Tips and Strategies for Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) Ownage

For the past few weeks, I have been playing Modern Warfare 2 nonstop. I’ve become pretty good at it…but my style is tactical. Some times I receive messages on Xbox LIVE from angry players accusing me of being a camper. I understand that they get frustrated when I dominate an entire region in the map. But just because I don’t run around and expose myself like a moron, doesn’t make me a camper.

While running around with a sub-machine gun could be fun, my bad connection, which is usually at red or yellow, isn’t suited for this kind of fast paced style. That’s why my style is more of a long-range assault rifle kills. But I usually come out with either most kills or highest kill/death ratio or both. My overall kill/death ratio is 1.5:1. That’s not bad at all for a lone wolf.

Here’s how you can achieve similar results in your own game.

Don’t Expose More Than Your Head

Even though MW2 characters look like they’re carrying their weapons at waist level, the actual fire goes out of the head level.

To fire and kill someone, you just need your head to be out. No other part of your body need to be exposed; not even your hands.

For example, if you’re inside a building and you’re looking out the window for enemies, keep a distance between you and the window. The closer you are to the window, more of your body will be exposed to enemies below. And in most cases, you don’t have to be close to the window to watch an enemy area, unless that area is at a steep angle below you.

This advice doesn’t only apply to windows and buildings. Whenever you’re holding a position, make sure that no more than your head is visible to enemy areas.

Radar is Your Best Friend

During many moments of the game, it’s more advantageous to keep your eyes on the radar than on your surroundings. Even if your UAV is not airborne, you can still accurately guess enemies whereabouts.

In the beginning of the match, you should know where the enemies spawn and which routes they could possibly take thereafter. But few minutes into the game, they could spawn anywhere that is safe. The good thing is that enemies are usually clustered together. That makes their location more predictable.

When an enemy fires an unsilenced weapon, he will show on your radar as a red dot (if he’s too far, your radar will not show you the exact location unless you press the “Start” button quickly to see the entire map). This red dot not only tells you where a single enemy is, but it also gives you an idea of which direction the rest of them could be coming from.

The location of your teammates on the radar tells you where an enemy would not sneak from. Usually, when your teammates are watching a certain route, you can give your back to that route without having to worry about getting flanked.

So, always look at the radar to see where your teammates are and where the action is, and try to anticipate enemy movements. It’s really easier than it sounds.

When your UAV is airborne, you can get lots of kills easily. Simply press “Start” to see the map and see in which direction the enemies are moving. Then take a firing position to pick them out.

Getting UAV is very advantageous to you and your teammates. That’s why even though I unlocked all the killstreak rewards, I still choose UAV.

Get There First

Who ever arrives at the meeting ground and takes a firing position first usually gets the kills. When you’re expecting enemies to move in a certain direction, get to a good position where you can fire at them with minimum exposure. This will earn you lots of kills.

Sometimes you may be moving around the map and get fired at from an enemy who’s taken a good spot. If you’re only wounded but not killed, don’t try to get back at that same enemy. You’ll most likely get killed because they’ll have their sight pointed and ready to fire while you’ll have to pop your head, adjust your crosshair, aim down the sight, adjust a little more and then fire…See the difference?

Strategically Reveal Your Position to the Enemies

Here’s a fun tip.

Sometimes you’ll have reached a good firing spot, and you’ll have your gun pointed where you’re expecting nearby enemies to show. But you wait and no one shows up! They’re still figuring out where they need to go. Give them a little help.

Fire a couple of bullets in the air. This will show you as a red dot on enemies radar. They will think that you’re busy firing at one of their teammates and they’ll run right into your cross hair, which makes for an easy kill.

When you fire these fake shots, don’t do it too close to enemies so as not to let the bullet noise make them cautious.

When in Doubt, FIRE!

MW2′s graphics is very realistic. Characters and the environment have the same shades of colors. This makes it hard to see enemies in dark corners or behind bushes. Some times though, you’ll suspect that you saw movement. When that happens, don’t try to look harder to determine whether there really is an enemy or not, just point your gun and fire away. You’d be surprised how many kills (and avoided deaths) you get that way.

But don’t over do it. Remember that firing an unsilenced weapon reveals your position (and your teammates possible positions) to enemies.

