Stay Sharp

"Test your skills on the obstacle course."

- Level Description

Stay Sharp is a Special Ops Mission Mode challenge in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The objective is to clear all enemy targets, while avoiding all civilians, and reaching the end within a certain time limit. This level is very similar to the CQB test from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and the Special Ops mission, The Pit, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. There is also a similar mission, Charges Set, that uses the same course and setting, but includes the use of breaching charges and slow-motion sequences.

Overview
The level takes place in a training area with both stationary and moving enemy and civilian targets popping up. The player takes control of Derek "Frost" Westbrook. The player starts with an ACR 6.8 and a USP .45 (but can change weapons on the table at the beginning of the mission), and is tasked with charging through the level as fast as possible.

Walkthrough
The first mission tests your weapon skills on an obstacle course. A nearby table provides a selection of handguns and automatic weapons. If you're comfortable with the assault rifles, grab the M16A4, M4A1, or AK-47 off the table to replace your handgun. Your completion time determines how many stars you earn. Finish within 28 seconds for 3 stars, 40 seconds for 2 stars, and simply finish for 1 star.

From the start, the left route takes you to a shooting range, but you want to go to the right to start the course. The clock starts once you or your partner crosses the white line, so make sure you're ready.

Playing the mission solo decreases the number of targets that pop up along the path. In team play, decide beforehand which side each player covers. This divides the number of targets pretty evenly.

A few civilian targets are thrown in, so be careful. If you hit a civilian, a star is immediately taken away and points are deducted from your score.

Once a set of targets is downed, sprint to the next spot. Move quickly through the first building, but stay alert for an enemy that pops out. Quickly knife him as you speed through. At the home stretch, two moving dog targets join the mix.

Pass through the final door and shoot the enemies surrounding Sandman, who stands behind the desk. Be careful, because a civilian stands on the left. With two players, try switching sides. Have the right-hand player shoot to the left and vice versa, every second counts.

Trivia

 * Some of the targets have Ultranationalists on them, wearing their outfits from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
 * There are dog targets in the course, and once triggered they move towards the player on a rail. This is also the first time the dogs appear as target practice.
 * Sandman is waiting at the end of the course, behind a desk, encircled with multiple targets. No matter how the player reacts, he will thank him for "not taking his head off" (though shooting at him will kill him and cause a 'Friendly Fire' mission failure). Also, if the player looks behind before entering the room, the player can see Truck and Grinch watching the player and shooting them will also cause a 'Friendly Fire' mission failure.
 * There is a picture of Shepherd in the room Sandman is in. It appears that three knives have been thrown at the picture.
 * In the truck at the beginning, there is an AK-74u and a USP .45 (they are also found in the same place in Charges Set).
 * Upon picking one of these weapons up, Truck will say "Someone brought their own toys to the party."
 * The USP .45 found alongside the AK-74u in Stay Sharp is the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 model.
 * The sign at the entrance of the course is the same as the sign of 'The Pit', only the 'Pit' was replaced by 'Gauntlet'.
 * A teddy bear can be seen in a truck before the player has to clear the building.
 * A shooting range with a table with 3 melons can be found if the player goes left before starting the course. The melons can be destroyed.