Metal Gear Online: CQC/Knife Guide

       ======================================================
 __  __     _        _    ___                 ___       _ _          
|  \/  |___| |_ __ _| |  / __|___ __ _ _ _   / _ \ _ _ | (_)_ _  ___ 
| |\/| / -_)  _/ _` | | | (_ / -_) _` | '_| | (_) | ' \| | | ' \/ -_)
|_|  |_\___|\__\__,_|_|  \___\___\__,_|_|    \___/|_||_|_|_|_||_\___|
  ___ ___   ___   _  __     _  __        ___      _    _     
 / __/ _ \ / __| | |/ /_ _ (_)/ _|___   / __|_  _(_)__| |___ 
| (_| (_) | (__  | ' <| ' \| |  _/ -_) | (_ | || | / _` / -_)
 \___\__\_\\___| |_|\_\_||_|_|_| \___|  \___|\_,_|_\__,_\___|

Version 1.00
By Travis Rappa (Dauragon C Mikado88)
======================================================

----------------------------------------------------
Updates
----------------------------------------------------
Version 1.00
Began the guide; actual content is complete. Future updates will include 
grammatical and spelling errors as well as additional strategies for section V 
when possible.

----------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
----------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction to CQC and Knifing
II. Basic Controls
III. Skills for successful CQC
IV. Skills for successful Knifing
V. Helpful Strategies
VI. FAQ
VII. Contact Info
VIII. Credits/Copyright

----------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction to CQC and Knifing
----------------------------------------------------
Metal Gear Online introduced a new concept in online action shooters called 
'CQC', literally meaning Close Quarters Combat. This technique was first 
applied in Metal Gear Solid 3 and its online counterpart included with Metal 
Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. CQC allows one player to grab or throw down another 
player when close. This is very useful as when fighting in close quarters, 
using a weapon is often unreliable, and if the enemy is utilizing CQC at close 
range, you are likely to be defeated.

Knifing is similar to CQC as it is only efficient when very close to an enemy. 
However the Stun Knife can be used to quickly dispatch opponents close to you, 
and can even stun multiple enemies if they are close together. With the right 
skill combination, it is possible to slit someone's throat for an instant-kill 
as well.

This guide is aimed at helping new players understand the basis behind CQC and 
also make it advanced enough to make CQC more viable to use in MGO.


----------------------------------------------------
II. Basic Controls
----------------------------------------------------
R1 is the default button used for CQC attacks. Holding down the button without 
moving will attempt to execute a grab, pressing R1 while moving will execute a 
throw down.

For that, take note of the weapon you have in your hand. While Assault Rifles 
are compatible with CQC they only allow throw-downs and you will not be able 
to grab your opponent. Sniper Rifles have no CQC ability what so ever.

Handguns, support weapons and no weapon are the best for CQC holds and 
maneuvers. However for throwing down and opponent for stun damage, assault 
rifle CQC does the best stun damage.

With that begin said to quickly recap on what you need to GRAB and HOLD your 
opponent in place:

1. Either a handgun, support weapon or no weapon equipped.
2. At least Level 1 CQC skill equipped (I will explain this more later)
3. You must not be moving your character as you execute the CQC attack.

Now that you have an opponent held in place, you have a number of options. 
Also note to keep holding down R1 while you have your opponent held or you may 
release the hold. 

To choke out an opponent and knock him out, firmly hold down R1 and you will 
begin choking him. Provided he does not break the hold, once his stamina bar 
depletes completely, you will release your opponent and he will be knocked out. 

You may also violently release him from the hold using the left analog stick 
either forward or backward and pressing R1. If done correctly you will toss 
forward the enemy on his stomach, or push him down on his back. This does 
moderate stun damage but will most likely not knock your opponent out.

By pressing X while holding your opponent, you will go into a crouching 
position. You will be unable to throw down your opponent at this point, but 
you may choke him still by firmly holding down R1. 

