COD Modern Warfare 2: Best Launchers

Besides having the best weapons in their arsenal, it looks like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 devs have emphasized players using launchers. With small and intricate maps like El Asilo and Al Bagra Fortress, launchers are going to be the primary weapon for clearing out corners and campers.

However, with 5 unique launchers in the game, it’s often tricky to decide the best ones. After all, every launcher has its utility in specific situations. So let’s jump right in and see the best launchers in the game, including their advantages, uses, and best perks when using them.

Key Highlights

• Call of Duty’s secondary weapons is great as backup options or even counterplay.
• Launchers have a ton of variety, uniqueness, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Launchers and their loadouts can be made more effective with certain perks.

Best Launchers 

For a launcher to be good, it needs to have a good balance between reload speed, damage, and accuracy. Other than that, it should be consistent. Situational launchers will often make a limited loadout. However, if the launcher has unique mechanics, then it’s not too important to be consistent. It’s also important to bear in mind that launchers don’t require you to unlock attachments, so these weapons must have good standalone abilities.

With all that being said, here’s a list of the best launchers in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2:

RPG-7

The RPG-7 is a classic when it comes to the Call of Duty Franchise. It’s a rocket launcher that can easily blow out covers and tight corners. You’ll be able to deal massive damage in one fell swoop, taking out one or even multiple enemies with a single rocket.

If we take a look at its stats, we’ll see that it tops the mobility and handling section of all the secondary launcher weapons. This means that the RPG-7 won’t make you as slow as the other launchers, so you won’t have to switch to your lighter primary weapon when traversing distances constantly. However, the lack of any scope makes it a weak choice in terms of accuracy. So you’ll need to rely on your eyesight a lot more when using this weapon.

Overall, the RPG-7 makes for a well-balanced launcher in Modern Warfare 2 for speed and damage. This weapon can be used on small to mid-range maps as you can carry it without worrying too much about movability.

You can unlock the weapon by reaching Rank 32 in the Military Ranks. You can get it alongside the Wheelson-HS killstreak, a remote-controlled mini vehicle, when you reach this rank.

Strela-P

The Strela-P is another extremely powerful launcher that can destroy a cluster of enemies in 1 direct hit. Its high-velocity shots can take out oncoming vehicles or even operational killstreaks like the UAV. Apart from that, this weapon also has a magnified red-dot scope, meaning your chances of getting direct hits will be far greater.

With a built-in scope, no recoil, and no lock-on mechanic, the Strela-P is a great choice for accuracy and quick kills from a launcher. However, its long-reload animations and weak mobility will mean that you won’t be able to carry this bulky weapon everywhere you go. The Strela can be used on nearly every map since it focuses on large damage and area of effect, as well as its efficiency in long, narrow areas due to its immense accuracy.

What makes it stand out and slightly better than its similar counterpart, the PILA, is the fact that you can shoot killstreaks and vehicles without waiting for the lock-on to set its target. In addition to that, the Strela-P has a much faster firing rate than the PILA. Therefore, the Strela has a much lower chance of missing a moving vehicle or killstreak.

The Strela can be unlocked early on in the game by reaching Level 14 in the Military Ranks. You will also get the High Alert Perk which can notify you of oncoming shots. Since this is the easiest launcher in this list to unlock, you can use it as a beginner secondary weapon.

JOKR

The JOKR is a primary example of a weapon whose uniqueness overshadows its otherwise weak overall stats. What sets apart the JOKR from the rest is its unbelievable accuracy. Once you’ve locked onto a target, you can rest easy because it’s gonna be a direct hit no matter what. The JOKR comes equipped with a military-style scope with a multi-lock-on system, meaning you can target more than 1 object at once.

Although the JOKR is very weak in terms of mobility, its much wider range and stronger accuracy make up for it. As such, this weapon’s true potential can be seen on maps with large, open spaces, as well as maps with tons of vehicles.

Overall, JOKR is easily one of the best launchers in Modern Warfare 2 for large-scale maps and game modes like GroundWar. It’s also great for game modes that focus on a single position like Hardpoint since those modes will have much stronger killstreaks like the VTOL.

The JOKR can be unlocked after reaching Level 24 in the Military Ranks. This weapon is simultaneously unlocked alongside Battle Rage, a field upgrade that regenerates your health and sprint much quicker. Once reached, you can go into your inventory and select this as your primary weapon.

