History Main / SniperDuel

** This behavior is somewhat justified. Enemy snipers ''will'' ShootTheMedicFirst and are difficult for most classes to take out- but when they use their scopes they move very slowly and have limited vision, making them extremely vulnerable to you. Also, the enemy sniper is usually aware of this, and will shoot you if you try to focus on anybody else.

** Not that there is anything wrong with protecting allies by taking out enemy snipers as a sniper. But when they focus entirely on sniping each other, it becomes pointless. 2fort and Turbine are maps infamous for this (and a few other things), since both teams have opposite balconies perfect for sniping connected near-directly to their spawn rooms. These balconies have no areas of cover which protect you from the other balcony and still have a clear shot at the floor below, and the only enemies who are likely to stand on the balconies for extended periods of time are other snipers. Most of the strategically important parts of the maps are enclosed areas where snipers are at a disadvantage... so snipers on these maps never do anything ''but'' duel each other.

Sometimes the duel is used to highlight the differences between a protagonist and antagonist, where one is a ColdSniper and the other is a FriendlySniper. The characters often possess ImprobableAimingSkills and the fight may end with a [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] and for truly badass characters, a ScopeSnipe. {{Combat Pragmatist}}s who lack either the skill, equipment or patience to engage in a Sniper Duel may instead [[AvertedTrope avert it]] by calling in an [[DeathFromAbove airstrike]] or [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill artillery strike.]]

* Happens in ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' during a Flashback to Saito's backstory. The snipers' aims are enhanced by ''satellite calibration''. [[spoiler: He lost, to the Major. Which is how he lost his eye and hand.]]

* An assortment of Stephen Hunter's novels and characters have notably done this, perhaps best shown in his long running {{Badass Grandpa}} Bob Lee Swagger. An interesting case from the novel "I, Sniper" being when he went against four trained snipers armed with years of experience from the war on terror as well as a new smart-rifle system capable of challenging his skill as the third best sniper from the Vietnam war. Sending the enemy into a valley, they tried to set up a flank on his position using both an expert sniper team and a stealth insertion for close range support. The only issue with their plan came when they realized just how good {{Stealth Expert}} Swagger was when he seemed to appear out of thin air in the middle of the valley, right next to the hidden support {{mook}} and had his recently acquired friend, the best sniper of the Vietnam war, take out the sniper team on the opposite side of the valley. The trained professionals and veterans who had spent the last few hours looking for any sign of a sniper and found nothing. Because with some things, {{older is better}} when {{taught by experience}}

* Practically a hallmark of the ''Franchise/MetalGear'' series, including:

-->-- '''The Sniper''': ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', after winning a duel like this.

** Actual sniper duels rarely happens in actual gameplay. The best characters to take care of snipers tend to be fast and mobile harassers or assassins, not other snipers. As [[FragileSpeedster Tracer]] demonstrates in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyBUMabtslI Alive]] against Widowmaker (aforementioned Talon sniper).

[[folder:Videogames]]

* Happens in ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' during a Flashback to Saito's backstory. The snipers' aims are enhanced by ''satellite calibration''.

** Ironically rarely happens in game. The best characters to take care of snipers tend to be fast and mobile harassers or assassins, not other snipers. As [[FragileSpeedster Tracer]] demonstrates in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyBUMabtslI Alive]] against Widowmaker (aforementioned Talon sniper).

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyType0'' features an optional mission on a NewGamePlus that involves fighting a boss while being attacked by a sniper. Once the boss is down, [[TheStraightAndArrowPath Trey]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome gets out his bow]].

* In Vietnam, legendary Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock was once hunting another sniper. Hathcock was sighting through his rifle scope, when he saw light glint off metal some distance away, and he fired at it. When he approached, it was learned that he had shot the other sniper-- ''[[ScopeSnipe right through the guy's own rifle scope]], [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome killing him instantly.]]'' According to Hathcock, the other sniper must have been looking at him at the same time, and if Hathcock had been any slower on the trigger, he'd have been dead.

->''"One Sniper to another, mate: [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Give! Up!]]"''

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' features a lot of sniper dueling, particularly of the spotter-vs-ace variety; you can snipe enemies from a very long distance while sneaking, and they'll spend precious aiming time trying to figure out if you exist. [[AscendedGlitch Yeah, it's that kind of game]]. Unfortunately, once spotted, the enemy bowmen will proceed to go CRAZY PRECISE nuts with their [[AbnormalAmmo ebony]]-[[ArmorPiercing grade]] [[NoKillLikeOverkill arrows]]. Enemy mages also have unusually precise elemental attacks and have cone attacks that go long distances and clip through walls, so you'll need to dodge those.

