Last Stand

Last Stand is a Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Tier 3 perk.
 * For the similar perk in Call of Duty: World at War, see Second Chance.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
In Call of Duty 4, it gives a player the ability to survive a normally instant death by disabling the player to the ground in a supine position. Last Stand will not come into effect if a player is killed by a headshot, knife, (melee), puncture (an unarmed Grenade Launcher grenade), or an explosive weapon (grenades, C4, RPG rockets or Claymore ). This perk is unlocked at level 8.

A player in Last Stand can only fire a pistol and use the knife melee. The pistol a player uses in Last Stand is the pistol that was selected as the sidearm; players with the Overkill perk or who have switched their pistols in game for a second primary weapon will use the standard M9 pistol when put into Last Stand. The player will also have maximum ammunition and a full magazine in the pistol, regardless of whether the pistol's magazine was empty or not prior to going into Last Stand. In addition, if a player is put into Last Stand while cooking a grenade, the player will still be able to throw it. Players can also detonate any deployed C4 by double tapping the use key twice.

Last Stand will end if the player takes a single hit from an opposing player (or any player if in Hardcore mode), after 10 seconds has elapsed since the player was put in Last Stand, or if the player ends it his/herself by holding the use key (called the "Coward's Way Out"); this does not result in a suicide. Players holding a grenade when put into Last Stand mode can commit suicide by holding on to it, preventing the enemy who shot them from getting a kill without the death counting as a suicide. Also, players that were holding on to flash or stun grenades at the time they were put into Last Stand will automatically throw the grenade.

Any kills a player achieves while in Last Stand will count double towards their earned XP, though the extra points only count towards match bonus and are not factored into the displayed individual score or the team's score. For instance, in normal Team Deathmatch, a player getting a last stand kill will receive 10 points as match bonus in addition to 10 points for the kill that's counted on his and the team's score. This applies for any kill the player makes while they are in Last Stand; for instance if the player throws a grenade, gets put in Last Stand before the grenade explodes, and then that grenade kills an enemy player, the last stand player will receive the bonus points.

A player put into Last Stand mode becomes temporarily invincible during the transition into Last Stand. This accounts for players who survive nearby grenades and bullet shots when put into Last Stand. Hits against a player in invulnerability mode register as normal shots on the firing player's screen. Last Stand is also one of the most irritating perks for enemy players because of the vulnerability of the person in Last Stand. It is quite common for a friendly player to "kill steal", to shoot the person in Last Stand, therefore taking the kill for themselves. Some players use Last Stand in conjunction with a modded controller and a Desert Eagle to get multiple kills while in Last Stand, though it is rare.

Tactics
When going into Last Stand after losing a short-range firefight, it is imperative that you know where you want to shoot and begin doing so immediately. Any delay will allow the enemy to realize that you are not dead and correct that oversight, or, more embarrassingly, allow him to run off unscathed. At longer ranges, it is better to take a moment to make sure your aim is good because shooting at the enemy is definitely going to tip him off. If you succeed, reloading is highly recommended as you never know how many enemies will stumble across you unsuspectingly. Getting three kills in Last Stand is not impossible.

In Hardcore Team Deathmatch, it may be advantageous to kill allies in last stand so the opposing team does not acquire the points for killing the player, although the team is penalized for killing its own. In Sabotage it could be disadvantageous to use the perk as sudden death approaches because should the player be in Last Stand when it begins the game will not grant the player any amnesty and all they will be able to play during the sudden death period is their brief last stand. In addition, Last Stand may be a liability in Headquarters, given that the player's team may capture the Headquarters while the player is in last stand and will thus have to wait until the HQ is destroyed or 65 points are earned in order to respawn again. Last Stand may be especially useful in Domination, as the player can capture those flags while in Last Stand.

Typically most popular among players who haven't unlocked many perks yet. Not many experienced players use it, because like Martyrdom it is not useful when the player is alive. However, for players that are very good with a handgun, or who feel that they often die right before managing to get the enemy and/or get a killstreak reward, Last Stand can be very helpful.

Last Stand is superior in many ways to Martyrdom, because its effective range and duration are much larger. However, it takes time for the player to use Last Stand that could be used instead to respawn and begin again, so players that spend their time in Last Stand sitting there looking stupid should reconsider using it.

