When a character is first created, his choice of gear items is limited. Additional gear is unlocked via the skill unlock system and purchased in the armory before each mission. There is no encumbrance or other negative effects to loading up on gear, so if you have the cash and have unlocked what you want, use it!



All gear items are either active or passive. Active items must be equipped in your hands to use. Passive items need only be in your inventory and don’t need to be selected (in fact, you can’t select them) to get their benefits. To select active gear items, cycle through them with your L2 button. Use them by "firing" them with the R1 button while in your hands.



Rocket Launchers

Rocket launchers are heavy gear items and are intended for use against enemy vehicles and DE turrets. They can be used against enemy infantry, but their shaped-charge warheads don’t have a very big explosive radius, so they may seem surprisingly ineffective against enemy soldiers unless you score a direct hit.



If you hit something at too close of a range, the rocket will bounce and won’t detonate for a second or two, allowing you to get out of the blast area.



Rocket launchers have low-power scopes for fine aiming. Hold in L1 to use scopes in MAG.



Dumb-Fire Rocket Launchers

The dumb-fire rocket launchers are the default starting launcher type. They fire in the direction you point them and have some drop to their trajectory. They do moderate damage against vehicles and have no lock-on capabilities.



Guided Rocket Launchers

The guided rocket launchers are unlocked later in the Heavy skill tree. They have lock-on capabilities against enemy vehicles and bunker turrets, but are more expensive than the dumb-fire rocket launchers. When fired without a lock, the flight path of the rocket is erratic and will probably miss unless the target is very close.



To get a lock on an enemy vehicle or turret, go into scope mode by holding in L1 with the rocket launcher equipped, point at the target, and wait for the lock on sound to change to a steady tone. If you fire with a lock on, the rocket will follow a moving vehicle or guide itself to a stationary bunker turret.





First Aid Kit

First aid kits heal the player using it, but does not heal teammates. They have an infinite amount of uses but require a few seconds between uses. This is a default gear item (available at character creation) for loadouts #1 and #2.



To heal damage to yourself, cycle to the first aid kit by pressing L2, then press R1 when the kit is in your hands. You’ll inject yourself and heal over a few seconds.



Tip: If you don’t know what other gear item to take, take this.





Medkit

This gear item heals any wounded teammates if they are in front of you, or heal yourself if no injured teammates are there. Medkits don’t run out of ammo, but recharge slowly between uses just like first aid packs.





Reviving Downed Teammates

If you’ve unlocked both the Medkit MkII in the Barracks, a secondary function of the medkit comes into play: reviving incapacitated teammates!



If you see a teammate writhing on the ground and have the Medkit MkII, you can revive them by moving to their location, equipping the medkit, and pressing the R1 button. You’ll know a teammate is revivable because you’ll see a blue cross under his name and your medkit reticle will display an icon indicating that reviving is possible. A red bar shows how much time is left before the downed teammate bleeds out and enters the respawn queue (which makes them not revivable).



Tip: You get experience points (XP) when you heal others, so if you’re not that skilled in combat, try helping out your teammates with plenty of heals!





Repair Kit

These items repair destroyed defensive emplacements (i.e. bunkers), DE turrets, gates, vehicle blockers and vehicles that belong to your team.



Select the repair kit by cycling with the L2 button, then hold in R1 when you’re near and pointing at the damaged object until it’s repaired. Track your progress with the status bar near the middle of the screen. Multiple repairers speed up the repair rate.



The asset you’re repairing tracks how much you’ve done, so you can break off repairing and come back later to take up where you left off. You can use the repair kit in any stance, even while prone.



The repair kit is a default item (available at character creation) for loadout #3.





Tip: Make sure you’re not exposed while repairing an object. Go prone or get behind nearby cover before use.



Acoustic Locator

This device greatly enhances the distance that you can detect enemy gunfire. Detected enemies (with our without the acoustic locator) show up as red dots on your mini-map and will put a red indicator above an enemy’s head, even if they’re behind cover or obscured by smoke. Enemy shot sounds show up as white effects on your screen in the direction they’re coming from. All squadmates within 50m will also see this information.



