Thermal Scope


 * For the similar Call of Duty: Black Ops scope, see IR.



The thermal scope is a usable weapon attachment in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The Thermal Scope can be unlocked for all assault rifles, sniper rifles, LMGs, and SMGs in multiplayer. It is unlocked by getting 20 kills while looking down an ACOG Scope.

When aiming down the sight, soldiers show up in solid white and everything else in a gray scale, unless they have the Cold-Blooded perk equipped, in which case they will show up in gray. However, teammates will show up white and will have flashing strobes on their bodies to make it known they are a friendly. Because it sees body temperature, the player using it can see enemy soldiers through smoke. The overall view through the sight is smaller than looking down a Sniper Scope or an ACOG Scope, but like a Sniper Scope, the player may steady their aim. This attachment doesn't work well on snowy maps as the snow will also show up white, (due to the small color gradient the developers used for the Thermal Scope having similar colors to the in-game snow's default color) which is inaccurate (as the blackbody radiation emitted by the snowy environment in general would emit more than the reflected light from the Sun, which would only be significant directly below the sun 's position in the sky).

It is sometimes recommended that players using thermal scopes on snowy maps do not seek out high locations, so as to better see enemies in buildings. It is advisable for players to fire in bursts while aiming down the sight, since muzzle flash also appears white. Thermal, along with the ACOG Scope, slightly magnifies the heads of enemies, making it easier to get headshots, thus making it a popular scope for people boosting for prestigious camouflage such as the Fall Camouflage.

The Thermal Scope can be countered by the Cold-Blooded perk, but the player will not be completely invisible to the scope. The ordinarily white shape will simply appear in shades of gray, like the background. It should be noted that on snowy maps, the Cold-Blooded perk may make players more vulnerable to weapons with thermal scopes, as they would appear gray against the white snow.

Gameplay

 * The single-player variant of the thermal scope varies in zoom depending on the weapon. The PP2000 has a thermal scope but virtually has no zoom, while a sniper rifle with a thermal scope has about as much zoom as the regular sniper scope.
 * Teammates will have a flashing strobe, similar to the ones used in Death From Above to mark teammates.
 * When looking at an enemy equipped with a Riot Shield equipped through thermal sights, the riot shield also appears white hot because it is a part of the player model. This also applies for players' weapons.
 * The ability to steady the sights was obviously intended for sniper rifles, but it is still possible to steady the sights when the Thermal Scope is attached to an Assault Rifle, SMG or LMG. Unfortunately, the effect only applies to the first shot, and the sights will become less accurate after the breath is released, much like a sniper scope. However, this can be useful when using the FAL in Hardcore since it can be used to make accurate, long-distance, one-shot kills without having to use a sniper rifle.
 * When using a scoped weapon upon mounting a minigun the players are able to hold their breath, although it has no effect on accuracy.
 * When the enemy sets off an EMP and the player has a thermal scope on their weapon the red lines will still show but the rest of the scope will be as if looking down a normal sniper scope but slightly blurry.
 * Flags being carried by players appear white hot.
 * Killstreak rewards do not emit heat. This is odd, considering that by simply looking at a Harrier, unscoped, heat can be seen.
 * Along with standard sniper scopes, thermal scopes remain in ADS even if the user is moving while prone. With all other sights, the weapon is brought down and must be brought back up before use.
 * The thermal scope is useful in dark maps, such as Underpass, or maps with sandstorms, such as Afghan.
 * Thermal sights are commonly found on sniper rifles. They are rarely found on other guns (and almost never found on SMG's) because of the recoil involved in multiplayer and that steadying the gun will only affect the first shot.

Trivia

 * The thermal scope does not show the heat given off by civilians (with the exception of oil rig workers from campaign mode) or animals (such as chickens).
 * In multiplayer, any weapon with a thermal scope can be steadied; in single player, the only weapons that can be steadied with thermal scopes are sniper rifles.
 * A PP2000 with a Thermal scope can be found in "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday" and in "Wetwork," however this combination is impossible in multiplayer, as Thermal Scopes are unavailable for secondary weapons.
 * In the level "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday," the helicopter pilots that extract the player from the oil rig do not glow on thermal sights. The same goes for anybody riding the other helicopters. This is most likely because they are handled by the game engine in the same way as the chickens in the Favela.
 * When looking through the thermal scope at a cracked but not broken window, the glass appears to be undamaged (a good example is on the multi-player map Terminal, the glass has stripes across it, shoot the glass but do not break it and look at it through a thermal scope and the glass will still appear to have the stripes on it. Ceiling windows will have their stripes flipped if shot, but still look unbroken.)
 * In Loose Ends and Estate Takedown, you can find a WA2000 Thermal with a ghillied troop or in the armory in the basement. You can also find a F2000 Thermal with a ghillied troop, regular spetsnaz or lying on the ground in the area.