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The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The subject of this article appeared in Zombies mode The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Ghosts The subject of this article appears in Extinction mode The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Strike Team The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty Online
For the non-bullpup variant, see Dragunov.
For a similarly named vehicle, see SUV.

The SVU (also referred to as Dragunov SVU in the game files) is a bullpup weapon appearing as a sniper rifle in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Strike Team and Call of Duty Online, and as a marksman rifle in Call of Duty: Ghosts.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II[]

"Semi-automatic sniper rifle. High fire rate with low recoil."
— Description.

Multiplayer[]

The SVU-AS is unlocked with Create-a-Class.

The SVU-AS is a low damage per bullet sniper rifle. The SVU-AS will deal 70 damage per shot across all distances, making for a two shot kill. If a bullet hits the head, a 1.5x damage multiplier is activated, making the SVU-AS deal 105 damage, which is sufficient for a one shot kill if not shooting through certain cover. The SVU-AS easily has the worst one shot kill potential of all sniper rifles, and as such, many players treat it as a guaranteed two shot kill weapon. The SVU-AS has high penetration power, being able to shoot through most obstacles with ease. In Hardcore game modes, the SVU-AS will be a one shot kill at almost all times, bar shooting through cover.

The SVU-AS' rate of fire is quite high for a sniper rifle. It has the highest firecap in class, being able to be shot at 416 RPM, or roughly the same as the SMR in fully automatic configuration. This high rate of fire for a sniper rifle makes backup shots quite easy to make, as they can be placed in rapid succession. If players use the SVU-AS as a marksman rifle, its low recoil, low sway and high fire rate allow it to become a fast and deadly weapon.

The SVU-AS' accuracy is very good in its tier. The idle sway is the lowest, and its recoil is fairly low compared to other sniper rifles. This further encourages the user to make follow-up shots, as the recoil is easy to manage, making it so players can place fast and accurate follow-up shots. It should be noted that the SVU-AS has a lower than average zoom level on the default scope, making a fine line between the zoom of ACOG and the default sniper rifle zoom.

The SVU-AS' handling traits are above average for a sniper rifle. The SVU-AS aims down the sight and has the same hip-fire accuracy as other sniper rifles, and the SVU-AS has fast reloading properties, taking at least 1.96 seconds to perform a reload. This speed is fast enough if playing conservatively, but a more aggressive player may find these reloads to be cumbersome.

The SVU-AS has the largest magazine capacity in its class, holding 12 rounds per magazine. This size makes the user capable of engaging multiple enemies before having to reload. This is even further emphasized in Hardcore game modes, where the SVU-AS can make much better use of its ammunition.

The SVU-AS has the standard set of attachments available to it. The Suppressor is a very risky attachment, as it reduces the damage per shot to 50. This makes one shot kills impossible in core game modes, but the gun still is a two shot kill weapon when shooting at everywhere except the head. As well, it will reduce the SVU-AS' centerspeed by 10%, instead of the typical 2%, making the SVU-AS' recoil climb more easily if firing fast. However, the SVU-AS is very well suited to the attachment by default, as it retains many of its accuracy elements, and the loss of a headshot multiplier will be, for the most part, negligible.

The Ballistics CPU reduces 30% idle sway, making the SVU-AS have very little sway overall. This helps users place their first shot on target. This is questionable in value, as the SVU-AS already has the lowest idle sway in its class, making some view the attachment as overkill.

The Variable Zoom gives the SVU-AS two different, adjustable zoom levels. This gives the user much more flexibility in terms of accuracy, as they can either lower the zoom to increase their field of view, or increase their zoom level to place more focus on a certain area. Due to the SVU-AS' already low default zoom level, this attachment is very valuable for those who want more zoom.

Fast Mag is, for the most part, an unnecessary luxury. The SVU-AS has a large 12 round magazine, and the reload speeds are very manageable. It doesn't hurt to use it, but its benefit isn't very necessary.

FMJ is a decent option on the SVU-AS, as it allows the sniper rifle to shoot through almost all pieces of cover with extreme ease. With the SVU-AS' high rate of fire, this can let players kill enemies hiding behind walls with greater ease.

