Thermal Scope



The Thermal Scope is a weapon attachment in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

The Thermal scope shows enemy heat signatures in white.

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.

Campaign
The Thermal Scope is used by Soap in "Cliffhanger" and can also be seen on weapons in "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday" and Wetwork during the fight to try and breach the last room. Thermal scopes are very useful in "Wolverines!" and Homeland Security where enemies often use smoke grenades to hide themselves. Two M14 EBRs with thermal sights can be found on the roof of Nate's. Also, in "Loose Ends" and Estate Takedown, you can find a WA2000 Thermal with a ghillie sniper or in the armory in the basement. You can also find an F2000 Thermal with a ghillie sniper, regular Spetsnaz or in the mansion. There are also many PP2000s with thermal scopes during "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday" when the enemies are shielding themselves with smoke grenades and even a few before that.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the Thermal Scope features much more recoil and than the campaign and Special Ops version. 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).

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 attempting 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.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The Thermal Scope returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and has significantly less recoil when equipped (with Sniper Rifles being an exception). It is unlocked at Weapon Proficiency Level 19 for Sniper Rifles, Weapon Proficiency Level 26 for SMGs, Weapon Proficiency Level 27 for LMGs, and Weapon Proficiency Level 29 for Assault Rifles. It has a 2.4x zoom level when being aimed down, which is the same as the ACOG Scope, the Hybrid Sight with the magnifier on, and the AS50 standard zoom. As it was previously, the Thermal scope is capable of picking up targets not using Assassin through smoke produced from smoke grenades, as well as many other forms of visual hindrances caused by large explosions such as Predator Missiles, but adds recoil when firing.

The Kick Proficiency helps with the recoil caused by the Thermal Scope. It is useful on maps with dark color tones. Grip is also usefull for the Thermal Scope when using the Attachments proficiency on Lighy Machine Guns. It should be noted however, that reduces recoil on the L86 LSW and MK46, instead of increasing it.

Gameplay

 * The campaign and Special Ops 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.
 * When using a scoped weapon upon mounting a minigun, the player is 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 show up as white-hot through thermal scopes. This is odd, considering that some, like the Harrier, emit heat that is clearly visible without thermal optics.
 * 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.
 * 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) or animals, this was probably done to avoid confusing the player.
 * In multiplayer, any weapon with a Thermal Scope can be steadied; in the campaign, the only weapons that can be steadied with Thermal Scopes are Sniper Rifles.
 * However, in the "Museum" level in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the AK-47 Thermal Scope found in the glass container can be steadied.
 * A PP2000 with a Thermal scope can be found in "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday" and Wetwork.
 * 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.
 * When looking through the Thermal Scope at a cracked but not broken window, the glass appears to be undamaged.
 * There are numbers on the side of the scope: 00748-IW.
 * It should be noted that Dunn's SCAR-H Thermal Scope has much lower recoil than the standard multiplayer Thermal Scope, and cannot be steadied. His SCAR-H is unique in this way.