Advanced Gameplay Tips for Call of Duty
Call of Duty Academy: 105
If you have read the previous posts in the Call of Duty academy series, you are ready to take the next step in learning Call of Duty inside and out. In this article, I will go over some gameplay strategy as well as some tips and tricks to help you compete in Call of Duty. This guide will greatly improve your skills in any Call of Duty title. These tips can be are for Multiplayer mode but could be applied to other modes in Call of Duty.
Use the minimap
Image Credit: Activision
The minimap is a key feature to Call of Duty that has been in the game since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The minimap shows the outline of the map surrounding the area near your character on the map. It shows you where you can and cannot go, as well as where your teammates are on the map as well.
When an enemy fires their weapon, a red dot shows up on the minimap with their exact location. Be aware of the minimap of all times so you know where the threat is coming from, and where you can attack the other team. The minimap is your best friend when you are on the battlefield, so train your eyes to flicker between where you are going and the minimap to ensure that your surroundings are clear of the enemy.
Killstreaks can be used to show the enemies on the minimap at all times, regardless of gunfire. A UAV is one of the first killstreaks that are earned through either a certain amount of kills or points, depending on the game. They show the enemy’s location every three seconds unless they have a perk that hides them from UAVs. An advanced UAV can be earned as well in certain games for a longer kill or point streak than a UAV and shows the enemy’s location constantly for a certain amount of time.
The minimap is your best friend in Multiplayer, so you better learn how to use it.
Use your Grenades
Call of Duty is a fast-paced game where you are not punished heavily for dying and can respawn immediately. The goal of Multiplayer is to survive as long as possible, earning killstreaks, and dominating the enemy team. Your character has utilities that can help you survive longer, even if you are pinned down by the enemy.
In Modern Warfare, your character is equipped with a utility grenade as well as a lethal grenade that can be used each life. The grenades can be used in many creative ways to extend your life and help you earn those streaks. The utility grenade can disorient enemies or reveal their location, giving you an advantage in the ensuing battle. The lethal grenade does exactly what it sounds like. It hurts the enemy or kills them if it is close enough to the enemy. The kill counts towards your streak or the enemy are injured and helps you in the gunfight.
Grenades are indispensable because you spawn with more every life, so you might as well chuck them around the map, helping you survive longer.
Use Attachments to stabilize aim and aim down sight speed
Image Credit: Activision
There are a plethora of options for the attachments on every weapon in every Call of Duty, and there is a hierarchy within those attachments within each game. There are attachments that are available for every part of the gun and have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In competitive Call of Duty, the most-used attachments are the attachments that increase the speed of aiming down the gun’s sights and lower the recoil when firing. The most popular attachments are grips that stabilize recoil, red dot sights that make it easy to aim and track enemies while moving, and barrels that, under barrels that increase aim down sight speed, and barrels that lower recoil.
Only Reload when Absolutely have to
Image Credit: Activision
Abusing reloads is a common occurrence among Call of Duty Multiplayer modes, and it results in a lot of unneeded deaths. The number of bullets to kill someone in Call of Duty is much less than the amount of ammo in the clip, so you can get multiple kills before reloading.
Often times, people try to reload their gun after every fight they have, even if they still have plenty of bullets left.
Since Call of Duty is so fast-paced and people can see you on the minimap when you shoot, you should be ready for someone to hunt you down after you win a fight. Be prepared to see another player, and try to find a place where you can safely reload without a threat of losing their life.
Keep moving
Camping is a term that has existed since Call of Duty was implemented Multiplayer. The term refers to a person who remains locked in one position on the map, refusing to move around. The players are quite frustrating to deal with, but camping is not the best strategy to be successful.
Since your location is revealed on the minimap, remaining in one position for too long can be dangerous, as the other players on the other team can see you. UAVs are easy to earn and gunfire reveals your location, so it is dangerous to remain. There are different power positions on each map that can be used to easily win gunfights, but the other team will hunt you down from every angle if you try to stay at the place where you gunned them down.
The best way to string together kills and survive is to position yourself well to win one gunfight, relocate to a new area a short distance away that is safe, and heal and reload if necessary, so you are prepared for the next fight to come your way.
