Modern Warfare multiplayer tips: 9 tricks to earn the highest killstreaks and win matches online

Playing online is brutal at the best of times so with the new release, we've got some top Modern Warfare multiplayer tips to help you out on the battlefield. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a callback to the series 12 years ago which had a much slower, tactical pace, which means it's a huge shift from last year's frantic Black Ops 4. While we've covered the campaign in our general Modern Warfare tips, these Modern Warfare multiplayer tips are guaranteed* to improve your kill-to-death ratio and help you to win matches online.

1. Claymores are simultaneously your best friend and worst enemy

Claymores in Modern Warfare have an insane blast radius. They're quick to plant, you can carry two of them with the Shrapnel perk, and you can hide them behind closed doors. Make sure you're planting them every life and you'll pick up a few kills each match without fail.

In order to avoid enemy claymores, keep an eye out for the small red lasers protruding from the top and don't rush through any closed doors without scouring the area first. Note that while you could shoot claymores in previous games from behind to destroy them, doing so now will still injure you if you're close enough. Make sure you keep your distance. Also, you can run Spotter, which lets you see enemy explosives, as one of your perks.

2. Shoot down UAVs and Personal Radars

In previous COD games, shooting down killstreaks with normal weapons has been a pain because of how many bullets it usually takes. Not this time. You'll rarely find teammates shooting down UAVs or Personal Radars, but it's worth it because even a single clip of assault rifle will almost take out both. Other killstreaks take more, but even then, a few clips and the threat will be removed from the sky. You don't need to be carrying a launcher.

3. Take your time pushing through buildings and peeking corners

The slow paced nature of this game is a far cry from the last few years of hectic, chaotic warfare, which means you need to readjust your play style to survive. It's tempting to turbo sprint through doors and react quickly to enemies sat in corners, but the low time-to-kill doesn't allow for it. Instead, start pre-aiming and using the peek function that lets you clamp you aim to corners and ledges with a press of R3, to deal with corner campers and players abusing head glitches.

4. Crank your headphones up

Footsteps are loud in Modern Warfare. Turn your headphones up and you'll be able to hear everyone from Hackney Yard to Azhir Cave, especially since footstep quietening Dead Silence is just a field upgrade this year and not a permanent perk. The audio design is particularly excellent, so you'll know whenever someone is about to come round the corner.

5. Experiment with your loadouts

The new Modern Warfare Gunsmith system has got thousands of combinations of attachments, from optics and muzzles to rear grips and underbarrels. Play around with everything you unlock rather than just sticking to the same gun you've used for the last 20+ games, and you may find something that works much better.

6. Use the M4A1 assault rifle and 725 shotgun

It feels a bit cheeky to suggest two specific guns to use, but seriously; I'll be surprised if both guns don't get patched soon because right now, they're the best weapons in the game without a shadow of a doubt. We've covered the best Modern Warfare M4A1 builds specifically, so you could take any of those, use the Overkill perk, which lets you carry two primary weapons, and add a 725 shotgun into the mix to be absolutely unstoppable.

7. Smoke grenades are a godsend

You'll often find yourself being mowed down whenever you sprint into the open, especially in the larger modes like 10v10 and Ground War. Start equipping smoke grenades and you'll have perfect cover, because smokes in this game spread to quite a large area.

8. Gradually increase your sensitivity

Modern Warfare is one of the most twitch shooters in the entire series thanks to the low time-to-kill, and missing a single shot can be the difference between life and death. Slowly start increasing your sensitivity so you can hit those more precise shots and you'll find yourself becoming more accurate.

9. Learn to dropshot

The act of dropshotting is going prone whenever you're in a one-on-one gun fight with someone, because it means they'll miss their subsequent shots if they're aiming for the head. Start training your impulses to hit the prone button whenever you're fighting someone head on and you'll gain the advantage in fights.

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