Pay Attention to Enemy Team Skill Level, Pace, and Style

Many times, how well you do in a match depends on the style and pace of the enemy team. Generally speaking, it’s easier to play defensively than offensively. If you’re an aggressive offensive type of player, you’d have a hard time against a good defensive player like me. But two defensive teams against each other make for a very slow paced match.

If you’re playing against very well skilled players and getting killed every time you take two steps, camp! Some times I’ll be playing against players so good, that the only way to stay alive is to duck or go prone and crawl immediately after spawning.

So, if you’re getting hammered by the enemy, don’t get angry and rush back in. Instead, hold your position and you’ll more easily get payback and a couple more kills.

When the enemy team is camping and you’re tired of waiting, use the Ninja perk to infiltrate their areas silently. Obviously, don’t come from the direction where they have their guns pointed. Try to flank them.

Some times, you too will have to change your own pace and style within the game. For example, if you’re successfully killing enemies in every encounter, they may decide to start camping. When that happens, you’ll need to switch from your aggressive offensive style to more cautious, stealthy infiltration style.

Use a Secondary Weapon in Close-Quarter Corridors

If you’re raiding a building, switch to your secondary weapon — preferably a shotgun. In close quarter combat, it’s a lot easier to kill with a shotgun than with other weapons. But if you’re running in close-quarters, always have your thumb ready to press the melee attack button.

Place Claymores Correctly

A claymore explodes forward. If an enemy is even one inch to the back of your claymore, they’re out of harms way. Many times, I’ll see people placing a claymore very close to the door or corner that an enemy will escape the claymore explosion within the few split seconds that the claymore needs to go off.

Keep a little distance between the claymore and the direction from where you expect the enemy to appear. The distance should be close enough that an enemy would still trigger your claymore but far enough that they couldn’t run past your claymore before it explodes.

Get Unlimited Noob-tube Grenades

If you enjoy the noob-tube, you can actually get unlimited number of grenades in MW2. One way is to use the Scavenger perk, which let’s you resupply from dead bodies. But with this method, you, first, have to look for dead bodies to resupply from, and, second, you only get one grenade per body.

Another way to get unlimited grenades is to use the One Man Army perk. You can create a class where you equip your primary weapon with a grenade launcher and select One Man Army for first perk slot. When you’ve fired your two grenades, you can simply use your One Man Army perk to recursively change into the same class. That way, you’ll have effectively replenished your supplies. You can do that for unlimited number of times.

I tried to use the same trick to place claymores throughout the map, but you can’t have more than two claymores placed at a time. When you attempt to place a third claymore, one of your two earlier claymores explodes.

It’s Vital That You Know the Maps Inside Out

You probably already know this, and you’re right. Knowing the maps well enough gives you a huge advantage. And the only way to learn and remember the camping spots and enemy positions is through experience.

One way to help you learn the maps is to setup a local game and explore the maps yourself. Imagine that you’re playing a real game. See where you could hide, where you could move safely, how you could infiltrate an area unnoticed, etc…

Intimidate Your Opponents

Let your enemy think that you’re an experienced killer. Show off hard-to-earn stuff, like the nuke emblem or the fall camouflage of your gun. This will intimidate enemies and make them accept being your victim. But if you kill them and they think you’re a noob, they’ll come back hard at you.

Sniping Tip

Sniping is for very, very long range kills. A sniper should shoot and kill without even being seen (let alone shot at) by the enemy. And remember that the shooting distance of some assault rifles, such as the M16, is very far. I kill lots of noob snipers, who don’t abide by this advice, with an assault rifle.

When you’re sniping, you should be behind your teammates, and you should place claymores strategically so as not to get flanked.

44 thoughts on “Tips and Strategies for Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) Ownage

  1. well, i have a lot off problems with aiming,
    i shoot a whole magazine on a person and he don’t dies ,
    my friend always got like 30 5 ratio
    i only got about 16 9 ratio
    is it because i only play in the weekends? or what?

    got any tips for fast kills?

    thanks for your help

    alexander.

    • 16:9 isn’t bad at all.

      I did notice that the playing style is different in weekend from week days. I’m not sure which one is more competitive, though.

