The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday


 * General Shepherd: "Boys, I know I'm sending you into the meat grinder on this one..."
 * Captain Mactavish: "They're defending it, so it means we want it. Especially if it gets us to Six-Two-Seven."
 * — Shepherd and MacTavish during the briefing.

"The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday" is the ninth campaign mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The main objective of the mission is to eliminate hostiles and rescue three rooms full of hostages on an oil rig being used as a SAM site in order to allow Task Force 141 to infiltrate the Gulag and extract Prisoner 627. The player takes control of Gary "Roach" Sanderson.

Main Characters

 * Gary "Roach" Sanderson (Playable)
 * John "Soap" MacTavish
 * Simon "Ghost" Riley
 * Peasant
 * Robot
 * Zach

Level Briefing
"The Only Easy Eay...Was Yesterday

Day 5 - 05:48:43-50

Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Task Force 141

Vikhorevka 36 Oil Platform, East Russia

Walkthrough
The player will begin the level by riding on a SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) from the USS Chicago, a Los Angeles-class submarine, to the oil rig. Once the SDV reaches the oil rig, the player and MacTavish will perform coordinated execution of two guards. By the time the guard is disposed of, two friendlies will assist the player in getting up onto the platform and the team will move out to the first deck.

The second enemy the player comes across, is the guy smoking with his back turned. He has 1 HP and can be killed by a shot anywhere with any weapon. Take him out, then move past him and breach one of the two doors ahead. There are no explosives in this room and few enemies, so it's hard not to kill everyone. Mind the hostage in the back right corner; dead ahead if one breaches the far door. There's an enemy using him as a human shield. Once the hostages are secure, follow MacTavish to deck two.

Proceeding to deck two, there are no guards in this area until you breach; once you've cleared the room, plant C4 on the bodies and retreat to the scaffolding where MacTavish sets up. The detonator will be in their hand, and once they get your weapons back they will notice that the suppressors have disappeared. If the player really cares, they can swap one of the weapons for the MG4 at the base of the scaffolding before they breach. That way, the silencer will stay on it and they can swap back to it later.Once the enemies move into the room the player just breached, follow MacTavish's order and detonate the C4. Once the player has taken out all the guards, they must continue through the next area and up the stairs.

Mind the two guys at the top of the stairs; MacTavish and Ghost will eliminate them if you wait. Then move up and take a position behind the first piece of cover. A whole pile of enemies will now spawn and fan out. Use the huge tanks to blow up the first wave as they rappel in, then pick the rest off as they come. Mind the fragmentation grenades getting thrown at you, and also the shotgun-toting enemies that will flank you through the warehouse area on the right. After a bit, the Little Bird shows up. Try to hit it with your M203 before its guns spin up; if you miss, just grab an AT4 either from outside or from the warehouse and take it out. Once all hostiles have been eliminated, move around the corner where you'll find the first weapon stash—two F200s and an Intervention, all with Thermal Sight. Take what you want and then follow Soap up the stairs to another weapon stash. You can choose to follow MacTavish down a second set of stairs, essentially flanking all the hostiles. The alternative is retreating down the stairs after grabbing the Claymores and helping Ghost take them out at a distance. Either way, clear the area and move up the final set of stairs to the fourth and final deck.

Before you reach the fourth deck, you'll find another set of F2000s and another Intervention. Thermal PP2000s can also be found on the deck itself. Take whichever and move up to the top deck. At this point the enemy will deploy a smokescreen. Clear the area move blindly through the smoke to the breaching door. MacTavish and Ghost will follow suit. Regroup in the room adjacent to the breach and, if needed, arm up from the weapons there before breaching. Be especially careful on this one. Not only are there many hostages, but also explosive barrels strapped with C4. Take care of the enemy that rushes, then carefully aim at all the other enemies, one by one.

Once the hostages are secure, move out onto the helipad, then enter the chopper. You will be automatically equipped with the M14 EBR. The chopper will take off, carrying you, Soap, and Ghost and other TF141 operatives to the Gulag as U.S. forces sweep and clear the oil rig.

Starting Loadout
The following weapons are the initial starting weapons.

Found in Level
The following weapons can be found with or without attachments.

