In Call of Duty, victory isn’t entirely dependent on your quick reflexes, steady aim, or your ability to blindly chuck nades halfway across a level. True success requires detailed knowledge of each map. So when a new DLC pack is released, the playing field is leveled - at least for a short while.
We’ll show you how to make the most of the four new multiplayer maps, and offer advice on how to survive the new Shangri-La zombie map. Each entry contains a quick video showing off the entire map, followed by some spots you'll want to avoid/exploit as necessary.
Hazard
Map Tour
As it turns out, a golfer’s paradise is also very accommodating to snipers, and everyone seems to know it. This largely open map is as friendly to long-range shooters as we’ve ever seen, so you can either slap on a scope of your own, or be prepared to dash around frantically looking in every direction like a paranoid hobo with a tin foil hat. If you must rely on short-range weaponry, stick to the edges of the map and dedicate yourself to ambushing all the players who are running for the good perches.
The room under the scoreboard makes for a fantastic perch. It has only one easily defendable entrance, and offers a broad view of much of the map. A skilled sniper with flak jacket pro and a claymore may never have to leave.
Above: Like shooting fish in a koi pond
Be very cautious if you decide to use the narrow paved path along the eastern edge of the map. If an enemy pops up on the far end while you’re running through this bottleneck, there will be nowhere to hide.
Above: Going for the hole-in-one...
Prone is the way to go if you’re crazy enough to be on or around the green or fairway. There are several good spots around the edges of the fairway where you can use rocks or foliage to stay hidden for a short time. Crouch or go prone in places like these. This strategy is almost always good for a kill or two before you need to get the hell outta there.
Above: N00b showdown!
The fairway and green are the n00b farms in Hazard. If you find it absolutely necessary to use these areas to get around, you’d better be sprinting, diving, doing cartwheels, etc.
As inviting as it may seem, this gazebo is a bad place to perch. Not only are you exposed on almost every side, but the path that leads up here is also very open. There’s no solid wall behind you either, which means you’ll be perfectly outlined against the blue sky for counter-snipers on the ground.
Hangar 18
Map Tour
Hangar 18 is the most unexciting of the new maps. Besides the spy plane plopped in the middle and a few interesting semi-interesting aesthetics, it’s a lot of the same crates and small buildings that we’re used to. There are very few extended sightlines here, so stick to short and mid-range weaponry.
This Material Command building is the best perch on the map. The second floor has two windows, each overlooking high-traffic paths, and there is only one easily defendable entrance. Most of your kills will come from picking off players running around or on top of the spy plane.
Try being passive at the start of the match. Many players run into the area in front of the hangar, so it’s smart to hang back from the chaos and pick off the less cautious players. It’s also a good play to try and lob a grenade onto the jet as soon as you possibly can.
Above: Get off the jet Bruce Willis
Seriously, STAY OFF THE JET! There’s really no good reason to be up there - unless of course you want to get shot from fifteen different angles. The SR-71 is awesome, yes, but it will not take off, so no, you cannot surf it.
Above: If that plane does take off, you’re screwed buddy
Hanging out on top of this box structure can leave you exposed, but it can also give you a great view of the map’s most used traffic zone. You can use the small box at the bottom of the screen to get up here, or leap from the crates to the right.
If you effectively use the two metal warning signs attached to the railing on the radar dish structure for cover, you can stay up here for a while. Going prone with next to the sign pictured above is also a good play.
