Juggernaut (character)

The Juggernaut is a unique enemy seen in Special Ops mode of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3''. Sometimes they appear as friendlies in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3''.

Juggernauts are heavily protected by explosive ordnance disposal armor, requiring excessive amounts of damage to kill. When encountered, they are able to deal out massive injuries with a shotgun or a light machine gun (mostly with their LMGs). Juggernauts are first encountered in the Snatch & Grab Special Ops Mission. The Juggernaut was originally supposed to be a level 4 upgrade for the Juggernaut perk in Multiplayer, however this was replaced by Pro perks. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, players can wear Juggernaut suits obtained by strike packages in Multiplayer, in the Infected game mode "Striker vs Jugg", and in the Money in the Denk game mode. They appear in certain Special Ops missions (notably Toxic Paradise and Invisible Threat), and in the campaign mission "Dust to Dust".

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Juggernauts are heavily armored enemies that appear in several Special Ops challenges. A Juggernaut's tactics differ from a normal enemy in that they tend to approach the player head on and rarely take cover, nor do they aim down their sights, though in some missions, they do take cover (most notably on Armor Piercing). Juggernauts are quite fast despite their heavy armor, and will charge the player at a steady jog while constantly firing their weapon. They are generally accompanied by an ominous musical cue that plays just before they appear on screen. They do not appear in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 singleplayer campaign.

Unlike regular enemies, Juggernauts do not lose their footing or become stunned while taking fire due to their heavy armor. Even a direct hit from an explosive will only cause them to stumble slightly. However, a direct hit from a sniper rifle will cause one to stagger or possibly fall over, interrupting his attack.

Juggernauts can survive an incredible amount of damage, requiring almost 80 rounds of assault rifle fire, at least five Intervention sniper rifle torso shots, around 14 shotgun blasts, or five-six direct hits from a M203 40mm grenade launcher to kill.

By far the best weapons with which to engage Juggernauts are the Barrett .50cal, which only requires three-five shots to kill, and the Thumper, which, if aimed right, can kill a Juggernaut with one hit to the head. One must note that the round must explode but not direct impact to one shot kill a Juggernaut. Rocket launchers such as the RPG and the AT4 are just as effective as the Thumper, able to neutralise a Juggernaut with a single headshot. 10 blocks of C4 or claymores will kill a Juggernaut quickly as long as the player can get the enemy to approach without prematurely setting off either explosive.

The words "Get Sum!" and "Kick Me!" are graffitied on the front and rear groin sections of the Juggernaut's armor. This is more easily seen in the Museum level. A decal of a skull can also be seen in the armor that covers their shoulders.

They appear in Special Ops missions Snatch & Grab, Estate Takedown, Armor Piercing, and High Explosive. When they do spawn, a lone drumbeat plays, alerting the player to swap weapons, tactics and/ or hiding spots. In Armor Piercing and High Explosive, unharmed, newly spawned ones will hold their ground and move only after some time or after the player shoots at them. When dealing with multiple enemies, a Juggernaut should take top priority. While most enemies will stay behind cover and keep their distance, the Juggernaut will aggressively seek out and attack the player.

Little is known about the Juggernauts. They are probably Russians, as they speak Russian and are seen with other Russian forces in the Museum level. It is unknown who employed them or who they officially work for, but it is most likely they are mercenaries, as they are seen fighting alongside Shadow Company in Snatch & Grab, with Makarov's elite mercenaries in Estate Takedown, alone in High Explosive and Armor Piercing and with Russian Armed Forces in "Museum". This is also supported by the fact that they use the M240 and were supposed to use the Striker, but the concept was scrapped.

On April 13, 2012, the official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Facebook page confirmed that "Heavy Armor", like the Juggernaut killstreak, was to appear in Modern Warfare 2 but was scrapped before it was added to the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
The Juggernauts appear very differently from their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 counterparts; they now look more like the Flak Jacket character model in multiplayer wearing balaclavas. They appear in the missions "Vorkuta" and "Redemption" They wield shotguns, the KS-23 and can also be put into Final Stand, in which this case they will pull out a CZ-75.

They are more resistant to bullets compared to ordinary enemies; and are also highly resistant to explosions. On lower difficulties they are easy to kill, but on Veteran mode the player should try for headshots to quickly dispose of them. Nevertheless, they are not as heavily armored as their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 counterparts. In "Vorkuta" killing one requires approximately 2-3 KS-23 shots to the torso or one point-blank shot or a headshot, or roughly 27-45 rounds from an AK-47 to the chest and approximately half of a magazine of the AK-47 to the head. Furthermore it is possible to gib the Juggernaut, although doing so is difficult.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
"Yes, there are juggernauts returning from the previous games; there will be several different types of them, too."

- Rubin discussing Juggernauts in Modern Warfare 3.

