After a noticeable delay, Ranked Play has finally hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, challenging players to prove their talents in a one-to-one recreation of the Call of Duty League. Reaching the top of the ranked leaderboards is going to be an immense challenge. To make it a bit easier, we’ve assembled a little briefer to get you ready. Here’s everything you need to know about Ranked Play in Modern Warfare 2, including the best CDL classes, and more.
Call of Duty MW2 CDL Explained
For anyone just passing through and looking to know what’s the big deal, look no further than the Call of Duty League. Referred to as the CDL, this is the franchised competitive circuit for Call of Duty, featuring twelve teams full of the best players in North America. It was referred to as the CWL, the Call of Duty World League, but as mentioned, this is the franchised circuit for professional Call of Duty.
The Ranked Play experience models the rules the professional players play on, including the map pool, the weapons, and attachments along with the perks and killstreaks. For a game as large as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, this mode is a dream come true for a certain portion of the community, looking to escape the “casual” experience and balance issues that come with casual play.
It’s also a great way to test your skillset, as grinding your way up the leaderboards is a way of meeting like-minded teammates and building up your portfolio if you’re looking to get into the CDL.
Ranked Play Breakdown
Now that you know what the CDL is, here’s the low down of what to expect in Ranked Play. Across three modes and six maps, you’ll be battling it out in a 4v4 setting against players of similar skill level using the same rules the professionals play on.
Hardpoint
- Al Bagra Fortress
- Breenbergh Hotel
- Embassy
- Mercado Las Almas
- Zarqwa Hydroelectric
Search & Destroy
- Al Bagra Fortress
- Breenbergh Hotel
- El Asilo
- Embassy
- Mercado Las Almas
Control
- Al Bagra Fortress
- Breenbergh Hotel
- El Asilo
As you win, or lose, you’ll gain, or lose, skill rating (SR) that determines your rank. There are seven ranks in total, each with three sub ranks to grind through. Reach the top 250 in the world, and you’ll find yourself playing against professional players and coaches. Kudos for making it that far!
- Bronze — 0-899
- SR Silver — 900-2,099
- SR Gold — 2,100-3,599
- SR Platinum — 3,600-5,399
- SR Diamond — 5,400-7,499
- SR Crimson — 7,500-9,999
- SR Iridescent — 10,000 SR minimum
- Top 250 — 10,000+ SR
Best CDL Classes in MW2: Primaries
When a new CoD title releases, the CDL players work with the developers to implement a ruleset for weapons, attachments, equipment, and more in-game items. Most of the previously mentioned items are banned, due to being unbalanced, so most of the below classes recommended will focus on setups used by the pros featuring the three-weapon meta of the TAQ-56 assault rifle, the Vaznev-9K submachine gun, and the LA-B 330 sniper rifle.
There are a few deviances from the above meta as some weapons have yet to be officially banned or GA’ed (gentleman agreement). Going into Ranked Play, something to note is what role you wish to fill, as certain weapons determine what you’re “expected” to do in the field. Assault rifle players assume a sentinel role, as they hold spawns, and generally play slower due to a heavier weapon.
Conversely, submachine gun players will run into the field to capture objectives and wreak havoc due to the faster pace of the weapon class. Snipers are seldom used, except in Search and Destroy. Perk setups, field upgrades, secondary weapons, and equipment will all be the same throughout this list due to bans.
Final note, there isn’t a class that’s “better” than the rest. You’re going to be playing against the best of the best, so all of the setups you see will be nearly identical, especially as you reach the higher Skill Divisions. However, the below setups will help you make a name for yourself.
Without further ado, here are the best CDL classes to dominate the playing field:
TAQ-56
The premiere assault rifle used by the pros, the TAQ-56 hits like a truck with a decent fire rate to back it up. There are two setups recommended, with the first focusing on a well-rounded approach and the second focusing on being slightly more mobile at the cost of recoil control.
