Insurgency: Sandstorm Beginner Guide to Modes, Classes, Weapons, and Mods

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a tactical first-person shooter from New World Interactive that first launched for PC in December 2018. It stands apart from many FPS games by emphasizing realism, careful decision-making, harsh weapon damage, and a large modding community.

What New Players Should Know

Sandstorm rewards patience more than reckless sprinting. Players have limited information, weapons hit hard, and small mistakes can end a round quickly. These are the core systems beginners should understand before jumping into matches.

Supply Points

Supply Points, or SP, are the limited currency used to build a loadout. Players spend SP on weapons, equipment, and attachments. The amount available can change based on class, mode, ruleset, team performance, or MVP status.

Because SP is limited, loadouts are about tradeoffs. A heavier weapon, extra armor, or more attachments may cost points that could have gone to grenades or other gear.

Game Modes

Insurgency: Sandstorm is mainly an online multiplayer shooter, but it includes several modes that change the pace and objectives.

• Co-Op: Players capture objective points from AI enemies, with options such as Checkpoint Security and Checkpoint Insurgents.
• Push: Attackers capture objectives and destroy the final cache. Captured objectives can provide respawn waves and more time.
• Firefight: A PVP mode where teams win by completing objectives or eliminating the enemy team.
• Skirmish: Teams capture enemy objectives and destroy the opposing weapon cache.
• Competitive: Firefight with special conditions where wins and losses affect global rank.

Mods

Sandstorm has a strong modding scene. Players can create, download, and install mods that change weapon visuals, add maps, introduce custom modes, or alter the overall experience.

Many mods can be installed from the game’s main menu. Players select a mod and install it directly. Server administrators using HolyHosting can also ask support for help with modding.

Player Classes

Classes are split between the Security and Insurgents sides. Each class has strengths, limits, and a practical role in the squad. Some are better for support, while others fit aggressive or forward positions.

Available classes include:

• Rifleman
• Breacher
• Advisor
• Demolitions
• Marksman
• Gunner
• Observer
• Commander
• Flanker
• Sharpshooter

Player Stats

Players rely on several stats during combat: Health, Stamina, Weight, Damage, and Movement Speed. These look familiar at first, but Sandstorm’s realism makes each one matter more than usual.

Health

Players have 100 hit points. That may sound safe, but Sandstorm’s low time-to-kill means health can disappear quickly.

There are no normal healing options besides resupplying at a Supply Crate. Some temporary modes and custom Task Force 666 rules include special health or healing behavior, such as gaining health from enemy eliminations.

Stamina

Stamina affects sprinting, jumping, focus, and overall combat performance. High stamina keeps a player effective for longer, while low stamina can cause weapon sway and vision problems.

Injuries and carried weight can reduce stamina effectiveness. Managing stamina is important because arriving at a fight exhausted is a poor tactical choice, and also embarrassingly common.

Weight

Weight measures how much gear a player carries. It affects movement speed and stamina use. Weapons and equipment add to carried weight during loadout creation.

Players should avoid overloading themselves even if they have enough Supply Points. Picked-up items do not have a weight limit.

Damage

Damage is the health removed by attacks or other harmful actions. In Sandstorm, damage is usually set high, creating a very low time-to-kill.

Damage depends on factors such as weapon caliber, ammunition type, shot placement, accuracy, and armor.

Movement Speed

Movement speed is affected by stamina, carried weight, and stance. Lighter players move faster than heavily equipped ones.

Movement types include:

• Walking
• Jogging
• Sprinting
• Crawling
• Sliding
• Driving
• Tactical Walk
• Crouch-Walk

Weapon Mechanics

Sandstorm’s weapons are built to feel grounded and dangerous. Each firearm handles differently, but all can be lethal when used well.

Aiming

On PC, right mouse button is the default input for aiming down sights. Aiming improves accuracy by using the weapon’s sights.

Aim Down Sight Speed, or ADS Speed, is affected by weapon and equipment weight. Attachments such as the Aiming Grip can also affect how quickly a player aims. Lighter weapons generally aim faster.

Focus

On PC, LEFT SHIFT is the default Focus input while aiming. Focus steadies the weapon, reduces movement, and slightly magnifies the view for better accuracy.

Using Focus drains stamina. When stamina runs out, Focus ends automatically.

Recoil

Recoil is the weapon kick produced when firing. Caliber and rate of fire both affect how strong recoil feels. Recoil can be vertical, horizontal, or both.

Players must control recoil by adjusting aim or stance. Crouching reduces recoil, and going prone offers the most stability. Attachments such as Bipods can also help. Vertical recoil can often be handled by pulling aim downward, while horizontal recoil is harder to control without attachments.

Reloading

On PC, R is the default reload key. Most firearms use magazines, so reloading swaps the current magazine for another.

Partial reloads can happen when a magazine still contains ammunition. Empty reloads are slower because the chamber also needs attention. Quick reloads are available, but they permanently discard the remaining rounds in the thrown magazine.

The MR 73 and Mosin-Nagant are exceptions in Sandstorm because stripper clip attachments prevent their full reload animations from being slowed.

Fire Modes

Changing fire mode alters how a weapon shoots. Automatic weapons can often switch to semi-automatic, firing one round per trigger pull for better control.

Some weapons also support burst fire, usually firing 2 to 3 rounds per trigger pull. Switching modes lets players choose between volume of fire and precision.

Weapon Length and Collision

Unlike many shooters, Sandstorm gives weapons physical collision. If a weapon is too long for a tight space, the character raises it and cannot shoot forward until there is enough room.

That makes positioning matter indoors. Long guns are powerful, but they are not always friendly in cramped hallways.

The Minimal HUD

One of Sandstorm’s most noticeable realism features is its stripped-down HUD. The game shows only limited information, such as objectives, ammunition count, fire mode, markers, match time, and server chat.

The HUD can also fade away and will not automatically return for every action, including shooting. Players need to track ammunition and magazines carefully, or they may discover an empty weapon at the worst possible moment.