Multiplayer

This section covers general strategies specific to SWAT 4's multiplayer modes. You'll find info on additional weapons and protection found in multiplayer as well as tips on the different game modes.

Additional Weapons and Protection

SWAT 4's multiplayer modes add some new hardware to the weapon and equipment arsenal. Primary weapon selection also features the AK-47 machine gun. It has a slower fire rate and muzzle velocity than the carbine but uses a higher caliber bullet for added damage against heavy armor targets (FMJ ammo). The GAL sub-machine gun offers an extremely high rate of fire but with a lot of kick back (difficult to keep aim steady in full auto mode). It's also equipped with a sound and flash suppressor. Finally the Colt Python is a .357 magnum packed with a serious punch balanced by a slow rate of fire and long reload (though the potential for one shot slaughters). All of these weapons lack tactical flashlights.

You can equip protection in multiplayer. Wear the helmet to nullify flashbangs and add damage protection to the head region. The other choice is to wear the gas mask. It provides immunity to CS gas grenades and greatly reduces the duration of pepper spray and pepper-ball attack. However, it restricts vision and offers no additional head armor. You can also choose between light and heavy body armor. Light armor protects better from hollow point ammo and buckshot; heavy armor reduces the effect of stinger grenades and less-lethal shotguns, but more vulnerable to assault rifles.

General Tips

• In Barricaded Suspects where arrests matter, consider the taser as your secondary weapon. You can make a quick arrest if you sneak up on an opponent. Aim true and nail your foe with the taser stun gun. Switch to handcuffs and complete the restraint for extra points.
• Like the single-player career game, you can die very quickly, often before you even know where the shot was coming from. Although it's wise to stick together, it can be a double-edged sword. By sticking together, you increase your chances of scoring kills when outnumbering opponents. On the other hand, if you're all wearing helmets and an unseen foe drops a CS gas grenade at your feet, your "sticking together squad" could be incapacitated and arrested easily.
• While sticking together, know the entrances and exits of your current location. If necessary, close and wedges doors to protect a vulnerable flank while you maintain watch on a high-traffic hallway and wait for enemies to attempt and maneuver through.
• Adjust your equipment to the other team's trends. If the other team is using a lot of gas grenades, switch to the gas mask. If the team is using flashbangs, wear a helmet. Consider this a chess game that's likely to go back and forth.
• Multilevel rooms or stairwells are some of the most dangerous areas in multiplayer. It can be difficult to spot enemies on an upper balcony or window and extremely hazardous attempting to ascend a stairwell with a waiting enemy on top. Inside a stairwell, toss a stinger grenade to the upper flight as you work your way up the stairs. In a multilevel room, lean around corners and search for enemy positions while remaining mostly behind cover. If you spot an enemy, toss a stinger at the enemy's position and quickly advance through the area to an area without disadvantage.
• Like the career mode, you're much more accurate when not moving (or crouched). Running around wildly and attempting to hit a target--even a stationary target--won't be consistently successful. You should avoid being out in the open to begin with so practice remaining behind cover, crouched, and fire with short, controlled bursts to increase accuracy.
• In Rapid Deployment, the SWAT team should work on careful, cautious advancement and gaining a foothold on particular areas. This way the team can push forward in protection of one another and reach the bomb sites. Close off and wedge entry points behind you and maintain awareness on all vulnerabilities around your position. Protect teammates attempting to disarm bombs. The extra seconds, even if you perish, could allow your teammate to diffuse the bomb. Work as a team in rushing a single bomb site to overwhelm a spread out suspect team.
• Suspects in Rapid Deployment should focus on chokepoints leading to bomb sites. Minimize the number of available paths to each bomb site. Don't panic if you lose a bomb or two. Focus on the protection of fewer bomb sites. If and when you're down to a single bomb site, fall back but maintain a perimeter. For example, if all suspects hide within the same room with the bomb, a batch of sting grenades from unseen SWAT members could dizzy the entire team.
• In VIP Escort, the VIP isn't completely defenseless. The VIP carries a handgun, two clips, a gas grenade, pepper spray, and a door wedge. It's enough to provide support but not sufficient to fend off a group of suspects. Obviously stick close to the SWAT team and regroup as needed to remain strong in numbers. Close off passages with door wedges to slow down suspects.
• The VIP's survival is important to both teams. The suspects must capture, hold, and then assassinate the VIP. Once the VIP is captured, the task somewhat resembles one final bomb in the Rapid Deployment mode. Guard the VIP at close-quarters but maintain a perimeter so a fury of grenades doesn't immobilize the entire team. Keep an eye on the VIP, who can move slowly around even while restrained. Use pepper spray or a taser to control the VIP.