You can also bring him down to the floor while you are crouched by releasing 
R1 and very quickly holding it down again, while moving the left analog stick. 
At this point you can choke still, and it is the safest position to bring your 
opponent to incase he breaks free, and also makes you less visible from 
outside interference.

For the knife, you must obviously have the Stun Knife only equipped. You must 
ready the weapon similar to a firearm using L1, you can then either rapidly 
tap R1 for slashes in quick succession, or hold down R1 for a stab attack. The 
stab attack is an instant death to anything it touches.

That covers the basic maneuvers of CQC and Knives. However there are still a 
few more interesting abilities and perks you can have at your disposal with 
certain skills set. Read on to the next section to find out!

----------------------------------------------------
III. Skills for Successful CQC
----------------------------------------------------
As mentioned above, in order to grab an opponent in a hold, you must have at 
least Level 1 CQC skill set. In case you don't know how to set skills, go to 
Personal Data -> Skills in the main MGO menu. You may also set skills in a 
match briefing by looking for the skills button.

Once you have level 1 CQC skill set, you are ready to begin grabbing opponents. 
Read above for information on how to correctly grab people and basic maneuvers. 

There are 3 levels to CQC total. In order to level up your CQC ability you 
must grab people in holds (I do not know if you need to choke them out too, 
need confirmation on this). After a certain amount of holds you will notice a 
star to the right of your in-game skills display. This means you are ready to 
upgrade to level 2. To continue to advance your CQC ability, be sure to set 
your CQC to level 2. This will also cost 2 out of your 4 skill points to set. 
Once set, continue to perform CQC holds until it levels again. Level 3 will 
cost you 3 out of 4 skill points to set, and is also the maximum level. 

Here are the benefits of each level of CQC:

CQC LEVEL 1
Requirement: 1 Skill Point
Benefits: 
- Can grab opponents in CQC holds

CQC LEVEL 2
Requirements: 2 Skill Points
Benefits:
- Time needed to choke out opponent is reduced significantly.
- Throw down attack stun damage is increased significantly.

CQC LEVEL 3
Requirements: 3 Skill Points
Benefits:
- Disarm ability
- Time to choke out opponent is very quick.
- Throw down attack stun damage is a half an opponents' stamina bar.

Take notice of the 'Disarm' ability for Level 3 CQC. That is the 'grand' bonus 
of becoming a CQC master. The ability is exactly what it sounds like, it will 
allow you to strip an enemy of his weapon and even allow you to pick it up and 
use it as your own. To perform a Disarm, you must grab your opponent in a 
standing hold. As soon as you begin grabbing him, release R1 then press R1 
again all as you begin grabbing him, if done correctly you will pull back his 
arms and his weapon will be removed. Be sure to also hold R1 again after you 
perform the disarm. Once the disarm is performed you are free to choke out 
your opponent as usual.

If you are using CQC I personally recommend either keeping it at level 1 
simply to have the ability when needed, or take it all the way to level 3. 
Level 2 provides no direct benefits besides making your holds a bit more 
powerful. Level 3 CQC also depletes an enemy's stamina bar so quickly that it 
is impossible (never seen it done!) to break out of the hold. Unless of course 
you have low stamina yourself.

----------------------------------------------------
IV. Skills for Successful Knifing
----------------------------------------------------
Specializing in knifing is essentially the 'lethal' version of CQC. Successful 
knifers can instantly kill an opponent at close range, and if they get you in 
a grab, you can expect an instant death from a throat slit. This section of 
the guide will outline skills needed to knife properly, and the benefits of 
each level.

First, the skill that affects knives is 'Blades +'. Could this possibly be a 
hidden sign that swords will eventually be added? Only time will tell! Let's 
get right into the benefits of Blade + skill.

BLADES+ LEVEL 1
Requirement: 1 Skill Point
Benefits: 
-Knife stab is quicker (Does not affect slashes to my knowledge)

BLADES+ LEVEL 2
Requirement: 2 Skill Points
Benefits: 
-Knife stab speed is again increased.