A common tactic used against someone in Last Stand is to throw a special grenade at the user, since all types of grenade do a small amount of damage upon direct impact, which in the case of Last Stand is invariably fatal. Most experienced players are not fooled by Last Stand, although the small pause between getting shot and performing the stance can confuse less experienced players that the player has died. The player placed on Last Stand is highly unlikely to get retribution if they have to do significant turning.

This perk may give an advantage to your teammates since the enemy has to lower their weapon to deal the final blow. Combined with Juggernaut, Last Stand will put enemy players with low-powered weapons at a significant disadvantage, because the enemy player will have to waste time and ammo compared to killing a player with neither the Juggernaut perk nor the Last Stand perk. It can also be advantageous to use Last Stand if you are often killed by sniper shots, as unless the sniper gets a headshot you will fall to the ground, forcing them to waste another bullet. If you are trying to counter-snipe them from a building, or behind cover, they may have to waste even more to kill you, as they have to guess your position behind the wall/cover, and in some instances (such as through trees, oil barrels and concrete pillars) they may not be able to shoot you at all, allowing you to wait for another enemy player to discover you, and attempt a kill. Since snipers do not have an incredibly large ammo count to start with, this can be a viable strategy. More skilled or better positioned snipers are, however, more likely to get headshot kills, thus completely negating the perk.

A person with the Last Stand perk equipped should consider their choice of handgun with this in mind; choose a powerful gun for quick kills at the moment of going into Last Stand, or an accurate gun for aiming. The M9 is not recommended due to how weak it is; you will be less likely to kill the person who got you before they finish you off.

Campaign
In campaign, the player cannot go into Last Stand, but enemies can. This can also be seen in previous Call of Duty games. In Call of Duty 2, Germans sometimes pull out a Luger, firing slowly (and usually ineffectively) for a few moments. In Call of Duty 3, Germans use whatever weapon they had and fire a few times at the player. In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, enemies pull out a pistol and shoot while trying to crawl away. (sometimes they crawl for a wall then take a grenade and drop it) Soap enters Last Stand at the end of Game Over after Captain Price slides him an M1911. In Call of Duty: World at War, Japanese and Germans will be put into Last Stand (renamed in this game to Second Chance) if shot in the right spot (most likely the lower ribs). Sometimes, though, enemies will stay propped up against a wall, reaching for their sidearm, only to die before being able to operate it. Also, at the end of Semper Fi, Miller is put into Second Chance due to a Katana-wielding Japanese soldier.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Last Stand is mostly the same as in the Call of Duty 4, but you can crawl slowly now. 20 kills in Last Stand are required to upgrade to the pro version of the perk which allows you to use equipment whilst in Last Stand, such as setting off any C4 you may have planted, or prime a grenade. There is also a deathstreak named Final Stand,which is activated after the player dies four times in a row (3 times with hardline pro) which is virtually the same as Last Stand Pro except the player can stand back up after a period of time.

Trivia

 * The picture in the Last Stand perk's description is the silhouette of a Glock pistol, but none of the Glock pistol models are available in the game until MW2 with its G18 (Glock 18).


 * It is possible through a glitch to pick up a nearby weapon by pressing and holding the 'reload/switch weapon' button just before you die and are falling down into Last Stand. This also works for mounted machine guns.


 * Last Stand was originally going to be a Tier Two perk (shown by the perk's red color in the image below).


 * Last Stand may be an allusion to the war movie, Saving Private Ryan. In the final battle sequence, Captain Miller is shot and props himself up against a destroyed motorcycle, pulls out his M1911, and continues to fire at a upcoming tank. Captain Miller is in almost the same position as players in last stand during Call of Duty, where he is holding the pistol with one hand and both his legs are spread out.


 * In the first-person perspective of a player in Last Stand, the sidearm used is held by two hands, but in the third-person perspective for other players, the sidearm is held with one hand.


 * In Spec Ops, Second Chance (not Last Stand) is used as either player can revive the other as long as they are standing. If shot while in Second Chance, in first person the player lowers their weapon but if viewing the player, it appears as through they are holding nothing but are acting as if they are holding a pistol.


 * Unlike in Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2 version of last stand makes it hard for your character to do a complete 180 degrees turn because of the high sensitivity setting on your controller. There is a constraining factor that slows down spinning maneuverability.


 * If you can kill your attacker in Modern Warfare 2, you can cook a grenade and kill yourself so the other team does not get points.


 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 enemies in campaign will fire their Machine pistols semi-automatically when they are in last stand.