"Headquarter Debates". A Guide for Beginner Teams
"Flash!"
Captain Obvious on the explosion of a flashbang.
"I know, I will fly like a mad flash
I will, I will always be your little girl!"
Pop star beauty, who considers herself as the weapon of a special forces soldier.
After the epigraph, one wants to ask: what the hell is this guide about? No, of course, it isn't about the use of flashbangs. And not about explosives in general. It’s about tactics. And where there’s tactics, there are inevitably “flashes”, smoke, stingers, and other little joys of life that allow well-coordinated teams to win dozens of times in a row.
Today's guide is dedicated to the mode "headquarters, increased difficulty". I cherish it dearly, and my team and I (you might have seen its formation here) have frankly just overplayed it. So let me share with you the insights and secrets that help us easily win with a score of 200:0.
About the Author
So that we don’t have any unnecessary discussions later (and they always arise, as usual), I will tell you a bit about myself. So, in the game, my nickname is agrippa, level — 70. I have not taken prestige. Simply, I don't have the time or desire to level up again.
I am far from being the best player. I've had a few scores of about 30 to 2-3. Usually, I kill two or three times more than I die. Sometimes the score is 1 to 1. I am by no means a PRO. I don’t have excellent reflexes, and my mouse cost 150 rubles, the keyboard is more expensive but its purpose is just to conveniently press keys for typing texts.
I have never distinguished myself with excellent statistics in online shooters. My forte is strategies. Top 100 in Red Alert 3, top 1 clan in World in Conflict, top 5 in Heroes of Might and Magic V on the duel server, some other achievements in Dawn of War 2. And I try to apply my tactical skills in all other genres. In Modern Warfare 2, judging by how often we win (including victories over clans), it seems to be going quite well.
And yes, I am not saying that you can’t shoot to be a great player in MW2. That’s not true. I constantly pester those in our team who do not want to train hard and a lot on their own. No advice will work if the squad consists of mediocre players. As practice shows, a user should have about two days of pure playtime to start fighting seriously. Until then, problems arise — not knowing maps, weapons, the usual "noobiness"...
Thus, we conclude the preface and go directly to the essence — what on earth is this "headquarters, increased difficulty".
Headquarters and What to Do with It
If we pretend to be the Captain, we can declare that the goal in the “headquarters” mode is to capture... the headquarters. But we will be less obvious and add that this very headquarters appears in certain places on the map (the sequence can be random, but there is never the same point as the headquarters twice in a row, and almost never does the headquarters move back to the previous point), which must first be found and then captured.
The mode consists of four stages.
The headquarters is not present, and no one knows where it might be.
The headquarters is found, and everyone runs to it.
The headquarters is captured.
The headquarters is captured, and one of the teams tries to hold it.
Up to point 4, fighters from both teams respawn almost immediately. However, after the headquarters is captured, the team that holds it cannot respawn. Therefore, sometimes it is enough for the opponents to eliminate all defenders and calmly destroy the headquarters (it does not pass to another team; it just disappears, and point 1 resumes).
While one of the teams holds the headquarters, they earn points. However, the headquarters self-destructs after one of the groups scores 60 points. The team that scores 200 points first or has more points at the end of the time wins.
The mode is very interesting and fun. If you have ignored it before, you should definitely give it a try. But fighting with random players in it is a bit dull. After all, it is one of the most "team-oriented" modes, where each individual can do very little.
Classes and Their Weapons
So, we need to choose weapons for the headquarters. However, we will not talk only about one person (let’s say, the captain) but consider a set of weapons for each fighter.
"Runner" — the main headquarters capturer.
Let’s start with who will be taking the headquarters. I usually have two of these in my team. I call them "runners". Their task is simple, like a shot from a "Scar". You just need to run to the headquarters and set up there. It is better for them not to engage in combat, they don’t need to chase enemies or look for snipers. Just run. As in "Forrest Gump". Forrest, run, Forrest, stand. Nothing more.
