Perks are arguably one of the most talked about topics in Call of Duty 4. The perks provide players with 3 extra attributes which are customizable to make up 5 specific classes which can be used to further whatever tactics a player might like to use. This addition has really broadened the genre into a kind of role play where you can truly become the type of military personnel you would like and have the abilities that will streamline your style of play using 3 of 22 perks.
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Equipping the Grenade Launcher or Front Grip attachments will prevent you from having a perk from Group #1
Perk Group #1 - You can only equip one perk from each group
The Frag x3 perk gives you three frag grenades. The usefulness of grenades depends entirely on your ability to judge where your enemy is going to run. Otherwise you'll need to take a chance and hold onto your grenade for a short period of time before throwing it.
The Bandolier perk gives you three times the amount of ammunition for your firearms. This perk goes especially well with liberal ammunition using perks like Double Tap.
The Bomb Squad perk allows you to detect explosives that are planted on the map. This perk may seem pointless, but it can really shine in a competition match where you know that there are people who absolutely love to use C4's and Claymores.
When enabled, you will have two C4's per spawn.
The (2x) C4 perk gives you two C4 explosives that you can detonate remotely using the fire button. They can also be set off while you're on your primary weapon by double tapping the "X" button. Of course, just remember that they can also be set off by enemy gunfire, or your own gunfire.
The (2x) Claymore perk gives you two Claymores that you can plant anywhere on the map. They blow up as soon as somebody gets within the range of the claymore's light sensors. The sensors are fairly easy to notice, and the explosion is very directional, so unless somebody directly walks into, they probably won't die from the blast. Use them liberally and hide them behind corners. Often you'll get lucky, or at least you'll know where the enemy is coming from.
The (3x) Special Grenades perk gives you three special grenades as opposed to just one. Only Stun and Flash grenades can be selected. The Smoke grenade is not allowed with this perk. With the proper use of your radar, and some liberal use of your grenades, you could very easily catch somebody off guard, or simply find somebody at random with the "X" indicator on your screen.
The (2x) RPG-7 perk gives you an RPG-7 anti-tank weapon and 2 rockets which are absolutely crucial for shooting down Helicopters. Their usefulness grows as they can be used to destroy objects on the map, such as cars that your enemy is hiding behind.
Perk Group #2 - You can only equip one perk from each group
Juggernaut decreases the amount of damage taken from bullets and explosives to 75%. In practice, this allows the player to survive one extra bullet hit. However, if the enemy player whom is using the perk Stopping Power is shooting at the player using Juggernaut, the game calculates the damage without the perks.
Overkill allows you to carry two primary weapons at once, in both the Primary and Secondary slots. This allows you to replace your secondary pistol, with a secondary weapon of your choosing. This can make for a great deal of interesting weapon combinations.
Sleight of Hand makes you reload faster. For example: with a G36C, the reload time goes from 2.1 seconds to 1 seconds flat. Application of logic would indicate that 50% reduction in time would go for all weapons.
Sonic Boom increases the damage taken from explosives by 25%. In practice, this increases the lethal range of explosives.
Stopping Power increases the firearms damage by 40%. In practice, this allows the player to take down their target with one less shot. However, for M14 for example, the effect of stopping power is negligible, as the player still has to shoot 2 bullets at the target for a kill. 50HP*1.4=70HP. If the target is using the Juggernaut perk, the game discards both perks and calculates the damage without either of them.
Gives a 50% increase in ROF.
Double Tap gives you a 50% increase in your weapon's Rate of Fire. This can be a boon for weapons that have a particular slow rate of fire. A good combination perk would be Bandolier, since you'll be going through a great deal of extra ammunition while using this perk. This particular feat can also be very worth-while for slower firing guns such as the shotgun.
You will not be detected by the UAV, however if the weapon without a silencer is used, you will still appear as a dot on the enemies radar.
Perk Group #3 - You can only equip one perk from each group
The Extreme Conditioning perk allows you to run for a much longer time, and is great in larger maps where you need to get to a certain point faster than someone else. The amount of time of the increase is roughly 2 times the normal sprint time.
Deep Impact increases the penetration and damage of all weapons through walls or cover. Consider this; it also gives lower powered weapons a bit of a damage boost too, meaning it may be a good idea to use it with the M16 and the P90, even if you don't plan on shooting through a lot of walls with those guns.
Allows you to listen in on enemy conversation within 30 meters (approximately 90 feet).
Eavesdrop allows you to listen to enemy conversations within 30 meters (approximately 90 feet). This is a great tool to use against those people in competition matches who are well known for using Stealth Perks that make them hard to find on a map or radar.
Increases the time you can hold your breath while zooming in with a sniper to 8 seconds.
Pull out a pistol after you are downed to shoot your killer before you bleed out.
The Last Stand perk gives you one last chance to shoot the person who had killed you, with your pistol side-arm. Of course, this has limited usefulness, since most people tend to wait and shoot at any dead bodies that still show up as red on their cursor.
Drop a grenade just before you die to kill any nearby enemies.
Martyrdom allows you to drop a grenade just before you die. This can help you, by killing any enemies that are near your body when the grenade explodes.
You make less noise as you move.
The Dead Silence perk allows you to make less noise as you move around; thereby allowing you to sneak around much easier. People won't hear you on floorboards, or anything else that creaks or rustles, giving you a much better chance at ambushing them.
Increased hip-fire accuracy as it cuts your reticle diameter (or grouping) from hip fire down by half.
The Steady Aim perk gives you better aim when you are firing from the hip, as it cuts your reticle diameter (or grouping) from hip fire down by half. Steady Aim is great to use on full-automatic weapons that have a fast rate of fire, however it doesn't have the same amount of usefulness on single shot weapons.
