One could argue that Thunderbird is a better healer than Doc. That’s because her special gadget, the Kona Station, can be left somewhere in the objective spot, and it’ll be up to the injured defender to get to it and get patched up. This also allows Thunderbird to concentrate on fragging enemies because after the preparation phase, she doesn’t have to worry about who in her team needs healing. 

Her Kona Stations can also revive an operator from a down-but-not-out state as long as they’re within its area of effect. And when it comes to fragging enemies, Thunderbird’s choices for weapons and utilities brings in a lot of firepower to the game

5. Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Compensator, and Vertical Grip + Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Impact Grenade

The Spear .308’s recoil has become much harder to control now after the massive recoil progression overhaul which dropped during Operation Brutal Swarm, so players really have to think when it comes to its attachments. The compensator is a solid choice for its barrel attachment because it reduces the Spear .308’s recoil diamond size, and because of that, its propensity for horizontal and random recoil from all directions will be reduced. That generally results in a more stable firing experience, especially for suppressive fire.

And if the player is worried about the weapon’s vertical recoil, the presence of the vertical grip on the weapon will help her hold down its weapon kick. Its 1.0x sight, the red dot A is an excellent weapon for precision because its frame and reticle doesn’t take up a lot of screen space, allowing the player to clearly see the target when aiming-down-sights. As for the secondary weapon, the Bearing 9 will provide the player with an alternative fully automatic weapon that will be great for finishing off enemies when the Spear .308 needs to be reloaded in the middle of an enemy engagement.

Excels in:

• Reducing the horizontal and random recoil from all directions on Thunderbird’s Spear .308 with the use of the compensator barrel attachment
• Maintaining a good amount of vertical recoil control on Thunderbird’s Spear .308 due to the presence of the vertical grip attachment
• Providing Thunderbird with good precision when aiming-down-sights on her Spear .308 due to the simple center dot reticle on the red dot A
• Having another fully automatic weapon in the Bearing 9 machine pistol that is a headshot machine and a great alternative weapon when the primary needs to be reloaded
• Having the ability to rework the map to your team’s advantage with the use of the two impact grenades in Thunderbird’s arsenal

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Compensator, and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
• Generic gadget - Impact Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the Spear .308 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

4. Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip + Q-929 with Suppressor and Laser + Impact Grenade

For Thunderbird players who value recoil control the most, this loadout setup will provide the best recoil control for Thunderbird’s Spear .308. That’s because the main problem with the Spear .308’s recoil is that each shot has a strong vertical kick, so weakening that will go a long way into controlling the overall recoil of the weapon. With the flash hider and vertical grip both specializing in weakening the vertical recoil of weapons, Thunderbird will have a much easier time controlling the Spear .308 in this loadout setup than with others.

The flash hider also has a usually overlooked benefit. As its name implies, it hides the weapon’s muzzle flash, therefore, reducing the chances of enemies immediately noticing where they’re being shot from. It also removes the chance that the muzzle flash from the Spear .308 will blur Thunderbird’s vision while shooting, therefore, she’ll always have a clear view of her targets when aiming-down-sights on the weapon. And with the simple center dot reticle from the red dot A, she will have good precision while strafing enemies.

Excels in:

• Having the best recoil control possible on the Spear .308 due to both the flash hider and vertical grip attachments
• Having no muzzle flash on the Spear .308 could make it harder for enemies to immediately see where you're shooting from
• Having good precision with the Spear .308 due to the red dot A’s simple center dot reticle and frame that doesn’t take up a lot of screen space
• Being able to shoot enemy gadgets such as drones, claymores, and others, with much less chance of alerting the enemies with the use of the suppressed Q-929 handgun
• Being able to rework the map to your team’s advantage with the use of the impact grenades which can be used to create rotation holes

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - Q-929 with Suppressor and Laser
• Generic gadget - Impact Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the Spear .308 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

3. SPAS-15 with Reflex B and Laser + Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Nitro Cell

For players who excel at using shotguns, this loadout setup could very well be their number one. That’s because Bearing 9 machine pistol as the secondary weapon will provide them with the ability to shoot enemies from medium to long-range, and when it comes to close quarters combat, they’ll have superiority because of the SPAS-15 shotgun. The SPAS-15 shotgun is one of the most destructive shotguns in the game, it can be reloaded fast, and best of all, its rate of fire is fast. So it’s perfect for engaging enemies, even if there’s more than one at close range.