Juggernauts reappear in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, once again taking the form of enemies in Special Ops mode. They appear in "boss" waves in Survival Mode, as well as in the Special Ops missions Toxic Paradise and Server Crash. Compared to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Juggernauts in this game are noticeably slower, moving at a steady walk instead of running, although they can sprint (a bit slower than a regular soldier) to catch up with the player if the player is on the far side of the map (they will also sprint when their health is low). As with Modern Warfare 2, Juggernauts are  tough enemies, with the basic variant capable of withstanding at least 70 assault rifle rounds at close range and around 80-90 rounds at long range, while the armored counterpart is significantly more durable. Juggernauts also receive a small health multiplier in later rounds or higher difficulty maps.

Juggernauts appear in three variants: the regular Juggernaut armed with a PKP Pecheneg, the Riot Shield Juggernaut armed with a Riot Shield and said LMG, as well as the Armored Juggernaut which begins to appear in later boss waves and possesses heavier armor (visually similar in appearance to the EOD suit seen in the campaign and multiplayer) which allow them to sustain even more damage than a regular Juggernaut. Juggernauts will never drop their PKP Pecheneg when killed, although Riot Shield Juggernauts will drop their Riot Shield. However, the dropped shield will invariably have its durability almost depleted (note that unlike other modes, player-held Survival mode Riot Shields eventually break from damage).

Because of their heavy protection and armament, head-on firefights are ill-advised. Juggernauts are best dealt with using tactics like flanking, explosives, Predator missiles, and airstrikes. Judicious use of Claymores, C4 and Flashbangs are recommended to minimize exposure to their return fire while wearing them down. A useful tactic is stacking multiple explosives at the spot directly beneath a Juggernaut's helicopter dropoff point to eliminate at least one at the start of a boss wave. High rate-of-fire automatic weapons directed at the head are recommended when gunfire is employed against a Juggernaut, and notably, Juggernauts can be dispatched relatively quickly by rapidly emptying a full Striker shotgun magazine up close into their head, though this is a high risky tactic; couple with Flashbangs for best results.

Next, Riot Shield Juggernauts tend to advance toward the player slowly while crouched, keeping their shield facing toward the most threatening player, and are less dangerous offensively as they will not fire their machine gun until they are at very close range. However, the shield cover means that more creative tactics are needed to inflict damage on them. Stunning a Riot Shield Juggernaut with a flashbang will stagger them for a few seconds, providing a window to deal damage; after being dealt sufficient damage, they will permanently drop their Riot Shield and behave like a normal Juggernaut. Alternatively one can easily knife the Riot Shield Juggernaut in the back if said enemies are the only remaining enemies in the wave, since they hold their shield out front and have little protection from the rear.

Lastly, Armored Juggernauts bear resemblance to the ones from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ' s Special Ops, as they wear more or less the same outfit with a slightly different color scheme on their body armor and a striped paint job on their blast helmet. They are incredibly resilient, and in later waves even a direct hit from a Predator missile or airstrike will not kill them, though the damage they receive is nevertheless significant and expedites their elimination. Note that all three variants begin to run at a much faster pace when their health is low, and although this makes them more dangerous, they are actually close to death.

The player wears a Juggernaut suit in the Special Ops missions Toxic Paradise and Invisible Threat. Price and Yuri also wear similar armor in the last level of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign, "Dust to Dust". It is noted that unlike an enemy Juggernaut suit, the EOD amour worn in these levels are vulnerable to melee and explosives damage, as a single enemy melee hit will drop the player to critical health even on Regular difficulty, and they can still be killed outright by an overcooked grenade.

In Survival Mode, on Easy difficulty, they mostly appear in waves 10 (1 Juggernaut), 15 (2 Juggernauts), 20 (3 Juggernauts), and 26 (2 Armored Juggernauts and 1 Riot Shield Juggernaut). On the opposite end of the spectrum is Insane difficulty, where they first appear in every sixth wave (waves 6, 11 and 16), and from then on, in every third wave (19, 22, 25, 28, etc.); on Insane, they are accompanied by 6-12 normal troops, and attack helicopters, increasing the complexity and difficulty of handling the Juggernauts. They enter the map via an Mi-8 helicopter (which can't be destroyed). Once the helicopter is in position, a smoke grenade will be thrown and the Juggernaut will rappel down into the smoke. They will destroy any Sentry Turrets if they see them or if attacked by the turret. The most effective weapons to kill a Juggernaut are explosives (C4 can be deployed under the rope they rappel from and used for an easy kill), shotguns (specifically a Striker) and LMGs. Some types of assault rifles are usable against the Juggernaut, but only high damage ones are able to eliminate a Juggernaut with any practical success, examples would be the CM901 and the MK14, as both possess high damage, and the CM901 is capable of eliminating a Juggernaut at close range with one magazine at earlier waves if the player lands most of the shots in the head, or two magazines if hitting the body, the MK14 can be used if the player is fast enough, and more often than not, will eliminate a Juggernaut about as fast as any other effective weapon for killing Juggernauts. Flashbangs are also extremely useful as they can incapacitate a Juggernaut for several seconds and can give the player's team a chance to take it out. Predator missiles and airstrikes are also highly effective against these enemies due to their potential to kill multiple Juggernauts at once. Note that the airstrike will deal much more damage than a Predator, and won't require a direct hit on higher levels, although it is more difficult to use without the Juggernauts killing the player or moving out of the airstrike impact zone due to the wait-time before the AC-130 fires upon them. Flashbangs are useful for pinning them in place while waiting for the airstrike shells to arrive. If you run out of flashbangs, run in circles around them stabbing and shooting a Striker shotgun at their general head area. Their exteremely low manuverability will allow you to "Run rings around them" and never get shot whatsoever. Juggernauts also appear in Special Ops Chaos.

