CALL OF DUTY GHOST MULTIPLAYER AND CLASS BUILDING FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction: ============================================================== Call of Duty: Ghosts is the latest in the annual release of the Call of Duty (COD) franchise. The game has always been popular because of its fast arcade paced online multiplayer. This year, Infinity Ward took a slightly different approach to game mechanics itself. The game spans both generations of hardware being designed for the Xbox one and PlayStation 4. However it is also available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC. So, some design mechanics were held back so that it would run smoothly on the older hardware and support multiple platforms. Still the game performs smoothly across the board and offers an enjoyable experience. The multiplayer component of the game takes a new direction with a different create a soldier system, larger maps, several new game modes and a different weapon balance. This has led to the game being received with mixed feelings from the long term fans of the game. Many of which, are not happy with the new changes. However, there are many players like myself who have been happy with the game and are glad to see it moving in a different direction offering a somewhat new experience. This guide covers the various parts of the multiplayer component of the game and offers strategies for building effective classes. The new system takes some getting used to but offers a rewarding experience for players willing to learn the mechanics. This guide serves both as a reference for the multiplayer components of the game if you are looking for a quick reference. It will also cover class building in full and offer some premade classes and advice on how to change them to fit your needs. This guide is best read as a supplemental resource and you should refer to the table of contents if you are looking for something specific. 2. Table Contents: ==================================================================== 1. Introductions 2. Table of Contents 3. Legal and Contact 4. The New Create A Class System A. Your Squad, Leveling Up and Squad points: B. Building a Class 5. The Perks A. Speed B. Handling C. Stealth D. Awareness E. Resistance F. Equipment G. Elite 6. Attachments A. Sights B. Barrel C. Under Barrel D. Mod 7. Equipment A. Lethal B. Tactical 8. Streaks A. Assault B. Support C. Specialist 9. Secondary Weapons A. Launchers B. Handguns 10. Designing a Class in Ghost 11. Types of Classes A. Weapon Based Classes a. Focused Classes b. Compartmentalized Classes B. Purpose Classes 12. Range in Call of Duty Ghost 13. Class Descriptions 14. Rushers: A. Shotgun Rushers B. SMG Rushers C. Assault Rifle Rushers D. Pistol Rushers E. Other Rushing options F. Countering Rushers 15. Runners: A. SMG Runners B. Shotgun Runners C. Assault Rifle and Marksman Rifle Runners D. Quick Scopers E. Countering Runners 16. Pincher Classes: A. SMG Pinchers B. Assault and Marksman Rifle Pinchers C. LMG Pinchers D. Countering Pinchers 17. Snipers: A. LMG Snipers B. Marksman Rifle Snipers C. Sniper Rifle Snipers D. Countering Snipers 18. Camper Classes: A. Close Range Campers B. Middle Range Campers C. Long Range Campers D. Countering Campers 19. Support Classes A. Support Gunners B. Demolition Experts C. Shield Bearer D. Score Streak Hunters 20. Closing Thoughts 3. Legal and Contact =================================================================== I am not taking most questions about the game, Activision offers an extensive forum to cover questions and there is a lot of good information there. If you have something you feel this guide is lacking or you wish to contact me for another reason you may email me at. darkrangeresp@gmail.com By submitting something to me for the guide you are offering written expressed permission for me to include it. I will credit anybody who contributes appropriately. All information contained in this guide is derived from my experience playing the game. If I use facts from another source, I will cite my source as appropriate. If you submit something please let me know how you would like to be credited. Legal stuff: This guide is made for gamefaqs.com as my intention. However, if you host an internet site about video game cheats, strategies, Call of Duty Ghost or any other related content you are welcome to post this guide in its entirety on your site. You may also include an unaltered sub portion of this guide or use facts from it for your own work provided you cite their source accurately. If you wish to use this guide in any capacity please send me an email letting me know how and where you are using it. You may not sell this guide or plagiarize it for your own works without giving credit. If your site is paid for by adds and you want to host it that is fine, but you may not expressly use it for profit commercial use. 4. The New Create A Class System: ====================================================================== A. Your Squad, Leveling Up and Squad points: The new Class system in Ghost is similar to the one from black ops 2's pick 10 system. You have a limited number of resources available to construct your class and you have to combine them to get the most out of them. Weapon, attachment, perk, streaks and equipment unlocks are handled a little different in ghosts as are the prestige’s. This time around you can unlock anything you want at any time. However, most things require to spend squad points which you earn in game. Each item you uses has a cost associated it and if you have the required squad points you can buy it at any time. Prestiging in ghost is also a little different You begin the game with a single soldier. However, you can purchase more soldiers for various amounts of squad points. Each solider in the game has their own load outs and you can switch between them at any time. Ghost has 10 soldiers available to you each of which can go from levels 1 to 60 by ranking up and earning experiences in multiplayer. You can go back at any time and play a soldier you have already maxed out. However, if you want the same class on a different soldier you will have to purchase everything again for each soldier you want a particular item on. Your squad points are from a common pull and can be spent on any soldier in your squad at any time. You can earn squad points in a variety of ways. When you start out each soldier gets a default load out with set perks and a few weapons, streaks and equipment. These are free to you and you can use them at any time. The perks in the game unlock as you level up. Alternatively, you can buy them early for a set number of squad points as well. This offers a degree of flexibility but also forces you to choose how to spend your squad points wisely. You earn 5 squad points for each level you bring a soldier up from levels 1 to level 4. After that you gain 2 squad points per level. You also can earn squad points for completing operations in game. Operations are in game challenges you are randomly assigned every two weeks or if you manually reroll them. They award extra squad points and experience for completing them as well as unlocking new character skins and patches. Finally, you get one squad point for every 3000 experience you earn in the game. B. Building Your Class: In Ghosts you get a limited pool of resources to build a class. Each class is as follows. A Primary weapon with 2 attachments A secondary weapon with 1 one attachment A Lethal Equipment A Tactical Equipment 8 points for perks A set of streaks Your class is basically 2 weapons, 2 grenades, the attachments on the weapons and your perks. There are 35 perks to choose from in Call of duty Ghost and you get 8 points by default to choose from them. Rather than each perk being the same as in past COD games perks are now weighted in value from 1 to 5 points. You can choose as many perks as you have points available. For example, you could choose a 5 point perk and a 3 point perk and that would eat up your 8 points. Alternatively you could chose 8 one point perks and let that comprise your load out. The more expensive perks are more powerful but, picking the right combination is the key to building a successful class. You can also give up your primary weapon, secondary weapon, Lethal equipment, or tactical Equipment and you will get an additional perk point in its place. If you give up your primary weapon you are given the combat knife instead, if you give up something else you simply don't have it. This means you could have a 12 point perk load out if you were willing to sacrifice everything and deploy with just the knife. This can be a fun and effective strategy, but care should be taken in choosing your load out. The attachments on your guns are free unless you want an extra one on both with the extra attachment slot. You simply need to spend the required squad points to purchase the attachments. Each class also gets to choose a selection of streaks. You have 3 choices to choose from and you can unlock more with squad points. These are additional options you will unlock by achieving multiple kills. See the streaks section of this guide for more information on this topic. 5. The Perks: ================================================================== Call of Duty Ghost has 35 perks to choose from when designing your load out. Each perk costs between 1 and 5 points from your available slots on your class. You can sacrifice your primary weapon, secondary weapon or equipment for additional perk points. There are several perks that can also increase the usefulness of these items by providing a better quantity of them. Listed below are the 35 perks in the game, their point costs, and a description of what each one does. Perks are divided into 7 categories with 5 perks in each category. You can use this section for reference when designing a class or reading the guide below. Note, all perks require 3 times their costs in squad points to unlock early. For example a 3 point perk would cost 3 X 3 = 9 squad points to unlock. A. Speed: Ready Up: 1 point Ready up is a fairly standard perk in Ghosts and is unlocked at level 1. It decreases the time it takes you to go from sprinting to ready to fire by about 30%. It varies some by weapon class with the heavier weapons taking longer. It's a good perks for aggressive play and useful on most mobile classes. Sleight of Hand: 2 points Unlocks level 8 Sleight of hand reduces the time it takes you to reload your weapon by 50%. This is useful on weapons that reload slower or if you are playing an aggressive class and don't want to use a pistol in your reserve. Agility: 2 points Unlocks level 22 Agility increases your overall movement speed. It increases your speed by about 10% in my experience, but I could be off on that number. It's a good perk to speed up aggressive weapons or to bring slower handling weapons into closer combat. Marathon: 2 points Unlocks level 36 Marathon gives you unlimited sprint duration on your character. This means you can sprint across the map continuously without pausing to catch your character’s breath. It's a good perk for aggressive builds but be careful not to sprint to close to opponents lest you get caught unable to defend yourself. Stalker: 3 points unlocks level 50 Stalker lets you move at full speed while aiming down your sights ADS. Normally when you aim, your movement is cut by 20 to 50% when you ADS depending on your weapon. This is a good perks to let you walk around corners with your sights up and not get caught off guard. B. Handling: Strong Arm: 1 point Unlocks level 2 Strong Arm increases the range you can throw equipment by about 30%. It also speeds up the time it takes to cook various grenades by 30% as well. It's a useful perk if your load out is reliant on equipment. On the GO: 1 point Unlocks level 10 On the go allows you to reload your weapon while sprinting. This perk is pretty useless as it removes your ability to reload cancel using the sprint button and doesn't really save you that much time in the long run. It could help with a Sleight of hand class that is hyper aggressive but otherwise should be avoided. Reflex: 2 points Unlocks level 24 Reflex cuts the time it takes you to swap weapons by 50%. It also decreases the time to throw equipment by 40% and speeds up picking up a weapon off the ground. It's useful because weapons kill very fast in ghosts and can get you to your pistol faster or allows you to swap to a second primary faster if you scavenged one from the battle field or are using overkill. Steady Aim: 2 points Unlocks Level 38 Steady aim reduces the hip fire spread of your weapon by about 30%. This is useful if you want to use a weapon without having to aim such as a shotgun or SMG. It is also useful if you want to improve the hip fire of a larger weapon so it's more competitive in close quarter combat such as an LMG or assault rifle. Quick draw: 3 points Unlocks level 52 Quickdraw decreases the time it takes you to transition from hip fire to ADS in a weapon. The decrease varies by weapon class but it normally provides a 20% to 40% aiming speed improvement. This makes larger weapons more competitive at a closer range and improves overall reaction time. C. Stealth Take Down: 1 point Unlocks level 3 When you kill an enemy in ghost a skull appears on the minimap of their teammates for a short time. This lets them know where they died and can sometimes alert enemies to your location. Takedown simply removes these skull icons from your kills all together. Blind Eye: 2 points Unlocks level 12 Blind Eye makes you immune to most airborne score streaks, keeps you off the oracle system and sentry guns. Basically these streaks will ignore you exist. It's a useful perk if you want to shoot down enemy streaks without having to worry about them returning fire. Dead Silence: 2 points unlocks level 26 Dead silence decreases the noise you make from walking. Many players in ghost rely on sound to detect approaching players. The amplify perk can still hear you but, it removes enough of your audio signature to make you difficult to detect by sound. It's useful mostly on classes relying on close range stealth. Incog: 3 points Unlocks level 40 Incog removes many things in this game that make you easier to find. It removes the red name from above your head when targeted and silences your players call outs about reloads and other observations. It also makes you immune to the thermal scopes, tracker sight, recon perk and motion sensor grenades. It's a valuable perk when absolute stealth is needed for a class build Off the Grid: 3 points unlocks level 54 Off the grid is basically ghost from previous call of duty games. It makes you stay off the radar when the opponent has satcom up or from another radar source such as ping or an assault shield with the radar attachment. Note, you will still appear on the minimap when firing an unsuppressed weapon. It's one of the most valuable stealth perks when you need to stay off the radar at all costs. D. Awareness: Recon: 1 point unlocks level 4 Recon allow you to tag and see enemies through walls in a bright orange glow for a few seconds when you damage them with explosives. It’s a useful perk for finding campers combined with the armor piercing round or tracking a fleeing target. The perk works with any explosive including lethal and tactical grenades such as concussion and 9 bang grenades. Scavenger: 2 points unlocks level 14 Scavenger allows you to replenish ammo for your weapons by picking up packs dropped by enemies you kill. Every pack you pick up will provide one magazine for your primary weapon and secondary weapon. Scavenger does not replenish any form of explosives or equipment. However, it does provide extra ammo for an under mount shotgun. Sitrep: 2 points unlocks level 28 Sitrep highlights enemy equipment and ground based streaks through walls and across the map. It's useful for avoiding getting killed from things like IEDs and sentry guns. It also is useful if you want to hunt down and destroy enemy kill streaks. Glowing equipment can also help in locating camping players. Amplify: 2 points unlocks level 42 Amplify increases the noise of footsteps made by your enemies. It will allow you to hear them when they approach and with a good set of headphones it will allow you to predict the direction they are coming from. It also lets you hear players who are using the dead silence perk, but it is still very difficult to pinpoint their location by sound. Wire Tap: 3 points unlocks level 56 As many of you know SatComs work different from UAVs in pervious call of duty games. How effective they are depends on how many your team has active at one time. See the sitcom entry for more details on this. Wire Tap counts the number of SatComs you have going as well as the number your enemy team has going to determine what your radar shows. This is useful on a class that relies on the radar to detect incoming opponents. E. Resistance: Resilience: 1 point unlocks level 5 Resilience removes all fall damage from your character. It's useful on a class where you want to move around the map aggressively and take some unusual shortcuts. ICU: points 2 unlocks level 16 ICU decreases the time it takes you regenerate your health by 50%. This can be helpful if you don't have a lot of down time between engagements or if somebody is coming after you aggressively. Focus: 2 points unlocks level 30 Focus reduces the amount you flinch when you take incoming damage. The flinch reduction depends on the caliber of weapon you are getting hit with. It also lower lowers the idle sway on your weapons. It's a good perk if you intend to win gun fights rather than simply ambush people to get your kills. It's a solid perk and is very useful on longer range weapons. Tactical Resist: 2 points unlocks level 44 Tactical resist reduces the effects of concussion, 9 bang and similar equipment when they are used against you. Many players don't run equipment so its usefulness is marginal. However, it can be a big help if you are running these equipment yourself to avoid hitting yourself with them. Blast Shield: 2 points unlocks level 58 Blast shield reduces all the explosive damage you take by 45%. It will allow you to survive most explosives in the game unless you are hit with a direct impact or struck with a syntex type grenade. However, if an opponent is using danger close you can still be killed by their explosives. It's a good perk to use if you are dealing with explosive wielding players or having trouble with IEDs F. Equipment Extra Tactical: 1 point unlocks level 6 The extra tactical perk just gives you two tactical equipment’s rather than the default one. It's useful on any class you want more equipment on. Extra Lethal: 2 points unlocks level 18 Like extra tactical, this perk simply gives you two lethal grenades instead of the default one. It will not increase the starting ammo of under slung weapons. Fully Loaded: 2 points unlocks level 32 Fully loaded starts you with the maximum possible ammo for both your primary and secondary weapons. It's a useful perk if you need more ammo than the default but are not getting close enough to collect the packs dropped by scavenger. This perk will not increase explosives, launcher ammo, or equipment, but it does provide extra shells for the under slung shotgun attachment. Extra Attachment: 3 points unlocked level 46 The extra attachment perk simply lets you equip 3 attachments on your primary weapon and 2 attachments on your secondary weapon instead of the default 2 and 1 respectively. For a weapon to take advantage of this perk it must have attachments available and you still cannot attachment more than one attachment from each category. It's useful on classes that want a more specialize primary or a more competitive handgun Danger Close: 4 points unlocks level 59 Danger close increases your explosive damage by 60% which, is often enough to kill blast shied users. However, do to the high cost of this perk and the limitations on explosives you can get it's really only useful on very specialize classes. G. Elite: Gambler: 1 point unlocks level 7 Gambler simply spawns you with a perk picked at random. It will not give you itself or the extra attachment perk. The usefulness of gambler is debatable. It sometimes will give you something amazing and sometimes it gives you a dud. It's useful if you have an extra perk point to fill and don't want equipment or a secondary weapon. Hardline: 2 points Unlocks level 20 Hardline is straight forward perk. It reduces the number of kills you need for each streak by one. It also counts every two assists you get as a kill towards your streaks. It's a very useful perk if you are running lower score streaks or have trouble chaining together a large number of kills. Ping: 2 points unlocks level 34 When you kill an enemy ping sends out a radar pulse from where they died and highlights any opponents in the area on your minimap. It's a useful perk for avoiding larger groups of enemies or getting caught during a reload if you reload after most kills. Note that Off the Grid counters ping completely. Overkill: 3 points unlocks level 48 Overkill simply lets you spawn with two primary weapons instead of a handgun or launcher. Your second weapon will have to go through the chambering a round animation when you switch to it for the first time, swaps slower than a pistol and only gets one attachment, unless you are also using the extra attachment perk. Overkill is a good perk if you want a close and long range weapon on the same class. But, it forces you to micromanage your movements better. Dead Eye: 5 points Unlocks level 60 Deadeye gives you a random chance that every bullet you fire will deal an extra 40% damage. The probability ranges from 8% to 50% and increases as you get kills. It maxes out at 4 kills. This information was obtained from watching a video about the perk by Driftor a YouTube commentator. The perk is very expensive and most useful on weapons with a high fire rate and lower range damage. 