      Here’s one more tip for Team Deathmatch: let the game come to you. Don’t chase it. In other words, don’t go chasing kills too aggressively. Camp more often. It’s much easier to get kills this way. If you’re good though, don’t do that.

    • yes thanks for your support MK, buth i have a lot of problem with aiming my gun ,
      thats my problem i shoot a whole magazine on a person with only 10 bullets on the person …

    • I did write another article about aiming in Modern Warfare 2. But I’m not sure it will help with your serious aiming problem. How’s your internet connection? Is it always yellow and green? If you’re lagging, it’s very difficult to aim accurately. If you fire from the hip a lot (i.e. spray & pray), use Steady Aim perk. It helps a lot!

  2. my internet connection is very good , buth i think its just me,
    buth is my bullet penetration not good?
    scar-h is normally a good weapon with fast kills, buth if i shoot with it , it tooks so long before he is death , so…

    • I never played with SCAR-H extensively but from what I’ve seen, it’s a powerful weapons.

      I personally use FMJ (penetration bullets) in my main class because I like to shoot people through walls. If you try to shoot people through walls but you’re not using FMJ, yes you’ll have to empty (even more than) one clip before you get a kill.

  3. thnx safi, do you have any tips for not too die, quz i always got hit in the back or just knifed like i woukd knive him buth than he was first :s i don’t know how thats possible quz when i respawn my person is kniving than and not on that person :s

  4. The “intimidate your opponent” part is very, very true. I always get pissed when a level 1 n00b kills me lol. I also read your aiming post, and i was wondering what your settings are for auto aim and auto center. They can be found under settings>game defaults>action. thanks,
    jordan

    • Hi Jordan, I didn’t find these settings. Under Campaign mode “Options” there’s “Aim Assist” which you can turn on or off. But I couldn’t find the path “settings>game defaults>action”

  5. These settings are part of the actual xbox itself, not the game. I’m sorry if I made that confusing! On the dashboard go to settings>profile>game defaults>action. Thanks,
    Jordan

  6. can u add some nuke tips? im 5th prestige and cant get a nuke =p. i got a 32 killstreak but when i even try to get over a 5 killstreak I die …. can u give me some tips? -thanks- -Cameron

    • Hey Caneron,

      When I go for a nuke ( I have 24 now), I always go very aggressive the first 7 kills. Once I get my harrier I slowly make my way to a nice spot that I can shoot/hide from. I do this carefully and try not to shoot if I dont have to. If your harriers get shot down, of course you will have to make up the kills on foot. But if your harrier placement is good, there should be no problem getting 4 more kills. The rest is all in the chopper gunner. Only a few of my nukes have I had to actually get more kills after the chopper in order to get a nuke.
      Use scavenger,
      cold blooded,
      ninja pro,
      and silenced tar. Claymore placement is key when hiding!
      Let me know if this helped

      jordan

    • Great tips, Jordan! By the way, sorry I haven’t answered your previous question. I changed my home entertainment setup and my Xbox has been disconnected for awhile.

      About the nuke tips, which match type do you play? Team Deathmatch, Domination, S&D, etc? I think it’s easiest to get a nuke in Domination.

  7. I play in domination and Ground war, and sometimes but rarely Free for all. I find it easiest to get nukes in ground war domintaion.

    Jordan

  8. scar-h is a very powerfull weapon
    if ure a experianced player but still quite suck
    u should use the scar-h whit scavenger stopping power and commando or ninja
    its a great weapon for high killstreaks and it has range
    use it whit fmj or extended mags it ponws
    sometimes u can headshot sombody whit even 1 or 2 bullets

  9. i used to be a very good player, you know, getting ac 130s and all

    that was 2 months ago

    now i cant seem to kill enemies even from 2 yards from my body
    and hip firing seems to be a no-no for me
    espiecially machine-gun hip firing

    i turned out to be an absolute crap sniper

    but there is a deadly weapon, try this out and youll never moan again

    Perk 1: bling pro (if reload takes long then use sleight of hand pro)
    Perk 2: stopping power pro
    Perk 3: steady aim pro
    Death Perk: final stand

    Note you’ll need to be lvl 45+ for this

    Primary wep:AUG HBAR+THERMAL SCOPE+FMJ(no need for the foregrip cos u already got steady aim pro)