In multiplayer, Juggernaut armour crates can be acquired from the 'Juggernaut' reward for Assault Strike Packages and the 'Juggernaut Recon' reward for Support Strike Packages. All survivors in Infected "Striker vs Jugg" begin with a similar outfit by default and lose it once they are neutralised. The bomb carrier in 'Money in the Denk' is also equipped with heavy armour which disappears when the bomb is planted. For balance purposes, multiplayer Juggernauts have significantly less health than their Spec Ops counterparts, unless they have a Riot Shield, and can easily be disposed of with a heavy explosive, or with headshots; alternatively, players facing these behemoths can simply use team tactics by concentrating substantial amounts of gunfire on them until they fall.

The Hardened Edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 includes a Juggernaut suit for Xbox 360 Avatars.

Weapons

 * M240B (Modern Warfare 2 Spec Ops)
 * PKP Pecheneg (Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops and Singleplayer only, primary weapon)
 * Riot Shield (Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops, and primary weapon for the Juggernaut Recon Pointstreak)
 * M60E4 (primary weapon for the Modern Warfare 3 Juggernaut Pointstreak)
 * MP412 (secondary weapon for the Modern Warfare 3 Juggernaut Pointsteak)
 * USP .45 (secondary weapon for the Modern Warfare 3 Juggernaut Recon Pointstreak)
 * .44 Magnum (only weapon for Infected: Striker vs Jugg in Modern Warfare 3)
 * Desert Eagle (Bomb carrier in Modern Warfare 3 Money In The Denk playlist)

Trivia

 * The Juggernaut helmet emblem can be earned by getting a three kill streak with a riot shield without dying.
 * In the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 bonus mission Museum, before one presses the button, the Juggernaut can be killed with one hit from anything, including a direct hit from a flashbang (as with any other character). Pressing the button reverts him back to his regular health and durability.
 * They were originally planned to use the Striker in combination with an M240.
 * Juggernauts are not bulletproof, because rounds can pass straight through them and kill enemies behind them.
 * If the player looks closely, the Juggernaut appears to hold the M240 as if it has a grip. This trait also applies to the Juggernauts with the PKP Pecheneg in Modern Warfare 3. However, players who attempt to use their weapons will receive no handgrip, only certain optics, and cannot pick up these weapons in Modern Warfare 3's Survival Mode, for balance purposes.
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Juggernaut's helmet says R7130.
 * At the Call of Duty XP event, attendees were able to sumo wrestle in Juggernaut suits.
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, when Juggernauts use their Riot Shield, they hold their PKP Pecheneg in one hand.
 * Juggernauts rarely reload and never run dry on ammo. However, they can be seen reloading if one uses a glitch to make them freeze, which is possible in High Explosive.
 * When Juggernauts holding Riot Shields absorb enough damage, they drop said weapon and continue fighting with their PKP.
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Survival Mode, it is impossible to shoot down the helicopter transporting them. Furthermore, when a Juggernaut is rappelling from the helicopter, shooting it will make it bleed but will not do any damage.
 * In the later waves of Survival Mode, Juggernauts may actually sprint for short periods of time, and occasionally even try to melee players.
 * It is possible for Juggernauts to have different paint jobs on their armor.
 * Juggernauts will spawn as close to the player as possible. Unless an allied chopper (not Perk Care Package Chopper, it must be dropping off Delta and riot shield personnel) is in the airspace, they will always spawn in the immediate area of the player. This will apply if a player is on one end of the map, and the other player on the other, one Juggernaut will go after whichever one is closest to it. If it is a two Juggernaut round, one Juggernaut will go after the player each, with the other one (if on a three Juggernaut round), going after the closest player.
 * Juggernauts appear to be capable of flexible movements, as evidenced by their jumping over obstacles, sprinting, executing friendly AI (Delta/Riot Teams), melee attacks with their LMG, and mantling ladders.
 * Only three Juggernauts will be present on the battlefield on any particular moment.
 * They drop their weapons in Modern Warfare 2, but in Modern Warfare 3 they don't.
 * The Regular Juggernaut is noticeably shorter than the Armored Juggernaut.
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Juggernauts do not use melee. Even if a player stands next to one, it will keep firing its weapon. This was amended in Modern Warfare 3.
 * The only level where they talk is in Modern Warfare 2's Special Ops mission, Armor Piercing.
 * The Modern Warfare 3 Juggernaut seems to have some kind of pistol in Survival Mode but this is never used.