 | Call Of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare |
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare depicts the .50 AE version of the Desert Eagle, as the in-game model has a seven-round magazine. It is a very powerful pistol; it can kill in two hits at close range. Although the other pistols can do the same, the Desert Eagle is unique in that it does not require Stopping Power to achieve two-hit kills, making it the pistol of choice for players using Juggernaut. Stopping Power with the Desert Eagle is a waste, as it does not reduce the number of shots needed to kill the target at close range, though it will help against Juggernaut users and at long range. The Desert Eagle has incredibly high accuracy while not aiming down the sights compared to any other gun in the game. Unlike the other pistols, it cannot be fitted with a silencer. The Desert Eagle is unlocked at level 43, and a golden version is unlocked at Commander (Level 55), making it the only golden weapon that doesn't require the completion of any expert challenges to acquire.
The Desert Eagle is popular because of its sheer power. However, some people choose to avoid it as it has a low magazine capacity of just 7 rounds (and a total ammo count of 21), is one of the loudest weapons in the game, and has high visual recoil.
The Desert Eagle can only be found in the single-player level Crew Expendable, although it is seen wielded by Imran Zakhaev in The Coup and Game Over, and is wielded by Khaled Al-Asad in the level The Coup. However, you can see the weapon is handed to Al-Asad in Coup by Zakhaev showing it actually belongs to Zakhaev and is probably the same weapon as used in Game Over. The pistol can only be obtained if you run ahead of your teammates in the first cargo hold, at which point an Ultranationalist leaps out of a storage container armed with the pistol. Contrary to popular belief, Sgt. Griggs does not use a Desert Eagle while saving Soap in Game Over, but a nickel-plated M1911 .45.
 | Call Of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 |
In terms of gameplay, the Desert Eagle is similar to the one in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. However, it's rate of fire has been capped (In Single Player), and the recoil compounds more significantly, making it harder to manage when aiming. The recoil thus makes it unable to be used as a "sniper" for larger maps. The Desert Eagle's rate of fire was changed in one of the early patches.
In addition, the ironsights are slightly off-center. The gun now sports a two tone color scheme, as opposed to the all-chrome finish it had previously in the last game. The Desert Eagle is seen with a tactical rail integrated into the top and underside of the barrel, and also with a tactical flashlight (used for aesthetic purposes only) mounted underneath. Another new feature is the addition of white dot sights.
It appears alongside another powerful handgun: the .44 Magnum. Since the .44 Magnum is unlocked before the Desert Eagle, is more accurate with less recoil, and has more spare ammo (6+36 rounds), it is the more popular of the two.
With Akimbo, the Desert Eagle can kill a target by simply firing both guns at the same time (assuming both shots hit the target, and you have Stopping Power equipped). This can make it very effective at close range.
Trivia
- In the armory in F.N.G. there is a two tone Desert Eagle, the same color scheme used in Modern Warfare 2.
- The Desert Eagle's front iron sight is backwards in game.
- Khaled Al-Asad wields a Desert Eagle but never gets to use it in the level Safehouse. However, the player can by typing "give deserteagle" in the console, on the PC version, during the level.
- On Infinity Ward's website the Desert Eagle was voted the favorite weapon of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
- The Desert Eagle from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare can be seen at multiple times in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign, including in the hands of Cpl. Dunn inS.S.D.D., in the bunker in Second Sun, and near Raptor in Wolverines! and by the dead VIP.
- A Desert Eagle shot can be heard when you Prestige in Call of Duty 4. A similar but not the same sound can be heard when prestiging Modern Warfare 2.
- The Desert Eagle can make the Juggernaut stumble along with the Barrett .50cal.
- Occasionally an enemy may drop a Desert Eagle on a different Modern Warfare mission.
- The Desert Eagle is capable of one-shot kills at any range in hardcore mode (assuming the target is not using Juggernaut, Last Stand, or behind cover.)
- The Desert Eagle .50 should do more damage than the .44, as .50 Action Express rounds strike with about 140% of the energy of a .44 magnum round.
- When firing the Desert Eagle with both hands in game, the recoil is easier to notice than when using a tactical knife, which is rather amusing since when using the tactical knife the player character is using only one hand.
- In the game Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, the sights for the Desert Eagle are wrong. The teeth are actually closer together, but in Modern Warfare 2 they are spread out more.
- It is possible, but very difficult, to fire two Desert Eagles at once, especially firing with one hand. It is unlikely that in reality a person could accurately do this.
