Desert Eagle

The Desert Eagle is a handgun in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In both games, it is one of the most powerful pistols available.

The weapon equivalent of this weapon in Call of Duty: World at War is the .357 Magnum Revolver.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare depicts the .50 AE version of the Desert Eagle, as the in-game model has a seven-round magazine. It is a very powerful pistol; it can kill in two hits at close range. Although the other pistols can do the same, the Desert Eagle is unique in that it does not require Stopping Power to achieve two-hit kills, making it a popular sidearm for players using Perks other than Stopping Power. The Desert Eagle has the highest hip-fire accuracy of any weapon in the game. Unlike other pistols, it cannot be fitted with a silencer. The Desert Eagle is unlocked at Level 43 (Brigadier General), and a golden version is unlocked at Level 55 (commander), making it the only golden weapon that does not require the completion of any expert challenges to acquire.

The Desert Eagle is popular because of its sheer power. However, some people choose to avoid it as it has a low magazine capacity of just 7 rounds (and a backup of 21). It is also one of the loudest weapons in the game, and has high visual recoil.

The Desert Eagle can only be found in the single-player level Crew Expendable. The Desert Eagle can only be obtained during the campaign if the player runs ahead of the other S.A.S. members in the first cargo hold of Crew Expendable, at which point an Ultranationalist leaps out of a storage container armed with the Desert Eagle. It is also seen being given to Khaled Al-Asad by Imran Zakhaev to execute President Al-Fulani in The Coup, and is again seen being wielded by Imran Zakhaev during Game Over. Contrary to popular belief, SSgt. Griggs does not use a Desert Eagle while saving Soap in Game Over, but a nickel-plated M1911 .45.

Singleplayer
The Desert Eagle is now more common in the campaign than it was in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, appearing as the first sidearm you use in the game in S.S.D.D. and appearing sometimes in the hands of militia that ambush you from around corners. It is also found in the makeshift hospital in Of Their Own Accord right next to Cpl. Keating's computer, and in one of the rooms with the resting soldiers on a small table next to one of the beds. Akimbo Desert Eagles can also be found twice in the level, Takedown, and it can be found in the armory in Loose Ends. It also appears in Just Like Old Times, in the control room just before Shepherd blows it up. Its rate of fire seems to have been slowed down compared to the rate of fire in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Multiplayer
The Desert Eagle is unlocked at level 62. In Multiplayer it appears alongside another powerful handgun, the .44 Magnum. Since the .44 Magnum is unlocked before the Desert Eagle, has more minimum damage and has less recoil, it is much more popular. The .44 Magnum does however have a six round capacity as opposed to the Desert Eagle's seven rounds.

The Desert Eagle is somewhat similar to the one in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. One benefit is that it now accepts attachments. However, its recoil has been increased considerably, both by increasing the kick (and making it arc to the right) and reducing the speed at which it re-centers. The gun now sports a titanium carbon nitride finish, as opposed to the polished chrome finish it had in the previous game. The Desert Eagle is seen with tactical rails on both the top of the gun and the underside of the barrel, and it also has a tactical laser mounted underneath. However, this is all purely aesthetic, as the Desert Eagle cannot equip any attachments on the rails and players cannot utilize the flashlight. Another new feature is the addition of a white 3-dot-sight setup (on which the front sight is off-centered). It is interesting to note that while using the Tactical Knife attachment, the Desert Eagle's sights become centered.

The Desert Eagle goes fairly unused online due to the high unlock level and high recoil, bad iron sights, and bad accuracy. Although unused due to the former reasons, the desert eagle can prove to be useful in Commando-range encounters where power trumps accuracy. Akimbo is an extremely recommended attachment because the desert eagle's recoil and bad accuracy make it hard to use at medium-long range so the user will get close anyways, it only makes sense to have double the firepower at the same range. The Desert Eagle is the F2000 of handguns in many player's opinions.

In Hardcore, the Desert Eagle is an effective weapon since the base damage and base health is 30. This means it can get a one shot kill at any distance. However the sheer recoil of the Desert Eagle limits its overall effectiveness to close-medium range combat (close range with Akimbo).

Weapon Attachments:

 * FMJ
 * Akimbo
 * Tactical Knife

Trivia

 * On Infinity Ward's website the Desert Eagle was voted the favorite weapon of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
 * Throughout the Modern Warfare series, the Desert Eagle's firing sound is often used during cinematic moments when a different handgun is actually fired, due to its louder and more dramatic report.

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