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Stealth is a tactic used in the Call of Duty series that involves using suppressed weapons or silent means of eliminating enemies, in order to take them by surprise, and to avoid being seen or heard. Stealth is used throughout multiple game modes including Search and Destroy, Sabotage, Headquarters, Demolition, and various hardcore game modes.

Commonly known as "ghosting" in multiplayer modes, players who wish to be stealthy use a silenced weapon, or the knife, with perks such as Bomb Squad, Bandolier, Scavenger or Marathon, combined with UAV Jammer / Camouflage / Cold-Blooded and Dead Silence or Ninja Pro. These perks and weapon combinations cause players to remain unheard and unseen on radars that are used by enemies.

How To Use Stealth Tactics[]

  • Prefer playing as a sniper. Some players don't like sniping, but ghillie-suit appears only when playing as a sniper. Ghillie-suit (when properly used) dramatically blends you in to the environment, making you almost invisible.
  • Use suppressors for one's primary weapon. The player's secondary weapon doesn't need a silencer if the player uses it for "going loud", i.e. when they've been discovered and are forced to engage the enemy. All silenced secondary weapons have a much steeper damage fallout, although this may be irrelevant if the player prefers using CQC.
  • Use the perks mentioned above to remain undetected by radar and killstreaks.
  • Use side passages, never attack from the front. In every map, there's a central area where most fights take place, an outer "ring" which allows players to move around said area and, in most cases, a passage or series of passages which runs through the central area without entering it (such as the corridors on Highrise). This allows the player to bypass concentrated enemy forces.
    • First, take note of where the enemy is located. Plan where they will move and the time taken to reach them.
    • Second, either go around the map's ring or through the secondary passages. Do not go through the main area unless sure there are no enemy forces there.
    • Third, approach the enemy from the back and attack them. Always check for campers and rear guards.
  • Prioritize isolated enemies, as groups are much harder to take down alone.
  • Always use the knife whenever possible, as it conserves ammo and does not mark the player on the radar.
  • If spotted and at a disadvantage, evade the enemy by running away from their line of sight (unless there is no escape route, in which case retaliate against the enemy). After having lost the enemy, camp in an unpredictable spot and wait for a few moments. Avoid areas that can be easily flushed with a grenade if possible. If the enemy does not appear after roughly fifteen seconds, continue as per normal.
  • Always take an unpredictable route. If running rounds around the map ring, change direction from time to time (unless the enemy's moving towards you) and take different passages. Predictability will weaken or even negate the element of surprise.
  • If sniping, snipe from exotic locations. Examples include seemingly unreachable heights and areas that will render the sniper near-invisible, such as dense vegetation or closed spaces.
  • If one suspects that the enemy is aware of the player's presence, throw a special grenade towards them. In the case of a Flash/Stun grenade, the hit marker will indicate whether there is an enemy in the player's immediate vicinity. This also works against campers. Note: Enemies might still be around the corner, just out of the grenade's range. Tread carefully or even avoid the route altogether.
  • Use distractions. Throwing a grenade at an area will draw nearby enemies towards it. If the player's team is well-organized, arrange it so that the main force attracts the enemy's attention while the stealth player(s) ambush(es) them.
  • Other than the Silencer, recommended attachments include the Tactical Knife and the Heartbeat Sensor. The former greatly helps the player out in melee combat while the latter will help the player pinpoint the enemy's location.
  • If constantly in movement, use weapons that give the player maximum mobility, such as Assault Rifles or SMGs. The player's secondary weapon should complement the primary.
  • Play dead. This involves going prone and lying completely motionless until having spotted an enemy. This can be used as an evasion tactic, and is particularly effective when near another corpse. However, enemies will be able to see the player's name (unless they have Cold-Blooded Pro equipped) and keen observers will not fall for this trick.

How to Counter Stealth Tactics[]

  • Pick the UAV and Counter-UAV killstreak rewards. Some stealth players do not use Cold-Blooded or UAV Jammer and most rely on their own radar to hunt down targets.
  • Pick SitRep Pro. This greatly increases the sound of enemy footsteps, preventing them from ambushing the player. This also works well against knifers.
  • Pay attention to environmental sounds. Stealth players often give themselves away due to the sound of their footsteps when running or the sound of their suppressed weapons.
  • Check corners and dark places. Some stealth players will try to play dead, so if a prone corpse is facing you, check it with a special grenade or a few test shots. Also check for its weapon: if there's one lying by its side, it's a corpse. If the corpse is still holding a weapon, shoot.
  • Use the Heartbeat Sensor to detect incoming enemies (unless they have Ninja).
  • If one sees a corpse icon, but no corresponding blip on the radar at that location nor the sound of an explosion, that means the player was either knifed or shot with a silenced weapon. In either case, tread carefully.
  • Turn around from time to time. Some stealth players (especially knifers) will try to get as close to their targets as possible before attacking and will frequently attack from behind. Performing a 180 degree turn one about every thirty seconds should guarantee a certain amount of protection against such ambushers.
  • Use tools that hamper the enemy's movement. Good examples include special grenades (apart from smoke grenades) and the Grenade Launcher attachment, which slows down enemies slightly for a short

moment if it doesn't kill them.

  • In extreme cases, pick an "anti-stealth" class, also called a Ghostbuster class. A Ghostbuster class usually has a similar, if not identical, loadout to stealth classes, only it is geared towards the purpose of countering stealth players.
    • Recommended perks are Marathon/Extreme Conditioning, Lightweight, Camouflage, Stopping Power, SitRep Pro and Scrambler (this perk lures enemies in).
    • Recommended attachments are the Heartbeat Sensor, the Tactical Knife and the Thermal Scope.
    • Recommended primary weapons are Sniper Rifles, LMGs and SMGs.
    • Recommended secondary weapons are Machine Pistols and Shotguns.
    • Recommended equiment are Claymores, Semtexes and Throwing Knives.
  • If faced with a particularly difficult mobile stealth player, try to predict their routes and ambush them. Alternatively, camp with a Sniper Rifle and target them.
  • If a stealth player is harassing the entire team, move in groups of two or three and cover each other's blind spots.
  • Place Claymores along the stealth player's path, especially in hard-to-spot places.
  • If the stealth player is a sniper, avoid open spaces and take side routes to ambush them.
  • Damage-increasing perks such as Stopping Power and Danger Close increase the player's chances of surviving an ambush. Life-increasing perks such as Juggernaut, Last Stand or Final Stand will give the player more time to deal with the ambusher.
  • If the stealth player has a tendency to run, pick Martyrdom, as it will potentially kill them if they run too close to their victim's corpse. Note: this does not work against knifers, as they have enough time to run away from the grenade before it detonates.

Trivia[]

  • The tactic is sometimes confused with camping due to the use of similar perks and or suppressed weapons.
  • Stealth is more difficult when playing as the Germans due to their uniforms drawing attention (mainly their helmet).

Source[]

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