* Similarly, ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' features a lot of sniper dueling, particularly of the spotter-vs-ace variety; you can snipe enemies from a very long distance while sneaking, and they'll spend precious aiming time trying to figure out if you exist. [[AscendedGlitch Yeah, it's that kind of game]]. Unfortunately, once spotted, the enemy bowmen will proceed to go CRAZY PRECISE nuts with their [[AbnormalAmmo ebony]]-[[ArmorPiercing grade]] [[NoKillLikeOverkill arrows]]. Enemy mages also have unusually precise elemental attacks and have cone attacks that go long distances and clip through walls, so you'll need to dodge those.

->''"One Sniper to another, mate: [PunctuatedForEmphasis Give! Up!]]"''

->''"One Sniper to another, mate: Give! Up!"''

** Their final hide and go seek sniper showdown is not only of their skills but their philosophies. Booth has pursued Broadsky to his base of operations, a dockyard maze of shipping containers where Broadsky is not only intimately familiar with the territory but armed with a customized precision rifle that insanely outperforms Booth's FBI-approved mass-production longarm. But Booth has Bones and the squints, who figure out that as a result of the previous encounter, [[spoiler:''[[GameBreakingInjury Broadsky's right hand is broken]]'', therefore he can only rest the gun barrel on his arm and is incapable of gripping the barrel and aiming downwards. Booth thus goes against his training and stays on the ground, while Broadsky follows that training, takes the high ground, and is left wide open when Booth shoots his ''other'' hand before he can change cover, taking Broadsky ''alive.'']]

* The legendary UsefulNotes/SimoHayha engaged in duels with entire teams of counter-snipers, eliminating all of them. The Russian military did get smart (or just [[TheDreaded plain terrified]]) enough to try using an artillery strike instead. And even that didn't kill him. In the end, he was removed from the war after dueling another sniper, where he was shot in the head, [[TisOnlyABulletToTheHead which he survived]], before he killed his attacker. He went into a coma after that, and by the time he woke up the war was over, probably because the Russians shit themselves at the thought of having to deal with him again.

Sometimes the duel is used to highlight the differences between a protagonist and antagonist, where one is a ColdSniper and the other is a FriendlySniper. The characters often possess ImprobableAimingSkills and the fight may end with a [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] and for truly badass characters, a ScopeSnipe. GenreSavvy {{Combat Pragmatist}}s who lack either the skill, equipment or patience to engage in a Sniper Duel may instead [[AvertedTrope avert it]] by calling in an [[DeathFromAbove airstrike]] or [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill artillery strike.]]

* The legendary UsefulNotes/SimoHayha engaged in duels with entire teams of counter-snipers, eliminating all of them. The Russian military did get GenreSavvy (or just [[TheDreaded plain terrified]]) enough to try using an artillery strike instead. And even that didn't kill him. In the end, he was removed from the war after dueling another sniper, where he was [[BoomHeadshot shot in the head]], which he survived, before he killed his attacker. He went into a coma after that, and by the time he woke up the war was over, probably because the Russians shit themselves at the thought of having to deal with him again.

{{Duel|ingTropes}}s in fiction are thrilling because of the natural tension that is created when two [[{{Badass}} Badasses]] face down each other at short range, with deadly weapons, intent to kill, and [[AudienceSurrogate nervous bystanders watching with fear and anticipation]]. Anything can happen... and then it does, exploding into action, and then they end with a very final conclusion.

Sometimes the duel is used to highlight the differences between a protagonist and antagonist, where one is a ColdSniper and the other is a FriendlySniper. The characters often possess ImprobableAimingSkills and the fight may end with a [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] and for truly {{Badass}} characters, a ScopeSnipe. GenreSavvy {{Combat Pragmatist}}s who lack either the skill, equipment or patience to engage in a Sniper Duel may instead [[AvertedTrope avert it]] by calling in an [[DeathFromAbove airstrike]] or [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill artillery strike.]]

** Ironically rarely happens in game. The best characters to take care of snipers tend to be fast and mobile harassers or assassins, not other snipers.

** Happens in ''VideoGame/RogueTrooper''

* Happens in ''VideoGame/Rogue Trooper''