What is snaking in Call of Duty? How to snake in Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 features the controversial snaking movement mechanic. If utilized properly snaking can provide a major advantage in Ranked Play matches, so here’s how to snake in MW2.

If you’re a fan of the CDL, then you’re probably already familiar with snaking in Call of Duty. While the movement mechanic is not as overpowered in every title, Infinity Ward-developed games tend to feature snaking as a powerful movement tactic.

Snaking’s controversy stems from its overpowered nature. However, it is a completely legal technique and Call of Duty players including CDL pros are allowed to snake in matches.

The snaking movement is especially useful in Ranked Play matches, so let’s look into how to snake in Modern Warfare 2.

What is snaking in Modern Warfare 2?

Snaking in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 refers to the action of repeatedly switching between a crouching and standing position while behind an object providing cover.

If done quickly enough, the snaking player will peek their head over the object rendering them extremely difficult to kill.

The purpose of snaking in Call of Duty is twofold. Snaking primarily provides information on enemy locations, but it also allows you to spring up quickly and collect easy kills.

Ultimately, the object obscuring the view of the player snaking makes them difficult to hit. However, the snaking player’s perspective is the dominant one, as they’re not only in control of the gunfight’s timing, but their vision is not obscured like their opponent’s.

The snaking movement mechanic has been a controversial topic in competitive Call of Duty communities due to its lack of counterplay when holding a position down.

Been waiting for them to show how bad it is from the opposing POV but THIS is exactly why snaking was GA’d for so long.. you can’t kill this unless you can snake it back
byu/AMS_GoGo inCoDCompetitive

How to snake in Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play

1. Find an object that facilitates snaking
2. Repeatedly tap the crouch button to go from crouching to looking over the object
3. Look over the object to gather information
4. Don’t forget to aim in while crouching when necessary
5. Choose the right moment to engage in a gunfight
6. Shoot and kill the enemy player while continuing to move up and down

It will take some time to master snaking. Although it sounds like a simple concept, it’s quite difficult to get the timing right. You’ll want to either use the Tactical button layout or map your crouch button to the right analog stick. Using B/O to snake simply isn’t efficient.

Snaking is currently running rampant in the CDL as well as Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play. Whether you think it should be a part of the game or not, you’ll be at a disadvantage if you don’t learn how to snake, making it a necessary evil.

Part of snaking successfully in Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play is knowing the key snaking spots around competitive maps. Snaking is best utilized when holding down a position, in other words, when a player is stationary.

For example, Breenbergh Hotel’s restaurant location, also known as Control’s A site and Hardpoint’s P5, is a prime snaking spot due to the plethora of cover around the booths.

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For more Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play content, check out the best loadouts you can use, and a list of all the rewards.

You can also look through some of our other guides:

Best Modern Warfare 2 PC settings | Best Modern Warfare 2 controller settings | Best guns in Modern Warfare 2 | Best Assault Rifles in Modern Warfare 2 | Best audio settings for Modern Warfare 2 | Best SMGs in Modern Warfare 2 

Image Credit: Activision