Infinity Ward’s latest entry Call of Duty Modern Warfare is proving to be a surprise for fans and is generally seen as a step in the right direction for the franchise. For players jumping in or thinking about taking a chance on the newest entry in the Call Of Duty franchise there are some things to keep in mind.

Whether it’s the new tweaks to multiplayer, new game mechanics, or a story some consider controversial, here’s what you should know before starting this game.

10 Be Cautious

Many games in the Call Of Duty franchise have made the player feel like gun toting super heroes, resilient to most damage and capable of wiping out an entire army single-handed. Modern Warfare tones this down quite a bit and emphasizes the need to use cover, capitalize on opportunities when they arise and approach new situations strategically.

If you run in guns blazing, you’re going to die. If you take your time, utilize cover, and methodically advance on your enemies, you have a chance of doing well in this game.

9 Doors Are Opportunities

A great example of this at play is how you approach doors. Previous games either left them open or allowed you to bust them down without a second thought. Now they’re a weapon in your arsenal. With doors you can either crack them openly quietly or bust them down with a kick.

Cracking them open allows you to do a bit of recon on what you’re walking into, put your gun barrel through the opening and take out an enemy or two using the door as cover, or lob a grenade and hope it does it’s job. Busting the door down can be great for the element of surprise but should honestly be a last resort.

8 Open Linear

Another welcome change is having the ability to approach your objective in different ways using different routes. To be clear this is still a linear game that corrals you forward to your destination, but you have some options on the way there that can be capitalized upon based on your skills.

If you have lots of ammo you can take the straightforward approach. If you’re low on ammo you can keep to the shadows and get a few stealth kills. You can even find a building to hole up in and snipe the enemy as they come to you. Get creative and play on your strengths.

7 Gun Mounting

Speaking of sniping Modern Warfare has introduced the incredibly useful ability to mount your guns on surfaces. This is great for giving yourself some increased stability to get better headshots with a sniper rifle or to reduce the shakiness of your automatic weapons.

It’s a small touch that will get utilized a lot in this game given how often you’re meant to ambush the enemy and use cover. After playing through this game you’ll find yourself wondering why this hasn’t been a thing in all shooters since the dawn of time.

6 Double Sprint To Safety

For a long time the Call Of Duty series has had four speeds when it came to movement; crawling, duck walking/crouch walking, walking, and jogging. Modern Warfare has a sprint you can use in short bursts. The downside is that you can’t aim with your weapon or even fire the thing while sprinting.

But it’s incredibly useful for advancing to a new position during a lull in gunfire or falling back to cover when you walk into an ambush. It can’t be spammed, but you’ll find yourself using it a lot to get into a more strategic position.

5 Reload While Aiming

This is a great quality of life change that may not seem like a big deal at first but is incredibly useful at times in singleplayer and immensely helpful in multiplayer. While targeting an enemy through your sites you can reload the weapon without having to lower it.

This allows you to keep tabs on the enemy if using a scope so you don’t have to find them again and it allows you to keep the target painted for your allies in multiplayer. It’s a nice touch even if it sacrifices a bit on the realism with certain weapons.

4 Change Your Loadout In-Game

Speaking of multiplayer Modern Warfare gives you the ability to change your loadouts while in the spawn menu in multiplayer. Everything from weapon choice to accessory options can be tweaked or entirely altered before you reenter the gunfight.

This is great if you find yourself dying a lot and need to completely redo your loadout. Even if you don’t die very often it can be nice to tweak a few things to make sure you die less often.

3 Survival Mode Is PS4 Only

This is more for when you’re considering buying the game, but very important before you do, at least for now. At the moment Modern Warfare has a survival mode that’s exclusive to PS4 for an entire year before it gets released on PC and other consoles.

Survival Mode is the familiar wave upon wave of enemies that you and your friends must face as long as possible for the best score. Fans have said it doesn’t really introduce anything new but is a lot of fun and won’t be available on other consoles until Oct. 1 2020 so keep that in mind.

2 It’s Cross Platform

Perhaps the best feature introduced by Modern Warfare is the fact that it’s cross-platform multiplayer right out of the gate. You can jump into multiplayer with players on Xbox One, PS4, and the PC. This is great news if you have friends on other devices as you can all play together.

It is important to keep this in mind when diving into multiplayer. PC gamers are known for having superior accuracy and console players better mobility. You can pick whichever you want, just know you’ll be facing people on various devices.

1 The Story Is Divisive For Some

The final thing to consider is that some have felt the story is too politically divisive. Honestly the average gamer probably won’t care or even notice, but it is something to keep in mind when diving into the campaign.

Without spoiling anything the story basically states that war is hell and those involved on all sides must often become monsters in order to survive. You as the player are often put into these roles and the game is meant to make you feel like you’re as much the villain as you are the hero. It raises some tough questions on the morality of war no matter your political leanings or personal thoughts on warfare and is something to keep in mind before playing.

NEXT: Learn From the Pros: 10 Awesome Things Player Can Do In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare