CoD4 GuidesCoD4 Weapons: Skorpion Guide
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Introduction to the Skorpion
You may have tried out the Skorpion once or twice, laughed at its ridiculously small clip size and its weak medium and long range damage, and then switched back to a submachine gun that everyone loves, such as the P90 or the MP5. What most people don't realize is that, when used correctly, the Skorpion is actually one of the most lethal weapons in the entire game, in almost any situation, and at any range from point blank to extreme distances. It's one of the most versatile weapons, and can be utilized as the primary weapon for Spec Ops, Assault, and Stealth classes, as well as an excellent secondary weapon for a Sniper class with the Overkill perk.
Skorpion Statistics
If we look at the true weapon statistics (some of the statistics on this website are false), we can see one of the Skorpion's main advantages right away.
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At extremely close range, it packs a whopping 50 damage per bullet, more than any other submachine gun in the game. And to top it off, it spits out bullets at 850 rounds per minute, which is faster than both the MP5 and the AK-74u. This makes the Skorpion almost as effective as shotguns at this range. It does poor damage per bullet at medium and long range, but its other statistics show that it's extremely effective at any range, including long distances.
The range for the Skorpion looks pathetic on paper, as the numbers say 200-400, which is actually a shorter range than the shotguns. However, keep in mind that those numbers mean nothing when you're using your iron sights. The Skorpion's limited range simply means that you will have to use your iron sights when engaging a medium to long range target, which is something that you should be doing with most of your guns, anyway.
A lot of people overlook the recoil and kickback on submachine guns, but this is where the Skorpion truly shines. The recoil that's listed on CoD4 Central says "low horizontal," but it should probably be changed to "very low horizontal." In addition, it should be noted that the iron sights will never sway. Using this to your advantage makes it easy to eliminate targets at long range.
The Skorpion's main weakness is its clip size: a truly pathetic 20. That might sound like a fairly decent amount of bullets, but once you remember that your gun fires 850 bullets a minute, you can see how you can go through clips so easily.
Using Your Skorpion
The key trick to using the Skorpion is easy, but possibly counterintuitive, as it doesn't fully apply to any other gun in the game: when engaging a target, regardless of said target's range, spray without using bursts, and then reload as soon as the target is down, unless you are engaging multiple targets at once. Many guns are effective when sprayed without bursts at close or medium range, but the Skorpion is the single best gun in the game for spraying without bursts at long range. Its extremely low recoil ensures that you'll remain very accurate while unloading any number of bullets in one trigger squeeze, and because the sights do not sway, you can put many bullets into a stationary target without ever having to adjust your aim, and it's easier to keep a bead on a moving target than to do so with a gun such as the M4 Carbine. Once you get good with the Skorpion, you'll easily be able to land a plethora of hits on a target at any range in almost no time at all. This more than makes up for the Skorpion's low long range damage.
It's very important to reload this gun after each kill, unless you are attacking multiple targets (in which case it may not be safe to reload). When you get used to frequently reloading, the small clip size actually isn't that much of a disadvantage. The Sleight of Hand perk is obviously perfect for this gun, and it actually makes constantly reloading quite fun.
As with all submachine guns, the Skorpion should be fired from the hip when you are engaging targets at close range. The Steady Aim perk can be used to make this easier. You will obviously need to use your sights to engage targets at medium and long range. If you are not using Steady Aim, it's better to use your sights even at medium-close range.
If you remember to never fire in bursts, to always reload frequently, and to always use your sights unless you're at close range, you'll easily own with the Skorpion.
Click here for part 2 of the Skorpion guide
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