Squad Machine Gunner Role Guide: How to Play As Machine Gunner

Squad, an adrenaline-pumping first-person shooter, is distinct for its emphasis on tactical gameplay and teamwork that sets it apart from other titles. Diving into the immersive battlefield Squad provides, one can find the mastery of the Light Machine Gun (LMG) role as the key to shifting the tide of any encounter. As the core of continuous firepower, a crucial function of the LMG operator is to suppress enemy positions, provide cover for advancing teammates, and keep adversaries at a safe distance. This extensive guide will explore the strategies and techniques necessary to develop into an irreplaceable force on the battlefield, leading your squad to triumph as a formidable LMG operator within Squad. Although, we urge players to understand how Squad plays before continuing to learn about specialist roles.

What Does Machine Gunner Do in Squad?

The machine gunner is the heart of the team, the operator doesn't need to think or adapt, it simply needs to pump rounds into the direction of enemies to support your Squad. Despite appearing relatively simple, the Machine Gunner is most responsible for the lives of your team, this is because you're the primary support role and supposed to give suppressing fire. 

The Light-machine gunner provides support to every role on the team, infantry, marksmen, medics, drivers, pilots, and anti-tank, this is because your weapon can pump thousands of rounds into the enemy in a matter of minutes, forcing them to take cover and avoid revealing their location. Typically, the only enemies machine gunners should be worried about are tanks, BMPs, and marksmen, otherwise, the machine gunner should have free reign over the battlefields.

These are the most important features of a Machine Gunner:

• Follow the orders of your Squad leader, regardless of the request
• Never enter direct close-quarters combat, 50 meters is close enough
• Keep your teammates within view of your weapon, easier to provide support if needed
• Ensure you obtain access to cover, this is for reloads or receiving enemy fire
• Concealment by trees, hills, and objects is preferable, a hidden body confuses enemies
• Request Light-anti tank role is nearby, BMPs and Tanks will want to destroy you
• Obtain smoke grenades, LMG users are often requested to operate in open fields

These tips and need-to-knows are incredibly important operating within the battlefields as an LMG user, this is because you're going to be in harm's way nearly as much as the medic. Ensure you always have spare ammo - you're always going to need restocks. 

Squad: How to Play Machine Gun

Your primary objective is keeping enemies away from your team, it isn't necessarily to kill enemies, although it is preferable. Light Machine Gunners aim to shut entire locations off from enemy hands, stopping them from venturing into your territory and attempting to take out your troops. Meaning for the most part you're spraying rounds into the general locations of enemies, making them find new approaches and keeping the control on your side. The Machine Gunner provides openings for the infantry roles, if you're suppressing the enemy, the infantry has more freedom to move around and advance onto the enemy, eliminating them due to your efforts.

When being shot at by enemies and being engaged first, Light Machine Gunners and Infantry typically use the acronym RTR, meaning:

• Return Fire 
• Take Cover 
• Return Accurate Fire 

This essentially means, once engaged by the enemies players must quickly return fire, it doesn't need to be precise or "to kill," it just needs to suppress the enemy and stop them killing you and your team. Next, players must take cover, this new cover will be your fighting position, therefore, make sure you're comfortable enough and your LMG can operate, perhaps using your smokes. Thirdly, return accurate fire, this fire is to either kill or seriously suppress the enemy, shooting in the direction and known positions of the enemies. Funnily enough, this acronym is used on real battlefields and is pushed within some military training today.