Standoff 2 Weapon Comparison Guide: AKR vs M4
In this Standoff 2 guide, you’re going to learn the strengths and weaknesses of AKR and M4. The main thing that matters when it comes to gun preference is which gun is going to take out the enemy the fastest. So you need to understand these guns.
Damage and Stats
The AKR and the M4 do the exact same damage per bullet when 15 meters or closer to the target. As the range gets past 15 meters, the M4 does less damage, and at 30+ meters the M4’s damage starts to become severely outclassed. This isn’t a true test of what matters because damage per bullet is not all that matters.
The M4 has a faster rate of fire, which means you need to analyze these damages with how much health the enemy has. Then there is the fire rate of the weapon, which is where you get the “time to kill”. Time to kill factors in everything, the opponent’s health, armor, the fire rate of the weapon, the damage of the bullets, etc. This means that the lower the time to kill, in theory, the better the weapon.
Stat Breakdown
This all seems complicated, but there are some important takeaways you should recognize. First, the M4 has the faster time to kill in close ranges under 15 meters. This holds true no matter the health or armor of the opponent. However, things start to get interesting once you move past 15 meters. You’ll notice that against opponents with 100 health, the M4 is still better with a lower time to kill. It’s not until the enemy is further than 15 meters does AKR barely start to edge out the M4. This is the key breakpoint to know, as from this point forward the AKR becomes better. Case in point: the M4 becomes very inefficient at 30 meters, so holding long angles becomes quite difficult with it.
So you probably want to equip yourself with an AKR. However, if you’re going to play closer angles, then you’re probably better off with an M4. Something to note here is that the ADS negatively affects the M4 much more than the AKR because of the higher base fire rate. This causes the 10% fire rate that they lose for aiming down sight more detrimental for the M4 than the AKR. So far, the AKR seems like the easy choice when firing at longer distances. However, know that the time to kill isn’t the only thing that’s important, but also just how much faster the difference actually is. For example, let’s take a look at the M4 at 15 meters or closer against a target. Its time to kill is .069 faster than the AKR. Now compare this to the AKR at 30 meters or further against a target. It’s time to kill is .022 faster.
What this means, is that even though the AKR is better at further ranges, the difference isn’t as big as compared to the advantage M4 has at shorter ranges. In fact, the M4 has over 3 times larger difference. So the AKR is strong at further distances, but not that much stronger. Whereas the M4 is much stronger at closer ranges. This means that if your fighting distances are constantly varying throughout the game, the M4 could be the better choice. For example, let’s take a look at the M4 at 15 meters or closer against a target with the vest on. By now you know that the M4 is better in these conditions, but its time to kill is specifically 0.05 seconds faster when hitting the body, and 0.07 seconds faster when hitting the legs. Now compare this to the AKR at 30 meters or further against a target with a vest on. Yes, the AKR is better at this range, but it’s only 0.04 seconds faster to the body and 0.02 faster to the legs. What this means, is if your fighting distances are constantly varying throughout the game.
Choosing M4
The M4 could be the better choice since it’s more well-rounded, whereas the AKR has a much bigger fall-off at close ranges. Many players are choosing to take the M4 because it’s still almost a guaranteed kill on headshot. Plus, they have more kill pressure and multi kill potential from close range. Multi Kill potential from close range is referring to your spray transfer. A spray transfer is when you shoot at a target, controlling your recoil, and as soon as your target dies, you instantly flick to the next target while still controlling your recoil and shooting. A spray transfer is often your only way out of a sticky situation where multiple enemies rush or peek you at the same time. The reason this is an important topic is that the M4 is much easier and much more effective to spray transfer with. The M4 has a much higher base fire rate, as well as an easier to control recoil pattern.
Since spray transfer is reliant upon hitting your shots because killing multiple enemies before they kill you is near impossible with bad accuracy, the M4 takes a very strong edge because of the accuracy potential, and close-range kill pressure. At this point, you’ve probably realized how difficult it actually is to spray with the AKR. This is why many players are sticking to the M4, for those close corner round winning spray transfers. Aside from the M4 just sounding way cooler than the AKR, it actually provides a ton of benefit due to the massive amount of utility in the game. It’s very important to understand how recoil control and shot preference affect your play style and gun choice. The M4 has a preferable recoil pattern over the AKR because the max height of the spray pattern and max width of the spray pattern is less than that of the AKR.
They are the same pattern, it just requires less correction. When full spraying, the M4 is the preferred weapon, but if you’re a tap shooter you should weigh your options. If you’re a pure tapper, meaning you prefer one shot at a time, then the AKR is likely right for you because of the one shot potential. If you’re a burst tapper, you should probably consider the M4. Burst shooters usually like to strafe shoot or be a little mobile when they’re taking duels. Due to the fire rate of the M4, you can get more shots off faster before moving, freeing you up to strafe more often and reducing your chance of getting hit. So whenever you plan on spamming out a location or contesting a crucial area solo, you should think about going M4 for that extra ability to spray through. Most players lean towards the M4 and you can see why.
It has better recoil control, higher magazine capacity, and the time to kill is shorter within 15 meters. Even when outside that range, the Vandal only beats it slightly. On top of that, with aim being so important in Standoff 2, the fact that it’s not a 1 shot headshot with the M4 outside 15 meters doesn’t end up being as important as you’d think. Still, if you’re holding long angles at 30 meters plus and aiming down sights, then the AKR is likely the more optimal choice. It is worth wondering why not just use the AWM at that point? Now, don’t get the impression that if any player is using the AKR they’re a total noob, as it’s just not true. Player preference and play style does factor into the decision. The M4 isn’t so much better than the AKR to completely over right that. There are still players that prefer to use the AKR. It’s just that when you look at the numbers and take a deep dive into both guns, in theory, the M4 is looking like the better choice.
