Prebrief

Quarry offers equal parts opportunity and danger in its expansive design. The exterior pit provides countless ways to maneuver over and through the terrain, but long-ranged sightlines can end your climbing expedition fast. Or bring the fight indoors where multi-level buildings provide room to move and windows that overlook huge swaths of the map.

Success in this environment requires swift movement, deadly precision, and a strong understanding of the layout. Level up your map knowledge now with this guide to Quarry:

Intel Card — Quarry

Tactical Overview

In team-based modes, squads will either spawn in Garage (west) or by the Back Road (southeast).

The rock columns within Quarry provide plentiful mantling opportunities to reach high points on the map, with the scattered buildings offering additional power positions. With thoughtful movement plus knowledge of the most high-risk locations, it’s possible to gain the upper hand against even the most seasoned sharpshooters.

For the purposes of this guide, we’ve divided Quarry into six sections based on key areas around the map:

-       MAIN SPAWN POINT: Garage (+ Dump, Storage Facility, Industrial Road)

-       MAIN SPAWN POINT: Back Road (+ Silos)

-       ADDITIONAL AREA: Tank Garage (+ Equipment Garage)

-       ADDITIONAL AREA: Crane

-       ADDITIONAL AREA: Gas Tanks

-       ADDITIONAL AREA: Warehouse (+ Offices, Loading Bay)

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Garage (WEST)

While there are some closed off buildings in the area, the larger Storage Facility here offers a spacious two-level interior with useful sights over the Industrial Road and into the Equipment and Tank Garages. The east-facing upper window and the opening below it offers the longest-ranged sightlines, while the other openings are more suited to combat in the immediate area. SMGs and Assault Rifles do well here, allowing you to effectively combat enemies in and out of the facility.

Also note the Dump behind the Storage Facility, providing a long sight south toward the Garage as well as an opening in the brick wall granting a height advantage over Operators moving in and around the Silos.

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Back Road (SOUTHEAST)

Including the Back Road running along the map’s southern boundary and the Silos in the southwest corner, this section of the map challenges Operators with open terrain and quick access to the nearby Warehouse, Offices, and Loading Bay. The fenced-in Silos offer some concealment against enemies to the north and east, as well as long-ranged sightlines toward those paths when you’re ready to engage. Use the hole in the fence to gain a partial view over Crane.

Be mindful of all the red barrels in Silos. Aim at them to blast enemy Operators within the fenced-in area or detonate them yourself to clear the zone before entering. And when it’s time to return to the Back Road, use the parked truck and nearby buildings to stay out of sight along the open dirt path.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Tank Garage

The Tank and Equipment Garages act as a buffer between the northwest corner of the map and the central Crane, allowing Operators to quickly shift between the inner and outer lanes. The Equipment Garage is mostly bare, with two large entryways and a climbable bulldozer offering access to a window overlooking the eastern quarry. Use the low stone wall outside for a greater view of the area.

The Tank Garage houses a vehicle with surface-to-air missiles and features viewpoints on all four walls, most notably the eastern threshold leading directly to the upper Crane and a staircase descending to the quarry floor. Use the metal platform inside the building to defend against enemies rushing in, or even hop onto the missile platform for a more unexpected angle.

For the grandest view in the building, climb the ladder at the south end to access a high window overlooking the Silos, Offices, and Garage. It’s also a great spot from which to attack enemies coming into the building.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Crane

At the center of the map is the Crane. This is a highly dangerous area with enemies appearing at all levels of verticality over the surrounding rock columns. Savvy Operators — with support from intel-gathering equipment and streaks — can use their heighted map awareness to shift positions around the perimeter, though it will take some practice to anticipate all the various angles of engagement throughout.

The Crane consists of three levels. The lower level provides sights over the quarry’s ground floor, including a ladder leading to the confined upper level where a single entry leads in and out of the area. Move outside and climb the nearby ladder for an even greater, though less well-defended, view of your surroundings.

Enemy playing king of the hill on the Crane? If the direct approach isn’t working, there’s a much higher point from which to look down on their location. Climb the exterior ladder outside the north wall of the Warehouse for a commanding view of the Crane’s upper platforms. Fire down on them while they’re busy engaging enemies in the center.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Gas Tanks

Largely obstructed from the Crane, the Gas Tanks make for a solid flanking path around the middle, though be aware of long-ranged attacks down the length of its north-south corridor, particularly from the open Loading Bay window overlooking the outer quarry. Climb onto the center rock path to launch attacks on either side of the area, and traverse the catwalk wrapping around the Gas Tanks for greater sightlines over the surrounding environment and toward Crane.

Take note of the far east wall, which offers sightlines far to the west where snipers can land epic cross-map eliminations.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Warehouse

The interconnected, multi-level Offices, Warehouse, and Loading Bay take up a large portion of the southern map, offering a valuable buffer between the larger quarry and the Back Road. Their large interiors are suitable for midranged weapons, especially in the central Warehouse, which features four total levels, including the upper catwalk — the highest traversable point on the map.

Because the buildings are connected by covered walkways, it’s possible to stay inside for an extended period of time while contributing to your team’s success: Utilize views toward the Crane, Gas Tanks, Silos and more. The buildings also provide valuable overhead cover against aerial streaks, so be ready to defend your position during such attacks.

Objective Overview

Overall Tactics

Quarry is a climber’s paradise: The better you understand its layout, the more you can take advantage of all the map has to offer.

The quarry itself is a prime example, with columns of rock dispersed throughout the environment. Operators in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III have excellent climbing ability — take advantage of spur-of-the-moment vantage points to outmaneuver enemies.