The ACOG gives the SVU-AS a lower zoom level, and doesn't remove the player's HUD when aiming down the sight. As well, the player is still able to hold breath while aiming, although the prompt to do so will not appear on the screen. If using the SVU-AS akin to a marksman rifle instead of a sniper rifle, ACOG is a very attractive option, as it gives the SVU-AS more flexibility at medium ranges, where a higher zoom level may not be needed.

Extended Clip increases the magazine capacity to 16 rounds and the starting ammo loadout by a third, but makes reloads at least 2.15 seconds long. The SVU-AS already has the best ammunition loadout and magazine capacity in its class, so its value is questionable. Extended Clip's value is dependent on whether or not players want to accentuate the SVU-AS' strength, or if they consider Extended Clip to be an unnecessary luxury.

The Laser Sight is an ill fit on the SVU-AS. Even with the attachment equipped, the SVU-AS has a ludicrously large hip-fire spread, and hip-firing is still a panic option at best. Some players like to use it to guide their shot on target while aiming, but this isn't as large of a necessity on the SVU-AS, which relies much more on landing multiple shots rather than a singular shot.

The Dual Band Scope is an odd fit on the SVU-AS. It reduces the centerspeed by 10%, but gives the SVU-AS an alternative scope, and a hybrid between Night Vision and an Infrared Scope. The attachment helps to highlight enemies across longer sightlines or obscured within smoke. It is ill advised to pair it with the Suppressor, as both attachments will reduce the SVU-AS' centerspeed by 10%, making it so one fifth of the SVU-AS' centerspeed is lost.

Attachments[]

Zombies[]

The SVU-AS appears in Die Rise and Buried, purchased off the wall for 1000 points. In Die Rise, it is located in the upper level of the mall which can be reached when dropping down the destroyed staircase behind the Quick Revive elevator (on the way to the initial Mystery Box spawn), while in Buried, its chalk outline is found in the Gunsmith shop and can be placed at any of six predetermined locations. Unlike most other sniper rifles, it is reasonably effective as a support weapon, due to relatively low recoil and high rate of fire, even though it has relatively low damage for a sniper rifle. Using it in conjunction with Double Tap Root Beer and aiming for headshots causes it to be a one-shot-kill until rounds slightly above 40. It is also pinpoint accurate, similar to the other sniper rifles post patch.

For a lot of players, this sniper rifle is very valuable to get the Sniper longshot perma-perk, as it is fairly cheap and easy to access on both maps. With the sniper longshot perma-perk activated, the SVU-AS becomes a great money maker, as every kill with any sniper rifle will grant a huge amount of points.

When Pack-a-Punched via the Pack-a-Punch Machine, it becomes the Shadowy Veil Utilizer and comes with a Variable Zoom scope. It starts out with a 12-round magazine and 192 rounds in reserve. It cannot be Pack-a-Punched twice for a random attachment. The Pack-a-Punched version of the SVU-AS also has an increased damage, and combined with Double Tap Root Beer, thus making it a worthy weapon for zombie survival, especially when it can be bought off the wall without the worry of relying on Max Ammo power-ups.

Upon obtaining the SVU-AS in Die Rise, the player will receive a message from Richtofen, if playing as Stuhlinger, or from Maxis, if playing as one of the other three characters that pertains to the map's signature Easter egg.

SVU-AS vs Shadowy Veil Utilizer[]

SVU-AS Shadowy Veil Utilizer
SVU-AS BOII SVU-AS Upgraded BO2
Damage 550 900
Fire mode Semi-automatic Semi-automatic
Rate of fire 416 RPM 416 RPM
Magazine size 12 12
Max ammo 96+12 192+12
Mobility Medium Medium
Extras More ammo, Variable Zoom, higher damage


Gallery[]

For camouflage images, see SVU-AS/Camouflage.
For attachments images, see SVU-AS/Attachments.

Call of Duty: Strike Team[]

The SVU-AS is Marshall's starting weapon in the mission "Europa Falls", equipped with a suppressor. It is one of the only semi-automatic sniper rifles in the game.

Gallery[]

Call of Duty: Ghosts[]

"Semi-automatic. Effective at long range with moderate recoil."
— Description.

The SVU appears in Call of Duty: Ghosts as a marksman rifle rather than a sniper rifle.

Campaign[]

The SVU appears in the last campaign mission, "The Ghost Killer", where it can be found with an ACOG Scope. Some enemy snipers also use SVUs with their standard scope, but these ones cannot be picked up by the player.

