Greetings. This is Euridious, and welcome to the first in a series of Dino D-Day character guides.

In this episode, We will be looking at Hardgrave, the first Allied class.

Captain Jack Hardgrave is a paleontologist turned battle-hardened nazi dinosaur hunter. He has fists of steel, and a flinty resolve. Like other paleontologists present in the Allied nations, Hardgrave was called into battle when Adolf Hitler created his Nazi dinosaur army. Hardgrave carries an M1 Garand or M1 Carbine, and M1911 sidearm into combat, as well as mk. 2 fragmentation grenades.

The M1 Garand was designed by a Canadian-American engineer, John Garand. It was based upon the Pederson Rifle, a weapon that fired an experimental intermediate cartridge, the same kind of calibre used in modern assault rifles. Given the unwillingness to switch calibre, the Pederson Rifle was adapted to fire the powerful 30-06 Springfield round. In-game, the M1 Garand does 68 damage across all ranges, with a fire rate of 260 rpm. Damage against unarmoured targets is very good, at 90 per hit. Compared to the other rifles, the Garand fires far faster, and has a higher bullet-per-clip count than the bolt-action weapons. One-shot headshots are very reliable, too, meaning the M1 Garand can instantly snuff enemy soldiers.

Your alternate primary, the M1 carbine, trades damage for magazine size and fire rate. The M1 Carbine comes with a removable 15-round box magazine, unlike the Garand's internal, clip-fed magazine. This means that, unlike the Garand, you can reload partway through your magazine to restock, whereas with the Garand, you have to empty the clip to reload. You can dispense this healthier supply at a good 350 rounds per minute. The M1 Carbine also fires a full-sized rifle cartridge, the .30 Light Carbine round, essentially a shortened version of the original 30-06 Springfield. While .30 Light Carbine is not as strong as 30-06, It still packs a punch. Because of this lower, each shot deals 53 damage in comparison to the M1 Garand's 68. Most of the enemy players you'll be facing will be three-shot kills consistently. Given the fire rate and magazine size, you should be able to spam your way to victory with this weapon.

Your sidearm, the M1911, labeled in-game as the Colt .45, is one of the oldest weapons in Dino D-Day. The weapon was designed by famed weapons designer John Browning. It was manufactured by Colt, and given a new designation in the year 1911, hence the sidearm's designated name. The in-game representation is a magazine-fed pistol that deals 40 damage, and fires as fast as your trigger finger will allow. With the short magazine size, you should be try to avoid genearl use of the Colt, as you'll drain it very quickly. 700 rounds per minute is the Colt .45's maximum fire rate. Attempting to reach this rate in a firefight is impractical, and unreliable. You'll do much better trying to direct your shots, instead of dumping the magazine in as short a time as possible.

Hardgrave's different primary weapons really define how he is properly played. Your choice between the M1 Carbine and M1 Garand matters greatly, in terms of your effectiveness.

To start off, the M1 Garand is a powerful weapon, designed to take down the weakest, and strongest of opposition. Regardless of what your quarry is, you aim is really what makes you a good Hardgrave player, or a bad one. If you don't have the best aim in the world, it is a good idea to try taking the time to line up your shots. Placing your crosshairs ahead of where your opponents will be is a good way to go about this. The Garand requires accuracy to be effective, so spamming the trigger with the Garand is an unhealthy way to play with this weapon. In terms of damage, the eight-shot rifle is extremely potent against the tougher dinosaurs, 25-armour classes, and the Compsognathus. Much like the M1 Carbine, the Compsognathus is a consistent 1-shot kill. It's trickier to fight against the high-skill Compies, given their spastic or stealthy nature. It is harder to land a shot on these opponents because of the slow fire rate the M1 Garand bears. The 25-armour classes, specifically Hissman, Von Graff, and the Velociraptor, are consistent 2-shot kills. On all but the Microraptor, it is entirely possible to snuff them with a single headshot. If you have the time, I reccomended you aim for the head, so you can end a gunfight before it even starts. Every missed shot counts with the Garand, so directing your shots will usually bring more consistent kills. The tougher dinosaurs can be quickly killed, with the Garand. The Dilophosaurus is a 4-shot kill, and the Desmatosuchus can take six. Accuracy is most important here, as killing your quarry as fast as possible is paramount to your success. The high-armour dinosaurs take a bit of time to kill regardless of what class you're playing as. Hardgrave can do this job faster than any other class, outside of Nigel, when he's using the PIAT.

If you choose to use the more versatile M1 Carbine, a whole new playstyle is possible with Hardgrave. Compared to the M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine is a lot more spammy by nature. The biggest statistical differences the Carbine has are its higher fire rate, larger magazine size, lower damage, and longer reload time. As far as shots to kill go, the M1 Carbine is a three-shot kill against the majority of classes in the game. This includes anything tougher than a Compy, but weaker than a Dilophosaur. As previously mentioned, Compsognathus are still one-shot kills. Therefore, the M1 Carbine is far better at slaughtering Compies than the Garand, simply due to the higher fire rate. Dilophosaurs are surprisingly easy to put down, with the Carbine. They are a five-shot kill from full health and armour, only one more required than the Garand. As far as the tougher dinosaurs go, there's no point in keeping track of any number of shots to kill. As far as per-shot damage goes, the M1 Carbine is terrible against TRexes, Styracosaurs, and Desmatosuchus. The best tactic here is to spam the Carbine as much as possible. All things considered, the M1 Carbine is a very flexible weapon, open to more playstyles than the slower-firing M1 Garand. With less demand for accurate, well-placed shots, the Carbine can outshine the Garand as far as general usefulness is concerned.