Keep in mind the ladders in the Tank Garage and outside of the Warehouse. These lead up to the map’s two highest vantage points. Look for other climbing opportunities all around the map, including vehicles, equipment, railings, and more. Put your catlike reflexes to work and reap the benefits.

Use these tactics to defend or advance your team’s push into the objective; once the job’s done, get back down and stay active in the fight.

Domination

On a large map like Quarry, you’ve got to think more tactically about how to approach flag captures; getting pushed back to your own spawn wastes valuable seconds, making it harder for your teammates to break through enemy defenses.

The team who captures B in the lower Crane holds a large advantage, as there are many angles from which to defend the flag. Because the flag is positioned in a tight interior space, it’s also easy to eliminate enemies within using explosives. When taking the point, you’ll want at least one Trophy System for defense against such attacks.

Despite your team’s starting spawn, you may want to consider pushing for the B and C flags. While the A flag sits somewhat disconnected from the other two, B and C are positioned relatively near each other: An Operator can defend both by traveling back and forth through the Tank Garage. By pushing the enemy back toward A, they’ll have a harder time making gains through the match.

Hardpoint

It’s a rush for the Crane as the first Hardpoint of the match; expect a plethora of incoming grenades as both teams vie for the constricted area. After the first objective, the following Hardpoints rotate to the outer Garage, the Storage Facility, the Gas Tanks, the finally the Warehouse.

With a mix of indoor and outdoor Hardpoints, you’ll want to bring along a versatile Loadout or be willing to swap between Loadouts depending on the current target. The A.C.S. Field Upgrade can be useful here, allowing you to capture the point without being on it. Toss one down and find the best available vantage point to protect it and the objective.

Use Quarry’s larger map size to attack Hardpoints from multiple angles, and once in possession, spread out to defend the objective. The less grouped up you are, the less likely you’ll be taken out in a single attack. Because of the larger travel distance between Hardpoints, it’s also worth rotating to the next objective nice and early, even if that means leaving the current one with ten or more seconds left on the clock.

Cutthroat

As with other larger maps, Quarry gives squads greater options in how to approach each round, such as rushing the Crane for an aggressive mid-map confrontation, moving along the perimeter until you see an enemy or hear a nearby engagement, or even splitting up to capture power positions and set up a crossfire.

Eliminate downed enemies as soon as possible; toss a grenade or swap to your Secondary if needed. If their teammate revives them first, it’ll be a much tougher fight. On this map, it’s easy to slip away, and even an enemy with low health can inflict a lot of damage.

Use the quarry’s rock to your advantage, climbing up to get above the enemy and to create shortcuts through the environment. Keep the overtime flag in sight, move through the areas that best complement your Loadout, and don’t be afraid to change up your strategy on the fly to turn around a losing match.

Search & Destroy

The Crane is highly dangerous in Search & Destroy, so the attacking team may be better served taking the Gas Tanks route toward the A bomb site or down toward Garage and Silos for the B site.

With just one life per round, you’ve got to know the sniping angles, whether you’re the one doing the sniping or to avoid getting taken out from afar during a key play. Once you get close to either site, you can switch to shorter-ranged weapons, forcing enemy snipers into a disadvantage. For this reason, it’s worth ensuring some balance across the squad. A team full of snipers can certainly do some damage, but it’s easily countered, and you’ll struggle when the fight moves up close.

As the defending team, make liberal use of the walkways connecting the southern buildings and thus the bomb sites. By sticking to the interior, you can navigate from site to site without endangering yourself in the open.

Top 10 Tips

1. Control the center. While Crane’s open layout may dissuade you from sticking around, control of the area provides your team with a great advantage. You can cross the map more quickly, adopt a defensive posture, and force enemies to the outer edges of the map.

2. Be fearless. These Operators make navigating Quarry’s difficult terrain look like a walk in the park. Use your strength and mobility to climb everything and stay on the lookout for new ways to move through the map.

3. Boom mining. Free-fire Launchers can inflict huge damage against enemy Operators moving along the quarry. Because the rock columns are of variable height, you can target the one just above them and catch them in the explosion. 

4. Clear the Crane. The Crane’s tight interior forces close-quarters combat throughout. If enemy snipers keep racing for the structure, head in with a Shotgun and clear them out. Look for chances to overrun sharpshooters, forcing them to engage at a disadvantage.

5. Back off from damage. Quarry offers endless ways to get out of sight and rethink your strategy; if you’re outnumbered or get hit from an unspotted source, back off and reposition for the counterattack. Play smart and reap the rewards as the streaks start rolling in.

6. Scope it out. Try equipping an Optic in the 2.5x to 4.0x zoom range, allowing you to remain competitive against mid-distance foes while also being able to target enemies farther away when needed. For improved versatility, equip a hybrid sight and swap zoom settings on the fly.  

7. Red barrels everywhere. Quarry is full of red barrels ready to explode. Positioned around the Crane and Silos and scattered within most of the interior spaces, they offer the perfect opportunity to blast nearby foes. Inflict some damage to them and boom!

8. From way far out. While there’s no shortage of long-ranged vantage points on Quarry, the northeast corner of Gas Tanks is especially devastating. The views from this area are unmatched, creating opportunities for some truly epic takedowns.

9. Bring a friend. An extra set of eyes can make a big difference when moving through Quarry. Party up with a friend and coordinate your attacks to improve your chances of survival. Combine opposite playstyles for a balanced approach, or pair up with similar weapons and fight side by side.

10. Close range works too. Quarry’s long sightlines might suggest that only long-ranged Loadouts can perform well here, but that’s far from the case. It’s possible to quickly move from building to building and to navigate the terrain in ways that force the enemy up close. Learn to control the available space and win the match.

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