The deployable shield, no questions asked, is the best secondary gadget for Smoke. The gap of usefulness between the barbed wires and the deployable shield when it comes to Smoke is actually very far. That’s because the deployable shield will allow Smoke to hold angles really well, and it will actually slow opponents down more than the barbed wires ever could because a Smoke holding an angle with a deployable shield will make attackers very hesitant to push.
7. Run with his Shotgun
https://youtu.be/9voLqg-YihM?t=25
Smoke has the M590A1 shotgun as one of the choices for his primary weapon, and it is a really powerful shotgun that can take down an enemy with just one shot at its optical range. However, its weakness is its slow rate of fire, and obviously, very limited range. This turns a lot of players, especially new ones, off. But if you’re new to the game and reading this. I highly recommend you to get used to the M590A1 shotgun when using Smoke.
That’s because it will bring a lot more versatility to him. With the shotgun in your primary, you’ll easily be able to create rotation holes for your team and head-high holes for throwing your gas grenades over to the enemies. Of course, the shotgun will give you great superiority at close range. Now, you might be worrying, what about fragging opponents that are in medium or long range? Well, Smoke has the very powerful SMG-11 for that.
6. Hold the Line in Oregon
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=960
Oregon is one of the most played ranked maps in Siege, and the basement area is one of the best picks for defenders. It’s just a lot easier to defend compared to the first-floor objective areas. And when you’re playing Smoke while defending Oregon basement, the best angle for you to hold is the corner of the blue bunker that is connected by a rotation hole from the supply room. Why this spot? Because with this spot, you’ll be able to hold multiple angles.
You’ll be able to deter a standard push from the barrels area, and because of the rotation hole, you’ll also be able to strafe opponents that are coming from the freezer area. Now, if your opponents are pushing the laundry area instead, you can use the rotation hole on the fan going to the back laundry to get there and respond to the attackers in just a matter of seconds.
5. Rework Enemy Movements
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=733
The biggest reason why Smoke is one of the operators that has a really good chance of clutching a round is because he’s really great at reworking enemy movements. And what I mean by that is basically with his gas grenades, he can cut off angles and instead of not having any control on enemy movements and just letting all of them come at you from all directions, because of Smoke’s gas grenades, you can make it so that the remaining enemies will come at only one angle.
As demonstrated in the video above, if you’re in a 1 vs 3 situation and the objective area is the aviator room and games room in Villa second floor, you can cut off the angles coming from the 90. That way, you can get out and rotate through the top main and into the study area. And from the study area, you’ll be able to frag enemies coming from the top red. And if there’s a remaining enemy, you can detonate your gas grenade on the door of the games room and wait for him to go to the top red.
4. Don’t Die Before Using Up All Your Gas Grenades
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=528
I see a lot of players, and I’m guilty of this too, that try to save their gas grenades until late in the round when the attackers are actually already attempting to plant the defuser. And that’s definitely good if you’re great at staying alive, but if you die with even one gas grenade remaining in your pocket, that would be a complete waste. So, my advice is, do not hesitate to use your gas grenades even when the attackers aren’t attempting to plant the defuser.
That’s because in Siege, you can get taken out anytime, and even if you use your gas grenades too early, that’s still much better than dying and taking the gas grenades with you to the grave. After all, even if you don’t use it to counter a defuser plant attempt, you’d most likely still be wasting a lot of the attackers’ time. Even by just cutting off an area that the attackers could use for pushing, you’d have done your team a massive help.
3. Take Advantage of Smoke’s Immunity
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=354
Smoke is immune to the effects of his gas grenades, and that’s what makes him unique when it comes to area denial operators. That’s because he can use that immunity to his gas grenades in many creative ways. One of the most effective ways to take advantage of this immunity is by quickly retaking an area from the Attackers. That’s when you push attackers out of an area and you as the Smoke player quickly goes inside the gas effects.
For some reason, I don’t see a lot of smoke players do this, but it’s one of the most cheeky ways to use Smoke.
2. Know the Gas Grenade’s Range
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=384
Smoke is a very popular operator in ranked and even in pro-league because area denial is very important in matches between coordinated teams, and Smoke’s gas grenades are one of the best area denial devices in the game. Its area of effect is very large since it’s five meters in diameter. However, despite its large area of effect, if you don’t throw it well and it ends up at the center of a wide area, you’ll be giving enemies room to walk around it.
That is why it’s best to use it for deterring enemies from entering rooms and most importantly narrow angles. On narrow spots or angles like the one in the video above, there would be no room for enemies to walk around or behind the smoke. If they want to enter the area, they would either have to wait for the gas to dissipate or sacrifice a big chunk of their health points.
1. His SMG-11 is can be Treated as a Primary Weapon
https://youtu.be/kUcoEpxGH4w?t=48
A lot of people, especially new ones, opt for Smoke’s FMG-9 instead of the M590A1 shotgun because they’re afraid of not having an automatic weapon for their primary. And that’s understandable. Even I, when I was a beginner, thought that way. However, Smoke has a very powerful machine pistol in the SMG-11 as one of his secondary weapon choices. And the SMG-11 machine pistol can be treated as a primary weapon.
That is because the SMG-11 is a fully automatic weapon and can spray seventeen bullets to enemies before it needs to be reloaded. So, that takes care of the problem of not having a fully automatic weapon as your primary. With the SMG-11, you can freely equip the M590A1 shotgun and benefit from its close-range superiority when it comes to CQB. The only drawback of the SMG-11 is its rough recoil, but with the proper attachments, you’ll be able to control it well.
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
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