Standard Qualification 2
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Standard Qualification 2 (SQ-2) is a certification that builds upon Standard Qualification 1 to provide further information that full and regular members are expected to know as a baseline. It is part of a series of 2 certifications which are part of advancement in the Arma unit.
| Certification Information | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Sirdog |
| Certification Checklist | [ Link] |
| Contributors |
|
| Description | Slightly more advanced information that the Endurance Coalition requires for more consistent play. Required to progress to a full member. |
Arsenals and kit making
Arsenal use
While many of our operations have kits curated and pre-made by the mission creator, sometimes it is the intent of the mission creator that players create their own kits. While a lot of top level decisions will come from the leadership of such an operation, you still need to know the basics of how to even do that.
Kits are built using an in-game tool known as the "arsenal". The arsenal is a feature that provides a graphical interface to change your clothing, backpack, firearms, ammunition, equipment, and attachments. Interacting with the arsenal will be done by using ACE self-interact[1] (LCtrl+⊞ Win) on a container intended to be the arsenal. Once you do so, you will see your avatar from the 3rd person and a new UI appear.
On the left you'll see a list of firearm types, the clothing available, and some specialized equipment. On the right you will see the attachments and ammunition for the firearms, and what can be inserted into the various clothing types. So, for example, if you want to add a grenade to your vest, you'd select your vest on the left and then select grenades on the right, then add the amount you want. This is one of the most confusing parts of the arsenal, regardless of variant, as the interface will not change or give an indication of what options on the left correlate to the right. On the very bottom of the left, you will see a weight indicator.
This is the total weight of your entire character. On the very bottom of the right, when adding items to your clothing, you will see a white bar.
This is a visual representation of how full the clothing item you are wearing (e.g uniform, vest, backpack) is in total. This bar will increase or decrease when items are added or removed. When you have selected a firearm on the left, you will notice a small popup near the top left of the UI, to the right of the firearms list.
This lists the specifications of the firearm in question.
Kits
For the absolute basics — the bare minimum necessities you need in 99% of cases — you should be taking the following.
| Item | Minimum Amount | ACE Category |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon Magazine | 6 (+1 in the gun) | Magazines |
| Secondary Weapon Magazine | 2 (+1 in the gun) | Magazines |
| Magazine for Auto-riflemen | (Team Dependent) | Magazines |
| Chem-lights | (Team Dependent) | Grenades |
| Frag Grenade | 1 | Grenades |
| Smoke Grenade (White) | 1 | Grenades |
| Canteen | 1 | Field Rations |
| Sunflower Seeds/Small Snack | 1 | Field Ratons |
| Earplugs | 1 (MAX) | Misc. Items |
| Cable Ties | 3 | Misc. Items |
| Radio | 0 (Mission Dependent) | Misc. Items |
| Mag Lite XL50[2] | 1 (MAX) | Tools |
| Entrenching Tool | 1 (MAX) | Tools |
| Bandage (Basic) | 10 | Medical Items |
| Bandage (Quick Clot | 6 | Medical Items |
| Morphine Autoinjector | 1 | Medical Items |
| Splint | 1 | Medical Items |
| Suture[3] | 5 | Medical Items |
| Tourniquet (CAT | 1 (Max 4) | Medical Items |
| Map | 1 | (Left UI) |
| Compass | 1 | (Left UI) |
| Watch | 0 | (Left UI) |
Operation leadership always trumps the kits listed in this section, and so if they explicitly overrule the above table that is fine. However, again, in 99% of cases, failure to have the minimum amount of the above is likely an error on someone's part. If no one has made it clear that the above recommendations are being subverted, sanity checking leadership is fair. Similarly, if you make your own kit and it's in violation of the above, someone is going to metaphorically crack your knuckles with a ruler.
Many roles — or perhaps it'll be defined by leadership for everyone — have what is referred to as a march load. This is the maximum weight a kit for that role should possess in that operation where going above it is not permitted. As discussed in SQ-1, it has likely been selected to try and balance stamina versus firepower. When it comes to this, once you have the bare minimum that your particular role needs, you should then make adjustments to your kit to reach the weight. While going underweight is (sometimes) an option, if a march load is set, you are likely setting yourself at a disadvantage in some way if you are substantially underweight.
