III. Weapon Familiarization II (Equipment, Killstreaks, and Deathstreaks)

A. Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Weapon Type

1. Frag Grenades

Advantages:

- Range. You can throw these things halfway across the map. Not only that, but they’ll bounce and roll just like a real Frag Grenade.

- Banking. To take the bounce a little further, you can use walls and doors to bank a shot into a room without putting yourself in harm’s way. This is really useful if you cook the Grenade first.

- Cooking. As I mentioned before, you can hold onto a Grenade for a couple seconds if you want it to explode at a certain point. This takes a bit to get used to and you will undoubtedly throw it prematurely for a while. It is worth practicing though because it is impossible to run from a Grenade that blows up as soon as it hits the ground in front of you.

Disadvantages:

- Sound. You can always hear when a Grenade lands near you. It has a very distinct metallic sound. As soon as an enemy hears this they will take off sprinting, thus surviving the blast.

- Throwback. If you aren’t playing a Hardcore match you will see a Grenade Danger Indicator show up when an enemy Grenade lands near you. When you see this you can use the Grenade button to pick it up and throw it back at your enemies.

2. Semtex

Advantages:

- Sticky. It’s a Grenade that will stick to anything. Even an opponent’s chest. Awesomeness.

- Sticky. Did I mention they were sticky? Try sticking these bad boys to Riot Shields, doorways for following enemies, or even teammates for a “Leeroy Jenkins”, or suicide bomber for the uninitiated, type of kill.

Disadvantages:

- Sound. These things have an annoying beeping countdown sound as soon as you pull it out. This can often give it away to an enemy. That’s why it’s usually best to just stick it to them.

- Sticky. Yeah, they’re sticky. That means no bouncing or banking. What this hits it will stick so there is a smaller margin for error in your throwing abilities.

- Can’t cook em’. Unlike the frag grenade, semtex can’t be ‘cooked’.

3. Throwing Knife

Advantages:

- Deadly. One hit with a Throwing Knife and you are only a memory.

- Awesomeness. Uhh…you get to kill people with a Throwing Knife. I shouldn’t have to say anymore, but I will.

- Reusable. You can pick these up and use them over and over again. No need to resupply, just yank it out of Jimmy’s face and keep going.

Disadvantages:

- Aiming. The aiming mechanics for this are hard to get used to. Think of using it like a Grenade Launcher and you should be okay.

- Not a Grenade. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten I had this equipped instead of a Grenade. Usually I’ll end up with the Throwing Knife stuck in a ceiling somewhere with no way to reach it.

4. Tactical Insertion

Advantages:

- Respawn. You won’t have to run all the way back from the other side of the map. Just drop this somewhere and you’ll respawn in that exact spot.

- Camping and Sniping. If you’re either and you have a spot you don’t want to give up or have to try and reach again then these are great.

Disadvantages:

- Rate of Use. These are flares and take around 5 seconds to use. That is a lifetime if you are trying to use it in a pinch.

- No Throw. Unfortunately you can’t throw these. You will simply drop it on your exact location as soon as the flare is lit.

- Flares. They are flares. As such, they glow a bright red light for all your enemies to see. They can either destroy the flare or kill you and then wait for you to spawn on that flare for another easy kill.

- Not a Weapon. Using this means you can’t equip a Frag Grenade, Throwing Knife, Semtex, C4, or a Claymore. Ewww.

5. Blast Shield

Advantages:

- Explosive Damage. You take less damage from explosives such as Frag Grenades, Semtex, C4, and Claymores.

Disadvantages:

- Not a Weapon. Using this means you can’t equip a Frag Grenade, Throwing Knife, Semtex, C4, or a Claymore. Ewww.

- Peripheral Vision. If you have this equipped you further limit your field of vision. This is done to simulate actually wearing the helmet.

6. Claymore

Advantages:

- Sighting. If placed correctly Claymores are hard to spot until it is too late. One blast is usually all it takes to kill someone attempting to knife you from behind.

- Protection. Even if someone does manage to destroy your Claymore, you are often close enough to hear it explode. That means you will be waiting for the enemy coming after you.

