Here are some tips to give you the edge in Modern Warfare 3’s frenetic multiplayer, aimed at the player new to the series.
1. Experiment with new weapons
While almost all of the weapons have enough killing power to be effective if you’re good enough, you’re unlikely to find your favourite on the first try. As you don’t have to buy weapons as in Black Ops, there’s no reason not to try each new weapon you unlock it, at least for a few rounds. Attachments and perks also make a good deal of difference, so persist a while until you’ve unlocked the first few items.
Coming up with the best class loadout to support each weapon is always a lot of fun, and if you’re in need of ideas then XboxAhoy’s Weapon Guide Express is the perfect series to watch, with logical and clearly explained suggestions for maximising your effectiveness set to scenes of multiplayer devestation.
2. Start with the basics
If you’re just starting out with the game, then a good way to learn the maps and compete against other players is to go with the absolute most basic loadout. Here it is:
Weapon: M4, a decently powerful fully automatic assault rifle.
Perk Slot 1: Sleight of Hand, which halves the time it takes to reload.
Perk Slot 2: Quickdraw, which halves the time that it takes to aim down the sight.
Perk Slot 3: Stalker, which gives you faster movement while aimed down the sight.
The benefit of this loadout choice is that you gain a very stable weapons platform, allowing you to compete with players who know the map better than you do. You won’t gain any fancy benefits like automatic spotting or explosive resistance, but you’ll have the best chance of beating other players in a straight up fight. It’s also available as soon as you gain the ability to create a class.
3. Play Free For All At First
Free for all is the simplest game modes, and is one of the best for trying out new weapons and learning to fight effectively. Particularly if you’re new to FPS or the Call of Duty series, then you’ll find that the simplest game mode will allow you to concentrate on the shooting rather than working out where the objectives are.
Team Deathmatch is a good intermediate step, allowing you to practice flanking in a dynamic arena.
4. Keep Moving
The number one cause of death in FPS games is standing still, so keep moving whenever possible. That doesn’t mean you should be charging straight at the enemy at all times, or that if the enemy starts firing at you it’s best to jump or dive, but instead you should move with purpose.
There are two components to this, which I could classify as micro and macro, to borrow RTS terms for a minute. Macro concerns your overall movement patterns, and could be also called strategy. Micro concerns your specific movements and efforts to avoid enemy fire and could be termed as tactics.
First of all, you should try to avoid camping in the same general area. If you’re always the guy in the tower, or always rushing towards the marketplace, then your opponents will expect you to be in that area and move more cautiously while they’re there. Instead, you should try to focus your attention on traversing numerous areas, taking out opponents and then continuing on.
Ultimately, your goal should be to cut through the enemy lines to take an advantageous position to the side or rear of the bulk of the opposing team. This is where you can potentially get the biggest kill streaks, as you’ll be attacking clusters of enemies from an unexpected angle. If all goes well, you can easily take down three to four enemies in a very short space of time once you get into position, which puts you in prime position to earn a kill-streak reward.
Secondly, you should always be moving in place – move from floor to floor, building to building and corner to corner. Try to avoid hiding in a corner and staying there unless you are waiting for a specific enemy to pass as part of your overall strategy. Even if you’re in the open, strafing backwards and forwards or left and right will make you harder to hit. If you’re close to an opponent, strafe around him (circle strafe)
5. Make use of Elite
One of the most vaunted features of Call of Duty is its Elite component, which if you go premium for $49.99 a year, offers quite in-depth strategic information about the game, including guides for each weapon, map and game type. While the service is still unreliable at the moment (and hasn’t yet appeared on PC), it can be worth the money if you’re looking for that elusive leg up you need to compete.
Elite is available at elite.callofduty.com – when it’s up.
I hope you’ve found this useful!