Modern Warfare 3 added a slew of new features to Call of Duty, including something called Tac Stance that’s required to complete challenges like the camo grind and much more.
Tactical Stance is the perfect middle ground between full aim-down-sights and hip-fire action, allowing for more efficient close-range battles with improved accuracy in MW3.
Swapping to Tac Stance can mean the difference between a victorious gunfight and a silent post-game lobby with your friends, and we’ll show you exactly how to use (and disable) it below, especially since weekly and camo challenges often require them.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tac Stance in MW3 and how to get kills with it.
What is Tactical Stance in MW3?
Activision describes Tactical Stance or Tac Stance as “the perfect middle-ground between hip-firing and aiming down sights.” Tactical Stance gives players better movement and handling at the cost of precision and is the default firing mode while sliding.
Visually, your character will turn the weapon you’re aiming with sideways and your crosshair will change. You’ll be able to move faster than you can while aiming down sights normally.
How to get Tac Stance kills in MW3
To use Tactical Stance in MW3, toggle in and out of Tactical Stance by pressing the specific key while aiming down the sights of your weapon to move the gun away from your shoulder and into a canted position.
By default on controller, you can enter Tac Stance by aiming down sights and then pressing down on the D-pad. You can change the specific button within the game’s “Tactical Stance Activation” setting in the Gameplay tab. This is how to get Tac Stance kills in MW3.
Tac Stance is a great option to get kills for players like me who like to fight on the move. You might not need to use it if you’re holding a long-range angle or holding multiple spots from a corner, but if you’re pushing into a building or running into a group of enemies at close range, Tac Stance will easily rack up multiple kills with its increased accuracy as you fly by.
One of the most efficient ways to get Tac Stance kills is by playing on small maps in Hardcore playlists. Since player health is so low, you don’t have to worry about hitting multiple shots accurately. Players usually die in one or two shots, so wait for a playlist like Shipment 24/7 and toggle it on in Hardcore modes for easy Tac Stance kills.
Tac Stance usually isn’t the best method for kills, but since challenges often require them, it’s sometimes a necessity to use.
How to disable Tac Stance in MW3
Tactical Stance can be disabled in the Gameplay tab of either the controller or KBM settings. Simply scroll down to the Tactical Stance Activation setting and select “OFF.”
Disabling Tactical Stance will remove the pop-up when aiming down sights. But it won’t remove the Tactical Stance activation while sliding unless you have the Tactical Pads equipped. Tactical Pads allow you to fully ADS while sliding and will remove the automatic Tac-Stance when sliding.
When to use Tac Stance in MW3
Since Tactical Stance is best used for close-quarters combat and fast movement, the submachine gun will be one of the best options for running and gunning. You could also use Tac Stance to get kills when switching to a secondary weapon, especially when you’ve run out of ammo on your primary and are looking for a final option.