- Barrel: 17.5″ Tundra Pro
- Muzzle: Sakin Tread-40
- Underbarrel: FSS Sharkfin 90
- Ammunition: 5.56 High Velocity
- Rear Grip: Demo Cleanshot Grip
- Barrel: 17.5″ Tundra Pro
- Underbarrel: FSS Sharkfin 90
- Ammunition: 5.56 High Velocity
- Rear Grip: Demo Cleanshot Grip
- Stock: TV Xline Pro
Vaznev-9K
One of the best SMG’s in the game, the Vaznev demolishes at any range. There’s only four attachments on this setup because, ironically enough, adding more attachments doesn’t always mean a better weapon.
- Muzzle: Bruen Pendulum
- Underbarrel: FSS Sharkfin 90
- Rear Grip: True-Tac Grip
- Stock: Otrezat Stock
Lachmann Sub
The Lachmann Sub is an overall solid weapon, that happens to do slightly worse in most categories compared to the Vaznev. It’s not banned yet, so here’s a solid setup to help throw your foes for a loop.
- Muzzle: Bruen Pendulum
- Underbarrel: Agent Grip
- Rear Grip: Lachmann TCG-10
- Stock: FT Mobile Stock
LA-B 330
Two snipers are in play so far in the CDL, with the LA-B 330 lacking in power, but providing a higher rate of fire.
- Ammunition: .300 High Velocity
- Bolt: FSS ST87 Bolt
- Comb: AIM-ASSIST 406
- Stock: ZLR T70 Pad Extension
MCPR-300
The last of the snipers, not yet banned, the MCP3-300 hits like a tank and is just as slow.
- Ammunition: .300 Mag High Velocity
- Magazine: 5 Round Mag
- Bolt: Cronen Smooth Bolt
- Rear Grip: Cronen Cheetah Grip
- Stock: FSS Merc Stock
Best CDL Classes in MW2: Secondaries, Perks, Equipment and Field Upgrades
As far as the remaining class setup goes, you’ll find yourself extremely limited due to the rules and regulations. What you’ll most likely be running will be very similar to the below setup:
Secondary
- X12
- Muzzle: XRK Ventor-900
- Rear Grip: Cronen Lima-6
- Combat Knife
Only two secondaries are available in ranked, and it depends on what you prefer. A pistol secondary is a good backup weapon in case of a dodgy firefight. Conversely, a knife lets you run faster, and you can always pick up a gun from the ground.
Perks
There are a few Perk variants you’ll want to try out. With the below setups, keep in mind, you’ll either be playing fast or changing one Perk out for sniping purposes or to not be seen on enemy Cruise Missile interfaces. A wrench in this equation is changing out Double Time for Battle Hardened to double up your protection against lethal and tactical equipment.
- Double Time
- Double the duration of Tactical Sprint. Increase crouch movement speed by 30%.
- Bomb Squad
- Take reduced damage from non-Killstreak explosives. Reset fuse timers when picking up live grenades.
- Fast Hands
- Reload, use equipment, and swap weapons faster.
- Double Time
- Bomb Squad
- Cold-Blooded
- Undetectable by AI targeting systems and thermal optics.
- Double Time
- Bomb Squad
- Focus
- Reduce flinch when aiming down sights and extend Hold Breath Duration.
Field Upgrades
There are only two options present, Dead Silence or Trophy Systems. You’ll want to use Dead Silence in Search and Destroy for dampened footstep noise, and Trophy Systems are king in respawn game modes like Hardpoint and Control.
Lethal and Tactical Equipment
Again, limited options here due to rules. Your choices are a frag grenade and a semtex for lethal equipment, while stun grenades are your only tactical equipment, with the former two depending on what you. Typically, assault rifle players will find themselves with frags due to the time it takes to cook them, but in faster pace modes, semtex is king as you push points and block spawns.
With that, that concludes this massive CDL Class primer for your Ranked Play excursion, including best CDL class setups, rules, and more. For more CoD-related information, be sure to check below.
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