Top Perks for Launchers

Now that we’ve covered the best launchers in the game, let’s move on to the perks that would work best with these weapons. Since all launchers have many similar weaknesses, these perks will make up for them. Therefore, it’ll create a strong balance, good synergy, and lead to one of the best loadouts for launchers.

Double Time

• Tier: First/Base Perk
• Ability: Doubles the duration of a Tactical Sprint, and increases crouch movement speed by 30%

This Tier 1 Perk covers up one of the launcher’s most common weaknesses – Movement. No matter how good your weapon is, if it’s too bulky then you can’t carry it too often. Constantly switching between your primary and secondary weapon will often make you vulnerable. Once you have Double Time equipped, it will allow you to traverse the map much faster when carrying a launcher.

Tracker

• Tier: First/Base Perk
• Ability: Enemies leave behind a footprint trail, and enemy death markers are visible. Kill markers are hidden from the enemy team.

Tracker is another great Base Perk you can equip for a Launcher loadout. This perk will help you sniff out your enemies faster, including campers who’ll sneak into hidden corners of the map. Once you find them, you can comfortably take them out with your launcher or primary weapon. In another instance, this will also help you find enemies that’ll try to hide in smokescreens or by running around.

This perk goes well with Double Time and can be equipped along with it. You can use it on any map since it’s great for hunting down enemies nearby, and with Double Time, you’ll be able to catch them more quickly.

Fast Hands

Tier: Second/Bonus Perk

Ability: You can reload, use equipment, and swap weapons faster

Fast Hands is a Bonus perk that can allow you to reload as well as switch between your primary and secondary weapons much more quickly. As mentioned earlier, with a launcher, you’ll be switching between weapons more often. Other than that, launchers themselves will need quite some time to reload when you fire them even once. The fact that Fast Hands covers both of these drawbacks as a Tier 2 perk makes it a must-have in your loadout.

Ghost

• Tier: Third/Ultimate Perk
• Ability: Undetectable by UAVs, Portable Radars, and Heartbeat Sensors

Ghost is generally one of the best perks for nearly every situation and loadout. You being undetectable means that there’s less of a chance for you to get ambushed or attacked by a group. For launcher loadouts, this is an essential perk since you’ll have trouble defending yourself against an enemy nearby when you have a launcher equipped. Therefore, Ghost can help to reduce the chances of that situation dramatically. 

Best Game Modes To Level Up Launchers

Launchers can be leveled up in 2 ways – killing enemies or bringing down active killstreaks. Therefore, we need to look at game modes that will have a good amount of enemies and killstreaks so we can quickly level up our launchers.

Free-For-All

Free-For-All is easily one of the easiest game modes to level up launchers. Since everyone is your target, you’ll be able to find a multitude of enemies behind every corner. Additionally, you’ll also find a cluster of enemies together, so you can steal their kills by killing all of them at once!

Another important thing to remember is that in FFA, you’ll see a lot more active killstreaks. You can use your launcher to destroy them in one hit and gain a healthy amount of XP.

Hardpoint

You’ll find most enemies in groups when you’re playing Hardpoint. Killing these groups of enemies will give you a boatload of XP. Additionally, you’ll also get more points and eventually win the match. This is where launchers are encouraged, and can often be the key to a win.

In Modern Warfare 2, most of the hardpoints are inside buildings and structures. This means that the Hardpoint itself will be small and in a tight place. Once your enemy takes control of the Hardpoint, shoot them down from a window and lose their control over it. After that, you can go in yourself, take control, and switch to a primary weapon to maintain control. 

Invasion

Invasion is currently considered the best game mode to level up weapons. However, launchers have a specific advantage here. The spawn points in Invasion are usually around vehicles, so one shot from a JOKR, RPG-7 or Strela-P will easily get you a few kills.

Launchers with a scope like the JOKR or Strela-P will be able to locate enemies from afar and shoot them down almost instantly. The JOKR specifically will be able to lock on enemies you won’t have to worry about missing your shot. Its night vision mode also helps you in seeing objects and enemies far away.

Summary

Launchers have always easily been one of the best classes of secondary weapons in Call of Duty. Their massive damage coupled with a wide Area of Effect makes it the best option for clearing out rooms, and small camping spots. Consequently, this also makes them the preferred secondary weapon for tiny as well as massive maps. However, they do have their weaknesses, which can be alleviated by either using specific perks and/or a strategic play style.