Disadvantages:

- Sighting. Most of the time they are pretty easy to spot.

- Only 2. You can only plant 2 Claymores at a time without the first one exploding. That kind of sucks.

7. C4

Advantages:

- Sighting. They are just too damn hard to see most of the time. I never notice a C4 bundle until it is too late.

- Sticky. You can stick these bad boys to just about anything too. This is especially useful in multiplayer modes like Headquarters and Search and Destroy.

- Damage. Higher damage than C4. You are much more likely to get a kill when using C4 than when using a Claymore.

Disadvantages:

- Remote. You have to actually remotely detonate these charges. Who wants to wait around for someone to walk through a door? Not me.

- Replanting. Like a Claymore, if you die you’ll have to replant it. They automatically disappear when you are killed.

8. Stun Grenades

Advantages:

- Range. You’re able to throw these quite far to stun your victims.

- Distraction. One thing that has been pretty useful for me is a simple distraction factor. I don’t always get the kill when I use these, but a lot of the time these can allow you get past a single enemy or a group for flanking.

Disadvantages:

- Damage. There isn’t any real damage to attribute to these Grenades. You can, however, kill someone by hitting them directly in a Hardcore match.

- Effectiveness. They don’t always work to full effect, depending on where they land in relation to your enemy. On top of that you can still sometimes get a kill if you are stunned by simply spraying with your weapon.

9. Flash Grenades

Advantages:

- Range. You’re able to throw these quite far to stun your victims.

- Blinding. They will completely blind an enemy who is affected by it. Once again, they can still kill you by simply spraying bullets in your general direction.

Disadvantages:

- Damage. There isn’t any real damage to attribute to these Grenades. You can, however, kill someone by hitting them directly in a Hardcore match.

- Effectiveness. You can sometimes escape harm if you are blinded by knowing your terrain well enough. If you are blinded, try to remember where the nearest area of cover was in relation to your current position and move there. If there isn’t any, immediately go to the prone position and start spraying. This can save your ass sometimes.

10. Smoke Grenades

Advantages:

- Range. You’re able to throw these quite far to stun your victims.

- Cover. Smoke Grenades provide excellent cover if you need to move through an area that is being watched by enemies.

- Duration. These little guys can last quite a while. That means more movement for more people through your smoke screen.

Disadvantages:

- Thermal Scopes. Thermal Scopes can see right through smoke. If your enemies have Thermal equipped your Smoke Grenade will be useless.

- Damage. There is absolutely no damage attributed to these.

- Enemy Movement. You aren’t the only one that can move through a screen of smoke.

B. Uses(both common and uncommon) of Each Weapon Type

1. Frag Grenades

Frags are pretty great for online play. They’re useful for nearly every encounter you will be in.

The most common uses for them is to toss into a window where you know an enemy is hiding. For a higher kill percentage you’ll want to “cook” the Frag, meaning to hold down the button you use to throw it for a second or two. When you do this and then throw it you give the enemy less time to get away from the blast since the countdown started well before you threw it.

A very useful and not so common usage for a Frag is to blow the hell out of a vehicle that someone is using for cover. It is pretty funny to throw a grenade that they see land right in front of their cover, or car, and watch as their source of cover takes them to the reaper.

2. Semtex

Another name for Semtex is a sticky grenade. Unlike a Frag Grenade, these won’t bounce when they hit a surface area like a door, floor, ceiling, etc. Instead they’ll stick right where they land. Even on an enemy or a teammate.

Although they’re hard to aim at a moving target, Semtex is most commonly used to stick to an enemy.

I’ve seen Semtex used on occasion as a trap for someone’s pursuer. Someone getting chased can throw these on the frame of a door and if their timing is just right the person chasing them will run through and get blasted.

Sticky Grenades also work well as Riot Shield killers. Stick one to their big shield and run away as fast as you can.

