STG-44

The STG-44 (MP-44 in most games), is the most common assault rifle in the Call of Duty series, having been featured in every Call of Duty title set in World War II (excluding Call of Duty: Finest Hour), as well as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It is one of the most common weapons to appear across the Call of Duty series, tied with the MP40 and second only to the M1911, which has appeared in one more game than the STG-44.

Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive
"The MP44 is an assault rifle that fires a unique "short" rifle round. Up close, it can be used as a submachine gun, while at longer ranges it can operate as a rifle."

- Call of Duty manual description.

Campaign
It is somewhat rare, but it is useful from close quarters to moderately long ranges with a 30-round magazine. The MP44 can be deadly in the campaign, although in Call of Duty: United Offensive, its performance degrades with distance. It has fairly good accuracy, and can kill in just three-four rounds, along with a fairly short reload time when compared to other weapons. However, ammo is considerably scarce, and only becomes readily available towards the end of the campaign in the later missions. Furthermore, the recoil, while still low, is high in comparison to the MP40.

Multiplayer
This weapon in multiplayer can be very versatile. It provides fairly good accuracy and high power at close range. This feature truly shines in Call of Duty's multiplayer where a good tactic is to find a vantage point, turn the weapon onto semi-automatic, and fire on any target that presents itself. The player can bring down many enemies this way because if the player uses it properly, they can potentially bring down an enemy at least halfway across the map, however in United Offensive damage drop-off should be taken into consideration. It is capable of killing in just a few shots at any distance. When fired full-auto, the recoil can throw off a user's aim, and thus burst firing or tap-firing is essential if the player wants to maintain accuracy over distance.

Campaign
This weapon is still rare in the campaign but it is still a very good weapon to use between short and moderately long distances. While it retains most of the features present in the previous titles, the recoil is increased considerably just like the MP40, and it is recommended to fire no more than 5 bullets at a time.

Multiplayer
This weapon is slightly less powerful than its older counterparts, but is still quite deadly. The lower recoil allows it to be deadly in multiplayer, as it kills in just three to four chest shots, and with its high rate of fire and magazine capacity, it can easily kill up to ten opponents per magazine.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
The MP-44 is used by the German Military in the level "The Great Crusade", where it is seen alongside the Kar98k and in the level "An Easy Detail" along with the MG34. It is a high powered weapon with almost no recoil and an excellent replacement for the Thompson. In multiplayer, it is issued to all Axis teams (Italian and German).

Call of Duty 3
"7.92mm (Kurtz) assault rifle. World's first assault rifle employing a shortened version of the German 7.92mm rifle cartridge in a 30 round detachable magazine. 500 rounds per minute. 300 meter range."

- In-game description

Campaign
The MP-44 is scarcely found in the campaign until Chapter 12, "The Corridor of Death". It performs excellently compared to the other weapons available, capable of killing enemies in one hit, providing the shot is placed above the waist. Ammunition is scarce, however, so the player should pick their shots carefully.

Multiplayer
The MP44 is available for the Axis' Heavy Assault class. It is powerful and fairly accurate, with moderate recoil. It is advisable to fire in controlled bursts at longer ranges. At short to medium ranges, the MP44 can be fired fully-automatically without recoil becoming a hindrance. The reload time is longer than the Thompson and MP40's reload times, and about on par with the BAR's reload time, but is still relatively quick.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
"The Mp-44 was the first weapon to be officially designated as an assault rifle."

- In-game description

The MP-44 frequently appears in the hands of the German Military during the later levels of the Canadian campaign, as well as throughout the American campaign. During the British campaign, it takes over the role of the MP40 as the main weapon of the German Military. Despite the StG-44 being fully automatic, A.I. soldiers use it as a single-shot rifle. The gun itself is very effective due to its one-shot-kill capabilities. It shares this quality with the BAR.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Fully automatic with good accuracy. Effective at medium range."

- Weapon description

The MP-44 is the same in appearance to the Call of Duty 2 version, and it uses the same skin. The recoil levels are slightly higher than in Call of Duty 2, but not quite as much as the original game. The MP44's accuracy and damage are both fairly high, and it is the only automatic rifle in the game with no idle sway. However, this gun has a low rate of fire. This can be mitigated by using Double Tap. In the Nintendo Wii version, it also has different reloading sounds, and its charging sound shares the W1200's pump-action sound.

Campaign
In the intro cutscene of Sins Of The Father, Viktor Zakhaev is seen holding an MP44. The weapon is not usable by the player, however.

