Was it a sniper? All the 3 races/realms have access to a one shot kill headshot sniper rifle. However currently only NC has it unlocked as default. The other realms have to pay 8k Auraxium or thereabouts to unlock theirs but then they have a bit of a surprise for the NC.
It's also a bolt action rifle that requires you to drop from your scope to pull the bolt back. Meanwhile TR and VS receive a rifle by default that takes two headshots or three body shots, but it's semi-auto.
The question of whether it's fair is a valid one; and I've heard from in-game chat that NC will be receiving the same type of semi-auto rifle as their default as a means of balance.
Also as to hearing things from in-game chat; I've heard that Auraxium gain will be tied to experience point gain instead of being passive and tied to how many facilities you control on that continent. I'm not sure if I'll like that as much, and not just because my side is kicking ass on one continent and I can just go there and accumulate enough Betauraxium to test out new guns and the following is why.
I think that if they simply allowed all resource types to be 'cross continent' and divide facilities' resource payouts by the number of continents you would not see for example TR and VS be trapped inside their warpgate on a continent all day long because they don't have any resource (of any type) income to buy tanks and aircraft with to break out. (sorry for bold, it's just the meat of the idea)
Though, for that not to be an issue except VERY rarely you'd have to have more continents. With two I suppose there is a small chance that a really organized realm/race could, through exceptional division of forces, take both continents and lock their opponents inside their warpgates, which quickly become warphates due to all the /yelling going on because they can't even buy vehicles to break out.
I have yet to see that though as whenever NC owns Esamir all the NC goes there for Auraxium so they can unlock new guns and takes up 50-70% of the continent's population while the people who want to earn certs and such go to Indar to do something other than stand on a ridgeline just outside the non-enterable area and make the other realm feel bad with massive amounts of firepower.
That leaves Indar about 80% screwed for the NC because everyone is on Esamir raking in the tasty Betauraxium. I haven't seen NC be warpgated on Indar since my very first day (on Leda server) but I wouldn't doubt it may have happened when I was accumulating delicious Auraxium on the other continent. (can you view the other continent's status when away from the warpgate? That would be nice if not.)
Also, I was floating the idea in /yells around the VS warpgate and it seemed like people on both sides thought it was better on paper than Auraxium from kills. Was a lot of consensus that the current system isn't working but could be fixed in this way.
One advantage to consider of Auraxium on kills though is that when I go afk to the bathroom I'm not still earning Auraxium with my rifle pointed staring at the sky or the dirt for a few minutes. Though I've tested that and you don't seem to earn Auraxium except on the front lines already; as I sat at both the warpgate for a while and also at a base a few territories back from the front line and neither gave Auraxium income while I was there putting clothes into the laundry or some other such chore.
EDIT: I'm reading Higby's post on the changes to Auraxium gain. If they do it correctly I think their new system will be better, but we'll see I suppose. As he mentions those minor things that don't currently give XP would be a hitch in the system if they continue to not have a reward; for example spotting and transport. Those would be somewhat easy to abuse maybe though; so we'll have to see the implementation before judging I suppose. From what I've seen so far though I have some faith in these devs however.
Maybe for transport XP could be based on the number of people transported (with a bonus for squadmates?) multiplied somehow by the distance they've been moved?
For spotting maybe 1xp per enemy spotted or one larger lump sum a minute. Maybe 10xp or something. It's not as much as killing an empty Flash at 25xp, but then again that Flash might have a radar on it.
Speaking of the Flash radar; that thing takes WAY too many certs. I'd have to save up for a really long time for that one with the way I've been playing. Which admittedly is mostly helping to make (some) VS and TR cry at their warpgates (for good reason) so I'm not exactly trying for certs at the moment.
Then again it maybe the most useful part of the Flash so I guess I could be wrong about it being expensive certwise. It may just be a tad too much to be viable though. Once I determine how cert gain is away from the campfires around Esamier TR and VS warpgates I'll be in a better position to know I suppose.