STG-44

The Sturmgewehr 44, better known as either the STG-44 or the MP44, is a German assault rifle featured in every Call of Duty title except for Call of Duty: Finest Hour and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive
The MP44 is a good support weapon. Combining short, medium and long range powers with a 30-round magazine, the MP44 is a great weapon to have. It kills with three to four shots to the body (one for the head), has good accuracy, and a short reload time compared to the other support guns. However, its only major flaw is its recoil. Burst firing is essential if the player wants to hit anything with it past short range, or perhaps when in prone position, firing it without iron sights with a one shot burst. It is also not the best for long range, but it can do in a pinch. In close quarters, the MP44 can stand toe-to-toe with even the best SMGs. Overall, it is a very versatile weapon that is often used in multiplayer.

In United Offensive, the MP44 has a different skin from the one in Call of Duty, but is otherwise the same.

Call of Duty 2
The Call of Duty 2 MP44 is much tougher than it was in Call of Duty. It has much less recoil in this version, making it much more manageable to use, and can kill with two to three chest shots. It still retains the accuracy it originally had. These improvements allow it to be deadly in multiplayer, and it even causes some servers to actually ban it, which is a throwback to what happened with the FG-42 in CoD1 multiplayer.

Singleplayer
The STG-44, or as it is known as in game, the MP44, is much like it was in previous games, although it is scarcely found in the campaign until chapter 12, The Corridor of Death. The graphics have also been updated, and the MP-44 now looks shinier and the body is more of a gray, instead of a dark gray or nearly black. Also, it is one of few weapons that can kill or almost kill in 1 shot in SP, making it as good as the Garand.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, it is carried by players who choose to be Germans and select the Heavy Assault class. Like in other games of in the series, it does high damage, although it has been slightly reduced since Call of Duty 2. The recoil has been increased to balance the game. It can be used at any range, but since it is highly inaccurate with continuous fire, it is best used at short or medium range. Long-range kills are virtually impossible without firing single shots or in small bursts.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
In Call of Duty 4, the STG-44 (Also 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 aim sway.

Multiplayer
Being the 68 year old rifle it is by the time Call of Duty 4 takes place, it doesn't have any available attachments. This is too much of a flaw for some, but others accustomed to the Call of Duty 2 iron sights (or those that prefer iron sights in general), adjust to the rifle quickly.

Because it is unlocked so late in the game it may not see much use before players enter the next level of prestige. Its biggest flaws are its relatively high recoil, and rather low rate of fire and blurred rear sights. For these reasons, some use it only to obtain the Golden AK-47.

However, the MP44 has many traits that some believe outweigh its flaws. Beneficial traits include complete absence of idle sway and relatively high damage. To mitigate 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.

In third person, the MP44 seems to have a more antiquated sound than other assault rifles, which makes the MP44 easily recognizable to attentive players. In first person, the report from firing is similar, if not the same to that of the AK-47.

Reload canceling works very well on the MP44. Doing this will save around 1.75 seconds of time.

It is similar to the AK-47 in sound and reload animations (except for the reload grip which is on the other side of the weapon).

Singleplayer
The STG-44 (for the given nomenclature in Call of Duty: World at War) is quite useful in Singleplayer. 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.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the STG-44 is unlocked at Level 37. Its moderate power and low rate of fire 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 fighting, and those who value accuracy over a bit more power shouldn't overlook the STG-44. It is a popular weapon in Hardcore modes for the reasons previously mentioned, the fact that it is usually a one-shot-kill in close and medium range combat (unless a flash hider is equipped, in which case it becomes a two shot kill at medium range), and the fact that it is fully automatic, making it more usable in CQB than other rifles while mostly maintaining their usefulness at range. Unfortunately, the STG is not particularly effective in CQC outside of Hardcore. Steady Aim combined with Stopping Power or Double Tap can help mitigate this, but even then a player with an STG will be at a disadvantage in CQC against an enemy with an SMG (due to the fact the SMG users will have either a higher rate of fire, higher level of damage per round, or both). It is advisable to hip fire in close quarters, but aim through the iron sights to pick off enemies over a distance.

The STG 44 is one of the few guns that equally benefits heavily from either Stopping Power or Double Tap (most guns are only effective with one of the two). It benefits from Stopping Power, because of its low power, and it benefits from Double Tap, because of its low Rate of Fire. Overall, Stopping Power is more effective because it reduces ammo consumption, while Double Tap increases it. This only applies to Core; in Hardcore the StG becomes considerably better with Double Tap, whereas Stopping Power has almost no effect.

Nazi Zombies
The StG-44 is available on all Nazi Zombie levels, 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 levels, ammo reserves may be depleted quickly, thus it is recommended to swap it out for another weapon in the higher levels, unless the user is near to where he/she can buy it off the wall, so you can buy more ammo.

On Der Riese, if 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's something better, the STG-44 is one of the best guns to upgrade as it increases the rate of fire and damage, and gives it a 60 round magazine. The higher fire rate also gives it more recoil allowing for easy headshots, making this a very good gun for clearing out straight lines of zombies.

Trivia

 * In the opening cutscene for the level "The Sins of the Father", Victor Zakhaev is seen using it while walking past a group of dead soldiers.


 * In the Wii version of Call of Duty 3, the MP-44 produces the same sound as the M1897 Trench Gun upon firing.


 * Doctor Richtofen uses the STG-44 in the Der Riese trailer.


 * The STG-44 was included in all Call of Duty titles until Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.


 * Among the various rifles included in Call of Duty: World at War, the STG-44 is the only one that is fully automatic.
 * Call of Duty: World at War is the only game that uses the magazine as a foregrip, while all the other games have the character hold it by the barrel.

Video
thumb|left|300px|Gameplay with the STG-44 in World at War with various attachments.