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Call of Duty: World at War Tips
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The Call of Duty series is known for its cinematic visuals and story mode that really puts you into the war, but it's the multiplayer where the series really shines. A good mix of fast-action shooter and tactical warfare, Call of Duty: World at War has a variety of game modes, each with a different feel than the next, so it will be a while before you tire of going out and killing some peeps.
But, for those news to the series and/or new to shooters, it can be a little daunting at first. When you are struggling to rack up 3-4 kills in a match where others are getting 20-30, it can become frustrating. So here are some basic tips to help you get started.
Call of Duty: World at War Tips - Getting Started
Level up. The first order of business is to get a few levels to unlock some key perks and weapons. Your main goal is to hit level 20 as soon as possible since it will give you access to the MP40 submachine gun (level 10), DP-28 machine gun (level 28) and the Martyrdom perk (level 20) which is great for getting extra kills on free for all.
So, how do you level fast? Play on Headquarters. It's a great game mode for getting good experience, it has plenty of enemies so you can learn to aim, and because you go into spectator mode waiting to respawn when your team owns the headquarters, you can watch others play. Once you get good at aiming and survival, Search and Destroy is also a great source of experience.
Learn to aim. While taking the 'spray and pray' approach and relying on your machine gun and your Martyrdom perk to rack up a few kills is great, nothing beats the ability to aim quickly and accurately. Even if you plan on using a machine gun or a submachine gun as your main weapon on most maps, the time you save being able to aim quickly can be the difference in life and death.
The best approach here is the school of hard knocks. Grab a single-shot rifle like the M1 Garand or a bolt-action rifle without a sniper scope and play in free-for-all matches until you can get a reasonable number of kills with those weapons. Remember to put the stopping power perk on so you can one shot most people even with a body hit, and the fact that you can just spray some bullets at your target will teach you to aim quicker.
Choose the right weapon. You don't have to be the best at everything, but great players can pick up any weapon and be deadly with it. As you unlock each weapon, go out into matches with it and use it enough to clear out all of the kill challenges to unlock the extras for the weapon. This will get you some good experience and help you figure out which weapons of the different weapon types you prefer.
The key is to pick out a favorite weapon of each type and excel in using it. This will let you pick a weapon based on the map. Not all maps are created equal. The dome is great for spray-and-pray techniques and not-so-great for sniping, while the courtyard is awesome for those that like to hide and shoot. Most maps will support a variety of tactics, but that doesn't mean they are all equal using those tactics, so being able to fit the weapon to the map can really help out.
Learn the maps. Knowing where to hide, where people are likely to hide, where the great sniper spots are (either for sniping or hunting snipers), and knowing what to expect can all be the difference between being a 30 kills with 5 deaths type of player or simply target practice.
While I'm always for learning on the job so to speak -- learning by playing -- it's also not a bad idea to go into a private match alone and roaming around the different maps to get a good idea of the layout. You are not going to find everything, but it will help you understand the basics of the map.
One of the best ways to really learn the good spots about a map is to spectate. Playing a mode like Search and Destroy, where you must wait until the next round to begin if you die, will let you spectate the best players on your team. You can learn a lot about a map by simply watching the better players navigate them.
Have a strategy. There are a lot of great strategies and tactics in the game. I've already talked about the most basic strategy -- the spray-and-pray strategy of using a machine gun or a submachine gun to spray a target. But running and gunning doesn't mean you must spray and pray. Once you get the sleight of hand perk -- which lets you reload much faster -- running with a shotgun becomes extremely effective. And plenty of people use rifles and even bolt-action rifles without sniper scopes while they run about the map.
Playing hide and seek is also a great tactic. Once you hit level 52 and get the Dead Silence perk, this becomes an awesome tactic, but you can use it long before you hit level 52 by simply using a weapon with a silencer or flash hider. Knowing the map is crucial to using this strategy successfully. You not only need to know where to hide and wait for enemies to appear, but it's also a good idea to change spots after you've gotten a few kills -- remember, when you kill someone, they know where you are hiding at and come after you later.
