Desert Eagle

The Desert Eagle is a handgun featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Semi-automatic with high power. Effective at close range."

- Sidearm description

Campaign
The Desert Eagle appears as one of the four sidearms available in game, being the most powerful (and most uncommon) one. The only level in which the Desert Eagle is available is "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, screaming, armed with two Desert Eagles. 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". It can also be obtained by using the "give all" console command on PC during the levels "Safehouse" and "Game Over". A two-tone Desert Eagle can be seen in the armory in the mission "F.N.G."

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the Desert Eagle remains a very powerful pistol; it can kill in two hits at close range, unless the target is using Juggernaut and/or Last Stand. 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 also has the highest hipfire accuracy of any weapon in the game. Unlike other pistols, it cannot be fitted with a suppressor. The Desert Eagle is unlocked at Level 43.

The Desert Eagle is very popular online because of its sheer power. However, some people choose not to use it due to its low magazine capacity of 7 rounds. It is also one of the loudest weapons in the game, and has high visual recoil.

Campaign
The Desert Eagle is more common in the campaign than it was in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, appearing as the first sidearm used in the game, in the level "S.S.D.D." In the mission "Takedown", Rojas' Assistant uses a Desert Eagle to kill two Militia members who approach him, and another who tries to ambush him. It is sometimes used in the hands of the Militia. It can also be 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. In "Just Like Old Times", it can be found on a green barrel just before the riot shield ambush and in the control room just before Shepherd destroys it. In "The Hornet's Nest" it can be found in the lower scrapyard behind a blue overturned refrigerator. It is also in the armory in "Loose Ends," and Akimbo Desert Eagles can be found twice in the level, "Takedown". Its rate of fire seems to have been slowed down compared to the rate of fire in the previous game, and accuracy seems to suffer if fired repeatedly, making it almost useless unless using Akimbo.

Multiplayer
The Desert Eagle is unlocked at level 62. In multiplayer it appears alongside another very 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. Although the Desert Eagle's minimum damage is slightly lower than the .44 Magnum, if the player combines it with Stopping Power both guns will kill in the same amount of shots. The .44 Magnum does, however, have a six round capacity as opposed to the Desert Eagle's seven rounds. The Desert Eagle also has a faster reload time than the .44 Magnum.

The Desert Eagle, with its high power, significant visual recoil, and distinctive report, retains similarities to the one from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. One new addition 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 its centerspeed. The weapon now sports a darker, two-tone finish. The Desert Eagle is now seen with tactical rails on both the top of the weapon and the underside of the barrel, and it also has a tactical laser mounted underneath. However, this is purely aesthetic, as the Desert Eagle cannot equip any attachments on the rails and players cannot utilize the laser. Another new feature is the addition of a white three-dot-sight setup; however, the sights are misaligned; the front post is to the right of the true impact point. It is interesting to note that, while using the Tactical Knife attachment, the Desert Eagle's sights become centered. It is one of the two handguns in-game that cannot accept a Suppressor, the other being the .44 Magnum.

The Desert Eagle goes fairly unused online due to its high unlock level and high recoil. However, players that take the time to unlock the Akimbo attachment are rewarded with a powerful and easy-to-use close quarters weapon. Some players prefer a single Desert Eagle over Akimbo, however, as the single Desert Eagle's hipfire accuracy is higher.

The Tactical Knife attachment, unlocked at 150 kills with the Desert Eagle, actually correctly aligns the iron sights on the Desert Eagle. Also, it is very useful if the user misses a few too many shots and has to reload or is faced with more than one opponent with the Desert Eagle.

Despite the Desert Eagle's ability to kill in one shot at any range in Hardcore, it is usually passed up for more accurate weapons with the same ability, such as the M93 Raffica.

Weapon Attachments

 * FMJ
 * Akimbo
 * Tactical Knife

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The Desert Eagle returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It now appears to have a darker metallic finish and has tritium iron sights. Additionally, it lacks the top rail and underbarrel flashlight from Modern Warfare 2, looking more like the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare variant with night sights.

Singleplayer
The Desert Eagle is seen in use by Captain Price and Sandman when they finish off wounded enemies, it is also seen in the hands of Price when he threatens Yuri shortly after Soap's death. The Desert Eagle is used by Yuri in the missions Persona Non Grata, Return to Sender and Blood Brothers. At the end of the Campaign, Makarov wields a unique Golden Desert Eagle in an attempt to kill Price.