6. Attachments: =================================================================== Attachments make up another component of your load out in call of duty Ghost. They modify weapons in the way they behave and the ranges at which they are useful. All attachments for weapons are unlocked with squad points. You should choose carefully which ones you buy and use on a class to build an effective load out. By default your primary weapon gets two attachment and your secondary weapon gets one attachment. You can increase each of these numbers by one using the extra attachment perk. Some weapons have built in attachment increasing the number they have by one additional. For example since the Honey Badger assault rifle has a built in silencer, you cannot use other Barrel attachments on it. But this means you could effectively have 4 attachments on the weapon with extra attachment perk. Attachments are divided into 4 sub categories. You can only have one attachment from each category on a weapon at any given time. Also, not all attachments are available for all weapons. Listed below I cover the attachments and their uses. This section is best used for references on the strategy section or if you need a guide dealing which attachments to unlock. A. Sights: By default most weapons in the game use an iron sight or an built in scope. Sights do not change the damage or range on a weapon, though they can modify its visual recoil by affecting your zoom level. Sights mostly provide a better sight picture on weapons. Iron Sight: While most weapons have iron sights by default the marksman rifles have a built in scope. Using the iron sight attachment swaps out the scope for the weapons iron sights and makes it easier to use in close quarters. However it also decreases the effectiveness of the weapon at longer ranges. Red Dot Sight: This sight is available for most of the guns with the exception of the sniper rifles and most of the pistols. It replaces the weapons default sights with a recital with a red dot at the center of aim. This is useful because it allows you to see both above and below the target when tracking them at a close range. It can also be effective on longer range shots if you fire in short controlled bursts. Acog Scope: The Acog Scope is available for the for everything except shotguns, launchers, and 3 of the pistols. It replaces the default sights with a 2X zoom scope. This is useful if you want to aim at targets further away and allows more peripheral vision on the sniper and marksman rifles. However, the enhanced zoom does increase visual recoil slightly and makes the weapon less effective at close range. Holographic Sight: This optic is not available on the sniper rifles and most of the pistols. It functions similarly to the red dot sight but offers a 1.5X zoom by default. It also is slightly more obtrusive and has a range indicator to let you know how much of your weapons damage you will do at any range. It's a good sight for middle range combat on most weapons. VMR Sight: This optic is available on the SMGs, ARs, and LMGs. The VMR site offers two zoom levels that can be switched between by pressing the melee button while zoomed it. It's default level is a little less than the red dot and the zoomed in view is a 4x scope. It offers the most weapons more flexibility in their range choices, but it requires some micromanagement and increases visual recoil while zoomed in. They hybrid Thermal Scope: This optic is available for ARs, SMGs, LMGs, and Marksman rifles. Like the VMR sight it offers 2 zoom levels. The default one is about the same as the holographic sight and works on most targets. The second one is a 3X zoom scope that highlights enemies without Incog in bright white making them easier to target at long range. The zoomed in view increases visual recoil and obscures your peripheral vision like most scopes do. The tracker sight: The tracker sight is available on the ARs, SMGs, LMGs and most of the marksman rifles. It offers two optics in one. The first is a fold down iron sight with no zoom to it. The second is akin to the target finder from black ops 2. It obscures a high portion of your peripheral vision with a 2X zoom view. This view highlights enemies in bright red and can seem them through smoke. It's an advanced optic that can prove difficult to manage at times. The Thermal Scope: This reticle functions the same as the hybrid thermal sight but is only available for the sniper rifles. It replaces their default scope with a thermal sight identical to its counterpart. However it does not have the fold down holographic sight the hybrid thermal does. The Variable Zoom Scope: Again this scope is a sniper only optic. It replaces the default scope with a sight that can zoom in at 3 different distances providing further or closer zoom as needed by the sniper. It's a useful tool in the right hands, but not suited to beginning snipers. B. Barrel Barrel attachments affect the range and change the behavior of your weapon. They are suited for special purpose classes and modify your ranges in most cases. The Silencer: The silencer reduces a weapon's effective range damage by 25%. This means that if the weapons damage drop would normally start at 10 meters and end at 20 it would instead start at 7.5 and end at 15. However, the silencer also removes the muzzle flash of your weapon helping tack targets with iron sights. More importantly, it also keeps you off the radar when you fire. This is essential for most stealth builds. Note it doesn't decrease range on sniper rifles. Instead it gives you fewer areas that you can get one hit kills with. The K7, Honey badger and VKS all have a silencer by default and won't cost you an attachment slot to get it. The Chrome Barrel: The chrome barrel attachment increases the one hit kill areas that a sniper rifle has. It's is unique to the sniper rifle weapon class. However, it also increases the idle sway on the weapon making it more difficult to shoot accurately at range. This attachments is best used with the focus perk to combat that. The Muzzle Brake: While the silencer decreases weapon range, the muzzle break does the opposite and increases weapon range by 20%. This gives you a longer range before your damage drops starts and ends. It's particularly important on the shotguns and SMGs as Ghosts maps are large and the extra reach comes in handy. The Flash Suppressor: The flash suppressor in ghost removes muzzle flash from the end of your gun like the silencer does. However, it doesn't change your weapon's range or keep you off the minimap while firing. It's really only useful if you prefer an weapons iron sights to optics and want to run it unsuppressed. C. Under Barrel Under barrel attachments can either modify your gun's recoil or add an additional weapon to your load out. Note, that under slung weapons also take the place of your lethal equipment. This lets you fire them without switching to them like in previous COD games, but it also limits what load outs you can create. The Foregrip: The foregrip is available for the SMGs, shotguns, LMGs and Assault rifles. It is also built into the MR28. The Foregrip lowers your ADS recoil by about 20% or a little more. It's useful to extend the range at which you can accurately land shots with a weapon. The Shotgun: The underslung shotgun is available for the AR's and LMGS. It replaces your lethal equipment with a 4 round semiautomatic 6 pellet shotgun. You spawn with 8 shells and can only reload the weapon by expending the full 4 shell magazine. It's useful for close range defense on longer range load outs and can be as effective as a pistol if you want something else in your secondary slot. The ammo for the shotgun can be increased with fully loaded or recovered with scavenger or the ammo crate score streak. The Grenade Launcher: The underslung grenade launcher is available for the ARs and LMGs. It replaces your lethal equipment and comes with 2 grenades. These grenades are a single fire weapon with a parabolic arc. They are useful for dropping a quick explosive or firing through windows and around corners. They detonate on impact and have a minimum arming distances. They will kill an opponent with a direct impact at any range. However, unlike the shotgun you cannot replenish your starting ammo unless you find another weapon on the ground with a built in grenade launcher. Tactical Knife: The tactical knife attachment is available only for the pistols. This puts a combat knife in your off hand and allows you to recover from stabbing 50% faster than a traditional knifing. Normally in ghost knifing an opponent will cause you to step into them and freeze you on them for about a second. With the tac knife you recover from stabbing quickly enough to engage another nearby enemy. It's useful if you want a knifing class or don't have anything else to strap to a pistol. Akimbo: Akimbo gives you two pistols instead of one. Each one is controlled by the corresponding trigger button on your controller. The attachment gives you a wider hip fire box and removes your ability to ADS. Akimbo pistols lets you fire both weapons at the same time increasing your output at the cost of accuracy. It can be a very effective use in close range, but it removes the long range capacities of most pistols. Akimbo is not available on the PDW. D. Mod Mods change the way your gun fires or alters your ammunition supply. They are useful in altering a weapon for a different purpose or range. Extended Clip: Extended clip provides you 50% more ammunition in each of your magazines. It's available for most weapons. You also get an increased starting ammo supply because your starting ammo is determined by a set number of clips. It’s useful if you want a little extra ammo or want to go longer between reloads. Armor Piercing: Armor piercing ammo changes your gun performance against a number of things and is available on most weapons other than the launchers and shotguns. It increases your weapons damage through walls. It also doubles the damage you do to most score streaks and completely ignores the ballistic vest score streak. Rapid Fire: Rapid fire is available for the LMGs and SMGs in the game. It increases the fire rate of the weapon between 15% and 30% depending on the weapon. It also increases your weapons recoil It makes the weapons more powerful in close range combat by increasing your output. However, the increased recoil also makes longer ranged aiming much more difficult. Use it on classes that force close combat. Single Shot: This attachment is available for the assault rifles. It decreases their fire rate and turns them into semi auto weapons rather than full auto. It also increases their effective range and damage considerably generally lowering the shots to kill at all ranges by one. However, this is done by adding a modifier to the chest area of the enemy meaning shots to the limbs and head are not affected by this attachment. If you use this aim for center of mass. This basically turns most assault rifles into marksman rifles. Burst Fire: This attachment is available for the ARs and Marksman rifles. On the assault rifles it changes them to a 3 round burst weapon. This reduces their fire rate and increase recoil. However the weapon picks up the same damage multiplier as the single shot mod when hitting the opponent in the chest. This increases the range and damage on the weapons. On the marksman rifles it doesn't affect the range and damage. However, it modifies them into 3 round burst weapons making them more effective at closer ranges. This comes with the cost of long range accuracy however. It's a useful attachment if you are accurate and plan to use either weapons as middle range. Slugs: Slugs are only available for the shotguns. It replaces your 8 pellet spread with a single hard hitting projectile. Unlike the default pellets the slugs have infinite range. But they only kill in one hit very close up. At longer ranges it can require between 2 and 4 slugs to get a kill. It's a difficult attachment to use on a shotgun, but allows the weapon to have a longer range punch at the cost of close range effectiveness. Scrambler: The scrambler is an attachment for the riot shield. While you have it equipped any enemy within 20 meters of you loses their radar completely. This effectively gives you and anybody on your team off the grid as a free perk as long as you have the shield equipped and they are close to you. It's useful in supply support for a team or moving a group who you want to keep hidden. It works best as part of multiperson team of players working together in close proximity Portable Radar: The portable radar basically sends out a ping at about the rate of 2 satcoms when you have the shield equipped. The radar only has a range of 20 meters and only works for you. It can be a useful tool for finding campers or catching a rusher as they are coming up on you. If you are part of a team with good communication you can provide information to nearby team mates about troublesome foes and allow them to deal with it. It's probably the best attachment for the shield if you don't plan on bashing with it. Titanium Frame: The titanium frame is the final attachment available for the assault shield. It increases the rate at which you can melee opponents with the shield by about 30%. If you plan to bash with the shield and use it as a melee weapon this can make it a more manage process and leaves you less exposed between bashes. 7. Equipment: ==================================================================== Equipment in call of duty Ghost functions very similar to how it has in previous games. You are given one lethal and one tactical grenade by default but you can exchange them for an extra perk point each if you like. Equipment in this game is very limited in quantity. You cannot replenish any equipment with the exception of the underslung shotgun attachment. This limited supply often leads most players to take the extra perks rather than equipment. However, equipment is very effective in this game and can often mean the difference between winning and losing an engagement. You can increase your starting supply of either to 2 with the extra lethal and extra tactical perks at a high cost. Mostly equipment is only useful if you plan to use it. If you find yourself dying with your reserve of the equipment full. It might mean you want to consider an extra perk instead. Listed below are the available options for the game. There are 6 lethal and 6 tactical available. A. Lethal: Lethal grenades focus on trying to kill an opponent through damage. Frag Grenades: These grenades behave just how you have come to expect them in most COD games. The have a moderate blast radius and a fuse that they explode a few seconds after you pull them out. You can cook a frag grenade for a second or two before throwing it to allow your enemies less time to evade them. They bounce around when thrown and enemies get a warning that they are nearby. They are useful for flushing out opponents by forcing them to choose between dying or fighting you on your terms. They can also be cooked and thrown at objectives to clear out enemies trying to capture one. Frag grenades can kill you if you hold them too long and can be thrown back. Syntex Grenades: Syntex grenades are thrown in the same fashion as frag grenades. However, you cannot cook them and them will never kill you in your hands. They will adhere to whatever point they contact first and explode a few seconds later. They are more useful if you want an targeted explosive over a bouncing one. You can stick them to players and a stuck syntex grenade will kill a blast shield user. They also cannot be thrown back. Throwing Knife: The throwing knife is a close to mid-range projectile you throw with an aiming reticle following a parabolic trajectory. The knife has limited range but will kill any player or a guard dog with a single hit. You can walk over and retrieve your knife from where it impacts and reuse it unlike most other equipment. C4: C4 returns in Ghosts as it has been in other COD games. You can throw it against any surface and it will stick. You can then remote detonate it at any time by pushing the throw button again or double tapping the reload button. This will detonate it instantly and it can be used as an adhoc quick detonating grenade. However, the throwing and lethal radius of the explosive are a little more limited than in previous COD games. This is probably done to keep it from being overpowered with the strong arm and danger close perks. Canister Bomb: The Canister Bomb is a time detonated explosive. It functions a lot like the frag grenade but has a much shorter throwing distance. It can be cooked and throws a little further than c4. The canister bomb has a much larger blast radius than the grenades do and is most effective against a camper or group holding an objective. IED: The IED is a proxy mine plain and simple. It adheres to any surface and explodes when an opponent gets close to it. It's a very effective way to cover your back while camping or makes a good booby trap in a high traffic area. B. Tactical Equipment: Tactical equipment generally serve to disable or protect you from an enemy rather than kill them outright. 9 Bang Grenade: The 9 bang replaces the standard flash grenades seen in other COD games. It has a cook timer similar to a frag grenade and a shorter throwing radius than other tactical grenades. Upon being hit by one it will temporally blind an opponent for a few seconds making them easier to kill. If you cook one all the way it will shoot out an EMP effect which temporarily disables enemy equipment, streaks, radar and electronic sights for a few seconds. It’s a versatile option, but takes longer to prime than some of the other options. Concussion grenades: Concussion grenades function like they always have. You throw them like a frag and they detonate on impact. Anyone caught in the blast is stunned in place for a few seconds and very vulnerable. They are useful if you want to close distance against an opponent or run from them in unfavorable encounters. Smoke Grenades Smoke grenades are very similar to what they have been in the past few COD games. You throw one and a few seconds later there is a huge cloud of smoke that offers visual cover for about 15 to 20 seconds. This cover is good protection against gunfire if you need to get out of an area or hold down an objective. The smoke can be permeated by the thermal scope or tracker sight which allow you to see opponents through. It can also be a good combo for an explosive weapon that doesn't rely on accuracy. Trophy System: The trophy system returns in ghost and behaves like it has the past few COD games. You simply deploy it and it will stop any grenade, equipment, or explosive projectile that crosses the area it's in. It can be an effective protection if you are camping or holding down an area temporarily. However, not a lot of players use grenades in this game so the effectiveness of this device is usually marginal at best. Motion Sensors: The motion sensor is a deployable device that activates when a player gets close to it like an IED. However, rather than damaging the player it marks them for a few seconds making them highlighted in bright orange through wall. It works the same way as the recon perk or oracle system. It's a useful too to get an advance warning on an approaching opponent. Thermo baric: The thermo baric grenades are a thrown air bursting grenade. The function nearly identical to frag grenade in that they need to be cooked and bounce around corners. They deal a slight amount of damage over a wide area. If an explosive is fired into this area it magnifies the damage slightly. They are also very effective against ground score streaks. However, because of the time it takes to use them, they can be more trouble than they are worth and are really only useful on specialty or team class load outs. 8. Streaks ====================================================================== Each load out you have in ghost also comes with a streaks slot. Streak are very similar to what they have been in previous COD games. They are an ordinance you can add to your load out and you earn them in game by gaining a set number of kills. You also get credit towards streaks by destroying other deployed score streaks and capturing some objectives. For example, you get one point towards your streak if you are the first player on a flag capture in domination mode. Streaks are broken down into one of 3 categories and have to be purchased with squad points. Some are unlocked by default. A. Assault Assault streaks are the most common streaks used in COD Ghosts. They reward players with things that mostly outright kill other players. Each streak has a required number of kills to obtain it and the kills must all be obtained in the same life. Dying will reset your assault streak. The ones you choose should supplement your class and be obtainable in a single life with the load out you have selected. You can have up to 3 streaks at a time and you don't have to use them upon achieving them. You can save them until they are beneficial. SatComs: 3 kills Satcoms are the new radar system in Ghosts. They are a ground deployed score streak that will put the opposing team on the radar. They last 1 minute or until destroyed by the other team. The amount they show depends on how many your team has active. One will on show the line of sight of your team members. Two of them will offer a radar sweep revealing the enemy position every few seconds. Three will cause the sweep to go faster and four will show their position and movement direction with an arrow constantly. Off the Grid will keep you from showing up on the Satcoms and is a valuable perk if stealth is your plan. IMS: 5 kills The IMS sits on the ground in an area and last for 1 minute or until destroyed. It will throw bombs at any enemy that comes within 15 meters of it and will kill them immediately unless they find cover. Basically it's a big proxy mine useful for locking down areas. They are good if you need to control an area of the map or want to camp out and need something to watch your back. Guard Dog: 5 kills The guard dog is a new kill streak to the series and this streak calls in an attack dog to watch your back. The dog will move with you and attack enemies who move into your location. It has 300 health that doesn't regenerate and kills in a single bite. If you die, the dog will track and attempt to kill the person who killed you and then seek you out when you respawn. It also barks when opponents are nearby. Sentry Gun: 7 kills The Sentry gun returns and serves the same purpose it normally has. The gun is an automatic smart turret that fires bullets that any enemy who walks in front of it. It takes the turret 4 bullets to kill and it kills quickly. The turret last for one minute or until an opponent destroys it. It can be useful for area control or watching your back. However, the turret is vulnerable from behind and has no defense if somebody get behind it. Trinity Rocket: 7 kills The trinity bomb will open a suitcase and allow you to drop a bomb from above the map to attempt to kill enemy players. They opponents are mapped and highlighted below. You can also shoot off additional explosives on the way down at players outside of your main drop site. The trinity bomb is a good streak to earn a few extra kills or knock a solid group of opponents off an objective. Battle Hind: 7 kills The battle hind is an attack helicopter that is called in to kill opponents on its own. It flies above the map and automatically targets enemies with a built in machine gun and bombs. It has a good pool of health and with no lock on launchers available it can take some effort to kill one. They are good for racking up a few kills and harassing an enemy team in general. Vulture: 9 kills The vulture is a hovering turret that follows you around and protects you in the same way the guard dog does by engaging close enemies with a machine gun. It has limited health, but it's flying makes it a difficult target to take down. It's useful to many types of classes and is a solid defensive kill streak. Gryphon: 10 kills The gryphon is a remote controlled score streak that you fly around the map and drop bombs on targets below. It has a limited duration, but it's very effective and normally kills with one bomb. It can be a useful toy if you want to dislodge an enemy from a location without risking a direct engagement. Maniac: 10 kills The juggernaut maniac deploys a suit of armor that via a care package that you can equip. Once you have the armor on you start with 1200 health but you cannot regenerate it and you cannot removes the suit. You will move faster than any other player, but you are limited to only using the combat knife. It can be a lot of fun and rack up several kills. However, sooner or later your health is going to run out making this streak an informed decision to eventually ending your life. Juggernaut: 11 kills The Juggernaut is identical to the maniac kill streak with a few exceptions. Instead of the combat knife you get a minigun to fight with. However you move at half speed making you a powerful but slow moving target. Like the maniac once you put the armor on you are committed to finishing the streak until your health runs out. Still it's a powerful option and can be a lot of fun. Helo Pilot: 12 kills The Helo pilot puts you in remote control of a helicopter that circles the map and has a machine gun you can use to kill opponents. This streak is very powerful and usually nets a lot of kills. However, you are vulnerable on the ground while controlling it normally resulting in your death at the end of its duration. Still, it can swing the flow of a game very easily and is solid assault streak. Loki: 15 kills The Loki strike puts you in control of satellite in space to offer a wide variety of options to the battle field. You can shoot large explosive rods onto the battle field wreaking havoc on the other team. You can also deploy and direct an A.I. controlled juggernaut to help supplement your team. It's a very powerful assault streak, but it also leaves you vulnerable on the ground while controlling it. B. Support Support streaks return in Ghosts and function the same way they did in modern warfare 3. Like assault streaks you have to earn a requisite number of kills for the rewards. However, your kill count doesn't reset when you die. This 
means you can be a little less careful and don't have to worry about losing 
your streaks because of an untimely accident. Support streaks seek to help 
supplement your team rather than kill the opponents outright.  Support 
streaks are a better choice for newer players because they don't reset after 
dying. 