And then there is sniping, which is an art in and of itself. Obviously, you need to know the prime sniping spots and how to kill an enemy halfway across the map using only one bullet. You also either need to run with two primary weapons or be good using a pistol for close up defense. It's a good idea to bring along some bouncing betties for personal defense as well. And last, but least, make sure you have the sound turned up enough that you can hear those footsteps when anyone gets close to you.
There are a lot of other solid tactics that can be used from running with a rifle grenade (which can be very effective in modes like Headquarters) to splitting off from the pack and flanking the enemy to simply the ability to survive without being killed (which is very important for Search and Destroy).
Call of Duty: World at War Tips - Perks
Stopping Power vs Double Tap vs Juggernaut. Perhaps the three most popular perks in the game, unfortunately you can only use one at a time. So which is it? Stopping power to (hopefully) one shot people, Double Tap to spray them, or Juggernaut to take their bullets and laugh them off? Stopping Power scales best. If you've learned to aim, you won't need the extra bullets of Double Tap and, subsequently, you won't get shot as often so the need for Juggernaut goes down. But, remember, tactics is all about the situation -- slapping on a submachine gun or a machine gun with double tap and taking it to the Dome can be quite effective considering what a killfest that map is.
Dead Silence. Perhaps my favorite perk in the game, Dead Silence has uses beyond just sneaking around with a silenced weapon. Because your footsteps will be silent when not sprinting, you can easily hear when someone is nearby -- so even if you aren't using a silencer or flash hider, Dead Silence can help you get the drop on nearby enemies.
To Overkill or Not To Overkill? One good habit to get into is to pick up spare weapons to replace your pistol as you play. After you kill someone, simply switch to your pistol and pick up their weapon. This will allow you to carry two primary weapons without using a perk on it.
This doesn't mean that Overkill is useless. I actually like using an MP40 with a suppressor and a bolt-action rifle with a sniper scope on some maps. The good thing about the MP40 is that its like playing with stopping power already, so you don't lose as much when you use overkill with it.
But if you just want to run with two primaries, getting into the habit of replacing your pistol on the battlefield will work out as well as using Overkill and let you use the perk on something else.
Call of Duty: World at War Tips - Weapons
The choice in weapons really comes down to personal taste and what feels right to you, but there are a few standout weapons that deserve a special mention. This doesn't mean they are the best weapons in the game, only that they are noteworthy.
MP40 submachine gun. Largely considered one of the best weapons in the game, the MP40 packs enough of a punch that it is almost like putting stopping power on the weapon without the use of the perk. A great all-around weapon, it's also available at level 10, making it one of the best guns to level up with. (Add on Juggernaut and you'll be quite capable of taking foes down even if you are a beginner.)
PPSh-41 submachine gun. While the MP40 feels like it already has the stopping power perk on it, the PPSh-41 feels like it comes with double tap. Add the stopping power perk and run with the round drum attached and you have a great spray-and-pray weapon that can really clean up on maps like the Dome and has a magazine capacity that allows you to take out several enemies before needing a reload. I like to add Bandolier as well to make sure I don't run out of ammunition anytime soon.
DP-28 machine gun. Similar to the MP40, the DP-28 packs quick a punch and is the most damaging of the machine guns. If you want the added range of a machine gun but like the power of the MP40, the DP-28 is your best choice. While its draw back is accuracy, it's actually pretty easy to aim, so you won't have any problem taking people out.
M1 Garand rifle. Available at level 17, the M1 Garand not only has the normal rifle features, but also allows you to put a sniper scope on it once you've completed the last challenge. Once you add stopping power to it, the M1 Garand becomes a pretty decent sniper rifle with a good rate of fire and low recoil. While it won't beat a bolt-action rifle for sniping, it's a great gun to use while learning to be a sniper.
Again, don't feel as if you have to be using one of these weapons. The important thing is to pick a weapon that feels right to you, that you can aim quickly with, and that fits your play style and tactics. Ultimately, the best weapon is the one that allows you to rack up the most kills.
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