Multiplayer[]

The SVU is the most expensive Marksman Rifle, costing 9 Squad Points.

The SVU is a consistent damage Marksman Rifle. At any range short of nineteen meters, the SVU will deal 68 damage. Damage decreases linearly until fifty meters. At any range past fifty meters, the SVU will deal 52 damage per bullet. At all ranges, the SVU only needs two shots to kill. This is by far the SVU's biggest advantage, as the only weapons that can somewhat reliably get a two shot kill or better at any range are the much more cumbersome Sniper Rifles. The SVU can kill in a single headshot, but the range on it is limited and rather poor for a Marksman Rifle, as the SVU will fail to get a one headshot kill beyond 22 meters. The SVU does 56% extra damage on headshots and neck shots. The ability to get a two shot kill at any range automatically makes the SVU among the most powerful long range weapons in the game. The SVU has high penetration power, allowing it to retain much of its damage through walls, although two shot kills through walls at range are very unlikely.

One of the SVU's main weaknesses is its fire rate. It is semi-automatic, and has the most restrictive firecap among sniper rifles. The user can fire the SVU as fast as 400 RPM, or roughly six times per second. This is the worst firecap on any Marksman Rifle by a wide margin, and it will highly constrict damage output. Even those with only average trigger fingers may find themselves frustrated by the SVU's lacking fire rate.

The SVU's accuracy is not that great for a Marksman Rifle, but it is good enough. The SVU's default scope is extremely obstructive, as the rubber cover of the lens will obstruct nearly all the user's peripheral vision, highly reducing situational awareness. The user will not be able to see what is directly around the user's scope at all when aiming. The SVU's recoil per shot is predictable and, unlike other Marksman Rifles, asymmetrical. The SVU's recoil values are 15 to the left, 65 to the right, 65 upwards, and 20 downwards. The SVU will tend to drift more to the right than to the left when firing. The asymmetrical recoil is unique among Marksman Rifles and can be off-putting for those more used to the symmetrical recoil of the other Marksman Rifles. The SVU also has a poor centerspeed of 1100, which will force the weapon to take a considerable amount of time to counter the recoil after a shot. Considering the SVU fires very slowly, the centerspeed and recoil aren't too big of issues, as the SVU will inherently have a lot of time to settle the recoil between shots if firing as quickly as possible compared to its competitors. As always, using the default scope will make the recoil values 15% smaller, but it will also double the idle sway speed.

The SVU's handling traits are poor overall, like the other Marksman Rifles. The SVU allows users to move at 90% of the base movement speed, but strafe at just 36% of the base movement speed. The SVU aims down the sights in 300 milliseconds, and the SVU has bad hip-fire accuracy, even when standing perfectly still. The SVU's reload speeds are average. The SVU's reload animation is three seconds long, or 4.17 seconds long on an empty magazine. The user can Reload Cancel the SVU after 1.7 seconds. This reload speed is unremarkable. It's not particularly bad nor good.

The SVU has the standard Marksman Rifle magazine capacity of eighteen rounds, and the standard starting ammo loadout of 54 rounds. The SVU can use this ammo more efficiently than other Marksman Rifles due to its enhanced long range damage and the gun's inherent firecap limitation restricting fire rate.

The SVU gets all the standard Marksman Rifle attachments except for the Tracker Sight, which is oddly absent on the SVU. The optical attachments are extremely popular choices due to the SVU's extremely obstructive scope. The longer ranged sight attachments, like the Thermal Hybrid and the VMR Sight, are very fitting on the SVU to capitalize on its long range dominance.

The Flash Suppressor reduces muzzle flash and doesn't do anything else. Unless the user is using the Iron Sights of the SVU, this attachment is useless. The Silencer makes the SVU quieter when firing and prevents the SVU from revealing the user on radar when firing the SVU. is an excellent attachment choice on the SVU, considering that it is a two shot kill at all ranges anyway. The only penalty is that the one headshot kill range is made slightly shorter, but this is a very trivial downside. It is the most powerful attachment on the SVU and players using the SVU almost always equip it. Conversely, the Muzzle Brake is almost entirely worthless, as the only benefit it provides is making the one headshot kill range better. The IA-2 and MK14 EBR have far superior one headshot kill ranges if this is an aspect of the weapon of particular concern to the user, even when using the Muzzle Brake on the SVU.