    Secondary wep: M93 RAFFICA+HOLOGRAPHIC SIGHTS+FMJ

    equipment: C4

    MAPS ITS MOST EFFECTIVE ON:
    CRASH
    OVERGROWN
    SALVAGE
    STORM
    WASTELAND(very useful in domination)
    UNDERPASS
    SKIDROW(very useful against end-to-end corridors which r long)
    FAVELA(extremely useful for rooftop warfare)

    MY NEXT MESSAGE WILL BE OWNAGE CLASS NO 2

  10. dude. thats awesome

    i never thought aughbar was that use now im the rooftop king in favela, lawl
    but in crash, i may have had a few probs

    hey MK, maybe u shuld try this, its a pretty good combo, if not awesome.
    but u gotta have steady hands tho its slightly difficult trying to kill enemies very very far away.

  11. I got an okay class too:

    primary: FAMAS with heartbeat sensor and red dot sight
    secondary: SPAS-12 with red dot and silencer
    equipment: Semtex, frag, or claymore
    perk 1: Bling pro
    perk 2: cold blooded pro
    perk 3: commando pro
    death streak: I could care less

    note: this works best on hardcore, its pretty effective on the others too

  12. I use to be pretty good at mw2 against my friends but then I didn’t play for a while do you have any tips for me also my profile corrupted at my friends were I play against him and now I am only lvl 16

  13. If you need attachments go play free for all.
    If you need killstreaks go play any gamemode besides SnD and FFA.
    If you want to dominate and keep a consistent kill death ratio play SnD.
    If your aim goes all over da place lower your sensitivity and get used to it and keep going up and getting used to all sensitivites and you’ll end up at 10 and play good.
    I’d say I can still rush and do good.
    If I try to get killstreaks I don’t rush. I go 32-6 every TDM with a chopper if I do that.
    But if I am trying to just pull of a good score I like to stay in the middle of the map which is perfect because in the back nothing happens and in the front there is too much action and you’ll get killed quick.
    Need more help?
    Contact me on XBL or PS3:
    PSN: xBiZaRRe–

    XBL: x GreeN MaJiC x

  14. The tips really only apply depending on what you are planning to do. I’ll just give my insight on the two most popular goals: raising your k/d and getting killstreaks. If you want to just raise your k/d then I prefer my class:

    UMP45 silenced, TMP silenced, Claymore, Flashbangs, Marathon Pro, Cold Blooded Pro, Steady Aim Pro, and Martyrdom.
    The basic idea is to just “Run n’ Gun”, but also keeping your distance from “hot spots” (not just the perimeter, because some maps like Scrap Yard is too small) while placing claymores behind you to prevent flankers. You don’t want to run into more than 2 and possibly 3 enemies (unless they are really REALLY newbie). If you fail to kill someone, he’s seen you, and you are wounded by him… DON’T GO BACK. 9 out of 10 he will kill you, its best to let him go and just look for other targets (but watch your back he might pursuit); this will save you a lot of deaths. With this tactic I’ve managed to witness my k/d to rise a good .3-.5 points. Its good for those of you who are pretty impatient :)

    If you want killstreaks what I recommend is:

    ACR silenced, Akimbo Rangers, Claymore, Flashbangs, Scavenger Pro, Stopping Power Pro, Steady Aim Pro, and Martydom.
    With this class I recommend short-term camping. Get a couple of kills and check your radar if its clear and move to a new safe spot, because inevitably they will remember you and come back for you. Keep your profile low at prones and crouches while also placing claymores behind you (to prevent flankers). Flashbangs are useful for get aways. Don’t stay out in the open, try to find corners or calls or something you can put your back against so that you don’t have to worry about people shooting you from the back (keep in mind you still need a quick way out). ACR can reach Mid range to maybe even Far range if you burst fire. Your Rangers work close range and when you need to reload. Do not fire both Rangers at once… that’s stupid. It only takes one good shot to kill them, if they aren’t dead then fire your second one right after. With this tactic I’ve managed to get my first nuke :) so try it out for whatever killstreak you might want. Be patient with this one and only move when you’re sure that you are safe.

    These have worked for me and some good friends that have also tested it. Feel free to play around with it but remember that it doesn’t just depend on your skill level but also your opponents and even your teammates also effect the outcome of the game.

