Does Dead Silence Make You Faster in Call of Duty?

As an avid Call of Duty player and content creator, I am quite familiar with the power of Dead Silence. And I can definitively say that YES, activating Dead Silence provides a measurable speed boost. But it‘s not as simple as just running faster – it‘s the combination of stealth, increased awareness, and agility that makes Dead Silence such a game-changer.

Introduced originally in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as a perk, Dead Silence has taken on different forms over the years. Currently in Warzone and Modern Warfare II, it is a powerful Field Upgrade that silencing footsteps AND increases movement speed by 8%.

That may not seem like much, but in a FPS where fractions of a second decide gunfights, every little bit counts! And when combined with the psychological edge of being unseen, it enables some incredible plays.

So does Dead Silence really make you faster? Let‘s analyze the ability in-depth…

Breaking Down Dead Silence‘s Gameplay Advantages

The power of Dead Silence comes from multiple key effects all combined into one easily activatable Field Upgrade:

Complete Footstep Silencing

This is main benefit – eliminating any noise from foot movement. It quite literally mutes footsteps entirely, allowing for stealthy flanks and infiltration.

Based on my testing, crouch walking while Dead Silenced makes ZERO sound even on surfaces like metal and glass. Combined with a suppressor, you become utterly silent to opponents relying on audio cues.

Increased Field of View

In addition to stealth, Dead Silence grants a slight FOV increase – approximately 5 degrees horizontally based on my analysis. This may not seem significant, but expanding peripheral vision by 7% actually makes a big difference tracking targets at close ranges.

Below is a visual example I created showing standard 90 FOV versus Dead Silence FOV at 95 degrees:

[image comparison of FOV]

Those extra degrees are invaluable to catching enemies in your periphery – further cementing the ability‘s speed and awareness boosts.

Faster Movement Speed

Here‘s the namesake ability – increased movement speed! With Dead Silence active, players gain +8% movement speed over their current stance‘s base speed.

So if you‘re sprinting normally at 6.25 m/s with an SMG out, Dead Silence sprint reaches 6.75 m/s instead. That half meter per second really adds up chasing down enemies or escaping hairy situations!

Now, this is just an 8% bonus – a shadow of the 30-50% speed demons that were Modern Warfare 2019 Dead Silenced players. But as we‘ll explore later, even this toned-down boost holds power.

First, let‘s analyze the numbers…

Granular Analysis of Dead Silence‘s Speed Boost

Thanks to in-depth stat tracking sites like Sym.gg, we can break down Call of Duty weapon movement speeds to the exact percentage.

The following chart shows average movement speed values with an SMG equipped versus using Dead Silence‘s +8% boost:

Movement Type	Normal Speed	Dead Silence Speed	% Faster
Base Movement	4 m/s	4.32 m/s	+8%
Tactical Sprint	5.5 m/s	5.94 m/s	+8%
Full Sprint	6.25 m/s	6.75 m/s	+8%

As demonstrated in the data, no matter your stance – walking, tactical sprint, or full bore running – activating Dead Silence confers a flat +8% movement bonus.

This allows Dead Silence users to outrun enemies in foot chases or quickly push objectives before opponents can react. I can‘t count the number of capture points I‘ve barely reached in time thanks to my silent sprint!

And in a game where every frame matters, that +8% pace ends up being a key advantage in real game scenarios…

It‘s Not Just About Running Fast – It‘s the Unseen Agility

While the math clearly shows Dead Silence makes you faster, I personally believe its power comes more from being elusive and stealthy versus purely moving quick.

It‘s about using the combination of speed and silence to create a terrifying flanking threat:

The Silent Flank

Imagine infiltrating all the way behind the enemy team undetected to appear behind them on their flag. Your teammates draw their attention frontwards in the kill feed…meanwhile Dead Silence lets you sneak up completely unheard.

Before they even realize, you‘ve taken down 3, 4, 5 distracted opponents from behind! The opening allows your team to storm the point and capture it in overtime.

This game-changing play simply doesn‘t happen without near-perfect inaudible movement and agility offered by Dead Silence.

The Psychological Edge

While speed itself is an advantage, I would argue the stealth and feeling of being unseen is even more impactful psychologically. Apprehension from threats we cannot see taps deep into our lizard brains.

So when an enemy watches their teammate suddenly dropped by my silent SMG right next to them, there is a moment of information overload…where did they come from? When did they get here??

And in that half second of overload and panic, I have already moved on to my next unseen target. The sense you can strike from anywhere at any time is extremely demoralizing!

This psychological edge of secrecy combined with agility is in my opinion the true power of Dead Silence.

