Takedown (mission)

"He's gonna get away!" "No he's not!"

- Ghost and Soap, as Soap is about to tackle Rojas out a window.

Takedown is the fifth campaign mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In the aftermath of No Russian, Task Force 141 follows a lead to the Favela Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, they intend to capture an associate of Vladimir Makarov: Alejandro Rojas, an arms dealer protected by the local militia. Initially unaware of his location, the task force eventually gains information on Rojas's whereabouts and move in to take him down.

Overview
The level begins with Roach, Soap, and an Australian/American Task Force Member together in a car in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. They tail a white van that makes a stop in front of a hotel. An associate of Rojas is approached by two local Gunmen from the van while he is being watched by John "Soap" MacTavish, Roach, and other Task Force 141 members. He pulls out a Desert Eagle and kills the two gunmen at point-blank range, and a third that appears from the other side of the van. Rojas' assistant then fires at the Task Force 141 members. Roach's driver is killed, while Roach quickly dives under the dashboard. During his attempted escape, Rojas' assistant fires over 40 shots without reloading with his Desert Eagle, which is the .50 Action Express edition of the handgun and therefore has a magazine capacity of 7 rounds.

Rojas' assistant notices Ghost, Meat and Royce on the opposite side of the street and opens fire on passing civilians, killing dozens and causing confusion to erupt and cars pile up at the crossroads. The five commandos weave through the wreckage and into the alley.

Roach, followed by Ghost and the others chase Rojas's associate down the street and into an alleyway, where Soap instructs Roach to shoot him in the leg, after which the screen fades to black (shooting him anywhere else kills him, failing the mission). It is possible, however, to knife him and still be considered a "non-lethal take-down". Shortly after, the screen fades back in again to show the captured assistant being prepared for interrogation. MacTavish instructs Royce, Meat and Roach to move on and capture Rojas. The squad ends up in a residential area, where the player must distinguish between civilians and hostile militia. The area acts as a very large maze, with militiamen hiding in every nook and cranny, some even climbing on top of the low roofs and running across makeshift bridges. Meat is killed by enemy gunfire, leaving only Roach and Royce. As Roach progresses, Royce is eventually overwhelmed and is shot as the militia surround him and Roach must go on alone. At one point Roach encounters an enemy machine-gun nest that pins him down in an alleyway; the default weapon has an M203 attachment, allowing Roach to quickly take out the nest and advance to Rojas's stronghold. The stronghold is a large multi-story building guarded by several militiamen on the roof. Rojas is visible at this point, with a large "capture" icon above his head. If Roach shoots even to wound him, it is a game over. Roach must pursue Rojas to the end of the level, where he runs into a building and holes himself up. Just when Roach and Ghost think he has gotten away, Soap dives out of a window, taking Rojas with him, and the two land on top of a car. Soap holds his sidearm on Rojas and reports that the target has been captured. Ghost radios for helicopter extraction, but Command is unresponsive. The level ends with Ghost stating they are alone, before the screen fades to black.

Weapon Loadout
In this level, the player starts with an ACR with an ACOG Scope and M203 Grenade Launcher, and an M1014.

Found in Level
These weapons can be found with and without attachments.

Tips

 * Once the Militia has been alerted by Meat after clearing the civilians, don't enter the Favela. Instead, stay on the higher ground. Use the dumpster against the fence for cover on high difficulties. Not only is it easier to kill enemies on the rooftops, but Royce and Meat will not die because they are scripted to die only when they reach a certain point in the Favela.
 * When the player first gets into the Favela and towards the end, move fast and hard. They can shoot from cover and when the player leaves; the player must sprint to new cover. This will make the player harder to hit and keep track of and make the mission easier.
 * In the beginning of the mission, after getting out of the car, sprint past Ghost (to the right of the car, past the pool). The player can see Rojas' man running away. It is possible to shoot him before he runs into the alley. If done, the player can shoot him anywhere, including the head, and it will skip to the cutscene of the torture. It requires speed, but makes it so the player does not have to chase him into the alley and risk shooting his back.
 * The player can also try to accomplish this level without getting hit, a nearly impossible feat. To do this, the player must run ahead of Rojas assistant and shoot him in the leg. From that point on, taking one shot in the level will kill the player immediately. These shots are presumably head shots judging by the way the enemy aims down his sight at the player's face.
 * Flashbangs are especially useful in this level, given that much of it takes place in close quarters.
 * A good weapon tactic is to switch out the M1014 for the Akimbo Mini-Uzis or a MP5K. The player should keep his ACR. Use the ACR in long to medium areas while the player can use the MP5K in close quarters situations. The MP5K's rapid fire and damage will take down enemies quickly while the ACR's accuracy will keep most enemies at bay. In the later parts of the level (just over halfway through) you will find 2 G18 Akimbo locations- one in a green favela house just before encountering Rojas, and one just after the encounter on the roof of a house with broken walls. It is advisable to use G18 Akimbo as a weapon, as there are two G18s that have the same mag-size as Akimbo mini-uzis and fire rate and damage, but they are counted as side arms, not submachine guns, so you can switch to them almost twice as fast as you can switch to the Akimbo Mini-Uzis during close- range encounters, making them perfect favela weapons.
 * Due to the massive amount of FALs and its great stats, best of all its damage (especially compared to the ACR) and its range, it's quite easy to complete this and The Hornet's Nest on Veteran.
 * Desert Eagle could be useful if it is used as a sidearm, due to it's damage.

Intel Items

 * Intel No. 7: (1/4 Intel) In the first favela area where the player, Meat and Royce have to beat through after capturing Rojas' associate. It is located in a white building to the left of the motorcycle inside the kitchen below the Brazilian flag.
 * Intel No. 8: (2/4 Intel) In the second favela area. Before heading up hill, look for a ladder on the wall leading to a red brick building. The intel is on the table inside.
 * Intel No. 9: (3/4 Intel) After getting #8 and exiting the brick building, the player can see on the opposite side of the road a building with some wooden stairs. The intel is next to the bed inside.
 * Intel No. 10: (4/4 Intel) Near the end of the chase, the player will come across another red brick building on his right after heading up some stairs and passing a burning green car. Inside that building, find a stair heading downwards. The intel is in the lower floor in between 2 beds.

Transcript
See Takedown/Transcript.

Trivia
See Takedown/Trivia.