Don't know what spotting is? This will really help you.
What is spotting and how do I do it?
Spotting (alternatively called tagging or flagging) a player will cause a red diamond to appear above that player's head. Your character will remove their left hand from the gun and make a waving motion, and on the downstroke, anyone within a small field of view will be marked. Therefore, your cursor must be pointed in the general direction of the enemies - spotting will not "tag" anyone on the sides of your screen. Keep in mind that you may not scope while spotting.
To perform this action, press the "E" key. Remember that you should have your mouse over the enemies - your crosshairs will serve well as a guide. You will still be able to fire your weapon while spotting with no penalty to your accuracy.
A spot will eventually disappear after a while - if this happens, the diamond will disappear and the player will need to be re-tagged.
So why is this so important?
Spotting is an extremely powerful mechanic.
The diamond will expose enemies hiding in the darkness and in low-contrast environments where it would be otherwise nearly impossible to see them.
The red diamond is visible to your teammates. Any spotted enemies will be spotted for your teammates as well - this can greatly help out friendly snipers looking to pick off threats.
The red diamond, by virtue of how it was implemented, exposes enemies hidden behind low cover.
Any tagged enemy will be constantly "lit up" on your radar as if they had just fired, allowing anyone to seek them out quickly and effectively.
You will receive a "Spot Bonus" that awards 25 XP when another player kills the spotted player. You will not be awarded the bonus for spotting if you kill them yourself, however.
After the 4th of July update the spotting mechanic will now spot through walls.
The red diamond does NOT compensate for bullet drop like a ballistics tracker.
Sweet! Should I tell this to someone?
Sure - but be mindful, as this can be a huge disadvantage to you! Other players can tag you too. If you or your team get spotted, especially if your team has been somewhat stealthy, it can lead to your team's downfall. It may a smart idea to keep this to yourself and to not tell anyone else. Many players do not know about the spotting mechanic! Keep it on the down low if you don't feel like making your game more difficult.
Can you give me an example of what to expect?
Sure! You have probably seen this a lot of times, but here is what it will look like after you spot a player.
An assault player's view down the central hallway of the older version of Metro.
A sniper's view of two targets on the crane. Notice how both the player in cover and the visible player are tagged. The green line is produced by a Green Laser.