SatComs: 4 kills

These are identical to the assault streak with the same name and stack with 
them.  However, they require one more kill to obtain since you don't lose 
your streak on dying. 

Ammon Crate: 6 kills

The ammo crate is a box that you can throw out to supply yourself and your 
team mates with weapons. Every 10 seconds you can walk across the box and you 
will receive a clip for your primary and secondary weapon.  The box does not 
resupply equipment or any explosive ordinance.  You can also hold the reload 
button above the box for a few seconds and you will receive a random weapon 
with random attachments. The box will also extend these benefits to your team 
mates as well.  The box lasts for one minute or until an opponent destroys 
it. 

Ballistic Vests: 8 kills

Ballistic vest are thrown on the ground and you can equip one by standing 
over it and holding the reload button for a few seconds. The vest will give 
you an extra 150 armor that works like extra health. This armor will take 
damage before your health takes damage. However, it does not regenerate like 
your base health. You can take one vest per life as can any other member of 
your team. The vests last for 1 minute or until destroyed.  Also note that 
the vest does not absorb damage from a weapon with armor piercing rounds or 
head shots. 

MAAWS: 9 kills

The MAAWS is a shoulder fire rocket launcher with a laser beam to guide its 
munitions. You can lock onto targets by holding the beam on them for a few 
seconds then firing the missile. It's useful for taking on air support since 
there are no lock on launchers by default. The streak comes with two rockets 
and can also be free fired against ground targets. 

Night Owl: 10 kills

The night owl is a flying system that follows you around providing 2 
benefits. First, it serves as a mobile trophy system against thrown 
explosives.  Secondly it has a built in portable radar which, gives you a 
constant radar effect against opponents within 20 meters of the streak. It's 
a good tool for hunting campers and avoiding being rushed. 

Squad Mate: 11 kills

The squad mate deploys an AI controlled bot equipped with a riot shield and a 
p226 pistol. He will follow you around the map and kill opponents. Basically 
this adds another player to your team.  The squad mate will take weapons from 
a weapon crate score streak in place of his pistol and equip a ballistic vest 
if one is deployed.  You can have multiple squad mates deployed at the same 
time adding additional help to your team.  Your squad mate can also complete 
objectives.  For example if he is following you near a domination flag he 
counts as a team mate in terms of the time it takes to capture the flag. 

Ground Jammer: 12 kills

The ground jammer deploys a device that kills off most enemy kills streaks on 
the ground including Satcoms, Sentry guns and IMS.  It will also disable your 
opponents radar temporarily and shut off the reticle on any electronic gun 
sight they are using. It lasts for 30 second or until destroyed.  It can be 
useful in countering a large number of ground score streaks or providing 
concealment to your whole team for a short duration. 

Air Superiority: 12 kills

This streak calls in a group of support jets to shoot down any flying kills 
streaks the opposing team has in the air.  It will destroy anything that is 
already there and keep them from deploying any more for it's one minute 
duration. This streak can be a real life saver when your opposing team has 
several vehicles harassing you at the same time. 

Helo Scout: 13 kills

The helo scout puts you in a helicopter with a sniper rifle. You can control 
the chopper somewhat and circle the map killing players until the streak runs 
out.  While on board you are given a ballistic vest, but players can still 
kill you by shooting you. It's not the best score streak, but offers a lethal 
air option for the support class. 

Oracle: 14 kills

The oracle system lasts one minute and will highlight the opposing team in 
bright orange and make them visible through walls. This effect is identical 
to the one provided by the recon perk.   The highlighting cycles on and off 
every few seconds for the streaks duration.  The Blind eye streak will make 
an opponent immune to this effect. It's a good streak to find campers with 
and helps your team have the upper hand in a gun fight quite often. 

Juggernaut Recon:

This streak is identical to the assault juggernaut. However instead of a 
minigun you get a riot shield with a built in radar attachment.  You also get 
a p226 pistol to fight with as well. It can be a solid choice to provide a 
mobile cover for the rest of your team. However, despite your immense health 
your slow movement speed leaves you vulnerable to being flanked. 

Odin: 16 kills

The Odin strike is the same as the Loki other than it's a support streak 
rather than an assault read it's description above. 
 

C. Specialist

The specialist package is also based on gaining kills in order to get 
rewards.  Like the assault streaks your number of kills gets reset every time 
you die.  Instead of getting streak rewards like the other packages you get 
extra perks instead. You can choose any perks you have unlocked that are not 
in your initial load out. You cannot choose extra lethal, tactical, fully 
loaded, extra attachment, overkill because the game won't give you any 
benefits from these perks.  

You first choose 3 perks to serve as your base perks. The number of kills you 
need for each perk gain is cumulative.  To gain the benefit of each 
additional perk you must get a number of kills equal to the point cost of the 
perk plus one. After you obtain your third perk you need two additional kills 
to get your specialist bonus. This bonus adds an additional 8 points worth of 
perks to your load out.  However, upon death you lose all the perks that you 
have earned and have to start again. Specialist is a useful choice if you 
want a perk heavy load out or want to try some more advanced perks.  Having a 
good number of perks can make you much more lethal than any streak, but this 
streak package lends itself to some very specific load outs. It also requires 
an advanced player to use it effectively. 

9. Secondary Weapons
================================================================

You will notice this guide does not have a section on primary weapons.  Most 
players choose a primary weapon and build their class around it. The primary 
weapons are well documented elsewhere online and if you need the information 
about one I would suggest you look it up. Symthic.com already has all the 
information listed on the primary weapon and their statistic in a well-
organized easy to read format. I don't see the point in copying their whole 
site into this guide. At least not at this time. If you want their 
information it can be found at this link. 

http://symthic.com/cod-ghosts-weapon-info

Secondary weapons on the other hand are not as well documented and have a 
very different purpose in class building. So, I am going to cover them here 
in greater detail. One of the benefits of building a class at ghost is you 
have two weapon slots. This allows you to have a backup weapon that can help 
fill in the gaps left by your primary or serve a special purpose. Many 
players leave this slot free in order to get an extra perk point. However 
having a second weapon will often offer a class a better benefit than an 
extra perk or piece of equipment. However, if you are taking a secondary 
weapon, like equipment you should make use of it so that it's not just a 
filler part of your load out.   

Secondary weapons are available in 2 types, launchers and handguns. Note I 
use handguns and pistols interchangeably as terms in this guide.  You can 
also use the overkill perk to gain a second primary for your secondary slot.  
You can also pick one up in game if you are using the ammo crate or you can 
take one off a fallen opponents corpse. However, finding a random weapon in 
the field doesn't always help you. For example if you are using an assault 
rifle, finding another assault rifle or marksman rifle probably won't benefit 
you a whole lot until your primary weapon starts to run out of bullets.  
Secondary weapons can define classes and help you extend your lifespan. 

A. Launchers

Call of Duty Ghosts has 3 different launchers available.  They are handle 
very slowly, come with limited ammo and are really special purpose weapons. 
You cannot replenish launcher ammo because they use explosives, unless of 
course you find the same launcher lying on the ground with ammo remaining in 
it. Launchers are excellent as a means of propelling explosives further and 
more accurately than throwing lethal equipment. They also come with a greater 
starting supply and can be a whole lot of fun.  

