Modern Warfare

CoD4 Ghost Guide

Guide By Jester:

Being a ghost is one of the things in cod4 that requires you to pay attention to everything, the whole game. This is what a ghost, in essence, is:


A ghost is a person with silenced weapons, and a UAV jammer, whose sole purpose is NOT to get the most kills in the game, but to get the IMPORTANT kills. This means, taking out the sniper that's been butchering your team, sneaking into a defended building and killing the three guys inside before they even realize your there, etc.




The first step to becoming a good ghost, is having a good ghost class.


A ghost needs to have a versatile weapon. i.e., a ghost should NEVER have a sniper, shotgun, and even though they can be used anywhere, for our purposes, no LMG's. This leaves us with the choice between SMG's and Assault rifles. I recommend an automatic AR. I ahve found a silenced m4/g36c/AK47 to work AMAZINGLY in ghost classes. I have found that it is better to use an AR because 1: you have the ability to engage at long range if you have to and 2: they can still perform very well close quarters. As far as sidearms go, no desert eagle is the only rule, you need your pistol silenced



Here is what i have found to be the most effective ghost class for me:


Silenced M4 carbine
Silenced M1911 (If you're acurate choose this pistol, usually a two to three shot kill, if you're not a great shot with a pistol, go with a USP .45 silenced)

stunx1  Fragx1

Perk1: Bomb squad. This is essential to my ghost because ghosts are usually sniper hunters, and snipers like to use claymores. If you can see the claymores, you can avoid them. Once you get past claymores 70% of the time the sniper will be practically defenseless.

Perk2: UAV jammer. Absolute MUST for any ghost. Period.

Perk3: Steady aim. I've found this perk to allow me to outgun most SMG's in close quarters, especially if i get the first shot in.




Now to how to actually be a ghost, as i did in my tactical teamwork guide, i will demonstrate with a story of a game i played less than a week ago, with me playing the ghost (ghost is one of my favorite styles).



The game starts, and my team rushes out to engage the enemy. I don't. I wait several seconds to see what routes my team mates are taking using the UAV. Once the enemy begins shooting (the first red dot pops up) THEN i move from my starting point. I take care to stay at the edges of the map, and to stay at a distance from all my allies. Why? Because even though i never show up on radar, my team mate can. I know that if i stay close to a team mate and he shows up on UAV, the enemy will be all over him, and i will be spotted. Since the idea of a ghost is to stay invisible, i avoid contact with my allies the entire game. I flank around behind several enemies and stun them, then head shot each of them and leave the scene the way i came before thier team mates can show up. But i wait for about 4 seconds before using my escape route. Why? Kill cam. If i use my special escape route right away, if any of the people i killed watch the kill cam they will know where i am going. Kill cam lasts for about four seconds after it actually shows the kill. Once i know im clear, i run like hell and get as far away from the team as i can. I then call in my UAV. Most of the red dots i note, are randomly placed. This means that they aren't coordinated. I take note of this. Then i notice one lone dot far away from all the others. This can only mean one thing: Sniper. I methodically weave my way through buildings, avoiding contact with hostiles where i can by hiding and letting them run by. I eventually get to the building the sniper is holed up in, even though the UAV is off i know he is there, because i can hear the shots from his Barette ringing out very near to me. The fact that i do not know his exact location is a problem, i also have to take into account that he may have an SMG wielding ghost of his own on his team, possibly near him. Before entering the building, i crouch. Why? Crouching makes me as quiet as if i had dead silence and was running. Also, most every player in close quarters will expect you to be standing, and will be aiming at about neck height if expecting you. So as i move into the building, and through it, i stay crouched. I check doorways for claymores with bomb squad, and stay aimed down my sights, in case someone rushes in front of me. I see the first claymore in a doorway and go around to another doorway, and wouldn't you know it, no claymore. I see the sniper through the next doorway, and line up a headshot. He drops, and i hear footsteps, so i run and jump out the window he was firing out of and sprint to the nearest hiding spot i can get to. Whoever was in that building with me now has no idea where i am, because nobody would have suspected me to jump out the window. I keep to the sides and shadows and use previously describd techniques. I end the game 12 and 0. Sure, i didn't get the most kills, but by bringing down that sniper several times, i saved my boys from getting slaughtered. Plus it was nice to have a 12.0 k/d for that game Cheesy


Now i will go over the techniques i used.