When it comes to your choice of weapon, it can easily be a matter of preference. Either of Hardgrave's primary weapons are more than able to dominate entire servers. If you're an accurate player, who can remain aggressive, then the M1 Garand is the rifle for you. If you prefer spamming the trigger, or if you want better reliable performance overall, then the M1 Carbine is your go-to weapon for Hardgrave.

Hardgrave's secondary weapon, the Colt .45, is a very weak weapon in comparison to your primaries. Much like the other weapons in his arsenal, Hardgrave's Colt .45 is a semi-automatic weapon. Outside of dealing the least damage per shot of Hardgrave's entire arsenal, the Colt also has the lowest magazine size, at a paltry seven rounds. There is one trait the Colt has that can be a boon, however. Firing at some 700 rounds per minute max, the Colt .45 has the greatest fire cap, compared to any of Hardgrave's weapons. Generally speaking, you don't want to draw your pistol unless you absolutely need to. Using the pistol in a surrogate role is not going to help you much. It will only prove to hurt your performance, and ultimately, your team. Like most secondaries, the Colt .45 serves as a back-up weapon, when surviving foes are outside touching distance, and your weapon is out of ammo. You should only be using the pistol at all, when using the M1 Carbine. Given the Garand has a very quick reload speed, you'll only be able to fire one shot by the time the Garand would have reloaded

In general, you want to play passive-aggresive as Hardgrave. He can deal untold amounts of damage very quickly, but suffers up close compared to teammates with automatic weapons. All of his firearms are semi-automatic, so either a decent trigger finger or decent aim makes a good pairing with Hardgrave. One-on-one gunfights are Hardgrave's key strength, maintaining a decent distance between his opponents, and ultimately winning rounds. Hardgrave is a pure damage-dealing class. Killing quickly is his bread and butter, so maximize this to your best power. Keeping the enemy team dead should be your priority. This doesn't mean you should stray from objectives, however. Capturing points and bombing the objective should still be in the back of your mind, when moving around hostile territory.

Because of his bloodthirsty nature, Hardgrave is best played on Team Deathmatch, where the focus on getting kills shines as best as possible. He is a violent threat when mastered, and was previously a complete powerhouse with the pre-patch M1 Garand. Even though the wrath of the pre-patch Garand has been chained, the M1 is very well, still a potent weapon. Hardgrave also plays well on large and open maps, such as Fortress or Gela. Of note, Hardgrave is a very efficient TRex killer. The best way to play against Tyrannosaurs is to shoot them until they die. With the Garand, dump a clip into the dinosaur, take cover to reload, and repeat.

After scoring three kills in a single life, Hardgrave will be able to activate his special ability. Berserk mode effectively turns Hardgrave from a battle-hardened Nazi dinosaur hunter, to a mobile juggernaut unleashing his inner boxing champion. You effectively drop your rifle, pull out your fists, and swing patriotic power at the enemy team. When you've collected your kills, press your special ability key to go berserk. This is [E] by default.

Statistically speaking, Hardgrave takes far less incoming damage than normally. This makes you a bullet sponge, able to take a lot of enemy fire. Additionally, your melee damage goes through the roof. Majority of the enemy players will require a single strike with your fists to be put down. Because of this, it is wise to save your berserk ability, instead of using it as soon as you spot a hostile player. Try waiting for two or more enemy players to make the most of your berzerk. Tyrannosaurs are extremely vulnerable to you, while you're berserk. Punching a TRex's legs six times will prove enough to kill one. While playing on TRex maps, try to save going berserk for freshly-spawned TRexes. Don't just rush in as soon as you spot a TRex if it's been alive for a while, either. A smart and attentive Tyrannosaur will gun you down as soon as possible, making killing you a small task, even when you're berserk.

When you can go berserk, but you're not using it, you need to be as careful as possible. Berserks can be anihillate majority of the enemy team if used properly, so you want to wait for the best opportunity to swing your patriotic fists. Keeping yourself alive until then, should be your prime concern. Any smart enemy player can ruin your streak, and very quickly. Do not underestimate the enemy team when you can go berserk, either. Another three kills with your main weapons will be enough to let you prolongue your streak, and ultimately dominate entire servers.

Of final note, you aren't invincible when berzerk. It is still very well possible that you may die with your fists of fury out. Because of this, you want to make sure you have a decent amout of health before diving into the enemy forces. Having full health will almost garuntee that you'll not die when berzerk, but having less than a quarter of your health when going berzerk can potentially spell your demise. If you berserk at low health, it'll still be hard for Axis to kill you, yes, but every bit of health lost makes you more prone to dying while berserk

Jack Hardgrave is a powerful ranged class, who can reliably and efficiently snuff the enemy team. Hardgrave is the definition of damage in Dino D-Day, being able accurately destroy Axis at middle range, or spam his way to victory with the M1 Carbine. Outside of the obvious power benefits, Hardgrave demands a touch of accuracy to be effective. If you can't pull the trigger to kill quickly, there's no point in playing Hardgrave when automatic weapons may suit your playstyle better. Even so, with these minor downsides, Hardgrave is a versatile and strong class overall. Whether you're punching everything into oblivion, or keeping the enemy respawn times as long as possible, your time with Hardgrave...

Will be just garand.

-End-

Thank you for watching, this has been Euridious. We will meet again, when I'll be discussing the Axis rifleman instead, Kurt Streicher. Until then, farewell.