Multiplayer
The MP44 has no available attachments in multiplayer. It also has relatively high recoil, a rather low rate of fire, and blurry rear sights (PC players can disable Depth of Field to remove the blurry sights). These flaws, along with the fact that it is unlocked at a high level, make the MP44 a rare sight on the battlefield. For these reasons, some use it only to obtain the Golden AK-47.

However, the MP44 has positive traits. Such beneficial traits include complete absence of idle sway, relatively high damage, and quick reload with reload canceling (which saves up to 1.75 seconds). To compensate for the low rate of fire some players equip either Double Tap to increase its rate of fire (and level it to other assault rifles) or Stopping Power to increase the already high damage. Players accustomed to the Call of Duty 2 iron sights, or those that prefer iron sights in general, are able to overcome the weapon's unclear sights. To deal with the high recoil of the weapon, firing in two-round bursts at range can be helpful.

In third-person, the MP44 seems to have a more antiquated sound than other assault rifles, which makes the MP44 easily recognizable to attentive players. In first-person, the report from firing is similar to, if not the same as, that of the AK-47. The MP44 and AK-47 also have a very similar reload animation, except for the charging handle, which is on the other side of the weapon, and the different magazine release.

Campaign
The STG-44 (for the given nomenclature in Call of Duty: World at War) is quite useful in the campaign. It is effective at nearly all ranges, due to its low recoil and manageable rate of fire. The weapon is not usually encountered until the levels "Ring of Steel", "Heart of the Reich", and "Downfall". Normally when found, it does not have that much ammo, but in the aforementioned levels many soldiers will use the STG-44, so ammo shortage is not much of a problem there.

Multiplayer
The STG-44 is unlocked at Level 37. Its good accuracy and range make it a good choice for mid to long range, and those who value accuracy over power should not overlook the STG-44. It is a popular weapon in Hardcore modes for the reasons previously mentioned and is usually a one-shot-kill in close and medium range combat. It is more usable in close quarters than other rifles due to its fully automatic fire mode while maintaining usefulness at medium and long range. Unfortunately, the STG is not particularly effective in close quarters outside of Hardcore. Steady Aim combined with Stopping Power or Double Tap can help mitigate this, but even then a player with an STG-44 will be at a disadvantage in close quarters against an enemy with a submachine gun.

The STG-44 is one of the few guns that equally benefits heavily from either Stopping Power or Double Tap. Overall, Stopping Power is more effective because it reduces ammo consumption, while Double Tap increases it. In Hardcore however, Double Tap becomes a more attractive option since Stopping Power will not decrease the shots required for a kill even at long range.

Nazi Zombies
The STG-44 is available on all Call of Duty: World at War Nazi Zombies maps, either from the Mystery Box for 950 points or 1200 points off the wall. It is a decent weapon, but the player should aim for the head in all rounds, as it is inefficient when fired at the chest. At higher rounds, ammo reserves may be depleted quickly, thus it is recommended to swap it out for another weapon in the higher rounds, unless the user is near to where it can be bought off the wall, so the player can buy more ammo. It is a great weapon to have until around rounds 15 to 17 where it should either be upgraded or disposed of. At rounds 8 to 10, this weapon will take quite a few shots just to kill a zombie.

On Der Riese, when Pack-a-Punched via the Pack-a-Punch Machine, it becomes the "Spatz-447 +". Even though its ammo capacity and reserve ammo is more or less doubled, it still depletes its ammo reserves rather quickly. Even though the latter make it so that there is something better, the STG-44 is one of the best guns to Pack-a-Punch as it increases the rate of fire and damage, and gives it a 60-round magazine. The higher rate of fire also gives it more recoil allowing for easy headshots, making this a very good gun for clearing out straight lines of zombies.

Weapon Attachments

 * Flash Hider
 * Aperture Sight
 * Telescopic Sight

Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts
The MP-44 is less common than the Wehrmacht's standard submachine gun, the MP40. It shares the same traits as its Call of Duty: World at War counterpart, the STG-44. It only appears in mission Ettelbruck, and can be a good weapon to use in medium to long range encounters. This makes it a similar counterpart to the BAR, as both share the same damage and high accuracy, but the MP44 has a larger ammo capacity than the BAR and so it can be useful in close combat or if the player engages a large group of enemies.

Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS)
The STG-44 has a 30-round magazine, generally low recoil and high power, making it an excellent weapon at long and medium engagements. It appears in the later levels of the British and Russian campaign.