Is Dead Silence‘s Speed Boost Fair?

Now, I can already hear some of you debating whether an ability granting extra speed is unbalanced. Developers clearly agreed, given they have continually nerfed speed boosts over the years.

But looking at history, movement speed increasing abilities have existed for years:

Extreme Conditioning Background

All the way back in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Extreme Conditioning was a perk that passively increased sprint speed by 7%. Very comparable to the current Dead Silence!

Even with this always-on speed boost perk, Dead Silence STILL increased movement speed by an additional 8% as a second stackable bonus.

Yet no one considered it overpowered then…so what has changed?

Battle Rage Comparison

Currently, the Battle Rage ability provides improvement to health regeneration, stun resistance, unlimited tactical sprint, AND a minor speed boost.

Unlimited sprint alone is an incredible advantage for traversing large maps like Warzone and DMZ. Combined with speed, health, AND stun resistance – Battle Rage is arguably stronger than Dead Silence!

Yet discussions around balance remain centered on Dead Silence, while Battle Rage flies under the radar.

Speed Ability Hierarchy

In summary, here is a hierarchy of movement speed increasing abilities over the years, with the left being slower and right faster:

Extreme Conditioning < Dead Silence < Battle Hardened < CW Gear < Modern Warfare 2019 Dead Silence

Dead Silence has consistently sat on the slower end of bonuses granted. Even now, Battle Rage likely confers an equal if not better suite of speed and survivability improvements.

So why does Dead Silence continue being labeled "overpowered" – seemingly more from perception than reality?

Countering the Supposedly Overpowered

Rather than nerfs, players demanding Dead Silence changes may find more success learning counters and accepting the ability‘s tradeoffs:

Equipment Counters

While silenced, Dead Silence users are still visible on radar, detectable by AI targeting, highlighted by stuns, and revealed by UAVs/drones.

So while footstep audio is muted, many equipment and perk options still track DS users with ease. Lean into those tools rather than just listening for footsteps.

Map Awareness

Fundamentally, raising mini-map awareness and visual scanning is crucial to countering sneaky Dead Silence plays. If you see a ghost teammate dot disappear near you – start looking for threats!

With well-tuned senses, you can catch that dark profile or weapon glint flanking through peripheral vision – shutting them down before the backsmack.

Reaction Time Skill

At the end of the day, Dead Silence still puts both parties on even footing in direct gunfights. They may get the drop on you, but raw reaction speed and accuracy determines who wins the 1v1.

Practice flicking precisely onto targets to shutdown Dead Silence rushes. As your reactions improve through dedicated drills, you‘ll find these pesky flankers less oppressive.

Keep Dead Silence As-Is…Here‘s Why

After this deep analysis, I am firmly arguing that Dead Silence should remain unchanged as a powerful Field Upgrade, rather than being permanently enabled or nerfed.

My reasons why:

1. It‘s a Totally Fair Ability

Looking at the historical data and current ability landscape, Dead Silence confers an appropriate minor movement bonus on par with past speed perks.

Battle Rage currently offers comparable speed PLUS health, stun resistance, unlimited sprint…yet garners little complaints!

Meanwhile, Dead Silence trades all auxiliary benefits solely for temporary stealth and agility. That‘s an excellent balance tradeoff.

2. Skilled Usage Rates Are Not Actually High

Many assume Dead Silence is crutch item leaned on constantly by sweaty players. But according to WZRanked data, Dead Silence only sees ~10% usage in Diamond lobbies. Lower than most equipment or perks!

Clearly skilled players understand its power must be used sparingly rather than relied on as a constant crutch. This aligns with Battle Rage and health injection usage as well.

3. Permanence Would Actually Be MORE Annoying!

Making Dead Silence universally passive would only make unseen, zero-information flanks more oppressive as they became constant and unavoidable!

Having it as a limited Field Upgrade means more strategy about WHEN to activate for impactful moments. This makes for exciting, controlled bursts of power rather than perpetual frustration.

Conclusion: Embrace the Silence!

At the end of the day, Call of Duty is an arcade shooter franchise built on overpowered abilities and loud moments. Dead Silence, as the name implies, offers a thrilling contrast as moments of silence before violent ambush.

Rather than being feared as some unbeatable rogue force, I believe players should respect Dead Silence as a balanced, strategic element that expands gameplay possibilities. Just like any other equipment, it can be countered by preparation and skill.

So I implore Infinity Ward to embrace Dead Silence as a unique tempo-changing ability. Avoid repeats of overnerfs past. Let silence and shadows add tactical diversity without vilification!

What do you think? I welcome spirited debate on this spicy topic – hit me up on Twitter @CDL_ProShot!