Movement Guide: Basics and Combat Techniques

Movement is the key to winning gun battles in the fast-paced multiplayer setting of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MW2). Read on for a complete movement basics guide including movement techniques that you can apply during combat such as sliding and dolphin diving!

Movement Basics

Configuring Sensitivity Standing, Crouching, & Prone Walking, Sprinting, & Tactical Sprinting Vertical Movement Swimming & Underwater Combat

Configuring Sensitivity

Since movement in Modern Warfare 2 is dictated by where you're looking, one of the first steps you can do to make playing more comfortable is to adjust your mouse or controller sensitivity according to your preference.

On controller, you have the option to set look sensitivity to any value between 1 (lowest sens) and 20 (highest sens). By default, controller sens is set to 3. On mouse and keyboard, sens is measured in DPI (dots per linear inch). The higher your mouse DPI, the faster you look and turn in combat.

High Sensitivity vs Low Sensitivity

While this is usually left up to player preference, there are still certain advantages to using high and low sens. For controller players, mid to high sens is favored since turning and aiming faster than your opponent usually means you'll win the gunfight.

However, for mouse and keyboard (M&K) players, it usually depends on what kind of mouse movement you use. If you're a wrist player (aiming and moving the mouse by only moving your wrist), a higher sens will be better. If you're an arm player, low sens will be better since it affords more precise control of where you aim and how you control your spray.

Standing, Crouching, & Prone

Movement is also influenced by your Operator's stance. Whether going against enemy players in multiplayer or navigating the levels of the campaign, make sure you know when to Stand, Crouch, or go Prone during combat.

• Standing will allow you to turn, look, and shoot faster at the expense of being fully visible while doing so.
• Crouching will give a similar benefit standing, albeit with a smaller hitbox, slower movement, and inability to sprint while moving.
• Prone is the most concealed of the 3, however, do note that turn rate and movement speed are significantly lowered when in this position.

Walking, Sprinting, & Tactical Sprinting

There are 3 types of forward movement in Modern Warfare 2: Walking, Sprinting, and Tactical Sprinting. Make sure to take note of the advantages and disadvantages of each since the TTK (time-to-kill) in CoD multiplayer is faster than most modern FPS games.

• Walking allows for the least footstep sounds while moving. This is perfect when playing high-stakes game modes like Search & Destroy, especially when you're trying to clutch up for your team.
• Sprinting faster movement while still being ready-to-shoot. However, it makes a lot of noise compared to walking. Use this when pushing or repositioning to areas that you know enemies are active in.
• Tactical Sprinting has your weapon vertical and moving the fastest you can go. Use this for fast rotations, pushes, or when covering large open areas on the map.

Vertical Movement

On top of Mantling, Climbing, and Parachuting, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 adds a new vertical movement mechanic called Ledge Hanging. Familiarize yourself with what each movement does and how they can be used in battle.

• Mantling allows you to climb up and over certain ledges and walls, perfect for taking cover, evading pursuers, or taking height advantage in certain maps.
• Climbing is possible in maps that have ladders that players can use to reach the tops of buildings. These will allow you to reach elevations much higher than what you can mantle at ground level.
• Ledge Hanging is a new mechanic that allows you to hang onto a ledge while still being able to use your pistol to deal damage. Use this to your advantage in large maps with tons of verticality.
• Parachuting is used to safely and quickly descend from high areas. In some maps, rotation is everything so finding your way down quickly from an overwatch position will have a large tactical advantage.

Swimming & Underwater Combat

Swimming is another brand new movement option coming to Modern Warfare 2. Players will now be able to navigate water areas, evading enemy detection or bringing the fight to them from underwater.

Do note that you cannot use primary weapons while underwater. From what footage we've seen as well as from the Call of Duty NEXT presentation, it seems like only pistols can be used when shooting underwater.

Combat Movement Techniques

Using the Drop Shot Peeking & Dodging by Strafing Using the Dolphin Dive Sliding for Momentum

Using the Drop Shot

One tried and tested method of getting kills in Call of Duty is the Drop Shot. This usually involves going prone on enemy contact to break their line-of-sight (LoS) while still hitting them with your shots.

When face-to-face with an enemy, the one who shoots first usually wins. While shooting, hit prone to break the enemy's LoS. Leave them to hit air while you secure your kill using this technique.

Peeking & Dodging by Strafing

Moving and shooting will always be better than stationary shooting, especially in small maps that call for a lot of rotations. When fighting or peeking corners, try to occasionally strafe left and right to present an unpredictable moving target to your enemies.

Using the Dolphin Dive

The Dolphin Dive has made its return back from CoD Black Ops (2010) infamy, adding a whole new layer of dodging and repositioning to the slide mechanic of previous CoD titles.

When running at full tilt, you can opt to use a Dolphin Dive to get more distance and end up prone (smaller hitbox), or you can use it to clear small ledges that you normally wouldn't be able to do just by running and sliding.

Sliding for Momentum

Again, due to the fast-paced nature of CoD's gameplay, breaking the camera of your opponent is one of the best ways to win gunfights. Outpace their turn rate in order to shake up their aim while you go in for the kill.

Sliding, unlike the Drop Shot and Dolphin Dive, allows you to break the enemy LoS after exiting a sprint. While they're adjusting their aim to compensate for your slide, you're already primed to shoot them and send them to the respawn screen.

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