"It's good behind the stone wall that is always with me!" A guide to using a police shield.

"HOLY SHIIIIIT!"

Americans The foreign player is unhappy with the game featuring a police shield.

"I'm sick of this shield!"

Our anonymous player is also dissatisfied with the "incorrect gameplay"

"And if anyone comes to us with a shield, they will perish by the shield!"

Alexander Nevsky (alternative version of statement)

The epigraphs have more or less revealed the topic.

Some consider it uninteresting and boring, some see it as a brilliant weapon of a fighter, while others cannot stand its mere presence in the game. We will be talking about the most unusual weapon in multiplayer Modern Warfare 2, something without which any team that considers itself professional cannot do without.

The Police Shield, gentlemen!

The captain knows a thing or two about true weaponry.

Preface, or how sometimes things can be difficult...

Good day! Please do not consider me a fan of this weapon, but I cannot help but admire it, as its very presence in the game delivers.

We are all accustomed to the standard flow of the game: someone is tedious hiding in the grass and camping, someone moves slowly across the map taking out opponents, and someone is sprinting like crazy... That's right, the standard gameplay system in almost any mode of MW2.

But sometimes, amid all this, a guy in a bulletproof vest and a transparent shield timidly emerges into the light. How often do we encounter such players? Not very often, let’s agree. Although I have seen situations many times where as soon as someone pulls out a shield, one or two other players change their class to police. Just for fun, why not diversify the game? This is one of the advantages of this weapon - to diversify gameplay. Indeed, you do not need to use mouse buttons, you have a view of what is happening behind the sturdy transparent shield, the familiar knife strike... no, now we strike twice at the enemy with our weapon. Perhaps that was infinity ward's intent - to add another unusual but fitting touch to the game. It makes things more interesting, doesn't it? But not for long, and we quickly return to old assault rifles, snipers, etc., etc.

And now let’s remember that this is a team game.

Playing Together as a Team

A team with the right approach to battle.

One of the components of teamwork is all sorts of cover and protection for teammates. It goes without saying that we care about the team’s success, not just our own.

In which modes can the police shield be most in demand? Demolition (bomb), team deathmatch, headquarters (see detailed article from the well-known agrippa) and, of course, domination. The latter is not the most popular mode, but it can be sought after. The objective of this mode is to hold a certain area of territory. With a police shield, you will excel at this.

Firstly, you need to know in advance where you will be capturing the point (of course, if the area is cleared). You might ask, "Where?". Well, most players either run around the point or lie in the middle as if they are invisible (naive). With a shield, you can afford to choose more advantageous positions. The key is to remember to have protection at least from one side. From two is already great, from three is impossible, the maps are perfectly balanced; I don’t need to tell you that. But with four sides, you are unbeatable!!!!!!!!

For example:

The examples shown demonstrate that you can effectively capture or hold a point with a police shield. With no fuss, you should worry about either being shot at or explosions. The rest falls away by itself.

There is another option, slightly reckless, though. While a teammate captures the point (especially in an open area), you can sit somewhere in the middle, a bit away from the capture point, turning the shield towards the expected enemy. It would be good if your teammate adjusts to you and tries to shield you. Thus, the enemy first spots you (impossible not to spot), attempts to deal with you, and you either deny them (that’s a plus for you), or you die a noble death for the team's greater good (but still more of a minus for you). In any case, the point must be captured. Naturally, "everything is lost!", if the enemy comes from the opposite side. So clearly determine from where the expected enemy might come. Well, or the team should ideally have two cops.

Of course, this is just one proposed tactic in the game. But the fact is - in any such situation, you're excellent cover for the team from advancing enemy forces.

The police shield used to be so... so boring.

I think it's clear with the other modes - we operate in the same rhythm. Once your bomb is planted, the issue of its defense should not pose much of a challenge for you; just find a spot where you can sit and observe what is happening. The enemy, seeing you, will hardly run to disarm the bomb; they will try to deal with you. Your task will be, if not to eliminate the enemy, then at least to keep them occupied to buy time.

I do not recommend the "capture the flag" mode, as it is quite difficult to defend the flag with a shield (try catching up with an enemy running with the flag, and by the time you retrieve your secondary weapon, they would have already turned to run away). And, of course, chasing after the flag would be foolish. Although there is a good prospect of carrying the shield on your back... But that would only reduce your speed, and the enemy behind you is not exactly dumb—they'll start shooting at your legs, and that’s it—finish.

The Real Policeman.

I present to you my version of the shield bearer setup.

I will try to explain my choice.