The main weapon for this class — paired G18 (as an alternative to P90). These are excellent pistols, whose bullet spread and rate of fire allow killing enemies easily even without a crosshair (the difficulty is indeed increased).
The additional weapon can be anything. When I play as a "runner", I set myself up with SCAR-H. It can have some scope or wall-piercing rounds. However, lately, I more often attach an under-barrel. Yes, I understand that this is a terrible sin and in hell, MW2 will mock me, but when the enemy constantly blows up the headquarters and we can’t, it looks pathetic. If the opponent plays cleanly, without noob tubes, then I don’t use it either, and I don’t mind the extra slot — anyway, I run around with pistols 90% of the time.
The skills are clear. Marathon and lightweight — strictly obligatory. Without them, there are no "runners". The "Demolitionist" is recommended for two reasons. Firstly, you won’t die from falling from high ledges and roofs (which is useful for a "runner", as they don’t have time to figure out the jumps). Secondly, you can knife those enemies you encounter on the way. This way, you won’t waste time.
However, there is an option to take "last chance", then you can hold the headquarters longer after being killed once. And two pistols allow for ruthless revenge against the enemy (although if you believe the "parents", then for this skill in hell, they also shove pineapples up your backside).
Grenades are quite standard — plastic explosives and flashbang nonsense. Nothing more is needed. Although there are options to experiment with tactical drops.
"Cover" — the main protector of our running brothers.
Next in line are the cover fighters. Their task is to not let the enemy get to the headquarters. Moreover, it is not just a matter of preventing them from entering. No, they have it harder. The "covers" keep the enemy at such a distance from the headquarters that they cannot throw grenades or shoot from under-barreled weapons inside. Therefore, the running radius of this "class" is difficult to set precisely.
As the main gun, I definitely choose ACR for myself. For increased difficulty, it’s hard to think of a better weapon. Minimal recoil, excellent rate of fire, large magazine (a truckload of small rubble in the SCAR-H’s garden). For attachments, I use either sights or special armor-piercing rounds. They are especially effective on the airplane graveyard map when the enemies are hiding behind thin metal covers. But it’s also very useful to pierce walls on other maps.
Here’s an example of how wall penetration helps excellently
The additional weapon can be anything. Some in my team run with shotguns (although the shotgun does not look that cool in increased difficulty), some prefer pistols or even just one pistol. But it’s best when two players carry a "Stinger". Why exactly two, I think it’s not hard to guess. You can’t shoot down a Harrier with one shot. And if only one player is playing the role of air defense, they may be killed repeatedly, either accidentally or on purpose. But if there are two such fighters, then one of them will definitely hit the Harrier and won’t let the enemy capture the headquarters.
For the first skill, I suggest taking “dexterity”. This perfectly suits an actively fighting automaton. Reloading immediately after killing an enemy, quick aiming as soon as you see the enemy on the horizon. I feel uneasy when I can’t do everything quickly. And in a mode like “headquarters, increased difficulty”, where everything happens in haste, and a second can really matter, this skill is very important. Attachments or extra ammo doesn’t make sense here, and changing classes in the middle of a fight is totally pointless. It’s not a bomb...
The enemy was saving up for a plane, dreamed of it. "Stinger"— an excellent means of sorrow.
For the second skill, I suggest taking "sprint", since it allows aiming immediately after running. For a cover fighter, this is simply necessary because not all maps allow you to cover points around the headquarters and create an impenetrable fire barrier. Often you need to run like a madman, searching for the enemy and killing them right away. And wasting an extra moment catching your breath before aiming could cost you your life. And the death of one "cover" allows the enemy to shoot a grenade into the headquarters, where the "runners" die, and we start all over again. I have a very pragmatic approach...
As a note: in recent experiments, the skill "uncompromising" has shown itself very well. With it, the amount of various support items increases immensely, and UAVs will always kindly indicate where the pesky enemy is running around.
As a second note: killing power in increased difficulty is not that useful. Is there a difference between killing with two bullets or three? We are not shooting singles with a pistol...