Hit the long route
Lots of players rush as fast as they can towards the other team, which can result in deaths that could have been easily avoided. When the other team is camping or playing slow, playing aggressively is necessary, but can be difficult with players posted up on power positions.
To catch the enemy off-guard, take a route that is not typical to give yourself easy kills where you can shoot the enemy in the back or side when they are not expecting it at all. It can be time-consuming, but it can reward you with easy kills time and time again.
In game modes such as Hardpoint or Headquarters where the objective moves around the map after a certain time, move early to set yourself up to get kills on enemy players who are also transitioning to the new objective point. It not only helps your team win the game, but it helps you earn your streaks to get more kills.
Practice your aim
Image Credit: Activision
Aiming is the most important skill in any shooter video game, and that is no different in Call of Duty. If you have superior aim in most gunfights, you will come out as the victor and live on to fight another battle.
Aiming only improves as you put more time into the game and focus on specifically your aim. When in a game, learn the recoil pattern of the weapon that you are using so that you know how to adjust your aim as you fire the weapon. Focus on aiming for the head of the other player. Headshots do more damage and kill the enemy quicker, which is crucial in Call of Duty.
Plus, you do not want to get smoked by your friend if he challenges you to a 1v1 of any manner, so prepare yourself for any sway of the gun that the game throws your direction.
Play Different Game Modes
Image Credit: Activision
There are many different game modes throughout Call of Duty that call to different styles of players. When you mix it up and play different game modes, you learn different aspects of the game and will help your overall growth as a player.
For example, playing domination helps you work on your teamwork with others as well as how to defend a certain part of the map. Hardpoint helps you work on playing the game with pace and holding down an area for a specific amount of time as well. Search & Destroy helps you work on your positioning on the map, as well as your clutch gene.
There are many other game modes that highlight specific aspects of a good player, and I encourage you to explore all of them to learn your strengths and weaknesses to improve.
Play the Objective
For game modes that have an objective other than killing the other team, it is a good move to participate in the objective as much as possible. Playing the objective has two advantages that will help you play better in Multiplayer.
The first is that the other team is going to attack the objective if you control it, meaning you can prepare and wait for them. It can lead to easy kills as waves of enemies try to strip you of the objective. The second is when you play the objective, you get free points that can be attributed to your scorestreak or push you up the leaderboards so you can have bragging rights over others in the lobby.
Master the Movement
Each Call of Duty game released since 2014 has had a different style of movement that is unique to that Call of Duty title. In order to become good at the game, you must learn all of the different ways that your character can move around the map.
In the futuristic Call of Duty games, there were many nontraditional movement options that required skill and knowledge on how to use them, which increased the skill gap in those games. In the most recent Call of Duty, Modern Warfare, the game has traditional movement mechanics other than the slide feature. Sliding occurs when a player holds the crouch button while the character is sprinting, causing the player to slide on one knee while maintaining aim.
Sliding can save your life as you move behind cover quickly, or catch your opponent by surprise by quickly sliding around the corner and aiming at them before they even know what is going on. If you can move smoothly around the map and understand the intricacies of moving around, you will gain advantages over players who cannot move as fluidly as you do.
Watch Professional Call of Duty
The best way to learn how to do anything is to study the habits of a trained professional. Call of Duty is no different. The best of the best are competing in the game for a reason, so there is a lot to learn from watching pros play. You learn when to play aggressively and when to wait for a split second longer, off of instincts.
Call of Duty professionals know the game inside and out and know what weapons and utility put you in the best position to succeed on the map. They know every single nook and cranny on every map in the game, so they know where they can hide safely to reload or heal, where they can post up for a few seconds to get some easy kills. Watch the competition between professional teams and learn their habits and apply them to your own game.
Now that you know the basics and some advanced strategies for Call of Duty, what is stopping you from going out there and dominating the battlefield? Take these tips and apply them to your own game, and you will see a massive improvement in no time. Learn the game inside and out, and enjoy yourself every step of the way, it is only just a game after all.
