Every Perk in Modern Warfare 2: How to unlock Base, Bonus & Ultimate Perks
Perks are a staple in Call of Duty’s multiplayer and Modern Warfare 2 is no different. Here’s a look at every Perk in Modern Warfare 2.
Modern Warfare 2 is set to launch on October 28, giving players their first taste of Infinity Ward’s new game. There are plenty of features to experiment with, from powerful Killstreaks to building loadouts with Gunsmith 2.0.
One of the biggest changes players will notice when they fire up Modern Warfare 2 is the game’s Perks. The old system has been scrapped in favor of a new design where more powerful Perks are earned during a match, instead of having every selection available from the start.
Perks are vital to building an ideal loadout in Modern Warfare 2, so you’ll need to know which options you’re working with. We’ve broken down every Perk in Modern Warfare 2 below.
All Perks in Modern Warfare 2
Base Perks
Players can select any two Base Perks, which activate from the moment a match starts. If there’s a specific effect that’s integral to your playstyle, make sure you select it here.
Here are all the Base Perks in Modern Warfare 2:
- Overkill: Carry two Primary Weapons
- Double Time: Double the duration of Tactical Sprint. Increase crouch movement speed by 30%.
- Battle Hardened: Reduce the effect of enemy Flash, Stun, EMP, Gas Grenades, and Shock Sticks. Immune to Snapshot Grenades.
- Scavenger: Resupply ammo and throwing knives from dead players.
- Bomb Squad: Take reduced damage from non-Killstreak explosives. Reset fuse timers when picking up live grenades.
- Tracker: Enemies leave behind a footprint trail, and enemy death markers are visible. Kill markers are hidden from the enemy team.
- Strong Arm: Throw equipment farther and see a preview of the trajectory.
- Extra Tactical: Spawn with an additional Tactical.
Bonus Perks
Bonus Perks come into play over time, but they will activate faster if you rack up enough points. When attempting to activate your Bonus Perks, it pays to play aggressively.
You can only select a single Bonus Perk per loadout, and these are the choices:
- Resupply: Spawn with an additional Lethal. Equipment recharges over 25 seconds.
- Spotter: Spot enemy equipment, Field Upgrades, and Killstreaks through walls. Aiming down sights highlights them for the team. Hack enemy Claymores, Proximity Mines, C4, and Trophy Systems.
- Cold-Blooded: Undetectable by AI targeting systems, and thermal optics. Does not trigger High Alert warning. Does not highlight in enemy Tactical Cameras, Recon Drones, and Spotter Scopes.
- Fast Hands: Reload, use equipment, and swap weapons faster.
- Hardline: Reduce Killstreak cost by one (1) elimination. Reduce Scorestreak cost by 125.
- Focus: Reduce flinch when aiming down sights and extend Hold Breath duration.
Ultimate Perks
Finally, you have six effective Ultimate Perks to pick from. These will take the longest to activate, but again you can shorten the wait by earning points.
Some of Modern Warfare 2’s best effects are found here, including some series staples, so choose wisely. You’ll notice that the Quick Fix Perk and Hardline have swapped places following the beta.
Check out all of the options below:
- High Alert: Vision pulses when spotted by an enemy player outside of view.
- Ghost: Undetectable by UAVs, Portable Radars, and Heartbeat Sensors.
- Quick Fix: Killing players immediately triggers health regeneration. Capturing and holding objectives increases health regeneration rate.
- Overclock: Store an additional Field Upgrade charge. Increase Field Upgrade charge rate by 40%. ON-EARN: Get a Field Upgrade Charge.
- Survivor: On death, enter Last Stand with the ability to self-revive once per life. Teammates can revive downed players faster.
- Bird’s Eye: The minimap is zoomed out. UAV and Radar pings reveal the enemy’s direction. ON-EARN: Activates one local UAV sweep.
How to unlock Modern Warfare 2 Perks
In order to plan out your ideal Perk Package, you’ll want to know when each Perk becomes available. Grinding through Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer ranks will unlock different weapons, but it’ll also allow you to access new Perks.
Here’s how to unlock all of the Base, Bonus, and Ultimate Perks in Modern Warfare 2.
| Perk | Unlock Level | Category |
| Double Time | Automatically unlocked | Base |
| Strong Arm | Automatically unlocked | Base |
| Hardline | Automatically unlocked | Bonus |
| Overclock | Automatically unlocked | Ultimate |
| Fast Hand | 8 | Bonus |
| Bomb Squad | 11 | Base |
| High Alert | 14 | Ultimate |
| Extra Tactical | 18 | Base |
| Overkill | 21 | Base |
| Scavenger | 26 | Base |
| Cold-Blooded | 28 | Bonus |
| Resupply | 31 | Bonus |
| Survivor | 34 | Ultimate |
| Battle Hardened | 37 | Base |
| Tracker | 39 | Base |
| Spotter | 41 | Bonus |
| Quick Fix | 44 | Ultimate |
| Birdseye | 47 | Ultimate |
| Focus | 50 | Bonus |
| Ghost | 52 | Ultimate |
Modern Warfare 2 Perk Packages
Alternatively, if you’re struggling to find the right balance of Perks yourself, you could opt for one of the Perk Packages already in the game. These have been implemented by the devs themselves to fit a specific playstyle.
You can check out each Perk Package right here:
- Assault: Overkill, Scavenger, Fast Hands, Hardline
- Phantom: Battle Hardened, Double Time, Cold Blooded, Ghost
- Hunter: Strong Arm, Tracker, Spotter, Overclock
- Deadeye: Overkill, Strong Arm, Quick Fix, High Alert
- Support: E.O.D, Battle Hardened, Resupply, Survivor
- Sniper: Double Time, Extra Tactical, Focus, Bird’s Eye
Of course, if none of these pre-made Perk Packages suit your needs, the option to create your own setup is always there.
For more on Modern Warfare 2, check out our loadout guides for the M4 and the Lachman Sub.
Image Credit: Activision