Community: Message List

Re: Specialist strike package for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:45:15 GMT

That is a truley remarkable accomplishment. Congrats!

Re: Tips for the new-bees

donotreply@activision.com — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:44:00 GMT

Nice video, and nice advice. You struck on many key points. I also use the lower kill streak rewards, and believe it or not throw a few vests out for my team...lol!

Specialist strike package for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:31:57 GMT

In COD MW3 there are 3 strike packages that can be earned through kill streaks. Assault strike package is the offensive, air support, aggressive style rewards, Support strike package is team orientated and provides your side with rewards that help everyone on your side, and Specialist strike package is a kill streak reward that is geared towards the individual player.

Today I would like to discuss the Specialist. The specialist strike package allows a player to unlock all perks and almost all proficiencies as well. One perk is unlocked per two kills (up to 3 perks), and the perks can be selected in the order in which the player would like to recieve them. After kill number 8, the player unlocks all perks and most proficiencies and bonus experience for all kills up until death when it resets. The Pro version unlocks what ever pro perk you have available.

A very immpressive package indeed, it is also a very selfish package. How many times have you played and noticed no one is calling uav's? How many times has the battlefield been eerily quite? It is because everyone is running the Specialist strike package. The Specialist strike package provides no air support, no defense, and no way to help other teamates impede the enemies advance.

However; Being a one man army has its place, and the Specialist can rain death and destruction down upon the enemy. Having perfect situational awareness, being faster, more accurate, quicker reloads, and using stealth can help a team out flank, out manuever, and simply destroy the enemy in any team match. The key is being aggressive. Being on the offensive, and helping your team to victory. After all, the Specialist bonus gives one that abaility to overcome and adapt. I have only on slot set up as the Specialst, and have heard several different ways to create your path. Here are some examples:

Perk 1: Sleight of hand, extreme conditioning, scavenger. (I use SOH here)

Perk 2: Quickdraw, assasin, or blast shield. (I use scavenger here)

Perk 3: Stalker, steady aim, dead silence, and possibly sit-rep. (I use quckdraw here)

Now it has been said that having Overkill as an initial perk gives you 2 primary weapons immediately as opposed to waiting to gain the "benefit" of receiving overkill using Specialist. Also, Hardline is an option by trading ease of getting to the 8 kills as opposed to having a 2nd primary weapon. What ever route you decide to take, it is best to select the initial perks and the 3 unlock perks that gives the most immediate combat advantages. I hope this provides some insight, and as allways, happy hunting!

A short guide to Attachments

donotreply@activision.com — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:47:14 GMT

Apart from pure experimentation, there is not a lot of information about weapon combinations. Today I would like to throw out a little tidbit about attachments.

Most weapons have decent iron sights, with the M-60 being one of the worst, and the Type 95 being rather large. The red dot sight is one of the most used sights. In particlular, it helps the assault rifles with longer range engagements. The red dot sight has unlocks for various custom reticles for individuals tastes. The Holographic site is very similar to the red dot, but is slightly bigger and can obscure some of your view.

The ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gusight) provides a longer range view and can be attached to most weapons. It can effectively increase LMG's and assault weapons effective range, and as most have encountered, can give sniper rifles quick medium range shots. ACOG sights slows the ads (aim down sites) times.

Hybrid sight is used on assault rifles and gives you both the ACOG and a holographic style sight that can be toggled between each. It has a slower ads like the ACOG sight and can get you killed if your looking down the wrong sight, but if you switch to the holo site right away and only use the ACOG for long shots (along with Quickdraw) it can be nice to have on long/mid range maps.

The HAMR (Hight Accuracy Multi Range) scope is the Hybrid for the SMG. It is even slower going into ads than the hybrid and should be used with Steady Aim and Quickdraw. Use the site only for longer shots and don't use the site on mid/close range engagements.

Thermal scopes are kinda cool. I recently use one on my ACR 6.8 and was suprised at how well I could see on all maps. It acts a lot like a snipers scope with good magnification but shows warm bodies as bright white. I could even see players using the Assasin perk (they stay concealed, but were much easier to spot). Thermal scopes can see through smoke, but are very slow to ads.

Variable Zoom scope is only for sniper rifles and can change magnifications. It can be used instead of the default scope and is no slower than the default scope.

The Silencer is one of the most useful tools in all COD. Silencers prevent your red dot from appearing on the mini-map when you fire. They decrease the effective range and reduce sound and muzzle flash. Silencers appear to reduce recoil and are excellent tools for AR's and SMG's when used on a stealth build. They can be used on LMG's and Sniper rifles, but reduce the damage (or range) they produce.

