Best Riot Shield Counters in MW2 and Warzone 2 – Guide

Riot Shields are known to be the most frustrating part of any Call of Duty Game, outside of bugs and campers. But combine all three of these and you are in for the worst time of your life. Even playing the original Modern Warfare 2 (2009) in my adolescence I remember despises the way that they coded the enemy AI who rocked those Riot Shields like a second skin. Often the only way to beat these were to throw Flashes and get behind them to stop them in their tracks. But this same procedure cannot be done in Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer. Due to the intelligence and downright annoyance of Riot Shield users, this is our guide on the best Counters you can use against Riot Shield players in Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer and Warzone 2.0.

Best Counters Against Riot Shield Users

Destroy their Defences

As the Riot Shield covers the whole surface of the player’s body, facing this player up front can be incredibly tough. But this is our first recommendation for the best Counters against Riot Shield players. What you need to do is equip the Drill Charge in your Loadout. This is located under the Lethal Equipment Tab, therefore it has limited use. But by combining it with the Field Upgrade Munitions Box or using the Scavenger Perk, you can replenish your equipment relatively easily mid-match. Keep in mind that when using this Lethal Equipment, you need to be accurate with it. Take it as you are either throwing a Semtex of Thermite right at the Riot Shield. The Drill can be placed at any part of the Riot Shield but aiming for the chest and higher will be best.

When using the Drill Charge, should you successfully stick the Drill onto the Riot Shield, the Drill will effectively tick away health on the player underneath. Similar to the Mad Maggie’s Riot Drill in Apex Legends which behaves the same way. The Drill negates the use of the Riot Shield, burning a hole into the Shield, thus destroying its defences and making it so that the player underneath is killed almost on impact. What the Drill does most effectively however is that unlike the Grenade, Semtex and Thermite, you cannot be killed through its use when the Riot Shield user chases after you in an attempt to get your player to “make mistakes”.

Use Speed to Your Advantage

When faced with the predicament of a Riot Shield user, you can either join them or more appropriately, beat them. Therefore, instead of opting for the Riot Shield life, you should choose agility above all. This means choosing the appropriate SMG, usually Stockless and with a Laser sight, so that you can move quickly behind the Riot Shield player and take advantage of their slow movement and limited Perks due to rocking double primary weapons. An SMG in combination with Dual Akimbo Pistols will do the job in getting behind the enemy lines. For Lethal Equipment, choose the C4, where you can throw this above the Riot Shield when you are successfully facing their back. Alternatively you can use either the Semtex or Thermite, but make sure that you are not sticking this against the Riot Shield.

Related: Best Meta Weapons and Classes to Use in Warzone 2.0.

You will want the Field Upgrade Dead Silence so that you can reposition and get around the Map without being noticed. You do not need to add a Suppressor to your Weapon as you will want the highest damage possible to quickly take out a Riot Shield user.

Get Tactical on it

Our final recommendation for the best Counters against Riot Shield players is to utilize a specific Tactical Equipment. This is the Shock Charge, an underrated and hardly used item in Modern Warfare 2 due its limited effectiveness when against standard players who enjoy SMG or Shotgun loadouts. The Shock Charge is only effective against enemies who are often seen standing still, typically those rocking a Sniper Rifle. But this item works incredibly well against Riot Shield users. The reason for this is that it is easy to use to stick onto the large surface of the Shield and will shock the player so that you can easily shoot them.

Use the Environment to your Advantage

This is for Warzone 2.0 players specifically. When faced with Riot Shield players, they will likely appear in packs, with their Squad rocking this gear. Therefore, you should use your environment when facing these enemies. This means to head to areas on the Map that are in the open, such as Buildings with large lobby areas or outside with a lot of cover to utilize. Never trap yourself within a corridor or another narrow space as you will easily get killed by either a Throwing Knife, Thermite, or bombarded with Stuns and Flash Grenades.

This Class is there to troll you and make your life a living hell, so to combat this, make sure that you are nowhere near a Riot Shield player. Gain height against them and be sure to utilize any of the equipment listed above when you see an opening. The Riot Shield Class is slow and can easily be punished. But if you let it get close where you have nowhere to run to, you will be the one getting punished as they tea-bag your body when attempting to Self Revive.

That was our guide and recommendations of the best Counters to use against the Riot Shield. We hope this helped you in creating the perfect Anti-Riot Shield Class. We have a lot more Call of Duty content on Gamer Journalist, so feel free to check it out if you are interested. As always, thanks so much for reading!