Launchers are best used on specialized classes with specific purposes.  They 
offer an additional ordinance that can be very useful in taking objectives in 
objective games or cleaning out a camper.  Launchers leave you very 
vulnerable at close range, so they are best used on a class with a more 
general purpose primary weapon that can function at most ranges. They can 
also be an option to extend your reach when using a close range weapon like a 
shotgun. 

The launchers: 

Kastet:

The Kastet is basically the underslung grenade launcher except it isn't 
attached to a primary weapon.  It comes with two grenades by default and 
requires a reload between the two shots. The grenades fire in a parabolic arc 
and detonate on impact.  It's a nice option if your primary weapon cannot 
equip an underslung launcher or if you want 4 grenades between your 
underslung launcher at this one. 

The Panzerfaust:

The Panzerfuast is an unguided free firing rocket launcher. It handles slowly 
and comes with two rockets by default. It's a great option if you want to 
pound a group of enemies.  It fires straight where you point it and explodes 
on impact. It can also be used to shoot down air support, but this can be 
difficult as the rockets are unguided. One rocket will destroy any air 
support in the game. 

The MK32:

The Mk32 is a unique weapon.  It fires syntex grenades.  The launcher comes 
with 6 grenades and fires them in 2 round bursts with minor recoil. It fires 
the same parabolic trajectory as the Kastet.  The grenades stick on impact 
and explode a few seconds later. This launcher can be tricky to use since the 
grenades have a delayed detonation and opponents can clear the area before 
they go off. However, it's useful if you want to blanket a wide area with 
explosives for force a camper from their hiding place into an open objective. 
It's a lot of fun to screw around with as well. 


B. Handguns:

Pistols are probably the most important weapons in call of duty Ghosts.  
Adding a handgun to your load out comes with a slew of benefits at a very 
meager cost. However, pistols can be difficult to use and many players have a 
hard time competing with one against a primary weapon.  However, with a 
little practice they are a very competitive weapon in close combat.  Pistols 
being semiautomatic fire slower than most primary weapons. They also deal 
much lower damage at longer ranges taking sometimes 5 or 6 shots to get a 
kill.  They key to using a pistol effectively is to force close engagements 
with it.  There are 5 pistols available in ghosts and they all have their own 
strengths and weaknesses. How you should use a pistol depends on your primary 
weapon and your comfort level with the handgun.  

Pistols as Backup Weapons:

The first way to use a pistol is simply as a backup weapon. Pistols have very 
fast switch times and the fastest handling of any weapon in the game. If your 
primary weapon functions well in close combat then a pistol usually falls 
into a backup role.  When your primary runs dry, it's quicker to draw a 
handgun than it is to reload it. This can save your skin while reloading your 
primary will often get you killed. If your opponent is wounded a few rounds 
from the pistol can usually finish the job.  The pistol can also help a lot 
if a get a kill with your primary but lack the time needed to reload it 
because of another approaching enemy.  This will give you something to fight 
with besides your knife until you can find time to reload your primary 
weapon. 

Also, unless you are running scavenger as a perk sooner or later your primary 
weapon is going to run completely out of bullets.  While you can often find 
an enemy weapon, sometimes they are low on ammo or not a good fit for the 
class you built. Having a pistol gives you a few magazines to shop around for 
another weapon and won't leave you completely defenseless. Having a pistol 
also allows you to swap weapons to perform a reload cancel.  You cannot do 
this without a secondary weapon. Also, even if you scavenge a backup weapon, 
unless you are running the reflex perk, you will probably be dead by the time 
you switch to it in a close quarters gunfight. 

Pistols as an Alternate Weapon:  

The other way to use a pistol is as a weapon in its own right. Many primary 
weapons including Marksman rifles, Sniper rifles, and LMGs don't function 
well in close combat at all. Having a pistol will offer you a better weapon 
for close range.  In this case when you are moving through a map area where 
gunfights are going to be close you should switch to the pistol and fight 
with it in place of your primary weapon.  Also, if you are in a defensive 
position, swapping to a pistol can often offer you a better chance of 
repelling a close range rusher than your primary weapon.  

The key to fighting with a pistol is understanding their range.  They are the 
dominate weapon usually out to about 8 meters if your opponent isn't using a 
shotgun.  They are competitive out to about 15 meters. After that most of the 
handguns drop to a 4 to 6 shot kill and lose their effective edge.  A pistol 
can offer you a longer range option on a shotgun, but it's not a good against 
most primaries at range.  Learning to fight with a handgun can be a difficult 
undertaking, but well worth the time investment. I would advise you to find 
one you like and then fight 6 to 10 rounds of free for all using only the 
pistol. It will be a rough couple of rounds, but by the end of it you should 
have the pistols handling down and know where and where not to use it. 

One final use of pistols as an alternate weapon is ammo conservation. I might 
have an assault rifle with stalker, Quickdraw and an under mount shotgun. 
But, I often carry a pistol as a backup weapon even on those load outs.  Even 
with the gun groomed to close range like that I still find myself switching 
to the handgun in some areas because I am more comfortable with it.  If I can 
score a few close range kills with my handgun that is ammo I don't have to 
deplete from my primary weapon allowing me more time before I have to 
scavenge a new gun.  Also, if your pistol starts to run low or you find an 
SMG or Shotgun there is no shame in swapping it out for the other weapon.  
Just remember you have a longer switch time. 

M9A1:

The M9A1 is really the default pistol in this game.  It has a 12 round 
magazine and kills in 2 to 4 shots depending on its range.  The pistol has 
low recoil with an average rate of fire.  It's a good weapon if you don't 
want to invest a lot of squad points into a secondary.  It's 4 shot minimum 
damage also makes it the best pistol to run silenced. If you are not running 
a stealth class then the muzzle break or extended mags are probably the best 
attachment. 

M45 Grache:

The Grache is the fast firing high accuracy pistol. It has a 2 to 5 shot kill 
with almost no recoil and a 10 round clip.  The Grache is an excellent pistol 
if you just want something to pull out and spam at close range. It fires fast 
and is dead accurate at any range. I would recommend the extended mags 
attachment unless you are doing something like akimbo or the tactical knife. 

P226:

The P226 is another semi auto handgun. It has a 14 round magazine and has a 2 
to 6 shot kill with moderate recoil.  The pistol has a decent rate of fire 
and the longest two shot kill range of anything but the magnum. It's large 
magazine and quick kill make this a very popular close range backup.  
However, outside of 10 meters the recoil on this pistol makes it difficult to 
use.  The muzzle break is the best attachment extending the 2 shot kill range 
as far as possible. 

The Magnum:

The magnum is a unique pistol.  It has a slower ADS than the rest of the 
pistols and shoots very slowly.  It also has a slow reload and a very limited 
6 round magazine.  However, with all these downsides it makes up for them in 
power.  The magnum kills in a single shot to the head or upper chest out to 
about 7 meters.  It also has the longest 2 shot kill range and is a 3 shot 
kill at any range.  However, its handling makes it very difficult to use.  If 
you are an accuracy player this weapon is devastating and can work as a long 
range option on a shotgun class.  But for most players the other pistols are 
better choices. The muzzle break is the best attachment. 

The PDW:

The PDW is a 3 round burst pistol with a 12 round magazine.  It requires 3 to 
6 shots to kill with a short range. The weapon also has a slow rate of fire 
from the burst delay and moderate recoil making it difficult to wield at 
range.  Basically this is a machine pistol if you want it.  It definitely 
gets the job done, but it is difficult to wield.  Give it a try and see if it 
floats your boat, most players don't care for this weapon. The best 
attachments are extended clip or one of the optics available.  You cannot use 
the PDW Akimbo. 

10. Designing a Class in Ghost
======================================================================

Now that I have covered all of the items you need to build a class, it's time 
to get into how to go about doing it correctly. I know many of the people 
using this guide are only going to use it for the references above. However, 
if you are looking to develop classes or improve your technique at class 
design you should start here. There are many ways to approach building a 
class and some work better than others.  While there is a lot of information 
here, you don't need to dig out a notebook and write an outline to build a 
class. However, taking a few minutes to think about a class will pay you 
dividends in the actual game. 

The best place to start is to figure out what type of class you want to 
build. There are many different types and each one has its own strengths and 
weaknesses. Ask yourself a few questions. Why are you building this class?  
What game modes will you be using it in?  What are the core building blocks 
you need?  What are some of the load outs weaknesses?  How do you plan to 
cope when you arrive in an unfavorable situation?  These questions all should 
be answered before get into a match.  There is no best class and no class can 
be good at everything.  But, understanding how your load out works together 
will help you play it correctly to maximize the benefits you get from it.  

The best approach is to figure out what the class is going to do.  After that 
you should pick out your core components.  These are the things the class has 
to have in order to work. They include your primary weapon and the necessity 
perks for a build. After that you should use your remaining resources to 
either make the class better at what it does or cover some of the weaknesses 
that it has.  For example, for a long range sniper class, the core components 
would be a sniper rifle with a long range optic, and the focus perk.  You 
could add Quickdraw to make sniper rifle get onto target faster and make it 
more efficient at sniping. Alternatively you could add a pistol to help cover 
close ranges and an IED to watch your back when you are at a firing location.  
The thought process is pretty intuitive, but it helps to go through it.  

Finally once you build your class take it out and play it.  Sometimes you get 
it right the first time and others you screw it up.  After a few rounds if 
the class is working correctly leave it alone and move onto another.  If the 
class isn't functioning well or something isn't of benefit then rotate it out 
and try something else. It can take a few games to fine tune a class and get 
it to work properly.  Also, make sure you are using the resources you picked 
out. For example in the sniper class if you never throw out the IED or are 
not using the pistol, then drop it and choose something else. There is no 
point in having dead weight on a class when you can trade it for something 
that will benefit you.  

11. Types of Classes
====================================================================

There are a number of different categories of classes that you can put 
together in Call of Duty Ghost.  The first thing you should do is pick out a 
class type that suits your needs.  The approach to building different types 
of classes varies. So, choose what works best for you.    

A. Weapon Based Classes:

The most common type of class in a COD game are weapon based classes. The 
purpose of a weapon based class is to get as many kills as you can and win 
gun fights.  As such you should start building a weapon based class by 
selecting a primary weapon and go from there.  Once you have your weapon 
picked out you should choose the range you want to work the weapon at and 
choose appropriate attachments to go with the gun. After attachments, you 
should select the perks you need for the load out with your intended play 
style in mind.  Finally, you should select your secondary weapon, and 
equipment if you are using them along with any reaming perk points along with 
your streaks. 

a. Focused Classes

Focused classes are designed to work around a single weapon.  Either you try 
to gear the weapon so it works well at a wide variety of ranges as a general 
purpose weapon.  Alternatively you pick an area of operation and focus your 
play exclusively on that area. Weapons like assault rifles, SMGs and Marksman 
rifles can be groomed into the first style.  LMGs, Shotguns and sniper rifles 
usually fall into the second category. A focused class places all your 
resource in your primary weapon and attempts to make it as powerful as 
possible. 

Focused classes tend to ignore their own weaknesses and instead focus on 
their strengths. This generally leads them towards more aggressive play in 
their focused niche in the game. They can be quite effective, but often lack 
the longevity that other builds provide.  Focused classes normally dominate 
in their intended role until something catches them off guard. It's best to 
either run the support package or lower level assault streaks with Focused 
classes as they don't tend to live as long as other builds. 

b. Compartmentalized Classes
 
Compartmentalized classes tend to be more reserved and less aggressive in 
play. Instead of pumping all your resources into a single weapon they usually 
divide the load between your primary and secondary weapon.  For example you 
might be running an assault rifle as your primary for mid-range and out to 
the longer ranges.  While, you rely on a pistol for close combat.  
Compartmentalized classes tend to cover a broader range of engagements, but 
they lack the aggressive punch of a focused. You will often tend to live 
longer with a Compartmentalized class because you don't have any blatant 
weaknesses.  However, you also are not as strong as a focused class and can 
often be defeated by them if you get too aggressive. 

When building a compartmented class, it's best to use your primary weapon in 
its default range. Let your secondary fill in the gap if it can.  Overkill 
can be a good option here giving you two primaries to work with if a pistol 
doesn't meet your needs.  You need to be more defensive with one of these 
builds and make sure you have the right tool selected for the right 
situation. For example you have to get in the habit of drawling a pistol if 
your primary isn't suited for close range whenever you go into interior 
areas. Played correctly a compartmentalized class will often yield a longer 
life between spawns and reach the higher kill rewards.  

B. Purpose Classes

Purpose built classes are different from weapon based classes in that they 
serve a particular role rather than focusing on winning gun fights. These 
might include a support gunner; using a riot shield; a class designed to kill 
score streaks or a defensive class designed to take objectives. The building 
process is similar to a weapon based class but in the opposite order. With a 
special purpose class you want to start with your perks and equipment 
selecting what you need to get the job done.  After that you should pick out 
a weapon that operates in the area you selected.  You want to pick a more 
general purpose weapon because you don't have as many perks to enhance your 
play style.  Purpose classes care less about getting kills and more about 
winning games. 


12. Range in Call of Duty Ghost
======================================================================

The most important thing to understand when building a class is the range 
components of your class. You need to understand where your weapon and class 
choices operate well.  Once you have that you need to tweak your play style 
to support the build that created.  Weapons kill very quickly in Ghost and 
often the person who shoots first wins. However, when you get into an actual 
encounter where the two of you see each other at about the same time the 
range it happens at normally will determine who wins most of the time. Also, 
if you get ambushed the closer you are to your weapon's optimal range, the 
better chance you have of winning. Range is the most important consideration 
for all weapon based classes. 

Each weapon in ghost has a specific range where it functions well.  Most 
weapons with a few exceptions can function outside of this range and compete 
up or down one increment.  Outside of that area you are going to be at a 
major disadvantage against a weapon that specialize in that range. You can 
shift or extend the range a weapon operates at through the use of perks and 
attachments. However, the further you spread the range of a gun the more 
resources it consumes and the less effective it will become. I am going to 
list the ranges in ghosts below and what weapons work well in them. These 
ranges are the default for most weapons in a given class, however, you can 
change these through attachment, perks and there are some outliers in each 
class. But this is a good place to start. Also note that range dominance is 
transitive. For example an SMG loses to a shot gun at 7 meters.  But an SMG 
will beat anything larger than it at that range. 

Close Combat: 0 to 2 meters

This is very close range and is a very rare occurrence unless you are 
purposely getting close to someone or two players round a corner at the same 
time. At this range if you don't have a shotgun go for knife. It's difficult 
to control a fight at this range and usually the first person to stab the 
other wins.  

Close Range: 2 to 12 meters

This range is dominated by the shotguns and pistols in that order.  The 
larger maps in Ghost make this a less common occurrence, but these fights do 
happen and rushers often try to force their way into this range with an SMG 
and even some assault rifles. If you have a pistol and are entering an area 
where close contact is likely to occur draw it before you go, or you might 
find yourself outgunned by someone who came prepared. 