As a third skill, I suggest "last chance", as it allows you to stop enemies who wish to get to the headquarters even after death.
Everything else is at your discretion; nothing fundamental is there.
Sniper — the main oppressor of enemies
And perhaps the last class that I highlight is the sniper. You can argue about its necessity in this mode, but as practice shows, a great sniper who knows how to camp well can annoy the enemy so much that they, as poker players say, go on tilt. That is, they start acting completely inadequately, stop thinking about anything other than who is killing them from somewhere they cannot see, and end up playing much worse. And what else do we need?
I myself am quite secondary as a sniper... Although to hell with the self-deprecation, I am frankly a lousy sniper. So it’s very hard for me to advise what exactly a shooter should take with them. In the picture, you see my version, but for example, dmit (our best sniper, probably) may run with something else.
Sniper as a means of destroying other snipers
Off Format
Now about other weapons and other classes. Of course, there are many great guns in the game as well. Some love machine guns, some prefer shotguns, and a third even loves running around with a knife. And all of this can indeed be used. The main thing is to understand the essence of the classes.
Giving a machine gun to a runner is absurd. Just as absurd as performing cover with a shield. So I won't say that my options are the only correct ones, and everything else is crap. I presented the idea, and how you develop it is no longer up to me. But, nonetheless, good luck.
A few words about the shield bearer. I really love this class and sometimes rest with it. But for increased difficulty, unfortunately, it fits barely at all. It is quite easy to kill, and thus it often becomes a burden. However, for a regular headquarters, this class is excellent, and a skilled player can create local miracles with it. They can carry the whole game.
How to Play?
Lessons in "Running"
Round start. So far, it is unknown where the headquarters will be, but it is unlikely to appear where your entire team stands. Therefore, you need to move deep into the map and sort things out there.
Quickly ran, quickly killed, quickly took the headquarters
For "runners" in the first stage, the task is the same as it will be at the end. It’s generally always the same — they need to run. I’ll repeat it again; the main point is — don’t shoot just like that. Especially if you are running with two pistols. Killing an enemy at a respectable distance is extremely difficult; switching to an automatic is foolish and a waste of time.
So as soon as a "runner" sees the headquarters, he immediately rushes to it, hiding behind walls (more precisely, running so that at least something covers them from one side), sometimes dropping for two or three seconds into the bushes (sometimes it’s better to lie down a little than to start the run all over again) but moving straight to the goal. When you are at the headquarters, you should do the standard action — throw a flashbang, wait for the explosion, if no crosshair appears on the screen, then literally dive inside and sit so that you can see one or several entrances.
Standard coverage. And the left entrance is controlled by a sniper
This aspect of the game for the "runner" is very important. Besides getting to the headquarters, they must also not let the enemy inside. After all, this class is the only one that can stop the opponent who’s already at the entrance. Cover fighters do not get too close to the headquarters, so this time everything is already in the hands of the "runner".
Remember that if the headquarters is big, you need to sit as far away from the entrance as possible; if there are two floors — then definitely on the second one. You need to hide so that, firstly, the enemy cannot see you before they enter the headquarters, secondly, they cannot kill you with a grenade launcher (this condition is often not fulfilled, unfortunately...), and thirdly, you can shoot first when the opponent gets inside.
However, not everywhere will it be possible to cover all entries at once. Sometimes you can get into the headquarters in more than three ways. This is why I advise keeping two runners in the team. They spread out so that they protect both the headquarters and each other.
Unsuccessful cover, as there is no one to protect the fighter’s back. They will simply be killed, and then the headquarters will be captured
Let’s say one is watching the window, the other at the door. When the enemy enters, they immediately try to shoot the fighter who doesn’t see them, but the other instantly saves them. Sometimes, it’s possible to kill 5-6 enemies in a row this way. However, many beginners or those who have never defended the headquarters usually sit completely stupidly. For example, two look at one point or do not see each other. As a result, one is killed, and the second can do nothing. This can be fixed with experience. You immediately agree with your partner on who will sit where. I usually place those who are already familiar with the game in the