    Gamertag: CanabisFarmer (on Xbox Live)

  15. if u like to camp try acr red dot and fmj with m1014 and have ninj pro stopping power pro and bling pro ive gotten over 30 nukes that way wen i feel like camping

  16. You guys have given some good tips, but you do realize that you are the type of players that everyone on mw2 hates right? I mean, how many times have you been on a killstreak and you run through a corridor and a camper is just sitting there, waiting for you. Now im not saying i dont camp, but the only times i do are when im doing bad, like 4-7, i just slow my pace down a bit, and the only other time i camp is when im a sniper, and thats called sniping, not camping.. Guys, no offense, but those of you who are campers, and sound like campers, must really suck, cuz theres no reason you should be sitting in one spot and pissing people off. If any of you were good, you would be running and gunning, and you should be getting way more kills than by camping..

  17. I dont really go for nukes.. i go for like choppers and ac130′s cuz i play demo, and CTF, and things like that, SND wen im with a party. But if you do wanna camp, i would recommend using an LMG, because of the magazine size, u wont have to reload after 2 or 3 kills. I was using my MG4 yesterday, and i managed 24 kills by rushing. You guys got any other gud classes u wanna share?

  18. Here is what I have done to get my only nuke so far (I only have around 1 day played on mw2 right now, but had 10 on mw. First of all I was playing tdm on quary, and here is my class set up: m4a1+ fmj( the fmj is a must for the spot where you must camp), aa-12 with red dot, scavenger pro, stopping power pro, steady aim pro. Killstreaks: harrier, chopper gunner, nuke. also claymore, and stun grenades.
    Ok so right off the bat you are going to want to take control of the corner that has the highest ground, the one with all of the big orange drums. Place a claymore at the back end( at the top of the little ramp coming up towards your spot. Then run to the other entrance to your spot and camp there, this is where you will get most of your kills, and ocasionally your claymore will get you one or two, I do not suggest you look out through the fence where you can see down into the quary because you will most likely be killed. The fmj is absolutely necessary for killing people down the alleyway you will be watching, because often they will be hiding behind the concrete barrier in the distance and that way you can easily penetrate it for the kill.

  19. Honestly speaking, you got really lucky in that game.. Getting a nuke in tdm.. well lets jus say ur team had to suck. Anyways, i like to kill from the spot you are talking about, especially on domination. I have nuked quarry before but that was on demolition, and i was using scar-h with fmj. I got harrier, then chopper, and when i was in my chopper, i managed to spawn trap the team into one corner, and i racked up triples and multi’s for my nuke. Quarry is a great map to nuke because of the spawn points of the enemy team in objective based game types.

  20. goooooooooooooooooood classes mate’s especially that bling stoopping power ninja ACR red dot fmj claass i have to try it daaaaaaaaaaam 30 nukes LooooooL

  21. MK you are an absolute loser. All of the things you described above are noobish and cheap. People like you are the reason this game can get frustrating. One man army noob tubing? Honestly? Are you five?

    • @John, It’s part of the game, so we might as well make it public knowledge and fair play for everyone. I don’t care what’s cheap and what’s heroic. I just wanted to share what I thought will bring easy kills.