Sure, you'll have good stamina, but that isn't going to be relevant in a firefight you didn't expect to be apart of and you run out of the singular frag grenade that you brought with you.
The following is the example of a riflemen kit with a march load of 60 pounds.
| Item | Minimum Amount |
|---|---|
| Rifle Magazines | 8 (+1 in the gun) |
| Handgun Magazines | 2 (+1 in the gun) |
| Chem-lights | 6 |
| M67 Frag Grenade | 3 |
| V40 Mini-Grenades | 2 |
| M83 Smoke Grenades (White) | 13 |
| Canteen | 1 |
| Sunflower Seeds | 1 |
| Earplugs | 1 |
| Cable Ties | 3 |
| AN/PRC-343 Radio | 1 |
| Mag lite XL50 | 1 |
| Entrenching Tool | 1 |
| Bandage (Basic) | 16 |
| Bandage (Quick Clot) | 8 |
| Tourniquet (CAT) | 2 |
| Suture | 5 |
| Splint | 1 |
| Morphine Autoinjector | 1 |
At the time of this kit's creation, taking into consideration the weight of a light plate-carrier and light backpack that were worn by this person, the kit weights 59.7 pounds with everything added and 37.8 pounds with none of it added. Notice how most of the changes are from adding additional bandages, grenades, and magazines. Those, along with your vest and backpack, are the heavy hitters for your kit, presuming you are not a role that by it's nature carries heavy stuff (like AT).
The above kits are examples. Ultimately, what to add in your kit is going to highly depend on the operation. Is it a casual operation? Is it in the modern day or World War II? All of this, along with experience in the field, will further hone your kit making abilities. The above are meant to give you a foundation to learn from.
Recommended riflemen weight
For the purposes of the Standard Qualification series of certifications, the only thing you need to know is that EDC generally advises around 60 pounds for a basic riflemen. This knowledge is intended to be used in the event you are not given a march load and are making a kit. Advised poundages for the other roles, such as AT or medic, will be discussed in their specific certifications.
Buddy check
Something EDC strongly advocates for is buddy checking. This is where a separate person quickly reviews your kit to sanity check it for errors, both for the operation in question and to compare it against the recommendations above. Things the "buddy" looks for include sufficient medical supplies, sufficient ammo, and basic equipment like, say, your radio.
A check is physically performed by doing the following.
- Holster your weapon entirely by pressing 0.
- Use ACE self-interact and select the option where you surrender.
- Your buddy will then use normal ACE interaction to open your inventory which was made possible with your surrender.
You will then do the same for your buddy. Or vice versa.
Advanced weapons
ranging
using sidearms first
Radios
Advanced communication
- controlled vs uncontrolled radio env
- over vs out
- you, me, net
- roger vs wilco
- ACE reports
Cover and concealment
Something very key to understand is that there is a difference between being behind cover and being concealed. Something that is cover will hide you from view and stop a bullet. Something that is concealment will hide you from view but will not stop a bullet. Commonly used examples of the difference would be a sandbag corner is cover while hiding in bushes is concealment. However, keep in mind that things can be solid, fully opaque,[4] and still be just concealment.
A common idea shown in media is that a car door will stop bullets. Aside from vehicles designed to be armored, of which even most police vehicles are not, a car door will not stop a bullet, and so in that scenario the door is concealment. The same goes even for (non-brick) walls — the walls of most standard modern buildings will likely not stop a bullet, and thus are concealment.
In video games, walls, car doors, and the like being true cover are usually enforced because it's expected video game behavior and usually easier to develop. However, this is not the case in Arma. Bullets can and will go through non-armored cars and through walls.
With the above said, obviously, cover should always be preferred to concealment when possible. Concealment is better used when staying on the move, or bounding, where access to cover is spotty. In a firefight, proper cover should be prioritized immediately.