Afghan is a multiplayer map in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is set around an accessible C-130 Hercules crash site in the middle of a desert canyon in Afghanistan. The east and west parts feature cliffs and bunkers, perfect for snipers. A cave inside the mountain is often filled with intense close range battle, the large entrance to the cave being a great spot for overlooking the plane crash below. Around the other side of the mountain, there is a pathway that leads from the bunker, around the back of the cave to the high-up ledge. This path is great for flanking your opponents, along side through the pathway bunker and across the fields planted with opium poppies.
Due to its circular walkways and design patterns, every place has two or more flanking routes, making it perfect for team deathmatch, it cuts out 'campers' too as staying prone or staying stationary will get you killed, being mobile and aiming down sights round corners gives you the edge on this map.
TipsEach side of this rocky desert wasteland is fairly defensible, but given all the narrow entry passages, one good enemy rush can trap you and your team in your base, where you can wind up frantically swatting at multiple enemy flanks. The middle of the map, however, is nice and open, and ruins of a downed transport aircraft provide ambiance and little cover. But be warned: get caught out in the central area and you're a sniper's dream (especially due to the overlooking bunkers), so either bolt through or take the long way around. But... if you are that heroic player that always feels like rushing the enemy's position; the poppy field near the slums area is a great place to do so.
Due to its circular walkways and design patterns, every place has two or more flanking routes, making it perfect for team deathmatch, it cuts out 'campers' too as staying prone or staying stationary will get you killed, being mobile and aiming down sights round corners gives you the edge on this map.
TipsEach side of this rocky desert wasteland is fairly defensible, but given all the narrow entry passages, one good enemy rush can trap you and your team in your base, where you can wind up frantically swatting at multiple enemy flanks. The middle of the map, however, is nice and open, and ruins of a downed transport aircraft provide ambiance and little cover. But be warned: get caught out in the central area and you're a sniper's dream (especially due to the overlooking bunkers), so either bolt through or take the long way around. But... if you are that heroic player that always feels like rushing the enemy's position; the poppy field near the slums area is a great place to do so.
- Unsurprisingly, Thermal Scopes work very well on this map, Strangely a good tip to increase it's effectiveness is to turn down the brightness on your television or PC to a medium setting as it can make spotting enemies slightly easier.
- For games like Demolition and Domination, the planes wings are a great vantage point, climb on top and you can snipe for ages especially on hardcore, but watch for air defence west campers as they'll spot you from the cliff.
- Another place is the vents, if you run up the wings and jump, theres a brilliant sniping pot with view of the bunkers and plane wreckage, theres also cover from the cliff, but don't stay too long as someone will spot you.
- There are multiple pathways to each base, leading to hectic Domination matches. A player can sneak in and capture a point very easily. Whenever attacking a point, pick off the defenders from afar with a Sniper Rifle or a well placed Rocket, use a healthy dose offlashbangs or stun grenades, and proceed with caution.
- The high ledge behind the tail of the plane is a good sniper spot - it gives a great view of the plane wreckage and point B of domination matches. Provide support for your teammates from there. Be wary of other snipers in the other two bunkers. Be warned however: this spot is anything but original, and using it improperly will leave you extremely exposed to countersniper fire and flanking attacks from the cliffs or the path to the north.
- There are mattresses below this ledge that will negate any fall damage, even without the commando pro perk. Walk off the ledge, do not jump off the ledge, making sure to land on the mattresses below, this avoids an embarrassing and uneeded death. If you have Commando Pro this won't be an issue.
- The bunkers are great places to camp, it isn't easy to spot someone inside one of them. You are given a good vantage point of the plane wreckage, and the high ledge. Grenade Launchers are a threat, and so are enemies who choose to sneak up behind you. Either have a teammate cover your six, or occasionally peek out the entrances. Claymores are an effective way to preclude that possibility, but be wary - someone may have SitRep and is just waiting to shoot your explosive.
- Hiding in the corners of the bunkers and the cave can stop an enemy from camping and devastating your team. Because of the clutter in the larger bunker, one can hide very well and not be seen before it's too late.
- The tall poppies offers superb camouflage. The only things that will be able to see you are UAVs and AC130 but a stealth class with Ninja and Cold-Blooded Pro can keep even the proverbial eye-in-the-sky from finding you. Note that it is easy to place C4,Tactical Insertions, and Care Packages in the poppy fields.
- The catwalks offer a good route into an enemy base. It is shorter, less open and more stealthy for the prospective flanker, point-capturer or slaughterer.
- The entire map is surrounded by deadly falls and radiation.
- The plane wreckage is a nice cover spot. The cockpit can net you a few quick kills before you head off on a killstreak. Be careful around the cockpit: get maybe two or three kills, then find another place to locate, because someone is bound to find you there.
- Alternatively, set up camp on top of the tail portion of the wreckage, you get a good vantage point of both bunkers, and the main tunnel.
- Hide under the cover of the tail portion from enemy killstreak rewards.
- Chopper Gunner rounds can penetrate the C-130 and kill people hiding in there.
- You can climb on top of the tail. It does offer you an advantages as you can reach the Sniper-Spot without traveling all way around the hill. This is perfect for an ambush from behind when the frontlines collide at the rocky entrance of this spot. But be aware that you are 100% exposed to a wide area of the map.
- There is a Stryker parked in the back, this is a perfect place to call in care packages or operate your killstreaks as not much action takes place here and it leads to a dead end. However, due to the popularity of the spot, players often guess this area is where the player is operating his/her killstreak.
- Every now and again, it seems a sandstorm rolls in. Visibility is reduced, thermal scopes also seem to suffer.
- Also with a care package in your hand you are able to jump from the wing tip to the pipes sticking out of the mountain or the small grassy ledge to the right of the pipes. You can also jump without a care package marker but using a marker or lightweight/Marathon makes the jump easier.
- If you fall off the high ledge to the extreme left, there is a small grassy alcove that makes a unique and hidden sniper spot.
- Find your way to the very tip of the plane's right wing, the highest point directly above the cave entrance. Leap off the tip and climb up the small pair of air ventilators. This point provides a great vantage point for sniping the bunker side of the map, but make your shots count: once revealed, you make easy prey, assuming the action ever reaches that side of the map. Tactical insertion is useful for staying up there, but beware your respawn!
- When playing demolition, the attacking team (bomb planters) have a very disadvantageous spawn point. It is recommended 2 or 3 people cut off from the group at the beginning to get to target B because nobody guards B until A is gone. Also, it is extremely easy to destroy B by planting right after someone plants at A. B can be defended very easily by a single bomber by either sitting on top of the rock adjacent to the cave exit (the one in the shadows) or sitting next to the pile of rocks on either side of the concrete catwalk (you don't have line-of-sight to the bomb from this location, but you can easily take out a defuser when you hear them open the suitcase).
- Because of the disadvantage the attacking team is at, Demolition matches will frequently go to a third round as neither team will successfully bomb both targets - the team lucky enough to defend in the third round will most likely win. Estate is similar in this regard.
- Hiding in between the 2 stalagmites in the cave and to the back of the eastern bunker make you very hard to see from outside; especially if you're playing as a sniper (ghillie suits eliminate shine, a big giveaway in the game) and/or if the enemy player has their brightness turned down. Beware however that thermal scopes make you a prime target (remember your ninja training!).