In multiplayer, it can be used only by the German faction and retains its low recoil and high power.

Call of Duty: Zombies
The STG-44 appears in the iOS game Call of Duty: Zombies.

Campaign
The STG-44 appears in "Project Nova" as a usable weapon. Like most Project Nova guns, the gun was tweaked slightly, with a newer skin and some snow on it. It can be acquired from dead enemies later on in the level, and has a very similar reload animation as it does from Call of Duty: World at War. However, it has the firing sound of an RPK, has virtually no recoil, more power, and now has the ability to gib.

Zombies
The STG-44 also appears in the revamped versions of the classic Zombies maps, where it has not changed from Call of Duty: World at War. Like the other weapons that come from Call of Duty: World at War, it can only be bought off the wall.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II
The STG-44 is available for purchase off the wall for 1400 points in the Zombies map Origins and appears in three spots in the map. The STG-44 can also be dug up if the player has acquired the Golden Shovel, although the chances of digging it up are slim. It is slightly different from the previous versions seen in Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops, with the most notable differences being a new reload animation, new aesthetic look and a higher cost. Unlike in previous games, where it dealt high damage with great accuracy and a choppy rate of fire, the rate of fire has been increased and damage reduced to emulate that of the Galil or AN-94. Despite these changes, the STG-44 retains its low recoil and high range. When Pack-a-Punched, the weapon becomes the "Spatz-447 +". It has higher damage, larger ammo reserve, and reduced recoil. The Spatz-447 + can also be acquired for free from the reward box.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
The STG44 was introduced to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on July 21 on Xbox One, and August 20 for PlayStation 4 and PC. However, due to hardware limitations on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the STG44, as well as the SVO and Blunderbuss, will not be available on them. To unlock this weapon, the player first needs to receive a variant of it via an Advanced Supply Drop or Supply Drop (note that this must be obtained through a Supply Drop before it can be used in Private Match as well).

Multiplayer
The STG44 is a high damage-per-bullet weapon. At any range shorter than 16.5 meters, the STG44 will deal 40 damage, netting a three shot kill (regardless of headshots), or a one shot kill in Hardcore. At any range between 16.5 meters and 38.1 meters, the STG44 will deal 33 damage, resulting in a four shot kill, a three headshot kill, or a one shot kill in Hardcore. At any range longer than 38.1 meters, the STG44 will deal 24 damage, resulting in a five shot kill, a four headshot kill if at least two of the bullets hit the head, or a two shot kill in Hardcore. The damage profile on the STG44 makes it one of the highest damage weapons in close quarters combat: few weapons can match the STG44's 40 damage per bullet in close quarters and its fire rate. Due to the STG44's 40 damage per bullet, the STG44 will deal more flinch to enemies than other weapons at their maximum damage, which usually have a three shot kill damage of 34, the bare minimum. In Hardcore, the STG44's 38.1 meter one-shot kill range makes it a good Assault Rifle for Hardcore, but may leave the player wanting more in comparison to the HBRa3, which has a 43.1 meter one shot kill range.

The STG44 has a moderate rate of fire, firing at 750 RPM. Unlike the Bal-27 or the HBRa3, the STG44 lacks an intro fire rate, so the STG44 will always fire at the same speed, except when using variants. This fire rate can leave the STG44 lacking in power against weapons that fire faster, but for a default rate of fire, it nicely compliments the STG44's damage profile, and actually makes the STG44 one of the better close quarter weapons in the game.

The STG44 hiccups on the accuracy front. The iron sights are pretty clear and easy to use, but the recoil can be frustrating to control, as the STG44 has a high amount of gunkick and a high amount of vertical viewkick, rendering most players inaccurate at medium-long ranges. The Foregrip can help in this regard, as per shot recoil is significantly reduced, allowing the moderate centerspeed of 1500 to easily counteract the recoil.

The STG44 has relatively good handling characteristics. The STG44 will move at the Assault Rifle default, at 95% of the base speed, the hip-fire box is a moderate size, the STG44 takes 250 milliseconds to aim in, and the STG44 reloads pretty quickly, as it can take as short as 1.2 seconds for a regular reload, 1.4 seconds for an empty reload, and an amazingly short 0.8 seconds for a speed reload.

The STG44 has the usual assortment of attachments available. The optical attachments don't give any statistical benefit, but players may invest in it to bypass the iron sights.