As a passive item, you don’t need to activate or hold the acoustic locator to get its benefits.



Tip: This item is very cheap and more valuable than you think… IF you pay attention to your mini-map and HUD!





Explosives Detector

The explosives detector is a passive gear item that detects enemy mines in your area. Detected mines show up as HUD icons on your screen that flash red. You’ll also hear a detection tone when they first come in range.



Squadmates within range will also see this information.



Tip: You can shoot a mine to cause it to detonate (or blow it up with a grenade) – just make sure you’re at a safe distance!





Sensor Jammer

This passive item masks you and nearby squadmates from sensor scans called in by enemy commanders. The range that your squadmates must be near a jamming player is displayed as a dotted ring in the mini-map. It also works against enemy motion sensors.



Tip: This is a great item for an organized squad to sneak behind enemy lines.





Motion Sensor

The motion sensor detects nearby enemy movement, even if you don’t have a line of sight to them. Enemies have to be moving faster than a crouch walk to be detected.



Detected enemies (with our without the motion sensor) show up as red dots on your mini-map and will put a red indicator above an enemy’s head, even if they’re behind cover or obscured by smoke.. Squadmates within range will also see this information.



As a passive item, you don’t need to activate or hold the motion sensor to get its benefits.



Tip: This is a great gear item if you’re sneaking around behind enemy lines with a suppressed weapon – you can see the enemy before they see you!





Grenades

All grenades are active gear items. Cycle to them with the L2 button, and then throw them with the R1 button (when R1 is released).



Grenades always throw with the same power no matter how long you hold in the button.



If you hold a grenade throw for more than 5 seconds, it will reset and not throw when you let go of R1. Changing to a different gear item or weapon will also cancel the throw. You can’t cook off grenades in MAG.



Frag Grenades

Classic "blow up the enemy into tiny pieces" grenade.



Tip: See a group of red dots nearby on your mini-map? Equip your frag and toss it at their location – you may get multiple kills!



Tip: See a red flashing grenade icon on your screen? Move in the opposite direction from it. Bad things will happen otherwise.



Smoke Grenades

These grenades block line of sight for a time, hiding you from snipers and other nasty shooty people.



Tip: A smoke screen is a great way to approach an enemy DE turret or vehicle without getting mowed down.



Tip: Don’t give away your position behind smoke by firing – enemies can see the red chevron over your head and mow you down even though they can’t see you directly.



Poison Gas Grenades

These grenades are like smoke grenades, but anyone in the sickly green gas cloud takes damage for as long as they’re in the effect and while the grenade emits gas.



The Improved Chemical Resistance skill lets you survive longer in a poison gas cloud.



Tip: Poison gas grenades are a great way to flush out snipers, entrenched opponents or block off a narrow lane of attack.



Tip: Tired of the enemy defusing bombs you plant at objectives or bunkers? Toss a poison gas grenade on the spot after you plant the bomb – enemies in the gas cloud will usually die before they can disarm your charge.





Mines

All mines are active gear items. Select them with the L2 button, then deploy by pressing the R1 button. Placing a mine temporarily halts movement.



Old mines you’ve placed are erased as you deploy new ones beyond what you normally have in your inventory – i.e. if you deploy mines, fill up at a supply point, and deploy even more mines, the original ones disappear.



Players can shoot enemy deployed mines to get them to blow up. Other explosions will also clear mines, so tossing a grenade near a minefield will create a nice, pretty ball of fire. W00t!



Claymore Mines

These anti-personnel mines are triggered when an enemy soldier moves into the area in front of it (5m to 10m). When triggered, it explodes in the same direction.



The cone faces directly away from you when you deploy it.



Tip: Feeling vulnerable while you’re sniping? Try putting a few claymores facing the likely approaches to your position.





Anti-Vehicle Mines

These are triggered only when an enemy vehicle drives over it, doing a bunch of damage to the vehicle and any infantry nearby. These kinds of mines are harder to clear – usually requiring a heavy sniper rifle, machine gun, or turret-mounted weapon to destroy.



Tip: Look for vehicle choke points, like gates, to deploy anti-vehicle mines.



Tip: Enemy vehicle mines require larger weapons to detonate.