Many players wonder what the suppressor attachments in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are actually used for. Their description in the game is not necessarily detailed. We explain exactly what suppressors do and when they are worth using.
What are suppressors? Suppressors are an attachment for the muzzle and are available for almost every weapon in Modern Warfare. You can attach them through the gunsmith feature in the muzzle slot to the weapon. There are three different suppressors:
- Light Suppressor
- Tactical Suppressor
- Suppressor (Monolith)
Their main function is to, as the name suggests, dampen the sound and thus the volume of the shots. With a suppressor, it becomes harder for your opponents to locate or even notice you.
However, suppressors have even more functions.
Function and Impact of the Suppressors
This is their impact on gameplay: In Modern Warfare, there are two UI elements that show you the position of opponents: The minimap and the compass. The element relevant for suppressors is the compass.
The compass shows you at the top of the screen when nearby opponents fire a shot. If you fire an unsuppressed weapon, you appear as a red diamond on the compass. If you use a suppressor, you are not visible.
By the way, on the minimap, you are neither visible with nor without a suppressor when you shoot. The map functions differently than in previous titles and has been causing discontent in the community for a while now.
Suppressors and Killstreaks/Perks: An exception to this rule is provided by certain killstreaks. Here, personal radar and the drone (UAV) are particularly used to track opponents.
In addition, you can protect yourself from detection with the perk “Ghost”. However, this gets a bit complicated as suppressors interact with your detection:
| Killstreak | Suppressor + Ghost | Suppressor (no Ghost) | No Suppressor + Ghost | No Suppressor, No Ghost |
| No Killstreak | No Display | No Display | Only Compass | Only Compass |
| Personal Radar | No Display | Compass and Minimap | Only Compass | Compass and Minimap |
| Drone (UAV) | No Display | Compass and Minimap | Compass and Minimap | Compass and Minimap |
Suppressors and Ghost behave a little differently with a UAV. While the drone does show you on the minimap, it does so with a suppressor only briefly.
Ghost, however, gets deactivated for a few seconds when you fire a weapon. The YouTuber TheXclusiveAce demonstrated this in a video with slightly outdated information:
Suppressors as Weapon Attachments
This is their impact on weapons: Finally, suppressors also influence the performance of the weapons. It depends on which suppressor you use:
- Light Suppressor
- Dampens shots
- Reduces damage range by about 25%
- Tactical Suppressor
- Dampens shots
- Increases ADS speed (by one frame, not really noticeable)
- Reduces aim stability while moving (not really noticeable)
- Suppressor (Monolith)
- Dampens shots
- Increases damage range (by about 7.5%)
- Increases ADS speed (by one frame, not really noticeable)
- Reduces aim stability while moving (noticeable but not relevant)
Should I use suppressors? So, suppressors don’t really bring a significant advantage, especially since they take up a slot that could be used better.
Compensators or muzzle brakes usually offer stronger benefits. If you prioritize ADS speed like the best players, you should probably avoid them.
Special Suppressors for the MP5
These special attachments the MP5 has: A significant difference is made by the attachments for the MP5. This weapon has the option to use two integrated suppressors:
- Suppressor (integrated, Monolith)
- Suppressor (integrated, Subsonic)
The special thing here is that these attachments are meant for the barrel slot and not for the muzzle slot. Such integrated suppressors are only offered by three other weapons: the Kilo 141, the M13, and the M4A1.
Particularly, the subsonic attachment offers you advantages that no other weapon enjoys in this way.
This is what makes subsonic so strong: When you attach the subsonic attachment to the MP5, you essentially build the secret weapon MP5 Subsonic. Subsonic ammunition and the attachment provide you with several advantages in Modern Warfare:
- Sound is dampened
- Shots leave no visible traces
- ADS speed is increased
- Kills leave no skulls
With a subsonic MP5, you don’t have as much range, but you are hardly detectable. When you kill someone, no skull appears to mark the kill point for your opponents.
This build is therefore perfect for stealth play. If you want to know more, check out our detailed guide to the MP5 in Modern Warfare.
By the way, the secret MP5 is not the only secret weapon that can be built in CoD Modern Warfare:
- 15 secret weapons in CoD Modern Warfare and how to build them
- How to build the secret weapon G36 in CoD Modern Warfare and how strong it is
For all those who like to deal with different attachments, here are some suggestions you might not be aware of:
