XM98

Page Contents Current As of Patch:

2022-04-05

XM98
The bolt-action XM98's dialed-in power core interface draws allows for a remarkably versatile plasma sniper rifle.
Costs
Auto Granted
General Info
Empire:
Can Use:
Weapon Type:		Sniper Rifles
Fire Rate:		49 RPM
Chamber Time:		1.225s
Muzzle Velocity:		550m/s
Effective Range:		Very Long
Fire Modes:		Bolt Action
Headshot Multiplier:		2.1x
ADS Move Speed Multiplier:		0.5x
Damage[?]
Max Damage:		650 before 10m
Min Damage:		400 after 350m
Damage Type:		Sniper Rifles
Reload Speed
Short Reload:		2.8s
Long Reload:		4s
Ammunition
Magazine Size:		5
Ammunition Pool:		40
Accuracy[?]
		Hip	Aim
Crouch	Still:	4.5	0
	Move:	5	0.2
Stand	Still:	5	0
	Move:	6	0.55
Bloom per Shot:		1	1
Recoil[?]
Vertical:		0.4
Horizontal, Min/Max:		0.1/0.1
Horizontal Tolerance:		0.2
Angle Min/Max:		0°/0°
Bias:		← = →
Recoil Decrease:		5
First Shot Recoil Multiplier:		1x
Data Sources?
Census DBG API source:		XM98 API Data
Census LF API source:		XM98 API Data

The XM98 is a sniper rifle available to the Vanu Sovereignty. It is unlocked by default.

The XM98 serves as the balanced option in the long-range sniper rifle arsenal. It can neither boast the raw damage of the Parallax VX3 or the ammo capacity of the V10, nor does it bring the velocity of either, but instead offers a relatively fast rechamber time and a fast reload speed, giving it the least downtime of all long-range rifles.

As with most bolt-action sniper rifles, the XM98 deals 210% damage on a headshot, rather than only 200%, increasing the range at which the rifle is able to kill standard infantry with one headshot.

The XM98, M77-B, and NC14 Bolt Driver are statistically identical.

Damage Fall-off

Damage drop-off is linear, below stats only represent damage tiers fall-off.
The two intermediate ranges listed are the ranges at which two bodyshots or one headshot, respectively, no longer kill a standard infantry target.

• 650 before 10 meters
• 500 at 214 meters
• 477 at 245 meters
• 400 after 350 meters

Attachments

Attachments

Optic
TriGon-6 (6x) Built-in If no optic is chosen, this scope is attached.		The TriGon-6 won the Vanu Sovereignty's bid as their standard sniper scope. It features 6x magnification and standard mil-dot sighting.
TSO (7x) 49 OR 30		The 7x magnification on the TSO gives it an edge over the typical standard-issue sniper optics. It uses mil-dot sighting inside of its triangular body.
TriGon-8 (8x) 49 OR 30		Designed as a longer range option to the standard TriGon, the TG-8 features increased 8x magnification and mil-dot sighting.
Mach-10 (10x) 49 OR 30		The Mach-10 scope was designed by the Vanu Sovereignty's internal AdvMat labs. It possesses 10x magnification and mil-dot sighting inside of its circular housing.
Mach-12 (12x) 49 OR 30		Created by VS's AdvMat labs, the Mach-12's extreme 12x magnification and mil-dot sighting provides the user with clear shots at distant targets.

Barrel
Suppressor 49 OR 100		The weapon's muzzle flash and noise generation is reduced, and the player no longer appears on the minimap when firing. In exchange, the weapon's damage falls off 20 meters sooner and bullet velocity is reduced by 15%.

Rail
Comfort Grip 49 OR 100		A comfort grip reduces the time it takes to swap to the weapon by 30%, reduces horizontal recoil by 20%, but increases vertical recoil by 20%.
Darklight Flashlight 49 OR 100		The rail mounted Darklight Flashlight can illuminate hostile cloaked infiltrators and dark areas but the light can give away your position. The light can be turned on and off with Toggle Attachment hotkey.
Straight-Pull Bolt 49 OR 100		The straight-pull bolt allows the sniper to chamber another round while aiming down sights.

This weapon does not have any ammo type attachments.

Effectiveness

Versus Infantry
Infantry	Body part	Shots to Kill
		0-10m	10-214m	214-245m	245-350m
Infantry	Head	1	1	1	2
	Torso	2(2)	2(3)	3(3)	3(4)
	Legs	2(3)	3(3)	3(3)	3(4)
Infiltrator	Head	1	1	1	2
	Torso	2(2)	2(3)	2(3)	3(3)
	Legs	2(2)	2(3)	3(3)	3(4)
Heavy Assault Overshield	Head	2	2	2	2
	Torso	3(3)	3(4)	4(4)	4(5)
	Legs	3(3)	4(4)	4(4)	5(5)
MAX	Head	8	10	10	12
	Torso	16(20)	20(25)	21(27)	25(32)
	Legs	18(22)	23(28)	24(30)	28(35)

Versus Vehicles
Vehicle	Armor Facing	Shots to Kill
		Before 10m	After 350m
Flash	-	12 (on fire @ 10)	19 (on fire @ 15)
Composite Armor 4	-	15 (on fire @ 12)	25 (on fire @ 20)
Harasser	-	30 (on fire @ 24)	49 (on fire @ 39)
Composite Armor 4	-	36 (on fire @ 29)	58 (on fire @ 47)
Sunderer	-	Immune
Blockade Armor 4	-	Immune
Deployment Shield 4	-	Immune
ANT	-	Immune
Lightning	Front/Top	Immune
	Side
	Rear
Prowler/ Magrider	Front/Top	Immune
	Side
	Rear
Chimera	Front/Top	Immune
	Side
	Rear
Vanguard	Front/Top	Immune
	Side
	Rear
ESF	-	19 (on fire @ 15)	30 (on fire @ 24)
Composite Armor 4	-	21 (on fire @ 17)	33 (on fire @ 27)
Valkyrie	Front/Side/Top/Rear	47 (on fire @ 37)	75 (on fire @ 60)
	Bottom	93 (on fire @ 74)	150 (on fire @ 120)
Composite Armor 4	Front/Side/Top/Rear	54 (on fire @ 43)	87 (on fire @ 69)
	Bottom	107 (on fire @ 85)	173 (on fire @ 138)
Dervish	-	36 (on fire @ 29)	59 (on fire @ 47)
Composite Armor 4	-	40 (on fire @ 32)	65 (on fire @ 52)
Liberator	-	Immune
Composite Armor 4	-	Immune
Galaxy	-	Immune
Composite Armor 4	-	Immune
Bastion Weak Point	-	Immune

Ribbons and Medals

It is possible to earn both Ribbons and Medals while using the XM98. Each ribbon is a standard reward for achieving a set amount of kills with the rifle. Medals are awarded upon reaching kill milestones with the weapon.

Ribbon(s)

Ribbon	Icon	Requirements
XM98 Service Ribbon		10 kills

Find out more on the Service Ribbons article.

Medals

Medal	Icon	Requirement	Award
No Medal		0 kills	N/A
Copper Medal		10 kills	2
Silver Medal		60 kills	10
Gold Medal		160 kills	20
Auraxium Medal		1,160 kills	200
Medals earned with the XM98 contribute towards the Sniper Rifles directive tree.

Media

Planetside 2 - XM98 M77-B NC14 Bolt Driver - Weapon Review-2

Planetside 2 - Bolt-Action Sniper Review and Comparison - Mr. G4F-0

Skip around using the TimeCodes in the description

History

• October 24, 2016 Update
  • Reload speed from 3sec./4.6sec. to 2.8sec./4sec.
• September 15, 2021 Update (A New Player Experience)
  • The XM98 has replaced the VA39 Spectre as the default sniper rifle for the Vanu Sovereignty Infiltrator.
• March 30, 2022 Update (The Arsenal Update)
  • Anti-infantry sniper rifles now use a separate Sniper Rifles resistance (type 20).
  • Being struck by a sniper rifle now has more prominent audio.
  • Dev Note: The damage values for this new resistance are equivalent to small arms. This change will allow us to do is modify the bodyshot damage output from Nanoweave, as mentioned above.
  • Most Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, and Scout Rifles now use Comfort Grips, instead of Forward Grips.
  • Dev Note: Traditional Forward Grips offered no functional benefits to slow firing semi-auto weapons, so swapping them for Comfort Grips (which reduce the equip and unequip time of a weapon,) can be interpreted as a buff in almost all cases.