Rapid Fire increases the fire rate of any weapon by 20%. This can help the burst fire AR's to get that one burst kill. It increases the recoil a lot on SMG's and LMG's making them more challenging to aim. Rapid Fire turns SMG's into can openers at close range.

Extended Mags give you 50% more ammo and allows you to keep firing without reloading at a critical moment. It really benefits the auto shotguns, SMG's, and machine pistols.

Grips can help with the shotguns, but really shine when used on an LMG. The grip won't give you anymore benefit when prone, but gives you a recentering speed increase (accuracy) and reduces recoil when hip firing or crouched.

The Heart Beat Sensor can be a good ally as long as you don't stare at the little screen and are oblivious to your surroundings. It gives you a short window of opportunity to see an enemy (similar to portable radar's range). It will allow you to see enemies as red dots unless they are using the Assasin perk. I used it once very effectivley on the right side of the Underground map by the truck. With my back to the wall and my flanks covered, I had about 1-2 seconds of warning before players would pop out in front of me.

Tactical Knife option allows a faster melee (knife slash). It is carried in the off-hand when you use a pistol. I haven't used it much, but it is available on the default class labeld First Recon in case you want to check it out.

Akimbo is only available with the secondary machine pistol and pistol class. It allows you to carry, fire, and reload dual weapons. You have to squeeze 2 triggers at the same time for both to fire at the same time. You cannot ads, and they eat ammo at an incredible rate. Not very accurate at ranges further than close, they still have the ability to smoke anything near them. I'm not a big fan of them, but you have to admit firing them bad boys and hearing them roar can be addicting.

Shotgun attachments for the AR's are challenging to use. When you remember that you have one slung under your barrel and toggle it "on", it can come in handy in close quarters. I have had a tough time completing the challenge for it on my ACR, but also have suprised a few players with it going off in their face. It is not as powerful as the stand alone shotguns so you definitely need to aim for the upper chest/head area with it as it will take more than one shot any where else, and you probably won't get many 2nd chances.

Gernade Laucher (noob tube). Gernade lauchers can be attached to the underside of an AR. You are given 2 shots and can be a useful tool when it is used properly. Randomly spamming gernades is not skillful and lacks imagination. Shooting one through a window at a campers paradise, and following it up with a lead shower is the recipe for a killstreak. Well that is all for today, hope it helps, and happy hunting.

Re: Game Concepts for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:20:39 GMT

I actually had good luck putting a thermal scope on the ACR 6.8. What was ironic was how good it actually worked on any map, and not just the dark ones. I like the simple red dot on the M-60(the iron sites suck), with kick or a silencer (silencers seem to reduce recoil a lot) and use sleight of hand (reloads are very slow), hardline, and marksman.

Re: Game Concepts for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:03:51 GMT

yes, those things have crazy accuracy! They burn up ammo fast, and are difficult to counter on the small battlefields. I try to slow the player down with tactical items or betties and claymores. Some times I even take my big, slow M-60 out and get a few.

Game Concepts for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:57:03 GMT

In COD MW3 some of the fundamentals seem to be underated. Movement, mobility, crouching, prone, sprinting, mantling, and jumping are all very important skills to master. For example, LMG's and Sniper rifles get a marked increase in accuracy while being fired from the prone. Add a grip to a LMG and firing from the crouched position increases recentering speed by 25% and reduces recoil by 10%.

While the tendency to this "run and gun" game is to run and gun, one should consider the cover and concealment aspect. Cover is physical while concealment can be as little as a strategic shadow. You should attempt to use both when moving, and try to only sprint from one to the other. Open spaces mean you can see and be seen, and can lead to a quick death by a trained sniper. Mantling is the act of pulling yourself up over any obstruction. This means climbing through a window as a means of entering or egressing. Veteran players will often throw a concussion gernade, or a flash gernade into a room, but enter from a different point. This prevents the stunned/blinded player who is zeroed in on the suspected point of entry from blindly firing and getting lucky.The pro version of extreme conditioning doubles your mantle speed.

Mobility is directly linked to the weapons you carry: SMG's, pistols, and shotguns have the highest mobility, assault rifles are next, riot shields, sniper rifles are slower, with LMG's and heavy launchers being the slowest.

In combat aiming is critical. Standing still greatly increases your odds of hitting, but can also get you killed. Use cover and concealment when parked. That brings up a tip. Don't flag your weapon. This means the barrel of your weapon is sticking out of a window and gives your position away. Launchers are also large and silhouette your positon (like the window in resistance looking down the alley on the right side of the map). Crouching, gowing prone, using a grip, holding your breathe, and Steady Aim perk all help with accuracy. Firing full auto, and Rapid Fire attachement greatly reduce accuracy. I usually counter rapid fire (when I use it) with Kick, and try to only use short bursts with full auto weapons.

