Multiplayer Overview

Multiplayer battles in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare range from 1 vs. 1 cage matches to insane 18-player ground wars (max on PC is 24 players). You’ll have several weapons in each class to choose from, depending on your style of play or the location where you’re fighting. Weapon attachments become available as you prove your worth on the battlefield, but nothing comes easy. This section contains all of the features you can eventually access and tells you how to best use them, when and where. Special abilities called “Perks” will also be at your fingertips, but again, you have to work for them. Along the way, you’ll be challenged with innumerable tests that you’ll be rewarded for at every turn. Your enemies will know you’ve completed these when they see the flash of your golden weapon.

Control Adjustments

One of the most important things you can do is to set up your controls so that they suit your style of play. If you like to run and gun, you might want to set your sensitivity to High. If you’re a sniper, you might want to set it down to Medium or lower. Always keep in mind that when you look down the barrel of your weapon, whether it’s through your iron sights or a sniper rifle scope, your turning speed slows down. You can also set your controller sensitivity (for consoles) to whatever you like. Click on Custom to edit your settings from near-slow motion to lightning fast. Peruse the control layouts to see what works best for you. You can change everything from your look inversion to which buttons control your melee attacks.

Button/Keystroke Command

HUD and Crosshairs

Your heads up display (HUD) shows you everything you need at a glance, including radar, which will display your own team’s individual positions and enemy positions when UAVs are called in, or when an enemy fires a non-silenced weapon. Enemy radar blips don’t stay visible forever, so be quick about eliminating them or relaying their locations to your teammates. Your ammo count doesn’t display how many magazines you’re carrying, but the total number of rounds that you have with you. The bullet icons gray out as you fire each round, and the number of rounds remaining also decreases. There are two icons above your round count that display how many special and frag grenades you have left. You can also see the faction logo depicting which team you’re on, and the current score for each team. The time left in the round is also displayed next to the score. Bear in mind that most of these elements will be removed when hardcore mode is enabled. At the bottom of the screen, there are circles to depict what the D-pad does, night vision, grenade launcher, etc. The HUD also displays who’s speaking on the mic and who killed who, with an icon of the weapon used to kill that player. At the very bottom of the screen, spanning the width of the display, is your rank meter. This meter fills in with yellow as you progress to the next level and gain experience points.

Your crosshairs give you some great information. Anytime one of your bullets hits another player, your crosshairs turn from a + to an x to confirm the hit. In addition, stun grenades also turn your crosshairs from a + to an x. Use this intel to verify if your stun grenade has worked. The crosshairs spread apart as you move, encompassing the area where your rounds will land if you fire on the run. The crosshairs contract when you stop moving, and contract even more when you change stances from upright to crouched to prone.

Where’s My Life Meter?

There isn’t one. Your health regenerates over time. The only way to tell how much life you have is when you actually take damage. The borders of your screen turn red and pulse when you get hit. When the red fades away, you’re back to full health again. The red bloodshot graphic encroaches on your screen, minimizing your view. When it gets really red and you can barely see, take cover, because the next shot or bad step you take will end your life.

Basic Movement

Always try to move from cover to cover and use your environment to your advantage. If someone is shooting at you from a lower point than you are, crouch behind something to reduce their angle of effectiveness. Look for high ground to get the drop on your enemies. Crouch or go prone for a higher level of accuracy. Always try to burst fire (shoot just a few bullets at a time, then reacquire your target and shoot a few more bullets) for the best accuracy and round conservation. Always look for ways to outsmart your enemies, like good flanking routes, underground passages, catwalks, etc. Try not to keep making the same moves and decisions, or your enemies will catch on.

Getting Online

You have five options: Find a Match, Private Match, Create a Class, Barracks, and Party Invite.

Perks

Perks are special abilities that you unlock as you gain experience points throughout your career. Three groups of perks are available to you. They’re sectioned off so that you can’t overload yourself with ridiculous combinations of special abilities, making you impossible to kill, find, etc. Choosing the right combinations of perks and weapon loadouts for the map will be key to your success on the battlefield. We will suggest some great custom class setups and perk combinations throughout this guide, so look for them as you read on.

Here’s a list of all perks available in the game, descriptions of each one, and the group in which they’re contained.

Perk 1

Icon	Perk Name	Description
	C-4 x2	Carry 2 packs of C-4
	Special Grenade x3	Flash or stun (smoke is not available)
	RPG-7 x2	Carry 2 rocket propelled grenades
	Claymore x2	Carry 2 set-and-forget Claymores
	Frag x3	Carry 3 frag grenades instead of just 1
	Bandolier	Carry extra magazines for all of your weapons
	Bomb Squad	Ability to detect enemy explosives even through walls

Perk 2

Icon	Perk Name	Description
	Stopping Power	Increased bullet damage
	Juggernaut	Increased health
	Sleight of Hand	Faster reloads
	Double Tap	Increased rate of fire
	Over Kill	Carry 2 primary weapons
	UAV Jammer	Undetectable on enemy radar when UAVs are deployed
	Sonic Boom	Higher explosive damage

Perk 3

Icon	Perk Name	Description
	Extreme Conditioning	Run for longer distances
	Steady Aim	Accuracy of aim when firing from the hip
	Last Stand	Attack with your side arm or knife for 15 seconds before you bleed out. Can be ended prematurely if the player is shot. Does not appear at all if too much damage is inflicted (e.g. RPG to the face)
	Martyrdom	Drop a live grenade when you die
	Deep Impact	Deeper bullet penetration
	Iron Lung	Hold breath longer
	Dead Silence	Make less noise while moving
	Eavesdrop	Hear enemy mic chatter

Barracks

This is where you can view your stats and progress in the game. The Barracks contain all of your leaderboards, challenges, and prestige mode options, and let you choose a clan tag.

Leaderboards

	Prestige Level 1		Prestige Level 2		Prestige Level 3		Prestige Level 4		Prestige Level 5
	Prestige Level 6		Prestige Level 7		Prestige Level 8		Prestige Level 9		Prestige Level 10

Party Invite

A party is a group of your friends that you can keep together while playing. You can invite up to nine players to your public party, or up to 18 for a private match party. Party members stay on the same team during play, which is great for clans that only have a few members logged on but want to play together as a team in public rooms. To create a party, just click Party Invite and select the players you want to add from your friends list. Wait for them to enter the party lobby, and then find a match or create a private match. The system will find a room large enough to house your entire party. If the party leader leaves the room, the other players don’t leave. They must exit the room on their own and go back to the party lobby.