Part 6

Dive into Battlefield Hardline's Part 6 guide, covering crucial details on damage profiles, armored inserts, PC vs. console differences, and the nuances of ammo and reloading.

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of how damage works and how reloading plays a role in Battlefield Hardline. This section dives deep into some technical stuff, but understanding it can seriously give you an edge.

First up, let's talk about the Armored Insert. If you're playing as a Mechanic and have this body armor gadget equipped, you'll take about a third less damage from shots hitting your chest. Keep in mind, this was nerfed from 50% down to 33% back in the Robbery update on September 16, 2015. If you're on the receiving end of this, or want to counter it, remember that AP Tracer rounds or the FN57 pistol can punch through that armor.

PC Damage Profiles

Something you might notice, especially if you play on both PC and console, is that the Time To Kill (TTK) felt a bit different. The faster TTK was pretty unpopular on PC, where keyboard and mouse already give an advantage in aiming. Because of this, Visceral actually created entirely new damage stats just for the PC version. These changes, which included reductions to damage and drop-off distances for pretty much every gun, were released in the March 1, 2016 update after testing on the CTE. The damage stats I'm quoting throughout this guide are for the console versions, so if you're looking for the PC specifics, you'll want to check out the changelog on Symthic.com.

Just so you know what you're looking at in those stats, here are the abbreviations:

• SDmg = Start Damage (the maximum damage a bullet does)
• EDmg = End Damage (the minimum damage a bullet does)
• DOStart = Damage Drop-off Start (where the bullet starts losing damage)
• DOEnd = Damage Drop-off End (where the bullet reaches its minimum damage)

The full weapon stats you find on Symthic.com come from data-mining the PC game files. It's super important to remember that those numbers don't apply to the console versions. The damage tables you'll find in this guide are basically a record of the console damage stats, since they aren't listed on Symthic anymore.

Ammo & Reloading

When you're checking out weapon charts, you'll see reload times usually shown in orange. Your weapon's ammo capacity and type, like '31 x 5.56mm', are typically listed below the weapon's name. Hardline generally has two reload times: a 'short' (or tactical) reload, which is when you still have some ammo left in the magazine, and a 'long' (or empty) reload, which happens when the magazine is completely depleted and you need to chamber a new round. For example, the FAL battle rifle has a quick short reload at just 1.80 seconds, but its long reload when empty takes 2.50 seconds.

Remember, it's almost always faster to switch to your sidearm than to wait for your primary weapon to reload! Hardline also has a neat 'tiered' reload system. If you start reloading an empty magazine but then switch to your sidearm or a gadget halfway through, when you switch back, you'll only perform the second half of the reload animation. This saves you time and feels more realistic.

Some shotguns, like the Saiga 12, use detachable magazines for faster reloads. Others, like the 870, Ithaca, SPAS, and KSG, let you load shells individually. This means you can interrupt the reload process and start firing again at any point, which can be a lifesaver in a pinch.

Plus, if you've unlocked the Fast Reload perk through the reputation system (available for Operator, Mechanic, and Professional classes), you'll get even quicker reload times.

Here's a fun little easter egg: several weapons have a secret, funny reload animation that has a tiny 0.01% chance (1 in 10,000) of happening during an empty reload. These were first spotted during the open beta on weapons like the RPG and AKM, and have since shown up on others like the M16A3 and the .410 Jury. You can even trigger the .410 Jury's easter egg reload when it's not empty, since revolvers don't have separate short/long animations.

Important Note for Hardcore Mode: In Hardcore, if you reload with a partially used magazine, you'll lose any remaining rounds. So, if you had 30 rounds, fired five, and then reloaded, you'd lose those other 25! There's also no ammo counter in Hardcore, so you'll need to keep a close eye on your ammo count and reserve supply yourself.

When looking at ammo capacity, the charts usually show the maximum standard capacity. For most guns, this is the magazine capacity plus one round already in the chamber. So, if the FAL's magazine holds 20 rounds, you'll spawn with 21 (20+1). When you do a short reload, you replace the mag and still have that round in the chamber, so you'll be back to the max capacity (21). But if you do a long reload from empty, you'll only have the ammo in the new magazine (20), meaning you'd need to reload again to get the full 21.

Some weapons also give you the option to equip extended magazines, which, of course, changes the capacity and reload dynamics.