The issue of secondary weapons can be discussed for a long time. But the fact that G18 is one of the best secondary weapons simply cannot be argued! After all, that’s not why we came to this game. However, believe me, no one will expect you if you are, let's say, in door frames, and the enemy is cautiously trying to hit you with bullets. Here he reloads, you run around the corner, pull out your glocks, and shred the enemy; that’s right, comrades.

I think the first two perks are easy to explain. Perhaps in the first case, someone might prefer "Battle Machine" or "Marauder". In the second case, there are no options. You might think invisibility for drones, sentries, etc. would be better, but you’re mistaken. Of course, drones can be a disadvantage; we often sneak up behind the enemy or try to lay low, and the drone betrays us, the bastard. But that’s not that scary. In the first case, while the enemy looks at the radar, you will have already finished them off, in the second case, it is expected that the enemy will deliberately spot you. But if you encounter a sentry gun... Mmm, comrades, sometimes happiness is so simple! Just imagine yourself with a shield—sitting in front of that sentry dog. A massive number of bullets that will bounce off your shield will get you enough experience points, I assure you. Well, who said that you can’t level up with a shield? However, I don’t advise doing this with airstrikes; it takes too long to figure out where the supposed firing point is, and your vulnerability increases dramatically. Just walk past.

That’s why we take "speed", it won’t hurt.

In the third case, it’s a matter of taste. You can choose a bigger radius in close combat (I haven’t noticed a difference; it probably doesn’t affect the shield. Or maybe I missed something?). You can choose the "Ninja" perk; extra stealth won’t hurt.

Unfortunate position, back fully covered, but head, sides, and legs are at the enemy's disposal.

Finally, the main thing. In general, if you aim to kill the enemy, rather than waiting for a ricochet to take effect, you have two methods—the shield itself and your chosen equipment. You have the choice between plastic explosives, a claymore mine (then you choose explosive wave), and a throwing knife. I prefer the latter. Why? While throwing any type of grenade, you are completely exposed to the enemies. I've often noticed that when I throw a grenade, I get killed and, if I'm lucky, I can take out the enemy (already in the name of "revenge"). The throwing knife is much faster + the expected enemy you might kill is close to you, so picking up the knife won’t be a problem. I strongly advise against using C4 and frag grenades because for the former, you need to fully remove the shield, and with the latter, it’s unpredictable where the grenade will fly.

Another important point. Pay special attention to secondary grenades. Smoke grenades will help us maintain stealth, allowing you to sneak up unnoticed to the enemy. The other grenades can be thrown directly at the enemy; an excellent alternative to plastic explosives. I don’t take a ballistic shield because there’s no alternative way to deal with enemies; visibility is limited. But one police shield will be enough to protect from explosions. An exception is when plastic explosives are stuck to your shield. An epic flaw, so to speak.

The Real Policeman Can Do Everything!

Those "unusual" challenges

The benefits of the shield have already been revealed. But why is it not so popular? The police shield is unique in its class; it cannot be upgraded. There’s hardly any motivation. But this weapon has quite interesting challenges that are also unique.

Dealing with fifteen enemies isn’t difficult, killing three in a round and one from behind is even easier. The others are not so easy to complete. Reflecting tens of thousands of damage points or thousands of bullets is difficult with the help of mere mortals. The previously mentioned sentry gun is an excellent way to complete these two challenges. The last one - "protect from explosions" is really strange. To progress in the challenge, it’s not necessary to remain alive after an explosion; it’s enough just to be near that explosion. Nonsense? Possibly.

Besides that, the shield makes it easier to complete some other challenges. For example, the challenges for kills in the last unique throw with a throwing knife are much easier to accomplish with the police shield. I cannot guarantee completing the challenge "Kill in a victory repeat after dropping a heavy load on the enemy's head" with the police shield. Is that even possible in real conditions??!

Titan battles. Usually ends with one side's intervention

Conclusion.

Well, in the end, I want to remind again that developers often leave things unsaid. How many times have we seen tips in the loading screen like "Sit down for greater protection" and "Turn the shield directly towards the enemy"?! So, that’s not enough. You can still get shot in the legs if you turn the shield somewhere in the direction of the enemy's head. In reality, for full defense, you need to turn the shield somewhere towards the enemy's knees; that way, you are completely unreachable for the enemy's bullets in a straight line. The danger of hitting your head area should not arise.

My in-game nickname is [FA] D_Prince. I suppose I should write something like, "I’m just a newbie, first level, please don’t judge harshly... blah blah... love you all".

No way.

Judge harshly. I will gladly accept any adequate criticism. Thank you for your attention.

**P.S.*Special thanks to GuRuKaMu for his assistance; he is also [FA] ХиМиК. Made with the support of the Freearena** portal.*