Extended Mags increases the magazine capacity to 27 rounds, and boosts the starting ammo loadout to 81 rounds total. This provides more than enough ammo for one life, even if the user goes on a very long killstreak. The attachment is not all that necessary, as the SVU is very efficient with its ammo. As such, although Extended Mags is a perfectly fine attachment, many will consider it to be unnecessary. Armor-Piercing allows for the SVU to mostly ignore the effects of Ballistic Vests and Juggernaut armor when using the SVU against said targets. The attachment is without penalty and is situationally useful, but it is mostly useless if neither of those two things are being actively used.

Burst Fire is the most transformative attachment on the SVU, allowing the weapon to fire in three-round bursts. Within the burst, the SVU fires at 500 RPM, but due to burst delay, the SVU can only fire at a maximum of 321 RPM when factoring in burst delay. The attachment also brings about two downsides, one being a reduction in one headshot kill range, and the other being a centerspeed reduction from 1100 to 990. The attachment is not a good fit on the SVU at all, as it never needs more than two shots to kill, and its fire rate within the burst is still not that good, all the while causing the user to waste ammunition, reducing long-term damage output, and making the gun less accurate within the burst. The attachment is generally not that great on Marksman Rifles, but it especially rings true for the SVU, as it has even less of a reason to even consider Burst Fire compared to other Marksman Rifles that may actually need three shots to kill and have good enough firecaps to take advantage of Burst Fire's positive effect on short-term damage output.

Overall, the SVU is the least versatile and most specialized of the Marksman Rifles, struggling immensely at close to medium range. None of the Marksman Rifles are particularly good at close range, but this is especially the case for the SVU due to its poor fire rate and damage output. The SVU excels at long range to an extent that none of the other Marksman Rifles can quite match. Its sheer damage advantage at long range makes it one of the best weapons for long range combat in the game, making it a forgiving and rewarding weapon to use at said ranges. It is also among the best stealth weapons in the game due to its ability to use a Silencer from afar with no qualms. The SVU's performance severely ramps up the further away the enemy is, as the SVU's lacking handling and damage output become far less relevant the further away the enemy is. It is a weapon that can legitimately compete against Sniper Rifles at sniping ranges, and can be used in a very similar manner to a traditional Sniper Rifle, seeing how it is similarly dominant at long range and similarly poor at close range.

Extinction[]

The SVU appears in Extinction, in Nightfall and Mayday. It costs $2000 to buy. In Nightfall, one is leaning against the tower in the entrance, and another is in the compound. In Mayday, it is in the Cargo Area, against a wall.

The SVU plays extremely similarly to the IA-2 to the point where it is effectively a spiritual replacement to it on these maps. The SVU has a moderately sized magazine, a decent ammo loadout, and good per-shot power. The SVU with sufficient power buffs is capable of killing a Scout in one shot, but it will almost always need multiple shots for Hunters and Scorpions. Because of this, the SVU doesn't have enough of a damage advantage over fully automatic weapons like Assault Rifles to justify the far worse handling characteristics, rate of fire, more expensive price tag, more restrictive attachment compatiblity, shorter magazine, and shorter ammo supply.

The SVU benefits heavily from the use of a Weapon Specialist and/or Team Booster, as the SVU's handling is quite poor, and the aforementioned modifiers will improve on many of the SVU's handling woes.

Attachments[]

Sights[]

Barrel[]

Mod[]

Gallery[]

For attachment images, see SVU/Attachments.

Call of Duty Online[]

The SVU appears in Call of Duty Online as the OTs-03.

Trivia[]

General[]

  • The SVU has an unusable bipod in every game where it appears.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II[]

  • The caliber of SVU-AS is 7.62x54mmR, according to the Ballistics CPU.
  • While crawling and firing, the rate of fire will be cut in half. This is also true for the XPR-50.
  • The SVU-AS also used a different scope model in beta, which is no longer present.
  • The SVU-AS will still retain its red tint near the front of the weapon when most camouflages are applied to it.
  • One of the soldiers in muitlplayer menu image is carrying a SVU-AS.
  • The SVU-AS has integrated foldable iron sights, they are always unusable.

Call of Duty: Ghosts[]

  • "Disposable Hero" can be seen written along the side of the weapon in red marker. This is easily visible when leaning.
  • The SVU now has AK style iron sights and they are not foldable.
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