Close Medium Range: 12 to 20 meters

This is the range where most SMG's shine.  They are usually at their highest 
damage and can take advantage of their speed over larger weapons.  Pistols 
start into their 4 shot kill range at this point and shotguns lose their one 
hit kill ability.  Pistols can still compete against bigger weapons in this 
range, but Assault rifles generally beat them if they are geared for closer 
combat.  Most of the larger weapons are going to suffer in this range. It's 
not as common in Ghost as previous COD games but there are many engagements 
that fall into this category. 

Medium range: 20 to 30 meters

This is where the assault rifles take over.  SMGs, pistols and shotguns are 
all at their minimum damage. Which in the case of shotguns without slugs in 
no damage at all. Assault rifles faster fire rates beat out the larger 
weapons in this range and tend to kill quicker.  The assault rifles can keep 
up with the SMGs speed at this range and are still at their higher damages. 
This and the next increment are the most common ranges that fights occur with 
on the larger maps in Ghost.  That is why dominance in this game has switched 
from the SMGs to the assault rifles. 

Medium Far Range: 30 to 45 meters

This is the range where the LMGs and the new marksman rifles take over.  At 
this range these weapons have a longer damage drop and higher damage than the 
assault rifles and smaller weapons.  Also, this range buffer negates the 
slower handling and higher recoil on these weapons allowing them to chew 
through opponents dominantly.  Snipers compete well at this range, but are 
often beat by the marksman rifles and LMGs because of their higher fire rates 
and faster handling. 

Long Range: 45 meters + 

There are a lot of huge maps in Call of Duty Ghost and this is where the 
sniper rifles shine. All the other weapons are at their minimum damage for 
the most part and lack the precision for shooting at these ranges. The sniper 
rifles zoomed scopes and flat damage allow them to operate well across these 
long sight lines and cut opponents down at afar.  At this range with most 
other weapons you are just better off trying to get close before wasting your 
ammo. 

13. Class Descriptions:
======================================================================
I am going to begin covering the classes now.  This section will serve as an 
outline for how the information in each of the following sections will be set 
up.  This is to help you find the information you are looking for more 
easily.  I won't be offering just a list of classes, but rather a list of the 
key components for each one and some suggestions about where you can expand 
them from there to suit your own play style and needs.  Each section will 
begin with the name of the type of classes it's describing as the title.  It 
will also include the following sections.

Introduction: 

This will give you a general overview of the class design and how to play it 
effectively. 

Strengths:

This section of the class with list where the class is solid and what the 
benefits of playing this build are. 

Weaknesses:  

This section will list problems and shortcomings of a class.  You should look 
here to know what to watch out for or if you are looking for a way to counter 
the class. 

The weapons: 

This section will list the weapon classes that work well with the build.  It 
will also cover if you should use a secondary weapon and what fits well in 
that. 

The Perks:  

This section will list the core component perks that you will likely need 
across all builds with the class.  

The Equipment: 

I will list here if the class requires any equipment to be effective and what 
you should consider for this selection.

Subsections: 

After I get through the generalities of a build this section will break the 
builds down further by weapon class and add in the additional perks and 
attachments needed to construct the class effectively 

Countering:

The final selection here deals with what to do if you end up fighting against 
this type of class. I will recommend a few classes that can compete against 
it and point out the holes that you need to use to overcome the classes. 

14. Rushers:
=====================================================================    

Introduction: 

Rushers are a fairly common type of build in any COD game. The strategy here 
is to take a weapon with good handling and use the weapons speed advantage at 
close range against opponents with slower weapons.  The rusher build focus on 
using speed to flank an opponent and relies on hip fire rather than aimed 
accuracy to kill the opponent before they can reaction.  You need to design a 
build that operates quickly and can get close to an enemy. Once you are there 
you want to rush in and get around their sides or behind them faster than 
they can track you with their sights.  This will let you push your speed 
advantage at close range. Some rushing builds also take advantage of stealth 
in order to get close.

Strengths:

Rushers are a weapon focused class designed to operate in close combat.  Once 
they reach close quarters they are very difficult to compete with and most 
heavier weapons will die before they can retaliate.  Rushing is a very 
aggressive play style and suits players lacking the patience for a more 
measured or defensive build. 

Weaknesses:

Rushing builds are not set up to be competitive at longer ranges. So, picking 
tight areas of the map is essential. Getting caught out in the open will 
usually get a rusher killed in a gun fight.  Maps in ghost are big so rushers 
are at a disadvantage in many of the areas with longer sight lines. Also, 
rushing builds tend to focus their resources purely into speed and stealth. 
This leaves them vulnerable to explosives and taticals grenades as well. 
Finally since rushing relies on hip fire, rushers tend to chew through their 
starting ammo faster than other builds. Rushers also tend to live shorter 
lives do to the aggressive nature of the class. 

The Weapons:

Shotguns, Pistols, SMGs and even some assault rifles all have fast enough 
handling and fire to fill in the role of the rusher well. These weapons 
handle and kill fast at close range. However, they are not competitive 
outside of 20 meters for the most part.  A rusher build can add a launcher to 
extend their reach, but you are better relying on forcing close engagement in 
order to win gun fights. 

The Perks: 

Required: Ready Up, Steady Aim

Rushers use their speed to flank an enemy and hose them down with hip fire. 
Ready up lets you recover from sprinting faster when you are ready to fire 
and Steady aim makes your hip fire more accurate. Beyond these two perks you 
have a few good options. The first is to increase your mobility with agility 
or marathon.  These perks will let you get close faster and dominate the 
close range engagement getter when you get there.  The second option is to 
run a silenced weapon and rely on stealth rather than speed to get close.  
Dead silence and off the grid will make you very hard to detect until it's 
too late often allowing you to ambush an opponent on your own terms. Beyond 
these options you may want to consider scavenger because relying on hip fire 
consumes your starting ammo quickly and you will be close enough to get the 
ammo packs. 

The Equipment:

Rushing isn't particularly reliant on equipment to be effective. You are 
likely better off going with extra perks. However, there are a few good 
options if you have the space.  C4 or a throwing knife will offer you another 
close range means of securing a kill. Also concussion grenades can stun an 
enemy allowing you to get close and hose them down. Beyond these, use 
whatever floats your boat. 

A. Shotgun Rushers:

Shotguns are a very popular option for a rushing build.  They offer reliable 
consistent fire from the hip and usually kill in one shot up close.  However, 
shotguns are difficult to use on the larger maps in Ghost and are useless 
outside of close range.  This means you have to force close combat to be 
effective. 

Sample Shotgun Running Class:
Primary: Bulldog Shotgun
Attachments: Muzzle Break, Extended Clip
Secondary: M9A1 pistol
Attachment: Extended Clip
Perks: Ready Up, Marathon, Steady Aim, Agility, Strong Arm, Extra Tactical
Equipment: Concussion Grenades X 2 

Attachments:

Muzzle Break, Extended Mags or an optic

With the shotguns you really only need one attachment.  The muzzle break 
extends their available range giving as much killing potential as possible. 
If your chose shotgun has extended mags go with that as your secondary.   
Otherwise you can add an optic if you want or just save the squad points for 
something else. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Shotgun load outs are forced to operate in close quarters only.  Brining a 
pistol along helps if you have to fire outside of your effective range or if 
your magazine runs dry. Most shotguns are slow to reload.  You might swap out 
the pistol at the first opportunity for longer range weapon if you can find 
one.  Beyond that, adding a few concussion grenades to the build can help you 
in getting close.  Reflex or Scavenger might be a good investment if you want 
to scavenge a weapon or not run out of ammo. 


B. SMG Rushers

SMGs are very suited to a rushing build with their quick handling and fast 
rates of fire. They don't kill as fast as a shotgun, but are more flexible in 
terms of ranged performance.   However, most SMGs are not particularly 
competitive outside of 20 meters, so you want to keep your engagements as 
short as you can. 

Sample SMG Rushing Class
Primary Weapon: CBJ-MS
Attachments: Silencer, extended mags 
Perks: Ready up, Steady Aim, Dead Silence, Off the Grid, Marathon
Equipment: C4

Attachments:
Silencer or Muzzle Break, Extended mags or rapid fire

Since you are relying off of hip fire optics are not particularly helpful.  
If you are relying on stealth the silencer is the obvious choice if not the 
muzzle break will extend your reach slightly.  Rapid fire will increase your 
output killing quicker at close range or extended clip will give you more 
bullets to work with especially if you are not running scavenger. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

SMG rushing is very simple in its design.  You want to flank and hose as best 
you can.  Up close stealth will serve you better than power with an SMG. If 
you can get close without drawing attention its all the better. Dead silence 
and off the grid will make you very difficult to detect.  Your other concern 
should be your ammo supply.  Scavenger is a good choice if you have a small 
magazine.  Also, if your weapon has a slower reload you might consider 
bringing a pistol in case you run dry and need a few extra rounds to finish 
the job.   

C. Assault Rifle Rushers:

Assault rifles are not suited well to rushing.  They are slower in handling 
and speed than the other weapons.  However, two of them in particular are 
suited to the task. Namely the FAD with its high fire rate and the ARX with 
its built in laser sight which, gives you the same hip fire as an SMG.  The 
builds are not as flexible as the other weapons in this category, but they 
offer a better chance of midrange combat over the SMGs and Shotguns.  You 
should sprint in and then hip fire into ADS with the assault rifles. 

Primary Weapon: ARX Assault Rifle
Attachments: Extended Mags, Shotgun
Perks: Steady Aim, Ready up, Marathon, Agility, Sleight of Hand 
Equipment: Concussion Grenade X 1

Attachments: Extended Clip, Underslung Shotgun

The assault rifles need the extra speed from Agility and Marathon to compete 
as a rushing weapon.  So, stealth is out of the question you should gear the 
weapon for close range.  The underslung shotgun is a viable weapon in its own 
right if you can get close enough, but it has limited ammo.  Assault rifles 
have a larger hip fire box and smaller mags than the SMGs so the extra ammo 
from extended clip also comes in handy here. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

As I stated in the attachment section you need agility and marathon to 
compete with the faster weapons up close.  If you don't like the shotgun or 
concussion grenade you could drop them and bring a pistol instead for back 
up. Beyond that sleight of hand is very useful if you don't have a pistol 
because both of FAD and ARX are not the swiftest on the reload process. You 
don't have enough perk slots to go for the stealth build here so focus on 
speed. On the plus side the assault rifles have higher damage at range are 
more competitive outside of close combat. 

D. Pistol Rushers

While pistols normally occupy a secondary role in call of duty ghost, they 
can be used as a primary weapon in a rushing build.  In order to do this you 
will need to make use of the akimbo attachment packing two pistols instead of 
just one.   Any of the pistols could work in this role besides the PDW, since 
it lacks the akimbo attachment.  Packing two pistols puts your rate of fire 
possibly higher than any fully automatic weapon in the game if your trigger 
fingers can keep up.  However, the limited magazine and ammo supply quickly 
become a chief concern. 

Sample Pistol Rushing Class:
Primary Weapon: Combat knife
Secondary Weapon: P226 Pistol
Attachments: Akimbo
Perks: Ready Up, Steady Aim, Marathon, Scavenger, Extra tactical, Agility
Equipment: Concussion Grenade x 


Attachments:
Akimbo

You need two pistols to make this build work.  This will remove your ability 
to aim down the sights and restrict you to hip fire only. However, you can 
put a lot of rounds down range and twin pistols are very powerful at close 
range.


Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Unless you are running the extra attachment perk, you are limited to only one 
attachment on a pistol.  This means you cannot make a stealth build out of 
it. You could still use dead silence to mask your sound, but once you fire 
you will be on radar.  Also, Scavenger is a must with a pistol rushing build. 
Two handguns will quickly eat up your starting ammo and you will need to find 
more to continue the fight.  You can also equip a primary weapon if you want 
to help at longer range.  However, you are likely to be able to find 
something on the ground that will meet your needs after 1 to 2 kills. Another 
interesting option with this build would be to use the riot shield as your 
primary weapon to protect your back from incoming fire. You could add the 
portable radar attachment as well and swap to it to recon an area before 
rounding a corner.  

E. Other Rushing options


While the rushing build is best suited to the faster weapon in the game there 
are a few surprisingly effective options within other weapon classes.  The 
first option would be the chainsaw LMG.  This weapon is a hip fire only LMG 
with a very tight hip fire cone and enhanced mobility.  It has a fire rate 
near an SMG and an 80 round magazine to draw ammunition from.  If you want to 
attempt this build, substitute the weapon for a speed rushing build based off 
an SMG or Shotgun using Agility and Marathon.  You want to use the weapon 
with the muzzle break and either rapid fire or extended mags.  This will 
increase your range slightly and either increase your output or give you more 
time between reloads.  The chainsaw has a very slow reload so packing a 
pistol for when you run dry is a good idea. 

The second option is to use the underslung shotgun on an assault rifle as a 
rushing weapon in its own right.  The weapon performs nearly identical to the 
bulldog except that it only has a 4 round magazine and a slightly lower range 
due to only being a 6 pellet spread.  This means you will have to get closer 
than a traditional shotgun build, but this is only a couple of meters and it 
works surprising well in practice.  The build requires marathon, agility and 
scavenger to work. The first two perks making up for the assault rifles 
slower handling and scavenger providing the shells you need to keep the 
weapon humming.  The benefit of this load out is that you have the assault 
rifle in addition to your shotgun. You should select one with a decent range 
damage such as the Remington or AK12 and add a mid to long range optic as 
well. This allows you a weapon that competes at medium range in addition to 
your shotgun.  

F. Countering Rushers


Rushers are not difficult to counter. They rely on their speed and high fire 
power at close range to win gun fights. The trick to beating a rusher is to 
keep your distance and cut them down before they get close.  You should avoid 
tight interior location and force them out into the open where they cannot 
get that close to you.  If you need to go inside a location swap to your 
pistol.  While it won't be as powerful as a rushers specialized build it will 
perform better at close range than most of the larger primary weapons. 

A second good way to stop a rusher is to use equipment.  Rushers normally put 
all of the perks into speed and stealth.  This leaves them vulnerable to 
explosive weapons and tactical grenades. If you can catch a rusher with 
either of these and deny them their mobility advantage most primary weapons 
can make quick work of them .  

15. Runners:
======================================================================

Introduction: 

Runners are probably the most popular group of classes played in Call of Duty 
Ghost.  This class is also known by the nickname run and gun or quick scopers 
in the case of the sniper rifle builds.   The strategy with a runner build is 
to sprint around the map with a primary weapon and look for opponents to 
kill. Once you find one you slow your movement and kill them.  Runners work 
on many of the same principles as rushers. However, they rely on aimed fire 
rather than hip fire for most of their kills. Running build take advantage of 
perks that improve the handling on most weapons and generally try to bring 
the weapon into areas close or further away than they were intended. They key 
to being effective with a runner is controlling the distance of your 
engagements and suiting to the range of your weapon. 

