The Essentials

Combat

As mentioned, you are almost always better off working from the shadows, employing stealth techniques. But knowing your way around a gun is critical, whether you try to take a room by force or stick to the darkness.

Aiming

Your target cursor appears in the center of the screen. The shape and color of the target cursor indicates the accuracy of your shot, should you pull the trigger. When the cursor is red, you are aiming at a target, either human or environmental, such as a fuel drum or computer terminal, in the precision range of your current weapon. Otherwise the cursor turns white.

Each weapon has a different accuracy (displayed in the armory). The wider the cursor, the less accurate the weapon. Pistols are highly accurate from stand-still, but lose accuracy quickly. Assault rifles are semi-accurate from stand-still but are more contained as you spray, while shotguns release a blast pattern. (Of course, that blast pattern is quite lethal at close range.) When you are moving and aiming, the cursor widens, no matter which weapon you are holding. When you stop moving, the cursor immediately tightens, which means your accuracy is increasing; the likelihood of hitting your target is much greater. However, to be as accurate as possible, not only should you aim from a complete stop, but also "zoom" in.

Zooming in greatly increases your accuracy, but decreases your peripheral vision, so do not linger in this view unless you are absolutely certain you cannot be flanked.

Weapons

As a former Third Echelon agent, you have advanced weapons training. There are dozens of weapons you can use on this assignment, but only after you encounter them in the field or unlock them by completing a mission. You always have a default pistol, the MK .23, which is equipped with a silencer. If you do not have a secondary weapon, you automatically pick up the first additional non-sidearm you run across.

All enemies, including their weapons, are detailed at the end of this chapter.

Weapons may be upgraded three times with the addition of larger magazine, scopes, deadlier bullets, and more. Upgrades are purchased with points acquired by completing P.E.C. Challenges, which are in-mission tasks and objectives such as performing a Death from Above attack or a perfect headshot from the shadows. All P.E.C. Challenges and the awarded points are detailed in the following chapter. Upgrades include:

Increased marks: Reflex sight

Increased accuracy: Laser sight, Gun stock

Increased range: 2x/4x scope, match grade ammo

Increased ammo stock: Extended mag

Increased damage: Hollow point ammo

Here is a full list of all weapons you encounter on your assignment, arranged by category. Each weapon is rated by power, range, and accuracy. The number of possible marks (including how many extra you can get through upgrades) and the magazine size is also noted with each entry.

Completing missions in both the single-player story and the co-op story unlocks most weapons. (A few weapons are unlocked via downloadable content or pre-order bonuses.) Here is a full list of the weapons you unlock, arranged by mission:

Unlockable Guns

Single Player

Merchant's Street Market DESERT EAGLE, M-500

Kobin's Mansion SKORPION, G36C*

Price Airfield P228, MP-5N

Diwaniya, Iraq MP-5SD3 (silenced), AK-47 (can be picked up)

Washington Monument FIVE-SEVEN (silenced)

White Box Laboratories M468

Lincoln Memorial USP .45, UMP .45

Third Echelon HQ SC3000

Michigan Ave. Reservoir None

Downtown District None

The White House G36C

Co-op

St. Petersburg Banya AKS-74U, SR-2M

Russian Embassy AK-47

Yastreb Complex None

Mozdok Grounds None

*Kobin's gun can be picked up if no other secondary weapon was picked up during the entire map