It is not nearly as useful as it in Multiplayer, and is best reserved for wounded enemies, given its firecap of 444 RPM in singleplayer and low ammunition.

Multiplayer
The Desert Eagle is unlocked at Level 76. It is very much like it was with the Modern Warfare 2 version. It has a high capped rate of fire, and very high power up close. Unlike in Modern Warfare 2, it has significantly less recoil than the former.

It is the first tier gun in Gun Game, equipped with a Tactical Knife.

Survival
The Desert Eagle is often favored over other sidearms because of its sheer power, but the Desert Eagle has a low firecap, small magazines, and just slighty higher damage than Five seven. Like all other handguns, the Desert Eagle is decent for the first few rounds but should be exchanged for another weapon after the early game.

Attachments

 * Akimbo
 * Tactical Knife

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance
The Desert Eagle makes its first appearance on the DS in ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance. ''It has a capacity of 8 rounds.

Singleplayer
The Desert Eagle appears throughout the campaign as both a starting sidearm and a weapon found on top of ammo crates. It has the lowest ammunition capacity out of the handguns, but makes up for this with its power.

Gold Desert Eagle
"Gold plated semi-automatic with high power. Effective at close range."

- Sidearm description



Gold Camouflage can be used in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare upon reaching level 55, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 via modding, and in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 by reaching the weapon's level of 30. The gold Desert Eagle has exactly the same stats as the normal Desert Eagle, with the only difference being the color and the removed TacLight in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The golden color makes the Gold Desert Eagle generally preferred over the regular Desert Eagle by players. The Gold Desert Eagle is the only golden weapon which does not require any expert challenges to be completed.

The files for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 contain all the data for the Gold Desert Eagle, though it is normally inaccessible in game. Its implementation is almost entirely complete, and it can be used normally in game with a hack such as a Class Editor. This near-complete implementation suggests it was going to be a last-level reward like it was in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, but it was displaced by the AK-47 fairly late in development.

General

 * The Desert Eagle, USP .45 and M1911 are the only pistols to feature in all three installments of the Modern Warfare series.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

 * On Infinity Ward's website, the Desert Eagle was voted favorite handgun of the game.
 * The ammo name for the Desert Eagle in the game files is .357 Magnum.
 * Should the player prestige in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, when the last decision about prestiging is made and the player goes to prestige, a firing sound of the Desert Eagle is heard.
 * It is the only pistol to have a custom finish.
 * In the mission "Crew Expendable" it's possible to pick up two Desert Eagles and use them interchangeably without sharing ammo between them.
 * During dramatic moments involving a pistol, such as Al-Asad's execution and when Victor Zakhaev commits suicide, the Desert Eagle's firing sound is supplemented for the actual pistol being used as firing sound.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 * The Desert Eagle and .44 Magnum are the only two pistols that have the least number of attachments (FMJ, Akimbo, Tactical Knife).
 * The Desert Eagle's sights are misaligned. It actually fires to the upper right corner of where the player is aiming at, but with the Tactical Knife Attachment, the Iron Sights are positioned correctly.
 * The Desert Eagle appears in the side holster of one of the U.S Army Rangers' player models.
 * When Shepherd shoots Roach and Ghost, his first shot uses the sound file of the Desert Eagle, even though he uses a .44 Magnum; this is most for dramatic effect.
 * In the mission S.S.D.D., Dunn holsters the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare version of the Desert Eagle, despite already having a M9 already in the same holster.
 * In Exodus, a Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare single-tone Desert Eagle can be found next to the dead High Value Individual, but it cannot be picked up.
 * Rojas' Assistant in Takedown fires seven shots at the TF 141 members before firing at least six shots at the players car, and a further nine at civilians with his Desert Eagle, for a total of 22 shots without reloading.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

 * The Desert Eagle features an 8-round magazine for the first time.
 * The high pitched sound of the Desert Eagle from previous games has been edited. The gun now has a much deeper firing sound.
 * The weapon used by Makarov at the end of Dust to Dust is a Golden Desert Eagle.
 * Unlike the previous games, instead of an echo-ish sound, it sounds more like the USP.45.
 * This and the DS variant are most likely chambered in .44 Magnum because of the 8 round magazine.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance

 * This is the first Nintendo DS game to include the Desert Eagle.