Use of UAV: this is essential for any ghost, not only does it provide information on enemy whereabouts, but it lets you know how to stay away from your allies and what routes to take. A ghost should be glancing up at his UAV constantly, but never just stare at it. Remember, the other team may have ghosts of their own.


Use of stun: You noticed how when i had the three men early in the game in my sights, i didn't fire. True, i could have mowed them down, but by stunning them i made sure that i would not be killed. If i mowed down all three one might have gotten lucky, or whirled around in last stand with a desert eagle and clipped me. Using the stun made sure they COULD NOT turn and kill me. Please note that when you use the stun tactic, you should use it on multiple opponents already in sight. This is because this class, when used correctly, rarely dies. Meaning you only get one stun, unless you decide to use 3xspecial grenades for perk1. Another stun technique i didn't mention is using one to escape, if ytou hear an enemy coming, throw down a stun and run like hell. It will slow down the enemy enough for you to get in a more defensable position, or get out all together.


Crouched movement: A good idea when unsure about enemy presence. The main weakness of a ghost is the fact that he is ALWAYS on his own. Never will he have a team mate near him to get shot at first, and he doesn't have juggernaut to last those few extra shots,  or stopping power to drop enemies quickly. This means that against multiple enemies, when spotted first, the ghost is usually screwed. If unsure about enemy presence OR numbers, use crouched movement. This makes you much quieter, in case they are listening for footsteps. Also, it increases hip accuracy, alowing you to react more quickly to surprises.

Pre aiming sights: By aiming down the sights as you move, you are ready for any surprises, and don't have to take that split second to aim down you're sights before lining up the shot. This has saved my life countless times simply because in a one on one standoff i'm able to get the first shot off.

Claymore avoidance: Most of you are probably wondering why i didn't just sprint past the claymore, i mean, it wouldn't have killed me right? Not directly, no. But that click and boom would let everyone in the building know i was there, and the sound of sprinting wouldn't have helped either. It would have given the sniper time to whip out his pistol (or SMG if he is overkilled) and he would be ready fro me. Not good. So i went around to another entrance and checked to see if there were claymores, there were none, and i was able to take out the sniper before anyone knew i was in the building.

Unexpected escape routes: You notice that when i heard the enemy coming, i didn't try and run back the way i came, i jumped out the window, got slightly wounded by the fall, and hid. This is because he was most likely expecting me to go down stairs or still be up there. By taking the least expected escape route, i completely avoided him.

Trickery by kill cam: You notice i waited several seconds after killing the first three targets before running. This is so they could not use kill cam to guess where i was going. There is another technique you can use with this however, after getting the kill, sprint one way for several seconds, as if leaving, then once clear of the kill cam, turn around and go the other way. This is what i call a fake out Smiley


Use of auditory clues: This is very important for every ghost to master. It saved my life after killing the sniper, from hearing the footsteps of his team mate. It also confirmed that the enemy sniper was in the building, because i could hear the barrette. Use this to avoid enemy contact.


Avoidance of contact with enemy: You noticed i avoided several possible kill situations. Why? Because the Ghosts job isn't to get in a firefight. If i get in a firefight with two guys, head on, i might win, sure, but i also might get blown away before i could get to that sniper. The ghost's job is to get the important kills, like that sniper, not get a couple random ones from a firefight that one of your team mates had a better chance of surviving anyway. Remember, go for the big targets, snipers, fortified positions, etc. Don't go get in a bunch of firefights.





A ghost needs to constantly be alert. He needs to watch his UAV, avoid friendly contact, know when and when not to go for a kill, he needs to be able to use auditory clues to warn him of others (if you hear footsteps and there are no team mates near you on the UAV, it's a hostile). He needs to be able to use trickery of the killcam, and be able to avoid enemy traps. He needs to play for the team, not his k/d ratio. Killing a few common grunts is good, sure, but killing the enemy sniper about to get his seven kill streak is MUCH more valuable.