If you and a friend are feeling really adventurous, you can try for to kill by suicide bomber. Stick some Semtex to a teammate and have the teammate run into a group of enemies for a suicide bombing. It’s hard to accomplish this though since they usually see or hear you coming and are rarely in groups. It might be easier in Domination or something similar.

3. Throwing Knife

Throwing Knives are used similar to the way a Grenade is launched. The good thing about them is that it will always give you a kill if it hits true. The problem is getting them to your intended target.

I can’t say I’ve seen it used much, but the most uncommon usage I’ve seen was when someone shot me and I was in Final Stand. Instead of finishing me with a bullet they used their Throwing Knife to kill me. So wrong.

4. Tactical Insertion

There really isn’t much to say about Tactical Insertions. They’re a flare that is used as your next respawn point in case you are killed.

They are used mostly by campers and snipers so they can resume killing from their vantage point without having to trek back.

Take note that they can NOT be thrown. They will be dropped right where you are standing as it is lit. Enemy Tactical Insertions will glow a bright red while friendly flares glow green.

5. Blast Shield

I’ve never used these for anything other than when I was using some Rocket Launchers. There are just too many other good equipment choices for this to be of much use to me.

If anyone finds some use of this beyond protection from your own rocket splash damage let me know.

6. Claymore

Claymores don’t seem nearly as useful as they were in the last game. Either they’re easier to spot or everyone is just so used to them this time around.

I’ve not come across any uncommon uses for it yet. They’re used mostly to either guard a sniper or camper, or as a surprise trap when someone rounds a corner.

7. C4

Another explosive that doesn’t seem to be used much. I’ve had my share of deaths via C4, but not many. The problem is the remote detonation. This causes the trap layer to be in close proximity to the C4. Seems like it would just be easier to shoot them.

8. Stun Grenades

The obvious use is to stun an opponent so you can place some lead in their eye socket. Just be sure that you aren’t too close to the explosion or you’ll also stun yourself.

The most uncommon usages would be to confuse a Sentry Gun or a Claymore. Throw one next to it to give you a few seconds to either rush past or to get close to destroy it.

9. Flash Grenades

Everything I said about Stun Grenades applies here.

10. Smoke Grenades

Smoke Grenades are usually the choice for snipers because it lets them through a certain area without people really knowing where they went. This will work for anyone as long as the enemy doesn’t have a Thermal Scope. Thermal Scopes will see right through the smoke for an easy kill.

Smoke Grenades are used to get close to a Sentry Gun at times too. The Sentry Gun won’t be able to see you coming and can be dispatched with a quick swipe of your knife.

C. Killstreak Combos for High Kill Total

Killstreaks are available after you kill a certain number of enemies without dying. There are quite a few different options, most requiring an unlock for reaching certain ranks. For a full list, reference your barracks section of Modern Warfare 2.

If your interest is stacking up bodies, there are a few routes you can go. In the beginning, I recommend you get your care package first. Whatever you find in the care package won’t count toward your kill streak, but every kill still gives you experience points for rank. In a care package you can find anything from more ammo to the nuclear bomb that will kill the entire opposing team and give an instant win.

Once you’ve gotten a little more comfortable with aiming and are able to stay alive longer without dying, I recommend choosing either a Sentry Gun or Predator Missile for your first Killstreak reward. They require 5 kills, but they are only a stepping stone toward your next reward, the Harrier Strike. Keep in mind that a sentry gun is likely to give you more kills before it is destroyed, especially if you set it up in a high traffic area. The downside to this is that you have to physically place it in that area, thus putting yourself in danger of being killed. The Predator Missile, on the other hand, can be used from any secluded area, but usually only nets 1 or 2 kills. Play around with both until you find the one you like.

Next is the Harrier Strike at 7 kills. There is also an Attack Helicopter that can be used, but it doesn’t usually provide as many kills. The reason is because the harriers drop a large grouping of bombs on a specified area first. Then they hover around shooting anyone dumb enough to stick their head out the window. Harrier Strike should always be chosen over the Attack Helicopter for this reason. Once you call in your Harrier, it is almost a guarantee that you will reach your next, and last, Killstreak reward.

