Best Perks and Perk Packages

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) changes up the Perk system with Perk Packages. Read on for a complete list of every Base, Bonus, and Ultimate Perk in the game, the best Perks and Perk Packages to equip, and a guide to how the new Perk Package system works.

List of All Perks

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Base Perks	Bonus Perks	Ultimate Perks

Base Perks

Two Base Perks are always available once the match starts. You do not need to earn any points to unlock them.

Perk Name	Description
Overkill	Carry two Primary Weapons.
Double Time	Double the duration of Tactical Sprint. Increase crouch movement speed by 30%.
Battle Hardened	Reduce the effect of enemy Flash, Stun, EMP, Gas Grenades, and Shock Sticks. Immune to Snapshot Grenades.
Scavenger	Resupply ammo and throwing knives from dead players.
E.O.D.	Take reduced damage from non-Killstreak explosives. Reset fuze timers when picking up live grenades.
Tracker	Enemies leave behind a footprint trail, and enemy death markers are visible. Kill markers are hidden from the enemy team.
Pitcher	Throw equipment farther and see a preview of the trajectory.
Extra Tactical	Spawn with an additional Tactical.

Bonus Perks

Bonus Perks are automatically unlocked after four minutes in a match. However, you can unlock them earlier by getting points through actions such as kills, assists, and objectives. Every 10 points earned reduces the Perk Timer by one second. You can only have one Bonus Perk ready to be equipped.

Perk Name	Description
Resupply	Spawn with an additional Lethal. Equipment recharges over 25 seconds.
Spotter	Spot enemy equipment, Field Upgrades, and Killstreaks through walls. Aiming down sights highlights them for the team. Hack enemy Claymores, Proximity Mines, C4, and Trophy Systems.
Cold-Blooded	Undetectable by AI targeting systems, and thermal optics. Does not trigger High Alert warning. Does not highlight in enemy Tactical Cameras, Recon Drones, and Spotter Scopes.
Fast Hands	Reload, use equipment, and swap weapons faster.
Quick Fix	Killing players immediately triggers health regeneration. Capturing and holding objectives increases health regeneration rate.
Focus	Reduce flinch when aiming down sights and extend Hold Breath duration.

Ultimate Perks

Ultimate Perks are automatically unlocked after eight minutes in a match. As with Bonus Perks, you can unlock them earlier by getting points through actions such as kills, assists, and objectives. Every 10 points earned reduces the Perk Timer by one second. You can only have one Ultimate Perk ready to be equipped.

Perk Name	Description
High Alert	Vision pulses when spotted by an enemy player outside of view.
Ghost	Undetectable by UAVs, Portable Radars, and Heartbeat Sensors.
Hardline	Reduce Killstreak cost by one (1) kill. Reduce Scorestreak cost by 125.
Overclock	Store an additional Field Upgrade charge. Increase Field Upgrade charge rate by 40%. ON-EARN: Get a Field Upgrade Charge.
Survivor	On death, enter Last Stand with the ability to self-revive once per life. Teammates can revive downed players faster.
Birds’ Eye	The minimap is zoomed out. UAV and Radar pings reveal the enemy's direction. ON-EARN: Ping enemies on the minimap.

Best Perks to Equip

Best Base Perks

Perk Name	Description
Overkill	Carry two Primary Weapons.
Scavenger	Resupply ammo and throwing knives from dead players.

Overkill makes you powerful in firefights since you'll be swapping to another primary instead of a pistol when you run out of ammo. This means you'll be outgunning enemies most of the time, and lets you create a loadout that can be effective at all distances.

Due to the fast-paced nature of MW2, you'll constantly be scrounging for ammo. Scavenger ensures you won't need to worry about being on your last mag during a gunfight.

Best Bonus Perks

Perk Name	Description
Focus	Reduce flinch when aiming down sights and extend Hold Breath duration.
Fast Hands	Reload, use equipment, and swap weapons faster.

Focus gives you an advantage in gunfights since you can maintain your aim on enemies even as you get shot at. This increases your chances of getting that vital headshot.

Fast Hands will always be important especially when engaging enemies since every second counts during a gunfight. Taking less time to reload or swap weapons may be what will save your life.

Best Ultimate Perks

Perk Name	Description
Ghost	Undetectable by UAVs, Portable Radars, and Heartbeat Sensors.
Hardline	Reduce Killstreak cost by one (1) kill. Reduce Scorestreak cost by 125.

Ghost may be the best perk in MW2 due to how common UAVs are activated. It's common for players to just look at their mini-map to find enemies whenever UAVs are up, so you can catch them completely by surprise.

Hardline makes it much easier to reach the higher-tier killstreaks that could possibly alter a match. This also makes obtaining UAVs incredibly easy, so you can activate one with each life.

Best Perk Packages

All-Around Perk Package

Base Perk 1	Base Perk 2	Bonus Perk	Ultimate Perk
Overkill	Scavenger	Fast Hands	Ghost

This Perk Package combines the best Perks from each tier to give you an extremely balanced loadout. You can use any weapon with this package, from shotguns to snipers.

Stealth and Tactical Knife Perk Package

Base Perk 1	Base Perk 2	Bonus Perk	Ultimate Perk
Tracker	Double Time	Cold-Blooded	Ghost

If you're the type to prioritize stealth and use suppressed handguns or even just a tactical knife, you'll want to take all of the perks that cover your tracks.

It'll be hard for enemies to detect you, essentially turning you into a hunter as you stalk your prey by tracking their footprints. You'll definitely be sneaking behind enemies and doing multiple Finishing Moves as a match goes on.

Close-Range Perk Package

Base Perk 1	Base Perk 2	Bonus Perk	Ultimate Perk
Double Time	Tracker	Quick Fix	Hardline

This Close-Range Perk Package is great for aggressive players who are constantly running through the map in search of enemies to fight up close. Combining Double Time and Tracker helps you chase after enemies easily.

Quick Fix and Hardline strengthen you even more since you'll most likely be taking back-to-back fights. As long as you win engagements, you'll be healed up throughout gunfights while quickly attaining killstreaks.

Sniper Perk Package

Base Perk 1	Base Perk 2	Bonus Perk	Ultimate Perk
Overkill	Scavenger	Focus	Ghost

Snipers will want to have two primary weapons so that they have a decent gun to swap to in case they have to engage an enemy up close. Focus will be important for having a stable aim at enemies, especially if they're on the move. Ghost will be vital for this build so that you can avoid getting hunted down whenever UAVs are in the air.

How to Create a Custom Perk Package

	How to Create Perk Package
1	From the Weapons screen, select the Custom Loadouts option.
2	Choose which Custom Loadout you wish to edit.
3	Select the Perk Package option to swap out the current Perks.
4	Select Create a Package to make a custom perk class. If you already have a Custom Perk class beforehand, select Edit on that specific Perk Package.
5	Choose which Perks you want to have in your custom Perk Package.
6	Select Equip to have this Custom Perk Package as your current Perk Package.

How Do Perk Packages Work?

New Perk Packages System Prioritizes Objective Play

Perk Packages is a new system in Modern Warfare 2 that changes your playstyle in a match as it goes on. Previous games had you equip three perks that were immediately available upon a match's start. The new Perk Packages system will let you have only two perks immediately available instead.

To get the rest of the perks in the package, you can either reach a certain minute threshold or get points during a match. Under this new system, Perks are broken up into three new tiers - Base, Bonus, and Ultimate.

Perks Don't Reset on Death

Once you've earned a Bonus or Ultimate Perk, you can keep that perk for the rest of the match. If you die, you'll respawn with the new Perks still active.

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