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Learn to dominate Call of Duty Warzone with tips from Liam "JUKEYZ" James
If you want to play like a pro, you need to know how the pros play. Read these tips to improve your Warzone game dramatically.
Call of Duty: Warzone – the free-to-play element of Activision's latest entry in the series, Modern Warfare – isn't an easy game to master. The longer the mode stays alive on servers, the more competition flocks to the title. Nearly a year since it's release, the fight for survival in the high-pressure FPS environment isn't getting any easier.
Anyone with a PS4, Xbox One, or PC can jump in and start learning the intricacies of the game. Luckily, then, we've enlisted the help of a pro – Liam "Jukeyz" James – to offer some insight into exactly how to dominate on the battlefield and make your victories more consistent.
Here's are some essential tips from Jukeyz about playing like a pro, and getting into that competitive mindset.
1. Know When to Engage
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 6 is full of new content
© Activision
Running in headfirst and getting yourself killed in seconds will do you no favours. Intelligent engagement is crucial to survival and dominance in Warzone. "My number one tip for winning Warzone matches (Kill Race) would be to always keep on moving, try not to waste too much time looting," explains Jukeyz.
"As soon as you got your loadout weapons, go fight. Also if you come across a team that looks good, you can always leave them for the time being. There are two reasons for that: one; you don’t want to spend too much time fighting them, and two; if you skip that team then they could possibly kill the guys you are against in the Kill Race."
Knowing when to back down from a fight – and knowing which teams you can pick off once they've already been worn down elsewhere – should be a key component in your strategy.
2. Know the Guns
The SP-R 208 -- Marksman Rifle is a sniper's delight
© Activision
Guns are mostly a matter of personal taste, though there are some match-ups and range-based issues you need to keep in mind when looting and exploring the battlefield.
"The gun I would like to find in the first building – at the moment, in this season – would be the ODEN. It is not the easiest gun to use, but once you learn how to control and hit your bullets, it kills your opponents very quickly –especially at the very start of the game," says Jukeyz.
Knowing what your opponents are likely to be running with – and how to protect yourself against it – is essential. "Also, have in mind a lot of people's go-to weapon at the beginning is an ORIGIN-12," the pro continues.
"I would say about 85% of people first go to the gun because it is so powerful: it would literally kill you in one bullet close range, and two bullets if you are plated up." Don't sacrifice the gun you're most adept with for another weapon just because everyone else is, though – experience is worth more than chasing a fad.
"Personally, I can’t use this because I play with a controller setup called Auto Tac Sprint, which means every time I move my L3 forward it starts sprinting. That's not good for shotguns at all!
3. Get a Good Team
Farah and Nikolai bring the heat to Season 6 of Modern Warfare
© Activision
For the most part, victories in Warzone don't rest on the shoulders of one great player: success is largely the result of a team. "I like to play Warzone mostly with my duo," Jukeyz notes. "Deleo and I have been grinding together almost every day since we met last year. We have always had the same mentality together: that we want to win every game, be the best, and do this for a living. So we become best mates on the game and out of the game, too."
Having teammates that understand your nuance, the way you play, how likely you are to gamble a trade, and when you're going to engage takes away a lot of the guesswork you get playing with randoms. And, of course, communication is essential, too.
"We previously entered the TeeP Trials $15,000 and won it without losing a map, which was sick because it was something we both wanted – to play together in a tournament as a duo, and win. We also won the $150,000 Royal Ruckus tournament with our good friend Skrapz – the brother of Wuskin – who both played for the Royal Ravens the year just gone. Us four are on a lot together, and we plan to do big things in the future with the streams as a quad."
4. Use Jukeyz Setup
"My favourite current loadout is the Kilo 141 and MP5" Jukeyz tells us.
The Kilo 141 isn't the most popular AR, but it can be lethal
© Activision
The Kilo is a pretty unpopular assault rifle for most players, but Jukeyz makes it work thanks to some smart attachment choices and – frankly – a lot of practice. Between the stat mods you get from piling on the Monolithic Suppressor, the gun's longest barrel (the Singuard Arms 19.8″ Prowler), and the more predictable recoil afforded by the Commando Foregrip, the Kilo gets range capable of taking out snipers and some nice DPS, too.
Using the MP5 can be tricky but rewarding
© Activision
Before even messing with mods, the base form the MP5 comes brimming with great damage per shot, a decent rate of fire, predictable recoil patterns, and some great ADS and sprint-out timings, to boot. Jukeyz setup – with that 45 round mag and suppressor – might make the gun a bit trickier to handle and rely on you being efficient with your bullets, but master this gun and it can make a versatile and effective weapon.
5. Know How to End a Game
Warzone parachute jump
© Activision
There's nothing more frustrating than getting to the Final Circle and losing out to a team that's read you like a book. Getting ambushed and obliterated before you even manage to mount a decent defense is morale destroying.
"In the Final Circle, I like to make sure my positioning is as great as it can possibly be," Jukeyz explains. "I like to think of the possible situations I could be put in, and that's where I come up with my positioning for the Final Circles." Think ahead and have situational awareness, and you should be in a decent enough position to stand your ground – no matter how skilled your final opponents.
