For those jumping into multiplayer on Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare, it can be a jarring difference from the singleplayer experience. Even if you’ve been racking up crazy killstreaks in previous games there are some subtle differences to this title that can leave you stumbling at first.
While your ranking will largely depend on your skill as a player, there are some things you can be doing to dramatically improve your abilities. Whether it’s adjusting the controls, running in bursts, or tweaking audio settings, here’s what you can do to become a pro in no time.
10 Learn Your Playstyle
This one seems obvious, but many players never get around to doing this or try and morph themselves into something they feel like they have to be doing to get good. Everyone has a unique playstyle because everyone is skilled with different weapons, has different temperaments, and unique personalities.
If you enjoy using shotguns, find a way to use them more effectively. Don’t force yourself to be a sniper because someone told you to. You’ll perform far better doing something you’re having fun with than doing what’s expected.
9 Fulfill That Role
Once you find your playstyle, gravitate towards a role that benefits your team and fulfill that role when in multiplayer. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a teammate with a shotgun who hides in the grass and waits for someone to come by so they can get an easy kill.
Blitz the objective, snipe the MVP of the other team, lay down covering fire so your teammates can get into position, etc. Find your role and stick to it when the shooting starts. You’ll be doing yourself and your teammates a huge favor.
8 Lower Killstreaks
This is especially helpful if you’re just starting. The Chopper Gunner may be a cool ability that’s incredibly helpful, but if you have a low number of killstreaks for each life then you’re never going to unlock it and you’ll be a liability for your team.
If you’re struggling or it's just not your round, lower the killstreak reward to something more obtainable like a UAV. It might not be as flashy or as powerful as higher killstreak rewards, but you’ll be able to use it more often and be a much more valuable asset to your team.
7 Team Win vs. Personal Win
As long as we’re talking about teams, it’s important to know there’s a difference between a team win and a personal win. You could rack up an impressive number of killstreaks but ultimately lose the round because you weren’t keeping your teammates alive or accomplishing the objective.
It is always better to prioritize a team victory and your skills will improve once you do. That being said, there is an exception to be made when your team is awful and no one is cooperating. At that point, consider it a thrown match and take the opportunity to practice your skills, try new setups, or hone your tactics for when you get a team that cooperates better.
6 Tweak Settings
As you start playing and get a feel for the combat mechanics and gunplay, you should start tweaking a few of the settings to better convenience you. The default settings aren’t bad, but everyone could benefit from nudging the aiming sensitivity around a little or relocating a few of the buttons.
Don’t go overboard and you’ll want to make the changes gradually, but with the right tweaks, you can have a setup that’s optimized for you and your needs, which will improve your skills.
5 Listen Carefully
As long as you're tweaking some of the settings and button mappings you may want to strongly consider adjusting your audio settings. Many of the pros like to strip away the music and flashy sounds to leave just the basics.
The reason they do this is that it makes it easier to hear footsteps and gunfire. Footsteps can alert you to incoming enemies and their positioning and gunfire can give you clues as to what weapon they’re using and where snipers might be holed up. At the very least, a good set of headphones will work wonders.
4 Wait To Reload
A lot of deaths are caused by players getting trapped in an inescapable reloading animation when an enemy pops out of nowhere and blasts them. It’ll happen now and then no matter what you do, but you can minimize how often it happens by being more conscious about reloading.
Wait to reload until the clip is empty or almost empty. When you do reload, ensure there are no enemies nearby or that you’re properly covered when you do. Having a teammate to watch your back while you reload does wonders, but be sure to return the favor as well.
3 Use Your Gear
It’s a crying shame when a player’s body goes down and they still have valuable items on them like grenades and molotovs. It’s tempting to reserve them for when you need them, but odds are you’re waiting too long and your cooling corpse is a good clue that you probably could have used them.
It’s far better to waste something than to die with one on you and waste it anyway, so don’t hesitate to flush enemies out with a grenade, drop a Molotov to cover your retreat, and use those gadgets when you have half a reason to.
2 Run In Bursts
It’s important to stay mobile and running is key to getting from cover to cover quickly or rushing a command point. But it’s important to remember that too much continuous running will get you killed. Enemies will hear your footsteps, you’ll be trapped in a running animation and can’t respond to threats quickly enough, or it means you’re not using enough cover.
Make sure to progress forward or retreat in bursts. Dart from cover to cover and take a moment now and then to study your surroundings. Being in a constant hurry will only lead to you getting blasted as you come around a corner at full speed.
1 Focus On Your Objective
Perhaps the best tip to keep in mind to become a pro at this game is to focus on your objective. This franchise has had a continual problem with players being more worried about their kill/death ratio than winning and this title is no exception.
If you want to be a good player that teammates can rely upon, then make sure your efforts are focused on achieving the mission. A squad of four mediocre players focused on the objective is much more useful and effective than four players with a sick kill/death ratio or trying to get high killstreaks. Get out of the tall grass and push for the objective, you’ll automatically be a better player by doing this.