Hardline- Hardline is one of the newest perks to be introduced to the Modern Warfare series. Once chosen, this perk allows the user to obtain killstreak rewards with one less kill. For example, a UAV would only require two consecutive kills while an EMP would require fourteen consecutive kills. Hardline’s usefulness is often debated in that when used offers a 33% decrease in kills to obtain certain Rewards like the UAV, while other Rewards like the Nuke only receive a 4% decrease. Personally I feel that Hardline is best used in 2 situations: The first being classes who’s Killstreaks Rewards are between three and seven consecutive kills, this way, rewards like UAV, Counter-UAV, and Care Packages will almost always be active and available to a team. The second way is to have a class equipped with One Man Army and a Perk like Danger close or Stopping Power, once you get say 7 kills in a row, One Man Army into a class with Hardline and your next kill will grant you a Pave Low or Stealth Bomber.

Danger Close- This probably my absolute favorite Perk in all of Modern Warfare. Aside from having a cool name, Danger Close increases explosive weapon damage by 40%. The Perk is unlocked at level 33 and is the last Tier 2 Perk to be unlocked, and for good reason. Even though it may not seem like much the 40% damage boost is applied to all Launchers, Grenades, The Noob Tube, C4, and Claymores. If a player has a class that is built with a combination of these items and the Scavenger or One Man Army Perks, and the Martyrdom Deathstreak, they immediately become a force to be reckoned with. In addition to this, the Pro version of Danger Close increases Killstreak reward damage by 40% making it even more lethal especially when switched (One Man Army ftw) between a class that has Hardline equipped. My favorite strategy is using a Claymore or C4 in conjunction with One Man Army and switching into my “Danger Close” class, thus increasing my placed equipment’s damage and giving myself a hefty loud-out of offensive explosives. All in all, I LOVE THIS PERK!

Please enjoy the Danger Close awesome and the Hardline “glitch” videos I posted below!

Lightweight- Lightweight is one of 2 Red Perks that are available to players at the start of the game. This perk grants the user the ability of increased movement speed. The increase in speed is a simple 7% boost, which at first may not seem like a lot, but when coupled with Marathon, the deadly Running/Knifing Class. In order to gain the Pro version of this Perk, players have to sprint 30 miles while having Lightweight as their Tier 2 Perk. The Pro version of the perk allows players to fire their weapon faster after they sprint. The Sprint-Shoot delay is cut in half, and the effect of the Pro version stacks with Sleight of Hand, essential making the user a guaranteed winner of one on one battles.

Cold-Blooded- A bitter rival to running class, and arguably the best Tier 2 Perk, Cold-Blooded is all about stealth. This Perk is unlocked at level 25 and when equipped removes the players white silhouette when viewed by thermal optics. In addition, it hides the user from all Killstreak rewards from UAV to AC-130s. The pro version of the perk is unlocked by destroying 40 enemy Killstreak Rewards or stealing an enemy’s care package. There’s a glitch in the game to get the Pro version sooner and it is illustrated in the video below. The Pro version of CB prevents the red name and crosshairs from appearing on an enemy’s screen when they are looking at the user. This is useful for hiding in shadows and playing dead while in an open area of the map.

In my opinion, both of these Perks have their applications, but if I had to choose one over the other, Lightweight wins hands down, especially if it’s couple with Marathon or Sleight of Hand.

The two Killstreak rewards up for debate are the Harrier Strike, and the Attack Helicopter. First off, both of the Killstreaks require 7 consecutive kills (6 with Hardline equipped) in a row to be acquired by a player. However, once activated, they each have properties that are unique to themselves.

Attack Helicopter: The attack helicopter is a classic Reward that existed in previous Modern Warfare games. Once called, the Helicopter takes about 15 seconds to arrive, and last for about one minute on the map. In addition to this, the AH uses FMJ rounds on its targets and has the ability to return fire at players who are attempting to shoot it down. In terms of mobility, the Helicopter can fly around the entire map, making it harder to hit with lock-on missiles.

Harrier Strike: On the other hand, the Harrier has the perk of first attacking the map with an airstrike over the map and arriving 4 seconds after activation. Harriers only last for 45 seconds and once the jet arrives, it is confined only to the area of the map in which it was called to, making it an easy target to take down. The Harrier attack enemies with an undermounted turret that only shoots when it is facing its target, unlike AH that can attack in all directions. This makes avoiding a Harrier somewhat of a simple task.

When choosing either of these Killstreaks it really comes down to a matter of preference and maybe even the map that the match is being held on. Personally, I prefer the Harrier Strike over the Helicopter any day.

The Riot Shield, for some unknown reason is impenetrable by bullets from any gun including sniper rifles as well as shotgun blasts. Oh, and the Shield is also able to withstand a full-blown RPG blast to the face even if the shooter has Danger Close equipped. In addition to this, Riot shields are supposed to be beatable by Claymores and C4′s, but I have seen this theory disproven many times. As far as I know, the only sure-fire way to stop a Riot shield is to stick the shield with a Semtex Grenade. However, if the user has the Blast Shield as his equipment choice or if he manages to swap the shield out quickly for a fallen weapon, he will remain unharmed. Lastly, Riot Shielders are supposedly vulnerable near the feet but crouching remedies this drawback.

To close, even though Riot Shields require 2 hits to cripple an enemy, and cause the user’s speed to decrease neither of these are a big enough downfall for this filthy choice of a weapon.

The 4 Homemade Tactics that I currently use are as follows, and the list is still growing:

Homemade Scavenger: A commonly chosen Blue Perk, to use the homemade version of this perk, all the user needs to do is kill an enemy who is using the same class of weapon as you (i.e Using a Mini-Uzi, kill an enemy who has a P90 or other Sub Machine Gun equipped). After killing them, running over their corpse quickly enough will give you extra ammo for your main weapon. Not as good as the original but some may find this useful.

