Firing your weapon is arguably the most important part of combat in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Read on to learn more about the basics of firing, all the new shooting mechanics, and tips on how to use your weapons' full potential.

Firing Basics

Switch Between Firing Types for Accuracy Hip-Fire Shooting for Short Range ADS Shooting for Long Range Control Recoil to Land Your Shots Mounting Your Weapon Go Underwater and Attack from a Different Angle

Switch Between Firing Types for Accuracy

Depending on the type of weapon currently equipped, you can shoot a weapon and continuously fire (fully-auto), burst (burst-action), or fire a single shot (semi-auto or bolt-action). A weapon's firing rate will be displayed in the Gunsmith or can be seen beside your ammo count of your HUD in-game.

Use Hip-Fire Shooting in Close to Medium Distance Combat

Each weapon has its set of stats such as a specific rate of fire and damage profile. Hip Fire is when you shoot a weapon without the use of a sight or scope. This can be performed simply by shooting your weapon and is the faster method of firing. This firing method is most optimal when in medium to close-quarters combat. The best weapons for hip firing include SMGs, Shotguns, and dual-wielded Sidearms.

Use ADS Shooting in Long Distance Fights

Aim Down Sight (ADS) firing is shooting a weapon while using sights or a scope. This type of firing lets your control your bullets easier and consequently allows for more precise shooting. While you can use the iron sights of a weapon, you may also opt to attach an optical attachment which can also provide better magnification.

Control Recoil to Land Your Shots

When firing a weapon and using ADS, the recoil of that weapon will slowly pull your crosshair away from your target. While each weapon has its unique pattern, recoil patterns in this game are predictive. This means you can learn a weapon's recoil pattern and control it to improve your accuracy.

Mount Weapons for More Stability

Mounting allows you to place your weapon on a wall or ledge and benefit from reduced recoil for more precise shooting. To mount a weapon, simply ADS near a wall/ledge and a prompt should appear asking if you want to mount it.

While this provides more control over your firing, you will be sacrificing a lot of mobility and will be vulnerable to sneak attacks. Make sure to assess the situation and exercise caution when mounting a weapon.

Go Underwater and Attack from a Different Angle

One of the new features added in Modern Warfare 2 is the ability to fight in or underwater where you can only use sidearms and equipment. When shooting your firearm underwater, certain elements such as the depth of the water can affect the accuracy of your shots.

All New Features & Gameplay Mechanics

Tips for Shooting Effectively

Plan Your Loadout Utilize the Environment Peeking and Trigger Discipline Pre-Aiming and Pre-Firing

Plan Your Loadout

Modern Warfare 2 features different types of guns and each one has unique characteristics. Knowing what weapons to equip in your loadout can set the tone for your playstyle for a match.

Gunsmith 2.0 Guide: How to Customize Your Weapon

Utilize the Environment

The best way to avoid receiving damage is to use your environment and get to cover. Getting behind impenetrable walls or objects not only gets you out of your enemy's line of sight but allows you to heal up or engage in combat on your terms.

Peeking and Trigger Discipline

Whenever you're taking an area on the battlefield and you feel that the place isn't safe, peeking corners and clearing areas is the best course of action. Peeking corners can be done by slowly approaching a corner and checking if the area is clear rather than just rushing to that area.

Trigger Discipline is gauging the current situation and deciding whether or not firing at enemies can benefit or be a disadvantage. For players new to the game it would take time and experience to distinguish when these moments are but generally if you feel that you cannot properly participate in a fight, it would be best to hold off on shooting enemies.

Pre-Aiming and Pre-Firing

Pre-Aiming is keeping your crosshair at a position where you think an enemy could be while Pre-Firing is shooting at a location where you think an enemy is headed. This is very useful when clearing an area and can allow you to hit shots faster as the adjustment required is smaller than if you weren't pre-aiming.

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Tips & Tricks

All Tips & Tricks