Multiplayer Guide

SuperCheats.com Unoffiial Guide to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Multiplayer Guide

A lot has changed since COD4, but Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer is still based on one of the most popular online shooters ever.

This section has been writted by Just One More.

The multiplayer component of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is based on developer Infinity Ward’s previous game in the series, Call of Duty 4, which mixed RPG-style character leveling with a first person shooter to create one of the most addictive online multiplayer games ever. With MW2, Infinity Ward has refined and added to the COD4 system in many ways, and previous experience with COD4 or COD5 will allow you to hit the ground running as you adjust to the new game. But having played one of MW2’s predecessors is certainly not required to gain a quick understanding of how the game works.

COD4 was one of the first shooters to exploit fully the concept of upgrading weapons and equipment via Experience Points (XP) by granting XP not only for getting kills and completing matches, but also for accomplishing various other goals within matches, such as killing opponents in mid-air or by shooting their own explosives through walls. MW2 takes that concept to the next level, offering bonus XP for contextual accomplishments in-game such as getting the first kill of a match or getting revenge on someone who has killed you earlier.

Some Killstreaks arrive via airdrops, others are instantly downloaded to the briefcase you carry in a pocket somewhere. Map: Afghan.

Also upgradeable via XP are Killstreaks, rewards based on consecutive kills without a death, and a new feature called Deathstreaks, for those unhappy times when you get consecutive deaths without a kill. More than ever before, your performance and accomplishments in-game affect how you can alter you abilities and add upgrades to your gear to change your online experience.

This title was earned by getting 10 kills with the Danger Close perk.

Beyond weapons, equipment upgrades and perks, game modes are unlocked via XP, and yet another new element of the Call of Duty MP system has been added: Titles and Emblems now join Clan Tag as ways to customize your lobby presence and show off in-game accomplishments. Success with almost any combination of weapons/equipment/perks might grant you a new title and/or emblem. Your Callsign comprises your chosen title, emblem, rank icon, clan tag, and screen name, and is visible in the lobby and at certain times in the game itself. If you do something noteworthy like shoot down a helicopter or get a triple kill, other players are notified via an on-screen update about your accomplishment accompanied by your Callsign.

Fortunately, all of that blood evaporates if you can get to safety.

IW has enhanced the graphical details of the game, and added other touches to make the experience more immersive, such as the new wounded screen shown above. But the adversarial multiplayer game modes will be familiar to gamers with any first person shooter experience and consist of objective oriented games where teams work together to accomplish goals, and of straightforward solo or team death match games.

Killstreak rewards usually come via airdrops.

A player’s equipment choices increase as he or she reaches new levels and unlocks more weapons, weapon modifications, and perks, which add options for the in-game abilities of the player’s character. Most players will wish to rank up as quickly as possible to unlock all the possibilities. This is accomplished by completing matches, performing specific tasks within matches, and completing challenges related to weapons, perks and various in-game goals. For example, reaching milestones of X number of kills with a given weapon might unlock not only a new attachment for that weapon, but also grant XP valuable toward reaching the next rank.

Upgrading a handgun is worth it if you want a quicker melee. Map: Wasteland.

Reaching certain goals while using a given perk may add a feature to how that perk behaves as well as grant XP. While the basis for gaining XP is completing matches and performing well within that game mode’s rules (getting many kills in death match, or accomplishing game mode specific goals such as planting a bomb or claiming territory), attention to the many item-related challenges can greatly decrease the time between levels.

And this time around there are a lot of levels. Prestige returns, but after Level 70, which takes 2434700 XP to accomplish. While many players made it to Level 10 Prestige in COD4, doing so in MW2 will be a much greater accomplishment. And this time there are more rewards for accepting the Prestige Challenge than a single icon by your screen name. Some titles and emblems only unlock after the player has chosen the Prestige option, and you also receive more Create a Class slots, which came come in very handy, especially if you play a wide variety of game modes.

This guide, its screenshots and videos were created using the Xbox 360 version of MW2. The controls are different with the PS3 and PC versions, but the game itself, other than features specific to Xbox Live, are the same.