Extraction
The following weapon will be automatically equipped upon aboarding the Little Bird.

Intel Locations
1/3 Intel: After 1st breach, go up 2 flights of stairs. A room just before outside, a middle shelf facing South.

2/3 Intel: When the guards open the gate go into the room on the right and the intel is on some shelves to the right.

3/3 Intel : On 2nd level, near and before the long stairs that lead to upper level for 3rd breach. Enter the building facing west, then turn North.

Achievements/Trophies
Knock-knock (10G / Bronze Trophy) - Obtained after shooting 4 bullets to kill 4 people in a slow-mo breach.

Prisoner 627 (25G / Silver Trophy) - Obtained after beating "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday" and "The Gulag" on Veteran difficulty.

General

 * The level's title is derived from the motto of the U.S. Navy SEALs, "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday".
 * In the art book, it is stated that originally there were plans for a campaign level that had the player controlling a U.S. Navy SEAL team.
 * As a nod to the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series, one of the TF 141 members that assists in this section has the callsign "Boomer," the same name as a SEAL team member from the series, along with "Jester," another reference as well.
 * Strangely, none of the TF 141 operatives or SEALs appear to try to free the hostages.

Underwater and Lower Levels

 * The guard by the railing near the beginning has only 1 HP. It is possible to kill him by hitting him anywhere (such as shooting his toes) with any weapon, or even directly with a grenade, though this will result in the mission failing. It is possible to kill him with the knife, but the player must be fast as teammates will eliminate him if they get ahead.
 * Whilst under the oil rig, the player can see many fish swimming past. If they look closely, the fish will actually swim through the pipes as well as occasionally through the player's face as they move towards the platform whilst still under the ice.
 * When the player reaches the guard, Soap says "In position. On your go." or "We'll take them out at the same time...on your go.". However, it is not Soap and instead Zach or Robot who eliminates the guard, as shown when the player is helped up. Instead, Soap spawns on the second platform when the player is helped up by the two other TF141 members.
 * Ghost is never underwater on this map and only spawns once the first guard is killed.
 * When the player has killed the guard, the water level suddenly rises. They can no longer dive under the floor afterwards.
 * The soldier that the player drags underwater and kills always has the same model, while the one opposite him will always be different. Likewise, the soldier having a smoke while leaning over the rails will always be the same.
 * The two TF 141 members who pull Roach from the water are always the same models..
 * When starting the level, there will be two randomly generated Task Force 141 soldiers. They will stay at the bottom, but when the player breaches the first room and then goes back down, they will have disappeared.
 * Sometimes, if the player sprints ahead of MacTavish, they can run straight up to the Russian leaning over the balcony and he will run off. He will only do this if the player sneaks up on him before Soap and the team get there, otherwise they will shoot him.
 * If the player, after watching the helicopter, goes to the breached room and knifes the television, the player will fail the mission, with the statement, "You alerted the enemy."
 * In contrast with Modern Warfare 3's "Mind the Gap", usage of Flashbangs and Grenades is not disabled until the player goes loud, whereas in "Mind the Gap", the player cannot use flashbangs and grenades until Wallcroft orders the team to go loud and engage the enemy directly.

Middle Levels

 * When the player gets to the room on this level with hostages inside, after putting a breaching charge on the first door and before it is detonated, Soap (who always runs to the same door) will have an ID tag that changes from "Captain MacTavish" to "Zach" for about half a second.
 * If the player alerts the helicopter that is seen patrolling the perimeter, it will spin up its guns, and they will fail the mission and receive the message "You have alerted the enemy - the hostages have been executed." Oddly enough, if the player manages to hit the chopper with the M203 Grenade Launcher, it will burst into flames and crash into the sea, though the player will still be able to continue the mission without penalty. However even though they just destroyed the helicopter it reappears as scripted and player has to destroy it again.
 * The body on which the player plants the C4 explosive is scripted to lie in that location and is dead as soon as the player breaches the room.
 * After the player has planted the C4 following the second breach, the hostages can be seen being escorted downstairs. The hostages then go downstairs where the player cannot follow them. If the player tries to keep the hostages on screen while planting the C4 and then waits inside the room, they would see the hostages magically disappear when the enemies approach the room. In the PS3 version, if they are in the player's line of sight the entire time, the mission will fail when the C4 is detonated.
 * When the player climbs up the platform after planting the C4 before Soap does and goes prone, he will be stuck behind the player and stay standing.

