Modern Warfare 2: How to avoid and fix bugs in Recon by Fire campaign mission

While Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 arrives on October 28, those who preordered the game can play its campaign up to a week earlier than the rest of the world.

With almost eight to ten hours of gameplay in the campaign, the presence of glitches and bugs is not a rare occasion. In fact, one may come across numerous issues in a triple-A video game, and Modern Warfare 2 is no exception. That being said, here is a look at known issues and fixes for "Recon by Fire," the ninth mission of the campaign.

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All known issues and fixes for "Recon by Fire" mission in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

The ninth mission of the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 campaign takes players to an island off the coast of Spain. They must locate the missiles belonging to Hassan, the main antagonist of the game. The location consists of a hatchery and lighthouse, all heavily guarded by the cartel, which players need to take out during the mission.

Recon by Fire is one of the more challenging missions in the game, requiring one to time their shots and be stealthy while infiltrating the location. Unfortunately, the mission contains a few bugs. The following methods work as useful fixes:

Bug: Modern Warfare 2 crashes during Recon by Fire

In-game footage from Modern Warfare 2 (Image via Activision)

Modern Warfare 2 seems to have a bug that crashes the game during Recon by Fire. The issue is more prominent on the PC version. While such problems are expected to be fixed and optimized through patches and updates, players can execute the following steps for a quick solution:

• Fix #1: Move game files or install the game in an SSD.
• Fix #2: Playing the game in lower settings (Avoid recommended video settings)
• Fix #3: Closing apps running in the background and restarting the game.

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Bug: Guards patrolling the area not re-entering the vehicles

In-game footage when guards are patrolling the area (Image via Activision)

After sniping the cartel members in the lighthouse and hatchery, the player is required to enter the location. Before that, however, a couple of vehicles with armed guards will sweep in to check the area, prompting one to stay low.

The issue here is that the guards, after patrolling the area, do not tend to exit the location. Instead, they keep patrolling and take a while before leaving. Here are some known fixes for the issue:

• Fix #1: Continue being stealthy and move forward while proning.
• Fix #2: Eliminate the guards.
• Fix #3: Wait for the guards to leave the area or move further away from your location.

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Bug: Audio issues/glitches during Recon by Fire mission

Audio plays an important role in this mission overall. Not only do players have to make decisions based on Captain Price's instructions, they must also focus on the game's audio to estimate enemy positions and maintain stealth. Some known fixes for audio issues are as follows:

• Fix #1: Turn on subtitles.
• Fix #2: Restart the mission/game/system.

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Bug: Issues with progression/achievements/checkpoints not being recognized by the game

Recon by Fire requires players to maintain a certain level of stealth whilst executing Price's instructions. While it is easy to get carried away and devise your own strategy, the game might go haywire. Unfortunately, some instances may not load checkpoints or award "Nobody Was There" achievement.

Some known ways to avoid this issue are as follows:

• Fix #1: Maintain stealth at all costs.
• Fix #2: Follow Price's instruction.
• Fix #3: Don't trigger the alarms.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available for pre-order and is set to be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, both on Battle.Net and Steam.