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Unlocking the best content takes time, but you're in for a frustrating slog if you constantly switch up classes. Mess around with each of the three classes (Rifleman, Special Ops, and Sniper) during your first couple battles to get a feel for their weapons and battlefield roles. If you love camping and striking from the cliffs, load-out as a Sniper (God knows everyone else is right now). Stick with the sub-machine gun-toting Special Ops class if you have quick reflexes and a quicker trigger finger. For those who prefer developing the situation and playing both aggressively and defensively, the balanced Rifleman class is a good choice.

Dedicating yourself to one role has more benefits than just funneling all points earned during matches to that particular class. The more you play as a rifleman for example, the better youll get using the grenade launcher and taking down medium-to-long range tangos. You'll also level up and gain access to new equipment which will further solidify your desired play style. Your overall performance should naturally improve, netting you more points towards increasing that class level. You'll hit Rank 15 in no time.

Dropping tangos earns you points, which count towards a scorechain. Hit a specific sum without dying and you can call in an offensive or defensive battlefield action. But why get to those numbers the slow way? Fighting skillfully will result in more points quicker. Flank a couple snipers busy looking downrange? Melee kills award bonus points. A normal kill is 10 points, but if you pull off a headshot its five extra points for 15 total. Fire some ammo at that guy you know you wont kill but someone else will to earn five assist points when the deed is done. Its not only about getting so many kills in a row; its how you get them, too.

Combat Mission is a game type similar to Rush in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 or Generator Defense in Halo: Reach. One team defends a specific target on the map while the other attempts to destroy it. If the target is destroyed, a second (of five) location becomes the new target. This continues until either all five targets are eliminated, or the defending team holds the attackers advance until time runs out.

This mode makes for a relatively foolproof way to garner tons of points since there is no score limit. Respawns are fairly predictable, so you always have an idea of where your enemies will come from. Defenders can use that knowledge to focus fire on choke points where enemies must tread toward their target. Dont stay in the same exact spot too long (someone will catch on), but always keep your eyes on the respawn area. Once you hit your first scorechain, call in a mortar strike on the enemy spawn and watch your points skyrocket. From there you may very well become unstoppable and eventually control a Cruise missile (the best offensive scorechain award) as it kills the entire enemy team with its huge blast radius.

A recon UAV is the first defensive scorechain you'll earn; use it. Though its tempting to target an area with the initial mortar strike instead (who doesn't like making things go boom?), its better to know where all your enemies are than to maybe kill one guy with the surprisingly ineffective volley. This is especially helpful in game types like Team Assault, where enemies may attempt to spawn camp your squad. Teammates already out in the field will have a better shot at controlling enemy movement and preventing frustrating spawn deaths if they have a better idea of where griefers are hiding. Knowledge is power, and knowing your enemys position opens up your tactical options and helps keeps you and your scorechain alive.

Hint #5: Go for Award ribbons
You may notice ribbons popping up on-screen during online battles. These are awarded for completing specific actions during a single match from killing the same opponent four times to being in the top three on your team. They may only provide a small amount of points, but these bonuses add up and can be earned over and over. Think of them as another incentive to play better (and smarter). Check the Awards section in the game for descriptions on how to unlock every ribbon and how many points they yield, and then fight accordingly.

Hint #6: Play defensively
Defensive scorechain awards can be immensely helpful beyond the initial UAV. They may not let you rain hellfire down on your enemies, but sometimes the best offense is a good defense. Rack up enough points and you'll gain access to a radar jammer that will render the enemy clueless, flak jackets for extra protection and, if you make it all the way to 450 points without dying (good luck with that!), a 2x Score award that doubles points from everything you do. If you want to rank up fast and keep your teammates in fighting shape, stick with defensive scorechain awards.

Hint #7: Capture objectives
This one may prove difficult if the majority of your team is more interested in sniping from ridges than getting their hands dirty on the front line. Even in games centered around securing (or defending) objectives like Sector Control and Combat Mission, you may find people who prefer to sit and shoot than play the game mode accordingly. But attacking and defending objectives nets bonus points, so throw smoke and arm (or disarm) some charges. If youre playing Sector Control, grab the location closest to your team at the beginning of the match for a free 20 points. Youre that much closer to hitting your first scorechain award that way.

Hint #8: Work the Scorechain system
EA forum user Confusionisbad came up with an interesting strategy to rack up points, and its centered around timely use of defensive scorechain awards in order to net the coveted Tier 1 Warfighter ribbon at the end of the match. His strategy demands you hold off calling in scorechains until doing so would put you over the threshold for the following scorechain. This is easiest accomplished with defensive scorechains since they always reward you with a set amount of points (unlike offensive awards which deliver points based on kills). Since dying doesnt remove the scorechain awards you earn, youre flexible when it comes to deciding the best time to use them. He says, Wait until you score 20 points and then call in the UAV. It is 30 points and now you have that scorechain again. Do not use that scorechain until you have 70 points. Now call it in and you have the second scorechain. You need 175 points to get the third scorechain and you can count on a minimum of 40 points for the second defensive scorechain, so wait until you have 135 points.