  22. Here are my class setups (Prestige 2: lvl 70)

    Primary:
    Riot Shield

    Secondary:
    Desert Eagle Akimbo

    Perks:
    Scavenger Pro
    Danger Close Pro
    Commando Pro

    Equipment:
    C4

    Special Grenade:
    Stun Grenade

    Deathstreak:
    Painkiller

    Primary:
    UMP45 Silenced FMJ

    Secondary:
    USP .45 Tactical-Knife FMJ

    Perks:
    Bling Pro
    Stopping Power Pro
    Commando Pro

    Equipment:
    Claymore

    Special Grenade:
    Stun Grenade

    Deathstreak:
    Copycat

    Primary:
    Intervention FMJ

    Secondary:
    PP2000 Silenced

    Perks:
    Sleight of Hand Pro
    Stopping Power Pro
    Steady Aim Pro

    Equipment:
    Claymore

    Special Grenade:
    Smoke Grenade

    Deathstreak:
    Final Stand

    Primary:
    ACR Silenced ACOG-Scope

    Secondary:
    Model 1887 Akimbo FMJ

    Perks:
    Bling Pro
    Stopping Power Pro
    Commando Pro

    Equipment:
    Semtex

    Special Grenade:
    Flash Grenade

    Deathstreak:
    Martyrdom

    Primary:
    SCAR-H Shotgun

    Secondary:
    RPG-7

    Perks:
    Scavenger Pro
    Stopping Power Pro
    Sitrep Pro

    Equipment:
    Throwing Knife

    Special Grenade:
    Stun Grenade

    Deathstreak:
    Martyrdom

    Primary:
    TAR-21 Silenced Heartbeat-Sensor

    Secondary:
    USP .45 Akimbo FMJ

    Perks:
    Bling Pro
    Stopping Power Pro
    Ninja Pro

    Equipment:
    C4

    Special Grenade:
    Stun Grenade

    Deathstreak:
    Copycat

    I never bother to use Cold Blooded. I know how to avoid air support and survive. Unless its a really good player with a Chopper Gunner or AC130, in which case I switch to the “Scout Sniper” class.

  23. I have a pretty good class ive had about 47 nukes half of them in ffa

    Ak 47 – Extended Mags
    Thumper
    Scavanger
    Stopping Power/Cold Blooded (I’ve gotten a nuke both ways)
    Ninja/Commando (Again your choice ive gotten a nuke the same with both i just like the no dmg from falls)

  24. John, what difference does it make that some players use overpowered combinations? In real warfare do you think if the enemy is using more powerful weapons that by screaming in their ear, you are going to get them to change to a more matched class? No. They are going to push as hard as they can because they know they are winning! Now personally, I quick scope because I like the idea and it does require some skill. But, I do not complain if a not as experienced player as me Noob-tubes me in the face! get over it. People are always going to play in not as experienced ways as others.

  25. Hey watsup i usually am pretty god at mw2 but sometimes the bullshit in that game really gets to me. I just basically need to kno some good places to setup and kill people then move again and repeat that process you know. And mw2 would be so much more fun and fair if it had the whole find your own gun in the map like halo does. Im just sick of these noob tubers, they think they are skilled because they can make shit explode. Thats not fun to me, i think people should stop bein such pussies on that game and use a real weapon cuz now on cod4 thats all that people use is damn silencers and noob tubes, its ridiculous. I just hope black ops dont turn out that way with its bullshit,and if you hav any tips for me feel free to share. Thanks

  26. wooow, yea camper alright…. but true should not run around like nuts. But theres an easier way abit like camping. Keep moving, and try to stay in cover not staying in 1 place, or sometime tube thats just hopeless. and for u campers dont ever stay in 1 spot coz they’re not dumb. They will come back at you. And if u fighting a pro they know where you are, then come behind u.

  27. XB LIVE GT: Persuasives
    Add me^

    My best class (I use for Game battles): UMP45 Silenced (or FMJ)
    M93 Raffica Silenced
    Claymore, Smoke or Stun
    Marathon
    Lightweight
    Ninja

    If you want easy kills, get Cold blooded pro, put on a ghillie suit (switch to sniper class) and lay down in a grassy area and hit the Y button repeatedly. It makes it look like your dead. When someone walks by, stand up and kill them.

  28. Dude, everything is good except you said about the noob tubes. I only use it for attachments and challenges. Don’t be a noob and don’t noob tube with one man army.

  29. Primary-intervention fmj
    Secondary-desert eagle fmj
    Perk 1- sleight of hand pro
    Perk 2- stopping power pro
    Perk 3- ninja pro
    Class I use every match
    Quickscoping!!!

  30. Play FFA for streaks. the amount of muppets you face leave you with great K/D.
    A good kit for high streaks (nukes even)
    -Silenced vector
    -Javelin/Striker (depending on how much enemy air support is around)
    -Semtex/Claymore and Stuns
    -Sleight of hand
    -Stopping power
    -NInja
    Works great with Attack Chopper, Pave Low, Nuke ( these kill streaks work surprisingly well together)
    With this kit i run around being super aggressive untill the chopper. honestly the vector has the power to beat mostly anything (except a tar or shotty at pointblank) at short-mid range

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