Homemade Sleight of Hand: My soon to be favorite Blue Perk, this speeds up the reload time for the user’s weapon. To add a homemade little twist, start reloading a weapon and hit the Aim Down Sight button. This only works for certain weapons though. An alternate option for Light Machine Gun users is using the One Man Army Pro Perk to switch into the same class since some LMG’s take longer than 3 seconds to reload.

Homemade Martyrdom: Probably my most frequented Homemade Tactic, simply ready or “cook” either a Frag or Semtex grenade (or Claymore in some rare cases) when entering a room full of enemy personnel or in cases in which you are sure you will lose a fight. Upon death your character will drop the grenade, just as he would if the Martyrdom Deathstreak we’re active.

Homemade Overkill: This is definitely the simplest HMT to perform and is a classic Perk from MW1. While n the heat of battle or in between battles, simply pick up a fallen enemy or comrade’s weapon and swap it out for the weapon you are currently holding. This is perfect for when your run out of bullets or if you are unsatisfied with you secondary weapon.

• 14.78% – UAV
• 14.78% – Ammo
• 13.04% – Counter-UAV
• 10.43% – Sentry Gun
• 10.43% – Predator Missile
• 9.57% – Precision Airstrike
• 6.09% – Harrier Airstrike
• 6.09% – Attack Helicopter
• 4.35% – Pave Low
• 4.35% – Stealth Bomber
• 2.61% – Chopper Gunner
• 2.61% – AC-130
• 0.87% – EMP
• 0% – Tactical Nuke
  
• 0% – Care Package
  
• 0% – Emergency Airdrop

As you can see, the higher the Killstreak Reward, the lower the chances of actually getting said Reward. However, the sum of the percentages of all the 5+ Killstreaks (Sentry Gun and above) totals to about 57% which surpasses the sum of the other 3 Care Package possibilities.

A common misunderstanding about the Care Packages is that the Reward inside of the Package adds to the Killstreak that the player already has going (with the exception of Pave Lows). For example, if a player gets a 4 Killstreak, calls in a Care Package, and gets an Attack Helicopter, if the Attack Helicopter manages to kill a bunch of enemies, the players “Killstreak Count” will still remain at 4, even though their overall ratio will reflect the helicopter’s kills.

Now check this vid of the Care Package in action, as well as a little EMP lovin’ as a bonus!

The Handguns offered to players are the USP .45, .44 Magnum, M9, and the Desert Eagle; all of which can be FMJ’ed, Akimbo’ed, and Tac Knifed (the Silencer and Extended Mags are exclusive to the USP and M9). Surprisingly, the Handguns are one of the rare weapons that can actually benefit greatly from the Stopping Power Perk. If this isn’t reason enough to use the Hanguns, they each come with an ability that is unique only to them. In term of swapping from Primary to Secondary weapons, the Handguns are able to perform this maneuver the fastest. This can often prove detrimental in the heat of battle once a primary weapon’s magazine is empty. In addition to this, the attachments that are probably the most useful on Hanguns in my opinion are the Tactical Knife, and dare I say it… Akimbo.

Below is a montage of my favorite Handgun, the USP. 45:

The Frag Grenade as many of you may know has the ability to be “cooked” which many players find advantageous in the heat of battle. Because of this ability, Frags can be hurled into a crowded room and explode almost instantaneously as opposed to Semtex grenade which has a timed fuse and doesn’t activate until the user releases it. This can be useful because once drawn, players have the option of putting the grenade away, while Frags have to eventually be thrown once drawn. In addition to infinite holding, Semtex grenades have the ability to stick to whatever surfaces they touch. The stickable surfaces include both enemy and friendly personnel. This is perfect for times where a frag grenade would normally roll or bounce back, not that this can’t also be a useful tool.

To close, Frags can be thrown back at the user if not properly cooked. Also, even though they are electronic, Semtex Grenades are not effected by the EMP Deathstreak, but the throwing kinfe strangely is. When choosing a Frag or Semtex Grenade it pretty much depends on the user’s preference. Personally I prefer the Semtex, but I plan on trying to work the Frag Grenade into a few of my classes.

The EMP has the ability to disable everything that a player has on their screen like their HUD and ammo count. In addtion, the EMP temporarily destroys Red Dot and Holographic sights, ACOG and Themal Scopes, and my personal favorite, the evil that is the Heartbeat Sensor. Also, EMPs can disable enemy equipment such as Claymores and C4s, and for some reason the Throwing Knife. However, the Semtex, though electronic remains unaffected.

Probably the best thing about the EMP is that it destroys any of the airborne enemy killstreak rewards and restricts the opposing team from activating anymore. Probably the worst thing about the EMP is the fact it takes 15 consecutive kills to obtain (14 with Hardline), because of this, it is a very seldom seen Killstreak reward.

For those that don’t know, the silencer is capable of the following:

• Reducing the amount of muzzle flash that is emitted from a fired weapon.
• Keeping player’s from appearing as a red dot on enemy mini maps when a weapon is fired.
• Reducing the damage output and range on certain weapons (Shotguns and Snipers are most effected by this)

If used to the full extent of its prowess, the silencer can be used to provide the user with total stealth-like combat, thus making it very difficult for enemy’s to find you. I must admit though, one thing that I do not understand about the Silencer is why Infinity Ward would allow players to put a Silencer on a Shotgun? I mean on paper this may sound like a good idea, but in reality, this just seems kind of stupid to me. However, I guess this explains why many people don’t use this combo; that and they are too busy using akimbo weapons.

And Big Ups to Manny Gonzalez for lovin’ the silencer and introducing me to its greatness!