Compromised

 * Soap always starts the mission with an MP5K silenced Red Dot Sight, but as soon as he goes prone on the scaffolding after breaching the second room, his MP5K automatically changes to an M4A1 with a M203 and a Red Dot Sight.
 * If the player ignores the enemy helicopter when it attacks, it will continue to pursue all the way to the top deck, providing the player stays in its spotlight. If the player evades its light, it will stay on lower decks searching. It will instantly disappear when the player breaches the final room.
 * This is the only Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 level in which the player uses or has access to the M4A1 SOPMOD variant.
 * Before detonating the C4, if the player still has their default weapons, M4A1 with SCAR-H, the M4A1 SOPMOD and SCAR-H Thermal w/ Silencer will still be silenced. However, when the C4 on the bodies are detonated, the M4A1 SOPMOD changes to an M4A1 Red Dot Sight w/ Grenade Launcher and the SCAR-H Thermal loses its Silencer and is now just the SCAR-H Thermal. However, it is possible to keep the silencers on the weapons; the player must trade the SCAR-H for the AT4 and the M4A1 for the MG4 before breaching, which are located on the table. After breaching the player can pick up the M4A1 and SCAR and they will still have the suppressors.
 * After being compromised, an NPC will spawn with a M14EBR scoped which can be picked up.
 * When player already destroy the helicopter, the helicopter sound can been heard for a while.

Top Deck

 * The smokescreen will not disappear until the player has breached the final room.
 * The player can sprint through the smokescreen to the left door, and just by killing some enemies with a shotgun or M203 (about four or five) they can breach that door without having to kill all the enemies, but they must rush to that door.

Extraction

 * The player boards the right side of the Little Bird. By the start of the nect mission, the player has switched sides.
 * Ghost will not get on the Little Bird with Roach and MacTavish, but after reaching The Gulag he gets off another Little Bird.
 * This is the only mission in which the Marines are actually seen, as they rope down a helicopter to disarm the SAM sites and rescue the hostages.
 * All of the Marines use M16A4s.
 * Of the two pilots in the player's helicopter at the end of the level, the pilot on the player's side of the Little Bird has the model of Lt. Volker from the level "Shock and Awe" in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, whereas the other has the model of Captain Pelayo, the female pilot rescued in "Shock and Awe".
 * If the player looks at the soldiers riding on the Little Birds as the mission ends, the player can see they are character models of the Army Rangers instead of the TF 141 operators.
 * When Soap is on the Little Bird, he is holding an M4A1, while in the next level, he is holding an M14 EBR.

Miscellaneous

 * Peasant always carries a MP5K with Red Dot Sight and Silencer.
 * If Peasant dies when the player sees the enemy helicopter the second time, a randomized TF141 soldier will replace him. He carries an M14 EBR.
 * Although difficult it is possible to keep Peasant alive the entire level, if done at extraction Peasant will stay with Ghost on the helipad while Roach and Soap will fly off.
 * PP200s with Thermal Scopes can be found in this level.
 * If the Intervention is equipped during the final breach, the breaching animation will be different, spending less time planting the charge and a longer slow-motion time.
 * In this mission, the rare White Tape Camouflage can be fequently found.
 * In Multiplayer, the Navy SEALs' faction borrows Task Force 141's character models from this mission.
 * At the very end on the helipad, the Little Bird has the words "No Fear" written on its nose.
 * The SPAS-12, P90, Dragunov, and MP5K with Arctic Camouflage can be found in the map.
 * Before breaching the second room, if the player aims at the green window and strafes, auto-aim will be in effect for an enemy directly behind the window that the player can vaguely see through the window. However, after breaching, there is no enemy in that corner.
 * The fish and seagulls in this level are the only wild animals in Modern Warfare 2.
 * This is the second time in a Modern Warfare game where the player can wield a M4A1 w/ Suppressed Red Dot Sight and Grenade Launcher since some of the missions of Modern Warfare.