STG-44

The STG-44 (or MP44, depending on the game it is in), is a German assault rifle featured in every Call of Duty title except for Call of Duty: Finest Hour and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Although it is not mentioned in the games, it is also known as MP43 since the gun actually entered into mainstream service in the German Army in October 1943.

Singleplayer
It is somewhat rare, but it combines short, medium and long range powers with a 30-round magazine. The StG-44 can be deadly in singleplayer, although in UO, its performance degrades with distance. It has fairly good accuracy, and can kill in just three-four bullets, along with a fairly short reload time when compared to other weapons. However, its major flaw is its recoil.

Multiplayer
This weapon in multiplayer can be very versatile. It provides fairly good accuracy and high power at close range, but in UO it loses power over distance. 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. Burst firing or tap-firing is essential if the player wants to maintain accuracy over distance.

Singleplayer
This weapon is still rare in singleplayer. However, the Call of Duty 2 StG-44 is much tougher than it was in Call of Duty. While it retains most of the features present in the previous titles, it has much less recoil in this version, making it much more manageable to use, and can kill in just a few chest shots.

Multiplayer
This weapon is slightly less powerful than its older counterparts, but is still quite deadly. The lower recoil allow 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 off upwards of ten opponents per magazine.

Singleplayer
The STG-44, or as it is known as in game, the MP44, is much like it was in previous games, although it is scarcely found in the campaign until chapter 12, The Corridor of Death. The graphics have also been updated, and the MP-44 now looks shinier and the body is more of a gray, instead of a dark gray or nearly black. Also, it is one of few weapons that can kill or almost kill in 1 shot in SP, making it as good as the Garand.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, it is carried by players who choose to be Germans and select the Heavy Assault class. Like in other games of in the series, it does high damage, although it has been slightly reduced since Call of Duty 2. The recoil has been increased to balance the game. It can be used at any range, but since it is highly inaccurate with continuous fire, it is best used at short or medium range. Long-range kills are virtually impossible without firing single shots or in small bursts.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
In Call of Duty: Roads to Victory, the STG-44 frequently appears in the hands of the German Military during the later levels of the Canadian campaign. During the British campaign, it takes over the role of the MP40 as the main weapon of the German Military. Despite the STG being fully automatic, AI soldiers use is as a single-shot rifle.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the STG-44 (Also known as the MP44) 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 aim sway.

Singleplayer
During the cutscene to Sins Of The Father, Victor Zakhaev can be seen walking past some dead bodies with an StG-44.

Multiplayer
Being the 68 year old rifle it is by the time Call of Duty 4 takes place, it doesn't have any available attachments. This is too much of a flaw for some, but others accustomed to the Call of Duty 2 iron sights (or those that prefer iron sights in general), adjust to the rifle quickly.

Because it is unlocked so late in the game it may not see much use before players enter the next level of Prestige Mode. Its biggest flaws are its relatively high recoil, and rather low rate of fire and blurred rear sights. For these reasons, some use it only to obtain the Gold AK-47.

However, the StG-44 has many traits that some believe outweigh its flaws. Beneficial traits include complete absence of idle sway and relatively high damage. To mitigate 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.

In third person, the StG-44 seems to have a more antiquated sound than other assault rifles, which makes the StG-44 easily recognizable to attentive players. In first person, the report from firing is similar, if not the same to that of the AK-47.

Reload canceling works very well on the StG-44. Doing this will save around 1.75 seconds of time.

It is similar to the AK-47 in sound and reload animations (except for the charging handle, which is on the other side of the weapon).

Singleplayer
The StG-44 (for the given nomenclature in Call of Duty: World at War) is quite useful in Singleplayer. It is effective in both close-quarters and relatively long distances, due to its low recoil and manageable rate of fire. However, the weapon is very rarely used until the levels Ring of Steel, Heart of the Reich, and Downfall.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the StG-44 is unlocked at Level 37. Its moderate power and low rate of fire made it a let down in the eyes of many players. However, it has little recoil and can be controlled quite easily. Its good accuracy and range make it a good choice for mid- to long-range fighting, and those who value accuracy over a bit more power shouldn't 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 CQB 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 CQC 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 CQC against an enemy with an SMG.

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.

Nazi Zombies
The StG-44 is available on all Nazi Zombie levels, either from the Mystery Box or 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 levels, ammo reserves may be depleted quickly, thus it is recommended to swap it out for another weapon in the higher levels, unless the user is near to where he/she can buy it off the wall, so you can buy more ammo.

On Der Riese, if Pack-a-Punched, it is upgraded to the "Spatz-447+". 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's something better, the STG-44 is one of the best guns to upgrade as it increases the rate of fire and damage, and gives it a 60 round magazine. The higher fire rate also gives it more recoil allowing for easy headshots, making this a very good gun for clearing out straight lines of zombies.

Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS)
The STG-44 appears in Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS).

Trivia

 * In the Wii version of Call of Duty 3, the StG-44 produces the same sound as the M1897 Trench Gun upon firing.
 * Doctor Richtofen uses the STG-44 in the Der Riese trailer.
 * Call of Duty: World at War is the only game that uses the magazine as a foregrip, while all the other games have the character hold it by the barrel.
 * The STG-44 is the first assault rifle in the series.
 * In Call of Duty: United Offensive, the StG-44 has a different skin from the one in Call of Duty, but is otherwise the same.

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Gameplay with the STG-44 in World at War with various attachments