BLADES+ LEVEL 3
Requirement: 3 Skill Points
Benefits: 
-Knife stab speed increased yet again.
-Ability to cut throats.*

Notice the asterisk next to cutting throats. What this means is that you only 
get this ability if it is paired with CQC Level 1. This basically confines you 
to a 1 CQC 3 Blades+ combination if you wish to cut throats. Obviously, you 
must have your opponent in a choke hold as well. You then simply press 
triangle and you will execute the throat slash. You can do the move either 
standing or crouching, but not laying down.

----------------------------------------------------
V. Helpful Strategies
----------------------------------------------------
This part of the guide is what CQC and Knife gurus might be looking for! Here 
I will post strategies that are useful for survival and offense on the 
battlefield. Expect this to be updated the most.

====================================================
CQC Strategies
====================================================
-By specializing in CQC you will want to focus on disarming as many people as 
you can. You may not actually want to kill everyone you see. By disarming an 
opponent you make him much less effective in the battle until he is killed off. 
You can of course steal an enemy's weapon and kill him, effectively increasing 
your weaponry arsenal. Starting with an M14 and stealing an enemy SVD can make 
you efficient at mid and long range firefights.

-Be prepared to play as stealthy as possible. There is no chance you are going 
to run up and CQC somebody while he has an M14 pointed at your head. Make use 
of tight corners; use the C-box in places the enemy wouldn't expect to see you. 
Once someone comes around, grab them in a hold and proceed as usual.

-Don't expect to always be the player with most kills at the end of the round. 
However, knock outs do contribute to your score and contribute more than 
lethal kills do. It's very possible for you to get a high score at the end of 
the round without ever killing a person.

-Bring an opponent down to the floor as much as you can. This makes you much 
less visible to other people who may come around and kill you.

-Expect kill steals. While I am not saying kill stealing is right, the major 
downside of CQCing people is that your teammates can get an easy headshot on 
him during this time. With that being said, opponents can also headshot you 
quite easily and release their held teammate. Be prepared for either scenario 
very often.

-With Level 3 CQC, a throw down is half an opponent's stamina. As soon as you 
throw him down, use a punch punch kick combo to knock him out while he is on 
the ground. This is useful for saving a lot of time over choking someone out.

-Crouching CQC grabs leave you less venerable if you miss, but have less range 
than a standing grab. Grabbing someone while crouching will make the hold 
begin in a crouching stance, allowing you to take them to the ground easier.

-If someone else is crouched, you must crouch as well to grab them. A standing 
grab will pass right through them. This is also useful for CQC defense.

=====================================================
Knifing Strategies
=====================================================
-To slit throats, you do not need the Stun Knife equipped. You can slit 
throats while having a handgun or no weapon equipped as well.

-Make good use of the stun attack on the knife. This can be invaluable if you 
are facing two enemies in a knife-only game. Stun one enemy, grab and kill the 
second one.

-If you specialize in using the knife, you will have to be sneaky just like 
CQCers. Use the C-box in well placed areas and hide behind tight corners. Wait 
for a victim to come by and either grab him and cut his throat or stun him 
using the knife.

-Always use the stab attack over the rapid slashes. An opponent can actually 
grab you or kill you before you finish the slashes. A stab attack will always 
kill instantly if it lands.

-Slitting throats while holding an enemy crouched is significantly faster than 
slitting a throat while standing. Making good use of this as these seconds 
saved could save your life from an attack.

-The stun attack on the stun knife has slightly more range than the regular 
stab. It also shocks other people that are close to the knife as well. You can 
actually stun groups of people at once if they are traveling very closely 
together. Very useful for knife only games.

-The stab attack can instant-kill the MK II that supports Snake in Sneaking 
Mission. This is actually the best way to put the MK II out of action. Luring 
it into using its shock attack then stabbing it as it is rooted is the best 
way to do it. 

-Use auto-aim for the knife always. Killing people when they are on the ground 
otherwise takes too much manual time to pull off. Auto-aim is incredibly 
useful for the knife, and it makes you far from a noob for doing so.