Strengths:

Runners are very mobile classes that suit aggressive play if you prefer aimed 
fire over hip fire.  They are better rounded than rushers and compete better 
at mid to long range.  Runners are an easy class to play and compete with.  
They are also very common and easy to find a replacement weapon for. They can 
also be either a focused or composite class based on the needs of your 
tactics. 

Weaknesses:

Runners suffer from the same weaknesses that Rushers do. They lack the 
defensive perks against threats like explosives and tactical grenades.   They 
are also open to getting ambushed because of their tendency to roam the map.  
Finally, rushers will often find themselves in gun fights that are outside 
the intended ranges for their weapons. If you are not careful about 
controlling the range of your engagements you will often get yourself killed. 
Runners tend to live shorter lives than some of the other class builds. 

The Weapons:

Shotguns, SMGs, ARs, MRs

Any weapon with favorable handling that can compete at mid-range is a good 
candidate for rushers. You should select a weapon that suits the size of the 
map and the game mode you are playing.  You should also select perks and 
attachments to suit your needs as well.  If you are using a larger weapon 
that doesn't compete well at close range it is also advisable that you bring 
a pistol as an alternate weapon and fall back to it in the tighter interior 
locations.  It can also serve as a backup if your primary runs dry in a gun 
fight. 

The Perks: 

Required: Ready Up, Quickdraw

Runners are played in the exact same manner as a rushing class. However, 
instead of flanking and hip firing the opponent, you want to get into the 
range your weapon is suited for, aim down the sights, and dispatch them 
quickly.  Ready up lets you recover from sprinting quickly and improves your 
overall reaction time.  Quickdraw will speed up your aim speed on most 
weapons and often get you on target faster than other weapons.  Beyond these 
perks you have a few good options.  Anything that increases your mobility is 
a good option including marathon and agility, especially on the heavier 
weapons.  You can also use stealth perks to hide your approach and silence 
your weapon to keep you off the radar. Off the grid is useful and dead 
silence can help on the shorter range builds for this design. 

The Equipment:

Runners are not dependent on equipment at all to be effective.  Equipment is 
a luxury if you have the space and any option that suits your tastes can come 
in handy.  

A. SMG Runners

SMG runners work on the same principals as the SMG rusher build listed above. 
You want to close to an effective distance of your opponent and the aim down 
your sights and hose them down with bullets. They function more in a direct 
fire fight a close to mid-range well. This means you have a little longer 
distance that you can remain effective and your quicker aiming stacked with 
Quickdraw will often mean you get shots off first against slower weapons. It 
does well to choose an SMG with better ranged accuracy or damage.  The Vepr, 
Mtar-x and Vector  are all good choices for a Runner SMG build

A sample runner SMG build
Primary Weapon: Mtar-x
Attachments: Red Dot Sight, Foregrip
Perks: Ready up, Quick Draw, Agility, Marathon, Sleight of hand
Equipment: Frag Grenade

Attachments:

Foregrip and a midrange optic

When you are relying on aimed fire the decreased recoil the foregrip offers 
will make you more accurate.  Along with the foregrip, you should add a close 
range optic for better aiming such as the red dot sight or Holographic Sight.  
If you prefer the weapons iron sights you could go with a suppressor or 
muzzle break instead to add a stealth option or extend your range. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

If you are not going with stealth, use whatever perks you can to increase 
your speed and handling on the weapon. A few milliseconds can really help in 
a gun fight.  You might also consider sleight of hand if you are not packing 
a pistol to keep your down time to a minimum during reloads.  Otherwise, run, 
gun and have fun. 

B. Shotgun Runners

Shotgun runners work very differently from a traditional shotgun class. Here 
you are going to be using the slug round attachment to increase your ranged 
ability with the shotgun. This allows you get kills at any range, but also 
sacrifices your spread requiring you to be more accurate.  Slug firing 
shotguns work best at close to midrange since your lower fire rate will often 
lose out to an automatic weapon outside of the guns 2 shot kill range.  

Sample Shotgun runner class
Primary Weapon: FP6 shotgun
Attachments: Slugs, Red Dot Sight
Perks: Ready up, Quick draw, Off the Grid, Marathon, Dead Silence

Attachments:
 
Slugs and either Red Dot or Holographic Sight:

Shotgun runners rely on slug rounds to extend the reach of their weapon.  
While the muzzle break might be tempting, an optic will increase your aimed 
accuracy and precision is necessary when using shotgun slug rounds. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

You need to be precise in close to mid-range with a slug shotgun to be 
effective.   Stealth might be a good choice under those circumstances. Even 
though your weapon isn't silence, off the grid and dead silence will keep you 
hidden until you fire. If your aim is true it will be too late for your 
opponent to react.  You should also pick up a spare weapon for when your 
starting supply of shells runs low or if you are caught with an empty 
magazine. 

C. Assault Rifle and Marksman Rifle Runners

One of the most common builds in Ghost is an Assault rifle Runner class. They 
are common and often make up 50% of any give team in a game.  Marksman rifles 
have the same handling as assault rifles aside from higher recoil and a 
slower fire rate, but they make up for that in damage.  A Runner build brings 
these weapons into closer range than they are intended for and allows them to 
compete well at that range through quicker aiming.  There is some flexibility 
in which weapon you choose and your perk selection is more open ended than 
with the other weapons in this build.  However, you should take care to limit 
how close you engage an opponent with either of these weapons.  Even with the 
benefits of Quickdraw you will be outclassed by SMGs and Shotguns if you get 
too close. Likewise the heavier weapons will dominate you at longer ranges. 

Sample AR Runner Class
Primary Weapon: AK-12 
Secondary Weapon: Magnum
Attachment: Muzzle Break
Attachments: Foregrip, Extended Mags
Perks: Ready Up, Quickdraw, Sleight of Hand, Marathon, Focus

Attachments:

ARs: Foregrip or underslung shotgun, Red dot Sight, Muzzle Break or extended 
magazines

Since you are relying on aimed accuracy with the weapon adding the foregrip 
to reduce recoil is a good choice on assault rifles. Alternatively, you could 
mount an underslung shotgun to replace your pistol for close range fighting. 
An optical sight geared for closer ranges is also a good option with this 
build. However, if you prefer the weapon's iron sights you can use a barrel 
attachment or extended mags instead.  

Marksman Rifles: Red Dot or iron Sight attachment, Burst fire

A running build attempts to bring the marksman rifles into close range 
combat.  So, you should equip an optic better suited than the built in scope. 
The Red dot sight or the iron sights are the best choices. Burst fire will 
increase the output of your weapon at close range and allow you a more 
competitive fire rate. If you have a fast enough trigger finger you could go 
with extended magazines instead. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

With these builds your weapons work best at middle range of about 15 to 25 
meters. You want to move into this range and them aim at your opponent, 
unless they see you first.  If you are not running an underslung shotgun on 
an AR a pistol is a necessary addition to your load out.  It will serve 
better than your primary at close range and offer you a fall back weapon when 
your magazine runs dry.  Finally, even with quickdraw your weapons will 
function slower than the closer range options. When engaging an opponent make 
sure you don't give them the range advantage to their weapon if you can avoid 
it. 

D. Quick Scopers

Runners who rely on sniper rifles for their primary weapons are better known 
as quick scopers.  Traditional quick scoping has been disabled to a point in 
Ghost. However it is still possible to operate a sniper rifle at mid to close 
range with the right load out and a good deal of skill. Sniper rifles have no 
aim assist in this game until a fraction of a second after you are fully 
scoped in. In order to do this you need to stop moving, ADS completely and 
wait about a tenth of second before firing. Only after that transition will 
your shot go where you are aiming.  Your choice of sniper rifle is up to your 
comfort level.  The bolt action rifles ADS slightly faster and have better 
handling. The semi Auto rifles are more forgiving on follow up shots.   Your 
choice is up to you, the USR and L115 seem to be the most popular for this 
type of class. 

A sample Quick scoping Class:
Primary Weapon: USR Sniper Rifle
Attachments: Chrome Barrel, Thermal Scope
Secondary Weapon: M9A1 handgun
Attachment: Extended Clip
Perks: Ready Up, Quickdraw, Focus, Reflex, Extra Tactical
Equipment: Smoke Grenade x 2

Attachments:

Chrome Barrel and an optic or armor piercing rounds. 

The Chrome barrel attachment increases the one hit kill area on a sniper 
rifle.  If you are sniping quickly having the extra tolerance in where you 
can get one hit kill comes in handy.  An optic can make aiming easier, or you 
can take armor piercing rounds in case you have to engage an opponent behind 
cover. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

When running a quick scoping build a pistol as absolutely necessary for close 
range defense. A sniper rifle is very difficult to compete with at close 
range.  Additionally focus is a good investment making sure getting shot 
won't knock you off target and helping to counter the idle sway of the chrome 
barrel attachment. Additionally, reflex is another good option allowing you 
to get to your pistol faster or use any equipment if you choose to bring some 
along. 


E. Countering Runners:

Runners while common are not that difficult to overcome.  They specialize in 
quick combat at the ranges their weapons excel at. The best counter is to 
have a more specialize build and catch them in an uncomfortable range for 
them. This means attacking from either close quarters with an SMG or shotgun 
or a long range with an LMG, MR, or sniper rifle. Runners are also vulnerable 
to equipment because they normally don't have the resistive perks that other 
builds do. 

16. Pincher Classes:
=================================================================

Introduction: 

Pincher classes focus on a tight rigid progression that tightens a grip 
against an opposing team like vice rather than rapid aggression.  The idea 
behind a Pincher class is to move around the map, while keeping your sights 
up most of the time. This eliminates the chance that you will be surprised 
and allows you enter gun fights on more prepared terms since you don't have 
to transition from sprinting to ADS.  Pincher classes require a degree of 
patience and are more defensive in nature as you move around the map. You 
need to keep your sights up at all time and check every corner you come 
across to avoid an ambush. This leads to being mobile and keeps you alive 
longer than rushers and runner. Pinchers are compartmented classes normally 
relying on a pistol for close range combat and a primary weapon for longer 
ranges. 

Strengths:

Pincher classes are more resistant than other mobile gun based classes. They 
are not as easily ambushed do to a careful play style and keeping their 
weapon ready.   They usually live longer than the more aggressive builds and 
can lead to some of the higher score streaks.  Assault streaks suit the 
pincher classes well and can offer your team some very powerful support later 
in the game.  They also have more mobility in gun fights and can be difficult 
to track at closer ranges for Runners. 

Weaknesses:

Pincher Classes require a great deal of patience and a certain style of play 
to remain effective.  Basically if you are sprinting at all you are playing 
the class wrong.  You want to keep your sights up at all time and you need to 
check every blind spot before proceeding as well as switching to the proper 
weapon for the range you want to engage at.  This leads pinchers to be slower 
and less aggressive than rushers and runners. If the build doesn't suit your 
play style it can be a frustrating experience and leave you dead often. 


The Weapons:

SMGs, Assault Rifles, Marksman Rifles and several light machine guns all suit 
the Pincher build well. These weapons compete well at middle ranges and all 
gain the ability to compete closer than their intended roles from this build.  
You will want a pistol with you to serve as your close range weapon in 
interior spaces.  You need to have some skill with it to stay alive and to 
actually switch to it when you encounter these areas of the map. 

The Perks: 

Required: Stalker

The stalker perk allows you to move at full speed while your sights are up. 
This means you will keep full mobility when moving without needing to 
transition from sprinting to ADS.  Beyond Stalker agility can be a nice bonus 
increasing your speed further since you shouldn't sprint.  Focus is also a 
good choice since you are relying on aimed fire it will steady your sights 
and keep you accurate if you get shot.  Also you should consider some 
defensive options life tactical resist and blast shield.  While equipment 
isn't as common it only takes one grenade to shut down a hard earned assault 
streak.  Sit Rep can also be a good choice to avoid walking into an enemy 
sentry gun or IED.

The Equipment:

Pincher classes are not particularly reliant on equipment to be effective. 
However, if you have the space C4 or a frag grenade can serve you well in 
objective games.  Smoke grenades are a nice combo if you are using a thermal 
or tracking sight blinding your enemy while you can see them through the 
smoke. 


 A. SMG Pinchers

SMGs are not particularly suited to the role of a pincher class. However, 
some of the higher damage ones including the vector or Mtar-x can be 
effective with this type of a build trading their longer range abilities for 
a quicker movement speed. You want to keep your sights up at all times and 
travers the map while aiming. 

A sample SMG Pincher Class:
Primary weapon: Vector
Attachments: Foregrip, Holographic Sight
Perks: Stalker, focus, Agility, Blast Shield, Sitrep

Attachments:

An optic, foregrip:

Generally with a Pincher class you are relying on aimed fire to be effective.  
The reduced recoil the foregrip offers comes in handy and a middle range 
optic such as the Holographic or red dot sight can help with the SMG versions 
of this class. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

The main advantage of an SMG pincher class is the additional mobility the 
SMGs offer. Adding Agility to stalker will allow you to move faster than 100% 
with your sights up.  Beyond that the normal extra resistive perks are a good 
fit and should serve you very well. You might also consider fully loaded do 
to the higher rate of fire of an SMG. The larger weapons generally don't 
suffer from the ammo consumption of an SMGs.  

B. Assault and Marksman Rifle Pinchers

With the Assault rifles and Marksman rifles it's best to use a Pincher class 
from mid-range back.  Stalker will allow you to compete up closer, but not 
sprinting will limit your mobility and ability to get out of an unfavorable 
situation quickly.  You should be using these weapons at their intended range 
and only rely on stalker up close if you are forced into close quarters. 
Checking your corners is very important and you need to make sure to stop and 
swap to your pistol in closer quarters. 

A sample Marksman Rifle Pincher Class
Primary Weapon: MR28
Attachments: Extended Mags, Holographic Sight
Secondary Weapon: P226
Attachment: Muzzle Break
Perks: Stalker, Focus, Blast Shield, Extra Tactical
Equipment: Frag Grenade, Smoke Grenade x 2

Attachments:

Assault Rifle: Thermal Scope and Foregrip

When running an assault rifle in a Pincher class accuracy is everything.   
The thermal scope is a good fit allowing you the integrated sight for general 
aiming and you can switch to the thermal further out.  The foregrip again 
helps with your accuracy.  You could use a different optic if you want.  You 
could also swap out the foregrip for an underslung shotgun instead of a 
pistol or equip the semi auto fire mode to increase your damage and conserve 
ammunition.

Marksman Rifles: An optic, Armor Piercing or extended mags

The marksman rifles work on the same principle as the assault rifles. The 
integrated scopes obscure your peripheral vision leaving you vulnerable to a 
side assault. So pick an optic that suits your taste, the thermal or Acog 
sights work well. Additionally, you will want armor piercing to cut through 
cover or extended mags for more ammo. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Again, make sure you bring a pistol along for closer range encounters. 
Pistols work very well with the stalker perks and allow you surprising 
mobility in tight quarters. Beyond that take your time and plan your 
engagements carefully.  Focus is very useful keeping you on target under 
incoming fire and agility can help with the weapons slower movement speed.


