A number of folks have asked me over PM my secrets to being an Op, seeing as I'm (and I say this with no ego) probably the best Operative player on PS3. So I've edited for context my responses to said people for all to read. Be warned...since being an Op is the hardest class to master of the four, below is a WALL of text. But if you want some keen and key insight from someone who has pretty much mastered the class completely, read on. I 1st start off with the key ability components to have as a light Op.

Universal:
Combat Intuition
Sprinting Reload (Because you'll be doing a LOT of running...namely away from opponents with bigger guns)
Silent Footsteps (for obvious reasons)

Operative:
Homing Beacon
Comms Hack
Sticky Bomb
Caltrop Grenade
Hack Turret
Cortex Bomb
EMP Grenade
UAV

Now, the 1st rule of being a light Operative is...you are NOT a fighter. Your job is not to kill hordes of enemies. Your job is to provide intel for your team, and disrupt the other team's progression. To do this, you have to remain undetected as best as you can. As a light Op, you don't have the benefits of being a light in any other class...meaning you have no buffs. You're pretty much the weakest offensive guy on the map aside from other light Ops. So with that notion in mind, engaging the enemy head on shouldn't even be in your mind, unless you like hearing the Brink jingle as you lay Incap'd. After playing the maps long enough, you learn the roots, short cuts and choke points. THIS is where you set up your offense. By tricking, luring and fooling your prey into a spot where you can get the drop on them unexpectedly, or a team mate can butcher them with your assistance. That's when your job as a light Op begins.

At this point, when the enemy is down...and if it's safe to do so (that being if no other enemies are around and the downed foe doesn't have Downed Fire) you hit the Operative double whammy of Comms Hacking & disguising as them. And then you get to work disrupting the enemy's plans. When in disguise, so long as you avoid the guy you're disguised as or another Op who can see past your rouse, you can stay hidden in plain sight as long as you want...or can. General rule of thumb when playing against other users...NEVER disguise as them. Your disguising targets should always be bots. They're easier to trick into making mistakes, and other human players pay NO attention to allied bots, it's a proven fact. This is where the good Ops are separated from the SUPER Ops (like myself). Now that you're disguised as an AI bot, you have to act like an AI bot. Be completely brainless. Make questionable decisions like "acting" like you're running to a command post. Generally, do what the AI does...and no one will ever suspect you. Once you have that veil of anonymity in place, this is where you instigate your ambush.

The idea is to drop enemy defenses, leaving them vulnerable for your team to demolish them. This is done, if you've played the role right of fooling the enemy team, by getting behind them when they're engaged with your team mates (namely at the objective). They're not paying you any attention, but make absolutely sure NO ONE is beyond you. When you're positive of this, break your disguised by pressing the fire button, and throw a Caltrop grenade into the crowd to start. They won't realize it's there until the spikes are released and they're taking damage from them. Then you can unload on the closest enemies to you, knowing that your team mates are putting the pressure on them. The human players on the other team will be frantically trying to figure out why Caltrops are doing so much damage, when it's the combo of the Caltrops AND you raining SMG fire on them. Pretty soon you've got about 4-5 guys down on the enemy team, and a clear objective...for the time being.

There are other Op tactics that I could go into, but they're more "style" based tactics that I've developed through my own play style, so I won't go into them because they may not work as well for you. But the above mentioned tactics are KEY to being an Op at an objective. Draw an enemy away from the Objective, namely a bot, hack and disguise as him, trick the other humans into thinking you're actually that bot, then when the time is right...strike fast and disappear into the shadows...only to do it again. After a few times, you'll be so into the other teams users heads that they'll second guess when that particular bot comes near them every time, taking a few shots at it to be sure. And of course, an enemy with less ammo is an easier enemy to beat. Don't keep picking on the same Bot though, mix it up again to really mess with the other team's heads.

As far as weapons go, My personal choices are the Bulpdaun and the Ritchie. The combo of an accurate primary and a high damage secondary works best for me. You have to be in close quarters (inside of 25 meters) for your weapons to be fully effective, which again...plays into being in a position to get your shots off with little opposition. When the enemy doesn't know where he's being shot from, he can't shoot back. Stealth is the key. As I said before taking on Mediums and Heavies head on is a bad...BAD idea. Taking them on from angles however, or from behind when they're already fighting someone else...that's the optimal time to engage when not disguised. Doesn't matter what weapons you use, it's the timeliness of when you engage that matters.

Now comes the other abilities. Sticky bombs are good for shock value. They're hard to hit a person with up front because of the weird way the fly, but throwing them into areas you KNOW the enemy will pass through works far more effectively. Turret hacking is one of the best defensive moves you can make, especially when you're undetected by the enemy. If they've set up turrets at the objective and you're unseen, hack every last one of them you can, and watch as they get ripped to shreds (of course you should be be firing at them as well, just to be safe). If it's not safe enough to hack them, your next best option is to hit them with an EMP grenade. These not only disable turrets, but mines as well, along with enemy Operative hack boxes, enemy soldier HE charges AND maintenance bots. Basically, when you hit rank 5, the EMP is a must have ability. Lastly we have the UAV...probably the most valuable recon tool you have. It allows you to mark enemy positions, defenses and tactics from a safer distance then being disguised. The drawback is that they can't rise or descend...and they require a little practice to learn how to pilot. But trial and error will lead you to learning how to maneuver it, as well as routes to fly it that won't be detected by the enemy. And of course, there's the fact that you can trigger it to explode, and when it does...it can kill a light and medium with no health buff, and leave a heavy with no health buff on the verge of being downed. Flying one behind a group of unsuspecting enemies and letting it rip is a special treat. (My record so far is 6 enemies at once. I flew it successfully under the left ledge of Resistance's 1st spawn on CCity, waited for a spawn wave to come filing out, followed them all out and BLAM!!!)

Hopefully, some of these tricks of the trade will help you in your quest of learning Brink's most challenging and unheralded class.