The Laser Sight can help the STG44's performance in close quarters somewhat, and in Hardcore game modes, the Laser Sight can be used as an indicator of aim for the player. The Parabolic Microphone can be useful in scouting out suppressed weapons' fire, which can help wonders in ambushing them. However, in Hardcore game modes, its purpose is less useful, as the radar needs to be on via a UAV in order for its effect to kick in. The Tracker can help the player's team in locating and eliminating enemies that just barely escape the player's grasp.

The Stock and Quickdraw Grip attachments can both improve the player's handling of the weapon, shortening the aim down sights speed to a mere 125 milliseconds. This can be a great option for a player lacking any specialty, as it can help in almost any situation.

Extended Mags and Dual Magazine can both help in reducing the downtime of reloading. Extended Mags also confers more available ammunition for the player. However, Dual Magazine doesn't prove to be very necessary, as the STG44 reloads very quickly by default.

The Foregrip can be a very viable attachment on the STG44, as its recoil becomes much more tamed compared to without the Foregrip. The Grenade Launcher offers an additional weapon at the player's disposal. However, without Danger Close, the Grenade Launcher is terribly weak, often requiring direct impact kills, or for the grenade to be placed in very close proximity to the enemy. As well, Flak Jacket users will prove to be antagonistic for players using the Grenade Launcher, as they will almost always brush off any grenade launched at them. Even in Hardcore game modes, Flak Jacket proves a major caveat to the Grenade Launcher's power.

The Suppressor removes the player's gunfire from the mini-map, but will enhance their gunfire to Parabolic Microphone users, as well as decreasing the STG44's effective range. The Suppressor isn't the best fit for the STG44, as its main advantage (its damage profile) is nullified somewhat. The Suppressor is a terrible choice for tackling enemies head on, as the benefit of stealth is usually absent. Should the player take a stealthy approach to enemies, however, the Suppressor can prove invaluable in netting kills against unaware opponents.

In conclusion, the STG44 is a well-rounded Assault Rifle that can fit the bill of many players. While its heavy recoil may deter some, more experienced players can tame this recoil, and unlock great, reliable performance due to the consistent fire rate, good damage profile, and exceptionally quick reload time. In the right hands, the STG44 can prove to be a great weapon, and as such, shouldn't be underestimated on the field.

The STG44 has very good variants on offer. The Vampire and Relic variants offer a sizable rate of fire increase, escalating the STG44's rate of fire to 857 RPM. With the damage profile and the rate of fire, these variants can actually prove to be some of the most devastating close quarters weapons in the game, as their great, reliable performance will rarely leave the player wanting more.

The Iron Claw and Royalty variants both confer benefits to the STG44's handling characteristics, tightening the hip-fire spread by 10%, and decreasing the aim down sight speed to 225 milliseconds. However, the variants will decrease the four shot kill range: the Iron Claw will decrease the four shot kill to 32.3 meters, with the Royalty variant only decreasing the four shot kill range to 36.1 meters. As well, the Royalty variant will increase the three shot kill range out to 18.1 meters. These variants can also have their effects stacked with the Laser Sight and Quickdraw Grip, further emphasizing their benefits.

Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight
 * Hybrid Sight
 * Auto Focus Sight
 * Target Enhancer
 * Thermal
 * ACOG Scope
 * Laser Sight
 * Stock
 * Tracker
 * Dual Magazine
 * Grenade Launcher
 * Foregrip
 * Suppressor
 * Parabolic Microphone
 * Extended Mags
 * Quickdraw Grip

Call of Duty: Black Ops III
The STG-44 makes a very brief appearance in the Der Eisendrache cutscene, where it is seen in the hands of a German soldier.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

 * The front sight of the MP44 lacks a shroud.

Call of Duty 3

 * In the Nintendo Wii and original Xbox versions, the MP-44 has the same firing sound as the M1897 Trench Gun.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory

 * AI soldiers in the campaign fire the gun in a Semi-Automatic fire mode.

Call of Duty: World at War

 * There was originally a Select Fire attachment for the STG-44, the M1A1 Carbine and the SVT-40.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

 * On the Nintendo Wii version, it lacks the snow and frost like the MP40.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

 * 2563 aa/45 is inscribed on the side.
 * The stock has six tally marks etched onto it.
 * The STG-44 re-uses the firing and reloading sound effects of the AK-47 from Black Ops.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

 * In Local multiplayer, the player cannot select the STG44 in Create-A-Class or when customizing the default loadouts, even if the player has obtained one of its variants through a Supply Drop.

Video


Gameplay with the STG-44 in Call of Duty: World at War with various attachments