Modern Warfare 2 is *the* online multiplayer game, right now, and gamers worldwide are looking for that little edge that allows them to dominate the competition. Hopefully, this feature will help. Loading Reality will be publishing a weekly (sometimes more frequently) editorial feature highlighting a single weapon from Modern Warfare 2, bringing with it recommendations for perks, map use, and tactics. Weapon attachments are not generally discussed, save for a few cases, since they allow for such customization and player-specific preference.
This week: the Intervention.
Weapon Details (via Wikipedia)
The CheyTac Intervention is an American-made bolt action heavy sniper rifle designed by CheyTac LLC. for long range soft target interdiction (i.e., anti-personnel/sniper). The CheyTac Intervention rifle is fed using a detachable single stack magazine, which holds 7 rounds. It fires .408 CheyTac or .375 CheyTac ammunition. CheyTac papers state that the entire system is capable of delivering sub-MOA accuracy at ranges of up to 2,500 yards (2,300 m), one of the longest ranges of all modern-day sniper rifles. It is based on the EDM Arms Windrunner.
Modern Warfare 2 Weapon Statistics
Ah yes, the Intervention: a pure beast through-and-through. Sniper Rifles in Modern Warfare 2 all do the same base damage: 70 normal and 50 while silenced. Where the differences in damage lie is the multipliers based on location of hit. The Intervention, along with the Barrett .50, carries the highest multipliers for each body part, as shown in the above image. It is the best sniper rifle for single-shot kills, as well. Without perks or weapon attachments, the Intervention does 105 damage when striking the head or chest, 77 to the body, and 70 to a limb. Stopping Power, as per usual, multiplies those numbers by the 1.4x multiplier. Even silenced, an Intervention can cause a single shot kill to the head or chest, doing 105 damage.
All standard sniper rifle weapon attachments are available for the Intervention.
Like all sniper rifles, the hip spread on the Intervention is as follows:
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Standing: 10 - 15
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Crouching: 9.5 - 14
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Prone: 9 - 13
(Hip Spread is the amount of deviation suffered by rounds fired from a weapon at an aimed target. Some bullets, undoubtedly, stray from targets. The lower the hit spread, the more accurate your shots will be.)
Recommended Perks (assume all perks are Pro)
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Perk 1: Sleight of Hand, Bling, Scavenger
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Perk 2: Stopping Power, Hardline, Cold-Blooded
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Perk 3: Steady Aim, Commando, Ninja
Sleight of Hand Pro is perfect for quickscoping and reaction-based snipers, as the faster sighting is irreplaceable. Cutting the time it takes to aim down the sight in half, SoH Pro is usually the perk of choice for snipers. Bling, however, is a strong contender for the Intervention. Combinations of a silencer, thermal scope, heartbeat sensor or ACOG all make the perk worth considering. Scavenger is one of my personal favorites for perk one. I keep two sniping classes built at all times: one with Sleight of Hand and one with Scavenger. The ability to have two claymores up at all times and a constant reloading is amazing and makes Scavenger an incredibly fun perk.
Stopping Power is as close as it gets to a guaranteed single-shot kill with a sniper rifle. As mentioned above, the Intervention does 98 damage to limbs, 107.8 to the body, and 147 to the head or chest. While Stopping Power-supported headshots will not drop an enemy with Painkiller (reduces incoming damage to 30%), it is a single shot for any accurate sniper to any other enemy. Since the Intervention does such reasonable damage without Stopping Power, there are those that choose to push a different perk two. For players wishing to acquire killstreaks faster, Hardline works well. Other than that, however, Cold-Blooded is second best to Stopping Power, as a good sniper that cannot be seen is a truly remarkable thing.
Steady Aim Pro increases the time snipers are able to hold their breath. While quickscoping is a very useful tactic, there are always times that a sniper will have to hardscope, and the increased breath will assist with that. Also, if a sniper is rushed, flanked, or backed into close-quarters, having a secondary weapon that benefits from Steady Aim is helpful. As discussed previously, selecting Commando Pro as perk three adds 176 units of measurement to the range of the 128 unit lock distance of the melee charge. This will undoubtedly help any sniper that is rushed or forced into close-quarters combat. As stated in the M4A1 weapon analysis, Ninja Pro is a useful perk when gamers are equipped with headsets. All of these, Steady Aim, Commando and Ninja, make for good selections as perk three.
Recommended Maps & Tactics
The Intervention, like most sniper rifles, excels in corridor- and open environment combat. A combination of quickscoping and hardscoping gives players advantages in most Modern Warfare 2 maps, period. Afghan, Estate, and Wasteland all work well for snipers of all types, while other maps like Terminal and Rundown can be cut in half by one or two good snipers.
While on Afghan, sniping from the western half (Charlie location) or poppy fields to the north (Bravo location) is ideal. Claymores can protect flanks with snipers rotating between bunkers and clearings. Estate is one of the most position-based maps in the game, with the actual estate itself (Alpha position) being the primary location. If a team is able to hold the south side of the map as a whole, snipers are able to maintain the house and boathouse, easily. Wasteland is a notorious sniper map and doesn't really need to be detailed here.
Terminal is able to be controlled well by one or two good snipers. Holding the west half of the map, specifically by watching the north entrance into the terminal (Charlie location) and the path into the southwest (Alpha location), is quite easy. The two paths contain a corridor an open space, each. On Rundown either half of the map is held relatively easily. For the west side, utilizing the buildings along the middle can provide a vertical advantage against opponents. On the east, putting a sniper in each of the two far buildings (north and south), can assist in holding the entire map.
What do you think? Is the Intervention on your radar? Do you agree or disagree with the perk selection? What about the next installment of Loading Reality's weapon analysis? The next analysis published will be based upon comments in this story - which weapon do you want to know more about?
Other Weapon Analyses
Assault Rifles: M4A1, FAMAS, SCAR-H, TAR-21, FAL, M16A4, ACR, F2000, AK47
Sub Machine Guns: MP5K, UMP45, Vector, P90, Mini-Uzi
Light Machine Guns: L86, RPD, MG4, AUG HBAR, M240
Sniper Rifles: Intervention, Barrett .50, WA2000, M21 EBR
Shotguns: SPAS-12, AA-12, Striker, Ranger, M1014, Model 1887, Undermounted Shotgun
Handguns: USP .45, Magnun, M9, Desert Eagle
Machine Handguns: PP2000, Glock 18, M93 Raffica, TMP
Written by Brandon Tabbert Monday, 18 January 2010 10:11