Basically, this loadout setup is kind of like the most popular setup for Mute and Smoke wherein they use a shotgun for their primary weapon, and a machine pistol for their secondary. Machine pistols are sort of like mini submachine guns anyway since they’re fully automatic, have a fast rate of fire, and can definitely hit opponents from any range. As for the Bearing 9’s flash hider barrel attachment, it’s the one that will provide the user with the best recoil control on the weapon because it will greatly lower its overall vertical recoil.

Excels in:

• Having the superiority in close quarters combat due to the pellet spread and heavy damage per pellet from the SPAS-15 shotgun
• Having a tight hip fire spread on Thunderbird’s SPAS-15 shotgun due to the presence of the laser attachment
• Providing Thunderbird with a clear view of the surroundings while aiming-down-sights on her SPAS-15 shotgun with the use of the reflex B 1.0x sight
• Having a fully automatic weapon with a very fast rate of fire in the Bearing 9 machine pistol as Thunderbird’s secondary weapon
• Having the ability to perform c4-under-the-floor strats or counter defuser plant attempts with the nitro cell in Thunderbird’s arsenal

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - SPAS-15 with Reflex B and Laser
• Secondary weapon - Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
• Generic gadget - Nitro Cell

Pellet spread test on the SPAS-15 in this setup at 5m range:

Pellet spread test on the SPAS-15 in this setup at 10m range:

2. Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Suppressor, and Vertical Grip + Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Nitro Cell

It was actually hard to decide whether to put this on number one or number two, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of players think that this should be number one. That’s because the suppressor on the Spear .308 will bring a lot of advantages to Thunderbird, especially since she can perform the role of an anchor or a roamer. With the suppressor on the Spear .308, Thunderbird’s shots will not provide enemies with a directional threat indicator of where her shots are coming from. Like the flash hider, it will also hide the muzzle flash of the weapon, and of course, it will greatly dampen the weapon’s gunshot sound.

For those reasons, the enemies being shot at, especially at medium to long-range, could be much slower to react, either for returning fire or for protecting themselves. Shooting at enemies without them knowing where your shots are coming from is such a huge advantage in a tactical game like Siege. As for the secondary weapon, Thunderbird is free to run with the powerful but loud Bearing 9 machine pistol since her Spear .308 already provides her with the ability to silently shoot enemies and their gadgets. So it just makes more sense to go with the most firepower for the secondary weapon.

Excels in:

• Shooting enemies with the Spear .308 without providing them with a directional threat indicator of where your shots are coming from
• Making it harder for enemies to see where your shots are coming from with the suppressor removing the Spear .308’s muzzle flash
• Making it much harder for enemies to determine your location with the suppressor greatly silencing the gunshots of the Spear .308
• Having a fully automatic weapon as your secondary weapon in the Bearing 9 machine pistol which also has a very fast rate of fire
• Countering smoke + defuser plant attempts and shield operators with the explosion power from the nitro cell

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Suppressor, and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
• Generic gadget - Nitro Cell

Recoil pattern test on the Spear .308 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

1. Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Extended Barrel, and Vertical Grip + Q-929 with Suppressor and Laser + Impact Grenade

This is a very solid loadout setup that will provide Thunderbird with a good balance between heavy firepower and stealth. With the extended barrel on the Spear .308 assault rifle, it will cause 15% more damage. It will also inflict heavy damage regardless of range because the extended barrel will reduce the weapon’s range damage drop-off. So with this loadout setup, Thunderbird will be inflicting the best damage possible on her enemies with the Spear .308. The only drawback to this is that the extended barrel will not add any recoil control on the weapon.

However, if Thunderbird sticks to shorter bursts, it shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, the vertical grip will provide a good amount of vertical recoil control on the Spear .308 so Thunderbird shouldn’t have much trouble holding down the weapon’s recoil, as shown in the recoil test screenshot below as well. As for stealth, the suppressed Q-929 handgun will allow Thunderbird to shoot attacker gadgets like claymores, drones, and others, with much less chance of alerting the enemies to her presence. The impact grenades will allow her to make rotation holes which is important for the objective spot, and even for roaming.

Excels in:

• Inflicting heavy damage on the Spear .308 regardless of range due to the extended barrel reducing the weapon’s range damage drop-off
• Making the Spear .308 more powerful with the extended barrel adding 15% damage to the weapon
• Maintaining a good amount of vertical recoil control for the Spear .308 due to the vertical grip attachment
• Having the ability to shoot attacker gadgets with much less chance of alerting the enemies with the use of the suppressed Q-929 handgun
• Being able to create rotation holes in the objective spot or escape holes while roaming with the use of the two impact grenades in Thunderbird’s arsenal

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - Spear .308 with Red Dot A, Extended Barrel, and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - Q-929 with Suppressor and Laser
• Generic gadget - Impact Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the Spear .308 o in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

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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