STG-44

The STG-44 (MP44 in most games), is the most common assault rifle in the Call of Duty series, having been featured in every Call of Duty title set in World War II (excluding Call of Duty: Finest Hour), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is one of the most common weapons to appear across the Call of Duty series, second only to the M1911, which has appeared in two more games than the STG-44.

Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive
"The MP44 is an assault rifle that fires a unique "short" rifle round. Up close, it can be used as a submachine gun, while at longer ranges it can operate as a rifle."

- Call of Duty manual description.

Campaign
It is somewhat rare, but it is useful from close quarters to moderately long ranges with a 30-round magazine. The MP44 can be deadly in the campaign, although in Call of Duty: United Offensive, its performance degrades with distance. It has fairly good accuracy, and can kill in just three-four rounds, along with a fairly short reload time when compared to other weapons. However, ammo is considerably scarce, and only becomes readily available towards the end of the campaign in the later missions. Furthermore, the recoil, while still low, is high in comparison to the MP40.

Multiplayer
This weapon in multiplayer can be very versatile. It provides fairly good accuracy and high power at close range. This feature truly shines in Call of Duty ' s multiplayer where a good tactic is to find a vantage point, turn the weapon onto semi-automatic, and fire on any target that presents itself. The player can bring down many enemies this way because if the player uses it properly, they can potentially bring down an enemy at least halfway across the map, however in United Offensive damage drop-off should be taken into consideration. It is capable of killing in just a few shots at any distance. When fired full-auto, the recoil can throw off a user's aim, and thus burst firing or tap-firing is essential if the player wants to maintain accuracy over distance.

Campaign
This weapon is still rare in the campaign but it is still a very good weapon to use between short and moderately long distances. While it retains most of the features present in the previous titles, the recoil is increased considerably just like the MP40, and it is recommended to fire no more than 5 bullets at a time.

Multiplayer
This weapon is slightly less powerful than its older counterparts, but is still quite deadly. The lower recoil allows it to be deadly in multiplayer, as it kills in just three to four chest shots, and with its high rate of fire and magazine capacity, it can easily kill up to ten opponents per magazine.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
The MP44 is used by the German Military in the level "The Great Crusade", where it is seen alongside the Kar98k and in the level An Easy Detail along with the MG34. It is a high powered weapon with almost no recoil and an excellent replacement for the Thompson. In multiplayer it is issued to all Axis teams (Italian and German).

Call of Duty 3
"7.92mm (Kurtz) assault rifle. World's first assault rifle employing a shortened version of the German 7.92mm rifle cartridge in a 30 round detachable magazine. 500 rounds per minute. 300 meter range."

- In-game description

Campaign
The STG44 (referred to as the MP44 in the player's inventory) is scarcely found in the campaign until Chapter 12, "The Corridor of Death". It performs excellently compared to the other weapons available, capable of killing enemies in 1-hit, providing the shot is placed above the waist. Ammunition is scarce, however, so the player should pick their shots carefully.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the MP44 is available for the Axis' Heavy Assault class. It is powerful and accurate, but recoil can be heavy. Therefore, it is advised that the player fires in short, controlled bursts at longer ranges. At short - medium ranges, the MP44 can be fired fully-automatically without recoil becoming a hindrance. The reload time is longer than the Thompson and MP40's reload times, but is still relatively quick.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
In Call of Duty: Roads to Victory, the StG-44 frequently appears in the hands of the German Military during the later levels of the Canadian campaign. During the British campaign, it takes over the role of the MP40 as the main weapon of the German Military. Despite the StG-44 being fully automatic, A.I. soldiers use it as a single-shot rifle. The gun itself is very effective due to its one-shot-kill capabilities. It shares this quality with the BAR.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Fully automatic with good accuracy. Effective at medium range."

- Weapon description

In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the STG-44 (in-game known as the MP44) is the same in appearance to the Call of Duty 2 version, and it uses the same skin. The recoil levels are slightly higher than in Call of Duty 2, but not quite as much as the original game. The MP44's accuracy and damage are both fairly high, and it is the only automatic rifle in the game with no idle sway. However, this gun has a low rate of fire. This can be fixed by using Double Tap. In the Nintendo Wii version, it also has different reloading sounds, and its charging sound shares the W1200's pump-action sound.

Multiplayer
The MP-44 has no available attachments in multiplayer. It also has relatively high recoil, a rather low rate of fire, and blurry rear sights (PC players can disable Depth of Field to remove the blurry sights). These flaws, along with the fact that it is unlocked at a high level, make the MP-44 a rare sight on the battlefield. For these reasons, some use it only to obtain the Golden AK-47.

However, the MP-44 has positive traits. Such beneficial traits include complete absence of idle sway, relatively high damage, and quick reload with reload canceling (which saves up to 1.75 seconds). To compensate for the low rate of fire some players equip either Double Tap to increase its rate of fire (and level it to other assault rifles) or Stopping Power to increase the already high damage. Players accustomed to the Call of Duty 2 iron sights, or those that prefer iron sights in general, are able to overcome the weapon's unclear sights. To deal with the high recoil of the weapon, firing in 2-round bursts at range can be helpful.