C. LMG Pinchers

Light Machine guns work very well as a Pincher weapon.  While they are slow, 
they pack good ranged damage, huge clips and consistent stopping power.  LMGs 
are generally suited to stationary defensive role.  However, a pincher build 
can lend some mobility to the belt fed boat anchors.  Your slower movement 
means you are more susceptible to ambush and less reactive in close quarters.  
However, relying on stalker means you skip the LMGs slow ADS time all 
together and the 100 round clip means you can shoot for a long duration 
before requiring a reload. However, when a reload arrives you are going to be 
very vulnerable during it so packing a pistol offers you a slight defense 
during these times. The chain saw is not suitable for this build. 

A sample LMG Pincher Class:
Primary Weapon: Lstat
Attachments: VRM sight, Foregrip, Extended Mags
Secondary Weapon: M43 grache 
Attachment: Extended Mags, Muzzle Break
Perks: Stalker, Focus, Extra Attachment, Agility 

Attachments:  An optic, Foregrip or extended mags

LMGs have fair iron sights in most cases but an optic helps quite a bit for 
longer range targeting.  The VMR sight and Thermal sight can offer you some 
flexibility in terms of aiming.  Like the Assault rifle builds the foregrip 
can help with accuracy.  Alternatively you could bring an under mount shotgun 
instead of a pistol.  However, the under mount shotguns are less effective on 
the LMGs do to their slower movement speed. Extended mags can stave off the 
long reload for a longer process and allow you to pin the trigger if you need 
to.  

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Agility is a welcome boon if you can work it into the class. The LMGs are 
slow and anything to speed them up is welcome.  You might also want to 
consider the extra attachment perk. This will add a third option to your LMG 
negating the need to decide between attachments.  It will also offer you 2 
attachments on your pistol making it a more competitive weapon.  Otherwise 
advance at a steady pace and chop your way through the enemy.  


D. Countering Pinchers

Pinchers are very difficult to counter as a class set.  They generally run 
defensive perks and have their sights up when entering a gun fight. Their one 
weakness is their slower mobility.  If you can get close enough with a rusher 
class you can often out flank them. Likewise this slower mobility makes them 
more vulnerable to being targeted with launcher type weapons.  While their 
perks will often protect them, it can soften them up and make them an easier 
kill.   Finally, their lower mobility does make them vulnerable to long range 
classes like snipers.  

17. Snipers:
====================================================================

Introduction: 

Most players think of sniper rifles when it comes to a sniping class. 
However, snipers be used to refer to any class that focuses on fighting from 
a long distance.  This particular class set focus on using long range weapons 
at long range.  There is some overlap with a camping in this sort of a build.  
However, sniper classes tend to traverse the map moving from one area to the 
next. They set up over a long sight line for a few kills and then normally 
move onto another position to avoid getting killed.  

Strengths:

Snipers rely on distance to insulate them from enemies.  This means you can 
use your weapon without having requiring the mobility and handling perks of 
most gun based builds.  It also means you can engage an opponent with your 
weapon well outside the distance where they can even hope to compete with 
you. Snipers tend to be very well planned classes and often rack up longer 
strings of kills leading to some of the highest kills streaks in the game. 

Weaknesses:

Snipers rely on range to keep them alive. If somebody gets closer than 
midrange to you, look out. Snipers are very vulnerable in closer quarters and 
are often left with just a pistol to protect themselves.  This means you need 
to pick your locations carefully and know when to stay put and when to move 
onwards. You are also very vulnerable when moving between locations. 

The Weapons:
 
While sniping is traditionally done with a sniper rifle, the LMGs and New 
Marksman rifle class can serve the build well. Assault rifles are too 
unreliable for this build even with the single shot mod because you have to 
hit the chest or head to ensure the higher damage. You will definitely want a 
pistol for close range because you lack the perks needed to make your weapon 
compete at anything closer than middle distance. 

The Perks: 

Required Focus:

Missing a shot with a sniper will get you killed. Focus is the most important 
perk at long range to keep on target.  It also helps with the idle sway of 
your weapon.  Beyond this, quickdraw can allow you to get on target faster. 
Resistive perks like blast shield and tac resist can be good choice while at 
a firing location to stave off equipment used against you.  Off the grid can 
keep your location hidden until you fire or keep it hidden if you are using a 
suppressed weapon.  Amplify or wiretap can warn you when an opponent is 
coming and reflex can get you to your secondary weapon faster in a pinch.  
Finally, you might even consider overkill to add an SMG to your load out.  It 
will serve as a more competitive defense in an ambush and works better for 
when you have to move firing locations. 

The Equipment:

An IED to watch your back while at a firing location can be a very good idea. 
Likewise a motion sensor can also offer you some advanced warning against in 
incoming threat. These can be picked up if they are unused when you leave a 
location. Finally, the trophy system can keep explosive off your back if you 
are not running resistive perks. 

A. LMG Snipers

LMG snipers focus on holding down a  single area for an extended duration of 
time.  Their huge magazines allow them to take on more attackers between 
reloads than the other long range weapons.  You will need to burst fire to 
remain accurate. But most LMGS can kill in 3 to 4 shots at most ranges. Again 
the chainsaw doesn't work well for this guild. 

A sample LMG Sniper build
Primary Weapon: M27
Attachments: Fore Grip, Thermal Scope
Secondary: M9A1 Pistol
Attachment: Muzzle Break
Perks: Focus, Sleight of hand, Extra Lethal, Gambler, Extra Tactical
Equipment: IED X 2, Trophy System X 2

Attachments: 

Thermal Scope, Foregrip

Here you are focusing on long range combat and the thermal scope offers the 
best targeting at longer ranges. The foregrip helps to reduce the guns recoil 
allowing for more accurate aim. You could use the VMR or Acog Scope instead 
but otherwise this build requires the accuracy these attachments offer. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

The biggest weakness to an LMG build is their down time during a reload. 
Sleight of hand can help with this but make sure you have a pistol ready in 
case you run dry.  Also, you need to keep opponents back with this load out, 
the slower switch time on an LMG makes getting to your pistol a tedious 
process. Either rely on reflex and amplify or bring some extra equipment to 
hide behind. 

B. Marksman Rifle Snipers:

While the marksman rifles lack the one shot lethality of a sniper rifle, they 
fire faster and are much more forgiving on a missed shot. They also offer 
some change of competing in a middle range engagement.   You should get on 
target and spam off 4 to 5 shots to make sure you get the required 2 to 3 to 
connect and insure a kill. 

A sample marksman rifle sniper class
Primary Weapon: SVU
Attachments: Thermal Scope, Silencer
Secondary Weapon: M9A1
Attachment: Suppressor
Perks: Off the Grid, Focus, Incog, Blast Shield

Attachments:

Muzzle Break or Silencer, Armor piercing rounds

Which attachment you choose should depend on the marksman rifle you pick out.  
The SVU is a two shot kill at any range regardless if it is silenced or not. 
On the other rifles you should go with the muzzle break to extend your 2 shot 
kill range as far as possible. Armor piercing allows you to shoot through 
walls at distance if your opponent is behind cover.  The built in scopes on 
the marksman rifles suit a sniping build well. However, you could swap out 
either attachment in favor of the Acog or thermal sights. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

If you are running the SVU stealth is probably your best option.  Otherwise 
focus on resistive perks and maximizing the range of your weapon. Make sure 
you have a pistol for close quarters and you might want to consider some 
reactive perks like quick draw or stalker if you want to rely on the marksman 
rifle while moving between firing locations. 

C. Sniper Rifle Snipers:

In the traditional sniping role nothing beats a sniper rifle. The weapons are 
consistent and kill quickly in one hit. However, if somebody gets close to 
your firing position your life span is going to be determined by your pistol 
skill and your equipment. Even though the pistol is not competitive outside 
of close range you should rely on it when switching positions because it 
takes a long time for  a sniper rifle to go from a sprint to ready to fire.  
Make sure you keep plenty of distance between you and your opponent.  
Finally, take your time and make your shots count.  

A sample Sniping Class
Primary Weapon: L115
Attachments: Chrome Barrel, Variable Zoom Scope
Secondary: Mtar-X
Attachments: Red Dot Sight
Perks: Focus, Overkills, Reflex, Blast Shield
Equipment: IED

Attachments:

Chrome Lined Barrel or Silencer, An optic or Armor piercing

You need to choose whether or not you want to be a stealth sniper. If you do 
use the silencer otherwise chrome barrel offers the most consistent one hit 
kills. An optic will offer you a better sight picture than the default scope 
normally. However, Armor piercing is a good alternative if you like the 
default scope. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Sniping classes are usually pretty straight forward.  Keep your distance and 
make your shots counts. You need focus for sure to deal with the idle sway. 
The remainder of your load out depends choice of weapon.  If you are using a 
silencer then off the grid is a good investment. If you are going loud you 
are better off investing in your close range defense.  The extra attachment 
perk can offer you a more competitive pistol and eliminate having to choose 
between an optic and armor piercing. Also overkill is worth considering as an 
SMG offers you a better alternative weapon up close and for moving.   Adding 
some resistive perks and an IED should round the class out nicely. 

D. Countering Snipers

Snipers are very difficult to counter if you have to approach them head on. 
Their weapons generally have the advantage at anything outside of middle 
range combat.  Your best chance is to approach them from behind and tackle 
them with a closer range weapon or equipment.  Stealth can be a huge help in 
accomplishing this task. Just watch out for the score streaks and IEDs they 
normally rely on to watch their back. Alternatively, nothing competes better 
with a sniper than another sniper. If you have the skill grab a sniper rifle 
and try to beat them at their own game. 


18. Camper Classes:
=======================================================================

Introduction: 

The camper is really the first of the purpose based classes rather than the 
gun based classes. Camping has taken on a rather negative connotation in 
recent years. Some players call it playing tactically or defensively to avoid 
associating themselves with it. But it is what it is.  Camping requires a 
degree of patience and advanced planning. However, a camper played correctly 
can help a team more than anything else.   Like any build there is a right 
and a wrong way to execute a camping class. 

Camping is either remaining stationary or limiting your movements to a very 
specific area in order to maintain control of it.  In order for camping to be 
effective it needs to be preplanned and purposeful.  Sitting in a corner in 
the back of the map hoping to score a few kills is a detriment to your team.  
You should either be locking down an objective or a key movement point to 
deny the opposing team access to that area of the map. It will allow your 
team faster movement while the opposing team either has to deal with you or 
go the long way around.  Alternatively, you can camp in an area to control a 
spawn. This will keep the opposing team from spewing near that area and allow 
your side a more consistent spawn pattern. 

Strengths:

Camping means you don't have to worry about the randomness that comes with 
traversing the map.  It also means that the area you are controlling is 
likely attuned to your weapons strengths.  This means that you will normally 
be on dominant in most gun fight. This also frees you up from having to use 
the more reactive perks that gun focused classes used to stay alive. Finally, 
you can rack up some pretty high kill counts and provide some nasty streaks 
for your team later in the build.   You should focus on assault streaks that 
help you control your chosen area such as the attack dog, IMS, or sentry gun 
along with a higher streak for later in the match. 

Weaknesses:

Camping means your opponents will know where you are.  This can work to your 
advantage but eventually they will dislodge you.  Also, camping has the 
negative connotation with it and won't make you a lot of friends on the 
opposing team.  Camping also means you have to stay put during a match as 
moving puts you at a disadvantage.  This means you need to plan your build 
carefully and know where you are going to set up before a match even begins.  

The Weapons:

Camping is less reliant on your weapon and more reliant on your perks and 
equipment to be effective. You need to choose a weapon you are comfortable 
with that can sustain your existence for the duration of your time holding 
the position. You should also choose a weapon that suits the range of the 
area you plan to occupy.  Having a pistol is a good habit to get into for 
when you are facing multiple opponents intent on dislodging you.  Your 
primary can run dry and you need something to continue the fight. 

The Perks: 

Required: None

Camping is more reliant on resistive perks to keep you alive. Blast shield 
and Tac resist are good choice and can keep a piece of equipment from 
dislodging you prematurely. ICU can be another solid choice. You are likely 
to see several serial engagements and being able to recover health faster 
between them can allow you to stay longer. Blind eye can help against a 
battle hind finding you or somebody setting up a sentry gun to dislodge you 
as well. You might also want to consider scavenger or fully loaded as you 
will be alive for a long time and the extra ammo can keep you in the fight 
longer. Sleight of hand is a nice paring with this as well. Stealth might be 
tempting, but once the other team finds you if they have mics it won't help 
you much. Amplify or wiretap can also offer some advance warning when you 
will be attacked. 

The Equipment:

Equipment is very helpful to a camper.  While you are usually in an area with 
a wall to your back, there are blind approaches. IEDs can help cover one or 
more of them. Motion sensors can help in this case too. Also a trophy system 
can keep grenades off you. While resistive perks are more passive if you have 
3 or 4 frag grenades show up in quick succession it's might save your life. 

A. Close Range Campers

Close range campers tend to occupy hallways and interior rooms along key 
travel routes. You should choose a weapon that fits the size of the are you 
are trying to control. If you are very close combat oriented nothing beats a 
shotgun.  An SMG is more flexible and competes well in slightly larger areas.  
You want to get to your campsite as soon as you can and get set up. 

A sample close range camper:
Primary Weapon: Bizon 
Attachments: Extended Mags, Muzzle Break
Perks: Blast Shield, Tactical Resist, Amplify, Scavenger, Extra Tactical
Equipment: IED, Motion Sensor X 2

Attachments:
Muzzle Break, Extended Mags if available

In close range camping anything you can do to increase your weapon's range is 
welcome. Extended mags will give you some extra ammo and offer you more 
bullets per pick up if you are running scavenger. 

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Make sure the site you have chosen is suited to your weapon and beneficial to 
your team. Set up in an area you can control and use your equipment to cover 
any blind spots.  Most players will be entering your area with a larger 
weapon.  Push your close range advantage and kill them quickly.  Some extra 
ammo comes in handy so scavenger is a good idea to consider since you will be 
close to the players you kill. You might also want to consider sleight of 
hand or a pistol if your weapon reloads slowly.  

B. Middle Range Campers

Midrange campers tend to control choke points and some of the shorter sight 
lines on the map.  They can also be used to take objective as a temporary 
campsite such as flags in domination.  You want to choose either an assault 
rifle, LMG or Marksman rifle for this task and gear it for the range you have 
chosen. Make sure you have an area that is a key travel route where you can 
have a wall to your back or a corner. Finally you need to make sure your 
campsite is not adjacent to a longer line of sight where a sniper could end 
you with a single shot outside your effective range. 

A sample midrange camping class:
Primary Weapon: MSBS
Attachments: Red Dot Sight, Extended Mags
Secondary: P226 pistol
Attachment: Muzzle Break
Perks: Blast Shield, Amplify, Extra Lethal, Focus
Equipment: IED x 2, Trophy system

Attachments:

Your choice of attachments depends heavily on the weapon you have picked out. 
You should gear it for the range you intend to use it at. The muzzle break, 
red dot sight, foregrip, extended mags or an underslung weapon are all 
suitable choices.  

Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Middle range camping classes are more reliant on survivability over 
sustainability.   Equipment is nice for when you start out, but once your 
opponent know where you are it will become expended quickly.  Hopefully by 
then you can replace it with some score streaks  The guard dog and Sentry gun 
are particularly effective.  Ammo conservation doesn't need to be your chief 
concern, you are too far away for scavenger to help much. Use your primary 
weapon at range and fall back to your pistol for closer quarters.  Sooner or 
later somebody with an assault rifle will come by and you can replace your 
primary weapon when it starts to run low. 

C. Long Range Campers

Long range camping has some overlap with the sniper build. Generally speaking 
you are trying to control a long sight line or a large area of the map from a 
more permanent perch. Stealth can be a more important choice as having your 
location revealed can leave you vulnerable to a close range assault.  Pick 
your sight carefully and guard your blind spots with your equipment.  Packing 
a pistol helps but concealing yourself rather than relying on detection perks 
is often the better strategy. Sooner or later the other team will find you, 
but the distance you use to insulate yourself can buy you more time to react. 

A sample long range camping class:
Primary Weapon: VKS
Attachments: Thermal Scope, Armor piercing
Secondary Weapon: M9A1 
Attachment: silencer
Perks: Off the Grid, Focus, Blast Shield, Extra Tactical
Equipment: Motion Sensor X 2, IED

Attachments:

A suppressor and a long ranged optic

Holding a long range line of sight depends on being able to remain hidden.  
The suppressor keeps you off the minimap.  It's harder to locate a camper 
covering a longer range line of sight. But if you are on radar everybody will 
know where you are.  Also, unless your chosen weapons default scope is ideal 
anything that can increase your accuracy at longer ranges is a good 
investment. 


Additional Load Out Suggestions:

Again you are relying on stealth here. Off the grid pairs well with the 
silencer. You don't need to worry about dead silence since you are not 
traversing the map. Beyond that, you should focus on making your shots count 
and rely on your equipment to guard your blind spots. Most long range weapons 
come with enough ammo for the duration you are likely to be alive.   Focus is 
a good perk and anything that can guard you against equipment is a worthwhile 
investment. 

D. Countering Campers

Campers are a real thorn in the side of a team. They are very difficult to 
deal with because they have chosen to control an area where their class gives 
them the dominant range advantage. Additionally, they have other things 
protecting their blind spots making them very difficult to sneak up on.  If 
you get killed by a camper you need to watch their death cam.  Make sure you 
note their perks and the weapon they are using. This will give some idea 
about their strategy and what ranges they are set up for.  The key to beating 
a camper is to find something you can use to break their advantage.

If they are not using blast shield or tac resist then turn to equipment to 
get rid of them.  Explosives often kill on one hit and can allow you to 
attack them without exposing yourself. If it doesn't offer a kill it will 
force them to abandon their sight to avoid getting blown up bring the 
confrontation into more favorable terms. Likewise a concussion or 9 bang 
grenade can render them temporarily helpless and make short work of them. If 
they are protected or you lack equipment then you need to find a way to get 
the range advantage against them. 

If they are covering a long sight line flanking them with a close range 
weapon offers the best avenue.  If they are closer minded see if you can find 
a sniper rifle shot against them.  If you are not equipped to deal with a 
camper then don't.  Give their position and load out to your team mates via 
voice chat.  Chances are somebody is probably better equipped for the task 
than you are.  It's often better to work around a camper rather than to feed 
them kill after kill trying to dislodge them. This will only fuel their score 
streak and make them even more difficult to dislodge.  If they are not being 
effective they will eventually move and you can tackle them in transit easier 
than assaulting their prepared position.  

19. Support Classes
========================================================================

Introduction: 
Support classes make up the other half of purpose driven classes. Unlike 
traditional builds that focus on winning gun fights or controlling part of 
the map. Support classes are built to accomplish a specific goal.  Support is 
an unpopular role to play in Call of Duty Ghost. However, support builds are 
often the players who win games for their team.  The general idea behind a 
support class is to do a job that the rest of the team doesn't want to do.  
This frees them up to tackle objectives and get kills while you keep the less 
pleasant tasks out of their hair.  

Support classes rely augment the performance of the other team members rather 
than focus on you.   They are often part of a 2 man fire team where one 
player is running support and the other is playing a more traditional gun 
based load out.  Generally, with a support build you sacrifice your own 
effectiveness to boost the abilities of your team mates.  They tend to be 
equipment heavy and use weird perk combinations.  Support is best used with a 
team that has good communication and plays together often. But, if you can 
get your team to talk to you via voice chat you can often make it work.

Strengths:

Support builds get specific jobs done better than any other build on the 
market.  They do this by specializing in nontraditional tactics and make 
heavy use of equipment and other resources.  This makes them better at their 
jobs.  Support can free up other resources for the rest of your team allow 
them to play more aggressively and dominate a game.

Weaknesses:

Support builds overspecialization tends to leave them vulnerable to more 
traditional tactics. This means they have to rely on their team members to be 
effective or be willing to die for the team benefit.  Support requires good 
communication to work effectively and without it, it tends to fall apart 
quickly.  Support is a good role to play if you want to win games.  It is not 
a good option if you want a high K/D ratio.  

A. Support Gunners

A support gunner focuses on following another team member around the map and 
supplying fire and equipment to cover their weaknesses.  This frees up the 
other player to specialize more in their chosen mode of combat rather than 
having to cover all their weaknesses.  You want to cover the other player so 
they can focus on getting kills and not have to worry about getting ambushed. 

A sample support gunner class:
Primary Weapon: Vector SMG
Attachments: extended clip, muzzle break
Secondary Weapon: Panzerfaust
Perks: Reflex, Strong Arm, Extra Lethal, Extra Tactical, Ready Up
Equipment: Frag Grenade X 2, Concussion Grenade X 2

Weapons: 

Your choice of weapon for a support gunner class depends on the weapon your 
team mate is using. If they are using a long range weapon like an assault 
rifle, MR, LMG or sniper rifle then you want to supplement it.  You would 
want to use an SMG or a shotgun. The idea would be that you two travel 
together and you cover the closer range attackers if they get inside the 
comfort zone for your team mates weapon. Meanwhile he can focus on long range 
engagements and load up on better handling perks.   He doesn't need a pistol 
since you are there.  The remainder of your build should be equipment based 
similar to the ones I have up there.  This allows you to dispense equipment 
quickly to support his efforts and he can reap the benefits of your equipment 
without having to deploy it himself.  You could invert this load out if he 
was using a closer range weapon, you could use a longer range one loaded up 
with speed perks to keep pace with him.

Perks:  

Again your perks depend on the needs of the other player.  If they are trying 
to be mobile with a smaller weapon.  Then you should load up on speed perks 
like agility, ready up and marathon so you can keep up with them. This 
applies even if your weapon doesn't mesh well with them. Conversely you 
should also consider carrying a good supply of equipment to support your team 
mates efforts.  

Equipment:

Your equipment choice should support your team mates play style and 
supplement it. You should also take some perks to make your equipment more 
useable.  If they are playing an aggressive role concussion grenades can help 
them win gun fights since they don't have to throw them to reap the benefits. 
If they are more defensive, having to extra IEDs and 2 extra Trophy systems 
can really fortify their location.  If you do die and they don't have a 
secondary weapon, they can always scoop up your SMG for their backup slot 
until you can reconnect with them. 


Playing the Class:
Ideally you should position yourself so that you protect your team mate. That 
way they can rack up a higher score streak to benefit the team as a whole 
later in the game. You need to move at whatever pace they are moving at and 
offer whatever protection and advantage you can.  Being a support gunner 
isn't glamorous.  However, two players working together with average skill 
can turned one of them into a very powerful pro player.  

B. Demolition Experts

Demolition experts are about providing explosives when and where a team needs 
them.  This means your team mates don't need to carry launchers and equipment 
because you will be supplying most of the boom on your team. You will be most 
effective when you need to clear out an objective or a camper. An explosives 
expert can also drop an entire enemy unit in a single shot.  However, you are 
more vulnerable to traditional tactics because your weapons and perks are 
specialized in blowing things up. 

An Example Demolitions Expert:
Primary Weapon: AK-12
Attachments: Muzzle Break, Underslung Grenade Launcher
Secondary Weapon: MK32 Launcher
Perks: Danger Close, Extra Tactical, Stalker
Equipment: Thermo baric Grenade X 2

Weapon:  

Your primary weapon should be a general weapon you can fall back on when you 
need to defend yourself. An SMG, or Assault rifle generally will serve you 
best. If you are using an assault rifle consider the underslung grenade 
launcher.  It has a longer reach than thrown explosives and will leave you 
more perks to work with.  Your secondary should be some sort of launcher to 
augment your explosives load out. Pick whatever you are most comfortable with

Perks:

Your perk load out depends on your choice of lethal ordinance. If you are 
using the underslung launcher take danger close.  If you are relying on hand 
thrown explosives, then reflex and strong arm are better choices allowing you 
quicker and longer range uses of your equipment. Any extra slots should be 
filled with something to help your gun

Equipment:

If you are not using a launcher any of the lethal options are good. Frag and 
Syntex have the most range.  Canister bombs have the biggest blast radius and 
C4 explodes the quickest.  A pair of thermo baric grenades can extend your 
available ordinance and help you clear deal more damage once your primary 
explosives are exhausted. 

Playing the Class:

Have your team track down groups of opponents and blow them to kingdom come. 
The key strategy is to find choke points and clear objectives. The biggest 
weakness of this class is it cannot resupply explosives in the field.  So 
when your toys run out.  Charge in stupidly and respawn to get more bombs. 

C. Shield Bearer

The riot shield in Ghost is one of the weapons that players like to play 
around with.  However in a support role it can be a very effective tool. 
Using the assault shield best serves as a distraction for the other team. For 
some reason when another player sees you coming killing you becomes a 
priority.  However, the buy behind you with the assault rifle isn't.  While 
they are busy hosing down your portable wall they are easy pickings for the 
rest of your team. The shield can provide many benefits to your team mates as 
well beyond simple cover and a decoy to keep opponents from targeting them. 
The only drawback is they have to be willing to move with you at a slower 
pace. 

A sample Shield Class:
Primary Weapon: Riot Shield
Attachment: Scrambler
Secondary Weapon: P226
Attachment: Muzzle Break
Perks: Agility, Reflex, Blast Shield, Strong Arm, Extra tactical
Equipment: C4, Concussion Grenade X 2

The Weapons:

The primary weapon is your riot shield. However, you are not likely going to 
attempt to bash anybody with it. Instead you want to crouch walk while a team 
mate follows you and kills opponents shooting at you.  You want to use the 
shield as a mobile platform for launching equipment and a support tool for 
the rest of your team.  You also want a pistol in case you need to kill 
somebody yourself. You can draw one fast and take an opponent down.  The 
benefit you pick depends on your attachment.

If you select the scrambler, then the radar on the other team won't pick you 
or anybody with 15 meters of you up while you have the shield equipped. This 
means any team mate moving with you basically gets off the grid as a bonus 
perk and their weapon gains a silencer in addition to its other attachments. 
However, they have to remain close for this to work. The other option is the 
portable radar. This gives you 2 satcoms worth of pings at all times while 
the shield is equipped out to about 20 meters around you. This can help you 
find campers and alert you to incoming attackers. 

The perks: 

You want agility, reflex, and blast shield. Agility speeds you up slightly. 
For some reason the riot shield is a grenade magnet and blast shield will 
keep you alive.  Reflex lets you swap between your shield and pistol quickly 
and throw your equipment faster. I recommend a second tactical grenade and 
strong arm to round it out.  You can also swap the pistol out for a found 
weapon and reflex will let you get to faster. 

The Equipment:

You have two good lethal options which are c4 and the throwing knife. The 
first is the more reliable for a quick close range kill. You can reuse the 
throwing knife if you retrieve it however. I would recommend 2 concussion 
grenades as well to let you get closer to your opponent or stun them for an 
easier kill by the rest of your team. 

Playing the Class:  

When you are using the riot shield you want to move crouched and keep it 
between you and your opponent at all times.  This makes you hard to hit and 
offers the most protection. Despite the animation, your shield isn't lowered 
when you use equipment. This means you can throw your ordinances from mobile 
cover while your team mate covers you. Don't try to use the shield as a melee 
weapon. Moving hastily towards an opponent is a good way to get yourself 
killed. Let them empty their gun into your shield and draw your pistol when 
they reload. Rely on your team mates to do most of the killing.  If you die 
they can take your shield to guard their back. If they die, take their weapon 
in place of your pistol.  It's a win win all around. 

D. Score Streak Hunters

The final class in the support block is the score streak hunter. The purpose 
of this build to destroy enemy kill streaks so they don't harass your team.  
This can be a tedious and difficult task, but it frees up the remainder of 
your team do work on winning gun fights and taking objectives. This is a 
class you should keep in reserve and pull out in the middle of a match 
through a respawn when the need arises. 

A sample score streak hunter class: 
Primary Weapon: LStat LMG
Attachments: Armor Piercing, Extended Clip
Secondary Weapon: Panzerfaust Launcher
Perks: Blind Eye, Sit Rep, Extra Tactical, Stalker
Equipment: Canister bomb, 9 Bang Grenade X 2

The Weapons:

You want an LMG with armor piercing and extended mags. There are not lock on 
launchers in Ghost besides the MAAWS support streak.  You want that too by 
the way.  LMGs have high damage, good range, and big clips.  This will 
maximize the bullet damage you can deal to a score streak. The Panzerfaust 
cannot lock onto a score streak, but a single rocket will shoot anything out 
of the sky with a single hit. 

The Perks:

Blind eye is your first choice. This will keep sentry guns and Battle Hinds 
from shooting back at you when you approach them.  SitRep also helps you in 
finding enemy score streaks on the ground by highlighting them through walls. 
Finally an extra tactical grenade can come in handy to disable something on 
the ground so you can destroy it. Besides these pick a perk or two to augment 
your LMGs performance. 

The equipment:

A canister bomb offers a large amount of explosive damage and can destroy 
some ground score streaks outright.  Your taticals have 2 good options. 
Thermometric grenades will shred ground based score streaks on contact.   A 
fully charged 9 bang grenade will temporally disable them so you can get 
closer and destroy them with your LMG. 

How to Play the Class: 

Find Enemy Streaks.  Destroy them.  Rinse and Repeat.  This class is capable 
of earning up a streak on its own since each enemy streak you take out counts 
as a kill. I would run support streaks though for access to the MAAWS and 
because you are going to die quite a bit lacking the perks necessary to win 
gun fights. 


20. Closing Thoughts
=======================================================================

Well there you have it. My Call of Duty Ghost multiplayer class building 
strategy guide.  I might add more to this at a future date but for the time 
being covers the information I set out to explore.  If you have something you 
feel I missed here feel free to email me. I will not be taking questions on 
this guide and I will not add a specific build based on a single weapon or 
perk.  However, if there is some group of classes I neglected to add feel 
free to let me know. 


We have: 55 pages and 26164 words.