At only 9 kills you have the option of calling in a Pave Low. A Pave Low is a heavily armored attack helicopter. Basically, there is a much better chance of it staying around to wreak havoc on your enemies. This is my personal favorite at the moment. As near as I can tell, the only advantage to the Stealth Bomber is that it is undetectable on the radar. I’ve always gotten more kills from the Pave Low.

Some people prefer to use their last Killstreak reward for 11 kills. This will give you the option of either an AC-130 Gunship or the Chopper Gunner. Both of these are great, and are operated similarly. The AC-130 is a personal preference for most, though I’ve had much more success using the Chopper Gunner.

So for a high body count I recommend one of the following:

-5 Kills Sentry Gun/Predator Missile à 7 Kills Harrier Strike à 9 Kills Pave Low

OR

- 5 Kills Sentry Gun/Predator Missile à 7 Kills Harrier Strike/ 9 Kills Pave Low à 11 Kills AC-130/Chopper Gunner

If you use one of these setups you are almost guaranteed a place in the top three by the end of the round.

D. Killstreak Combos for Team Support

Another common tactic is to use your Killstreaks for team support. Although this is less satisfying personally, the team usually benefits quite a bit. You know the adage. No “I” in team.

The first Killstreak for team players would be either a UAV Recon at 3 kills, a Care Package or a Counter UAV, both at 4 kills. UAVs show anyone without the right perk as a small red dot on your map. This allows the team to find your enemies easier.

The Counter UAV just scrambles their enemy’s UAV, preventing them from spotting you on their map.

I covered the Care Package earlier, but I will add that they make excellent bait for trapping your enemies. If you have one waiting to be opened, you can sit back and wait for some poor schmuck to try and steal it. Press the scrotum punch button and send him packin’.

At 8 kills you’ll have an Emergency Drop. This is a Care Package x 4. Yeah, now imagine if you and 3 of your teammates got something like AC-130, a Pave Low, an Attack Helicopter, and a Predator Missile. The game wouldn’t last long.

15 kills provides you with an Electro Magnetic Pulse, or EMP. This takes away all functionality for the opposing team. Even the crosshairs disappear. The enemy doesn’t really stand a chance for at least 1 minute. I think it is closer to 2 or 3 though I’m not sure.

So, for a team support build go with the following:

- 3 Kills UAV/4 Kills Counter UAV/4 Kills Care Package à 8 Kills Emergency Airdrop à 15 EMP Charge

E. Deathstreaks and Usage Strategies

1. Copycat

This is the first Deathstreak reward and it is defaulted until you change it. When using Copycat you will be able to copy the exact custom class of the person who killed you last. You can do so by hitting the proper button during the killcam and only after dying 4 times in a row without killing an enemy.

The most useful application of this is when you are very low level and you don’t have access to the guns you feel you play best with. Other than that it is quite useless.

2. Painkiller

Painkiller is the updated version of the Juggernaut perk from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. After 3 deaths you’ll have 10 seconds of an increased health total.

This is best used during regular matches and does wonders for frustrating other players.

3. Martyrdom

You’ll remember this from COD4 as well. When you are killed you will automatically drop a Frag Grenade in an attempt to kill another enemy.

Hardcore matches are the best application for this Deathstreak since it only takes a near hit to kill with a Grenade. Unfortunately you can also kill your teammates the same way on Hardcore. Keep that in mind because you are likely to get lots and lots of new nicknames.

4. Final Stand

After 4 deaths without killing an enemy you can use the Final Stand Deathstreak. It is similar to the Last Stand perk, but you will be able to use your primary weapon instead of your secondary. You can crawl around as well, but this keeps you from shooting your weapon. If you survive long enough you can stand back up without dying.

This is the most popular choice for Deathstreak rewards that I’ve seen. It gives you one last chance to earn that kill and possibly survive to keep a Killstreak going.

Weapon Familiarization I (Primary and Secondary) | Perks Described

For questions, suggestions, and corrections you can send me an email at jcavin00@gmail.com. Thanks. Have fun and beat some heads for me.