In third-person, the MP-44 seems to have a more antiquated sound than other assault rifles, which makes the MP-44 easily recognizable to attentive players. In first-person, the report from firing is similar to, if not the same as, that of the AK-47. The MP-44 and AK-47 also have a very similar reload animation, except for the charging handle, which is on the other side of the weapon, and the different magazine release.

Campaign
The STG-44 (for the given nomenclature in Call of Duty: World at War) is quite useful in the campaign. It is effective at nearly all ranges, due to its low recoil and manageable rate of fire. The weapon is not usually encountered until the levels "Ring of Steel", "Heart of the Reich", and "Downfall". This is more than likely because it was not made until 1943, nearing the end of WWII. Normally when found, it does not have that much ammo but in "Heart of the Reich", "Downfall" and "Ring of Steel" many soldiers will use the STG-44 so ammo shortage is not much of a problem.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the STG-44 is unlocked at Level 37. Its moderate power and low fire rate made it a let down in the eyes of many players. However, it has little recoil and can be controlled quite easily. Its good accuracy and range make it a good choice for mid to long range, and those who value accuracy over power should not overlook the STG-44. It is a popular weapon in Hardcore modes for the reasons previously mentioned and is usually a one-shot-kill in close and medium range combat. It is more usable in close quarters than other rifles due to its fully automatic fire mode while maintaining usefulness at medium and long range. Unfortunately, the STG is not particularly effective in close quarters outside of Hardcore. Steady Aim combined with Stopping Power or Double Tap can help mitigate this, but even then a player with an STG-44 will be at a disadvantage in close quarters against an enemy with a submachine gun.

The STG-44 is one of the few guns that equally benefits heavily from either Stopping Power or Double Tap. Overall, Stopping Power is more effective because it reduces ammo consumption, while Double Tap increases it. In Hardcore however, Double Tap becomes a more attractive option since Stopping Power will not decrease the shots required for a kill even at long range.

Nazi Zombies
The STG-44 is available on all Call of Duty: World at War Nazi Zombie maps, either from the Mystery Box or off the wall. It is a decent weapon, but the player should aim for the head in all rounds, as it is inefficient when fired at the chest. At higher rounds, ammo reserves may be depleted quickly, thus it is recommended to swap it out for another weapon in the higher rounds, unless the user is near to where he/she can buy it off the wall, so the player can buy more ammo. It is a great weapon to have until around rounds 15-17 where it should either be upgraded or disposed of. At rounds 8 to 10, this weapon will take quite a few shots just to kill a zombie.

On Der Riese, when Pack-a-Punched, it is upgraded to the Spatz-447+. Though its ammo capacity and reserve ammo is more or less doubled, it still depletes its ammo reserves rather quickly. Even though the latter make it so that there is something better, the STG-44 is one of the best guns to Pack-a-Punch as it increases the rate of fire and damage, and gives it a 60-round magazine. The higher rate of fire also gives it more recoil allowing for easy headshots, making this a very good gun for clearing out straight lines of zombies.

Weapon Attachments

 * Flash Hider
 * Aperture Sight
 * Telescopic Sight

Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts
The MP44 is less common than the Wehrmacht's standard submachine gun, the MP40. It shares the same traits as its Call of Duty: World at War counterpart, the STG-44. It only appears in mission Ettelbruck, and can be a good weapon to use in medium to long range encounters. This makes it a similar counterpart to the BAR, as both share the same damage and high accuracy, but the MP44 has a larger ammo capacity than the BAR and so it can be useful in close combat or if the player engages a large group of enemies.

Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS)
The STG-44 appears in Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS). It has a 30 round magazine, generally low recoil and high power, making it an excellent weapon at long and medium engagement. It appears in the later levels of the British and Russian campaign.

In multiplayer, it can be used only by the German faction and retains its low recoil and high power.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
The STG-44 appears in "Project Nova" as a usable weapon. Like most Project Nova guns, the gun was tweaked slightly, with a newer skin and some snow on it. It can be acquired from dead enemies later on in the level, and has a very similar reload animation as it does from Call of Duty: World at War. However, it has the firing sound of an RPK, has virtually no recoil, more power, and now has the ability to gib. The STG-44 also appears in the revamped versions of the classic Zombies maps, where it has not changed from Call of Duty: World at War.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Menu icon file can be found in game files.

Miscellaneous

 * The STG-44 is the first assault rifle in the series, and also holds the record for being the most featured assault rifle appearing in almost every game with a WWII setting.

Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive

 * The STG-44 in these two games has a fire selector and can switch between semi and fully automatic, which is useful for conserving ammunition.

Call of Duty 3

 * In the Wii version, the STG-44 has the same firing sound as the M1897 Trench Gun.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory

 * AI soldiers in the campaign fire the gun in a Semi-Automatic fire mode.

Call of Duty: World at War

 * There originally was a Select Fire attachment for the STG-44, M1A1 Carbine and the SVT-40.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

 * In "Project Nova", the STG-44's firing sound is that of an RPK, whereas in the classic Zombies maps, the firing sound is the same as it was in World at War.
 * The STG-44 is capable of gibbing enemies, making it the only fully automatic assault rifle capable of doing so in game.
 * On the Wii version of the game, it lacks the snow and frost like the MP40.

Video
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Gameplay with the STG-44 in World at War with various attachments

MP44