What is strafing in MW3 and how to do it

Strafing in MW3 is similar to many other shooters in the genre. For long-time gamers, you’ve almost definitely strafed before in your matches, whether you know it or not.

Fear not, we have an explanation for you. It’s a simple trick that can help you complete those pesky MW3 challenges. 

Strafing in MW3 occurs when a player moves laterally. The added element to your challenge is to get the kill after it’s complete.

So, you’ll have to shoot after you’ve strafed. This means you’ll look at the opponent while strafing and take your shot as or after you’ve moved to the side. For gamers who’ve dabbled in VALORANT or CS2, this FPS element is integral—and it is in MW3 too. 

However, VALORANT and CS2 need players to stop dead in their tracks. Whereas any COD titles typically don’t need players to be still when shooting.

Strafing in MW3 will become second nature. That is, once you incorporate it into your gameplay. To strafe in MW3, all you have to do is press the A or D key while staring at an opponent. Follow this up with the shot and you’ve got your challenge kill.

Here’s a great example of YouTuber Blue using fast movement and strafing in MW3 for almost every kill.

For you console gamers, this means pushing your analog stick to the left or right and keeping your aim on your opponent. Tapping back and forth between bullet bursts is an effective way of making your player model hard to hit, while you shoot back at your opponent.

Strafing out behind cover with things like Stalker Boots is an incredibly effective way of racking up kills in MW3. Any weapon, perk, or item that increases your movement speed is going to help. Pair these with attachments that lower the time spent as you aim down your sights, and you’ll see a dramatic increase in strafing kills.

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