Modern Warfare 3 Melee Backstab Kills Featured Image
Image: Sledgehammer Games

How to get Melee Backstab Kills in Modern Warfare 3

A knife in a gun fight.

Being a backstabber will now be rewarded by the higher-ups. Hooray. Here is how to get melee backstab kills in Modern Warfare 3.

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Modern Warfare 3: How to get Melee Backstab Kills

Using the latest technology in weaponry has never discouraged players from just using their own hands and a very sharp knife to deal with things. Well, thankfully, that’s what Week 5 of Season 2 of Modern Warfare 3 is asking from us: to backstab our enemies to get the SOA Subverter.

Now, regular melee is hard enough under regular circumstances, making backstab kills almost a herculean task. However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances.

Flank your enemies by covering the map’s border

Modern Warfare 3 Flanking
Image: Sledgehammer Games

One of my favorite things to do in the original Modern Warfare trilogy was flanking the enemy team. That is to use stealth to get to the enemy’s spawn point and shoot them from behind. Of course, this only works in medium to large maps. Just imagine doing this in Shipment, you will get shot to oblivion! Walk or run through the borders and locate the enemy spawn points to approach them and use your melee attack when you are behind an enemy. I recommend the following maps due to the number of blind spots available for you to surprise enemy Operators:

  • Afghan
  • Derail
  • Estate
  • Invasion
  • Karachi
  • Quarry
  • Sub Base
  • Underpass

I would strongly suggest to avoid the following maps due to their small size:

  • Das Haus
  • Stash House
  • Rust
  • Shipmas
  • Meat
  • Shipment

Conceal your presence to increase your backstab kills chances

Modern Warfare 3 Dead Silence Field Upgrade
Image: Sledgehammer Games

If you choose to backstab your kills in regular modes, then concealing your presence is the best way to increase your stealth and survival possibilities. I recommend using the Dead Silence field upgrade – unlocked through the Armory Unlocks system – which will make your footsteps silent and will apply Ghost. Not only that, but all Gun, melee, and knife kills will refresh the duration of its effects, making it the ideal field upgrade to get backstab kills.

Play Infected, and play as the infected

Modern Warfare 3 Infected
Image: Sledgehammer Games

Now, I know that you will want to survive the incoming melee-only no-face enemies coming for you and your face, but maybe you would want to reconsider using guns. You see, the Infected mode will oftentimes feature a predominance of the infected players above the survivors, which means that your chance of landing melee kills is higher.

I suggest offering yourself as a tribute to the infected and then attempting to kill the survivor Operators using flanking strategies while the other Infected distract them. Here are other game modes I think could also work for you:

  • Domination
  • Hardpoint
  • Control
  • All or Nothing

You can also test your luck in Hardcore mode and use the tips above — except for Infected, of course. However, the amount of risk outweighs the benefits in my opinion, but you can give it a try. Since this is tied to a Weekly Challenge, be sure to check out how to unlock more aftermarket parts during Modern Warfare 3 Season 2.


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Author
Alejandro Josan
A musician with a heart of a gamer, Alejandro's life has always been accompanied by adventures on Nintendo platformers, countless hours of fantasy RPGs and several third-party FPSs. Currently, he is studying Game Design and Development and Creative Writing, preparing for a long career in the video game industry.