Aiming Down the Sights (ADS) is the act of raising your weapon and carefully aiming down the guns barrel. This should be used on any distance greater than close range. Remember, ADS slows your movement rate, and can be bad news when encountering SMG's and shotgun users who can quickly outmaneuver you. Take advantage of your weapon. An assault rifle dosen't have to be close to kill. Some attachements and perks can affect ADS times. Quikdraw halfs the ADS time, and Stalker allows full speed movement while in ADS. Hip firing is the "spray and pray" of COD. You should only use it as a last resort or with weapons that have tight hip firing accuracy (SMG's and shotguns). The Steady Aim perk increases accuracy of the spread by 35%. SMG's, shotguns have the highest hip fire accuracy followed by assault rifles, then LMG's and sniper rifles.

Lastly I would like to cover penetration. How often have you been behind seeminly inpenetratable cover only to be smoked? That is because of weapon penetration. At the top of this list of wall bangers is the LMG and the sniper rifles. Assault rifles are next followed by SMG's. Impact proficiency maximizes individual weapons, but i usually leave it off my LMG and give it Kick (it allready has great walling ability). Well that is all for now, hope this helps and happy hunting!

Re: Tactics for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:56:04 GMT

Nice tips, thanks GreggG!

Tactics for the noob

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:39:39 GMT

Ok, i guess I'll just start right in. The first time you pick multi player its going to take some getting used to the control set up. It would be wise of a new player to go through the campaign and maybe solo play to learn some of the weapons and maps. Once you jump into multi play, you should try to follow a team member unless you are playing free for all (then it would be a poor choice to follow another player).

Now some veterans won't want you following if they are ghosting (using stealth perks). So understand if they take off on you. But is usually a good decision to move with a team member, just not to close so you both don't get taken out. This method is very basic. Veterans will use more flanking and map terrain decisions. these will come with time.

It is easy to fall into trying to be the "sniper". It is a very important skill and can be addicting, but your team is more than just bait. If you work with your group, all can benefit. Right at the beginning of a match, take a quick look at your team members. Are they all carrying sniper rifles? This could be the recipe for a long painful match. Just remember, you can switch your class at anytime, and it will change at respawn. Changing classes is what a veteran does to counter various situations on the simulated battlefield.

Lastly for today, if you get killed going down a path once, twice, why go the same way three times? There are always options. Good Hunting!

Re: E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E HATES NOOBS!!!!!

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:53:17 GMT

I dont believe that the proper use of any weapon in the game can be considered grounds for calling someone a noob. Granted, any indiscriminate firing of any weapon and getting lucky random kills is definitely grounds for noobness.....However, there are challenges that require a number of kills with weapons (including 40 with a launcher on an assault rifle).

Re: E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E HATES NOOBS!!!!!

donotreply@activision.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:52:39 GMT

Re: What do you hate about this game? (People related, forget all the issues this game has)

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:18:51 GMT

I don't like it when a person is in team play and uses the time to "explore" like the fellow on my team I saw randomly going around shooting computers in different rooms.....

Re: What do you hate about this game? (People related, forget all the issues this game has)

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:16:31 GMT

I too watch for patterns like what weapons where used and who killed me, but I have also ran into situations where the game respawns players (no tactical inserstions) directly in my line of travel. I feel bad for the noob who ends up in this circle as it must be very frustrating...(i know, cause I've been on the receiving end of it)

Does anyone new need any tactics?

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:07:36 GMT

I have been trying to get onto this forum since COD World War One version...I have wanted to answer a few of the posts I have looked at. For instance: Prestiging and why (and how) to do it. I have used coins to unlock 2 weapons (6.8 and M-60). I did this because I wanted those guns early on. Every other coin I gained was used to unlock a perk so I would have it available immediately. The reason for this is that it will assist you in your chase for prestige making it easier for you to level up earlier. Why the 6.8 and M-60? These weapons when used correcty, can handle almost all situations that the game presents (not including hackers). Buy getting these weapons early, I run through the challenges for each gun and get to the point where leveling up becomes tougher. At that point I'm usually completing the challenges that award 10,000 exp. I have not unlocked any extra slots, as they give you several good ones to use. I try to also use all the perks and several other weapons throughout to balance/make a classes. This is another way to gain exp. It may seem like it takes longer, but when you get to the higher levels you are usually getting the big award points. I know this is just the tip of the iceberg, but now that i'm on here I will try to post once a day....P.S. Don't just stand there...Keep moving