----------------------------------------------------
VI. FAQ
----------------------------------------------------
This section is dedicated to very frequently asked questions about CQC and 
knifing. You will notice I list some questions here that I covered in the 
guide as well; most of this will be a recap.

Q: I can't grab anyone in a hold?!
A: You must have at least CQC Level 1 to get people in a CQC hold. Assault 
rifles do not work for holds either. You must either have no weapon, a knife, 
or a handgun equipped.

Q: People keep breaking out of my choke hold. Why?
A: Some people are very quick a rotating the left analog stick and do not stay 
in holds long. Some people quick enough can even break out of Level 2 CQC 
holds. At level 3, you will always get your choke off. Also note that your own 
stamina determines how long you can hold the person for. Having a full stamina 
bar is essential for effective choking.

Q: I can't figure out how to Disarm with Level 3 CQC
A: For starters, you cannot disarm someone if you grab them while crouched. 
Both you and your enemy must be standing to disarm them. The moment you see 
you grabbed them, release R1 then keep pressing it until you see yourself pull 
your enemy's arms back and their weapon drop. After you see this, resume 
holding R1 to continue the choke.

Q: What is a good skill to use with Level 3 CQC?
A: Personally I find three good skills to combine with CQC that go hand-in-
hand with it. In order of best to worst:

1. Level 3 CQC + Level 1 Scanning.
Grab people in a choke hold with the Scanning Plug equipped and press triangle. 
This will leak their SOP information and give you enemy locations around the 
map. Very useful, then you can proceed to choke out your target afterwards.
2. Level 3 CQC + Level 1 Handguns.
This is mainly for people who focus on non-lethal combat and stunning. 
Handguns+ will reduce the reload time on the MK pistol and allow you to fire 
off those tranqs more quickly.

3. Level 3 CQC + Level 1 Blades
This is good if you want to use knives fairly decently as well. This will 
speed up your knife attacks which make you more viable in situations where you 
cannot CQC, or your CQC somehow fails. 

Q: Is there any way I can instantly knock out people with a slam like Snake?
A: At this time, no. Only Snake can instant-KO with one slam. However a slam + 
a punch punch kick combo at level 3 will KO an opponent quickly.

Q: Why can't I slit throats?
A. You must have Level 3 Blades + Level 1 CQC. No exceptions. You also cannot 
slit throats if you bring an enemy to the ground.

Q: Does Blades 1-2 and CQC Level 2 give any special abilities?
A: No. Only Blades Level 3 and CQC Level 1 and 3 give extra abilities. 

Q: How do I use the human shield feature?
A: You must grab an enemy with a handgun. Then hold down L1 and you will aim 
your gun. You can then release R1 and tap it to fire like usual. If you let go 
of L1, be sure to have R1 held down to continue the hold.


----------------------------------------------------
VII. Contact Info
----------------------------------------------------
E-mail: Neolavie@live.com
MGO ID: Crisis

If you need to contact me regarding corrections to the guide please do so. 
While I do play MGO, please do not contact me asking me constantly to have 
duels with you in CQC and/or knives. I do run a CQC and Knives clan on MGO 
called 'Aurora'. You are more than welcome to apply if you also love it. I 
might accept or respond to challenges but please don't take it personal if I 
answer late or don't answer at all. Sometimes I just don't have the time or 
the desire.

------------------------------------------------------
VIII. Credits/Copyright
------------------------------------------------------
I would like to thank Kojima Productions and the MGO team for making a worthy 
successor to MGO on the PS2. The game a lot of room for potential and I am 
looking forward to the expansion packs.

I would also like to express thanks to GameFAQs as well as other sites that 
have allowed and requested to host this guide.

The information expressed in this guide is copyright to me, Travis 
Rappa (Dauragon C Mikado88). By no means are you permitted to call 
this guide or information within this guide your own. You are not 
allowed to illegally host this file on your website without 
permission of myself first. Please contact me first if you wish to 
host this file, or use this information elsewhere.