There”s a whole truckload of new info on Modern Warfare 2, so we”re rounding up all the multiplayer info for you.
Table of Contents
CoD Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer!
Call of Dutty”s latest spin-off, Modern Warfare 2, is already just around the corner. It will be released on 28 October and the beta will start this weekend.
In the course of the Call of Duty Next livestream there is now a lot of new information about the multiplayer. We give you an overview of the new game modes, gameplay mechanics and everything else we know now.
To help you jump straight to the point you”re most interested in, here”s a little table of contents:
- New and returning game modes
- Multiplayer maps
- New gameplay mechanics
- Perks, field upgrades, etc.
But first things first. To get you in the mood for MW2, take a look at the following new trailer first! There you can see the first clips of MW2 Multiplayer, Warzone 2 and even a bit of Warzone Mobile.
New and familiar game modes
Naturally, classic game modes like Team Deathmatch and Domination will return. But there are also a few new (and rediscovered) modes that we present here for you:
Knockout
In Knockout mode there are no respawns, but you can revive each other. The goal is to completely eliminate the opposing team or secure and hold a bag when the round”s (very short) timer runs out.
This will probably play very fast, but also tactically. Knockout pulls elements from Modern Warfares 2v2 Gunfight and the final circle in Warzone when things get really hot around the edges.
Prisoner Rescue
Attacker vs. defender with a dash of Rainbow Six: Here you have to free hostages or protect them. There are no respawns here either. However, you can also revive your team. The gameplay focuses on siege and defence tactics.
When you have the hostage on your back, you can only defend yourself with your secondary weapon. But then you have the advantage of being able to see approximately where the enemies are located.
Invasion (Ground War)
Ground war from MW 2019 returns on an even bigger scale and could possibly even rival Battlefield: Up to 64 players and AI soldiers (12 AIs per team) fight it out in two teams on extensive maps. You receive points when enemies are eliminated – whether on foot or by vehicle.
Special Ops
Special Ops returns! The main story from the campaign continues in these two-player co-op missions. One of you plays on the ground as usual, while your partner provides air support. You will be playing on fairly large maps and will have to complete varying mission objectives together.
3-Player Raids
This mode will only come after release at an as yet unknown time. Here it is important to coordinate with your own team, tactical action should be rewarded. According to the developer, Raids are a complete novelty for the CoD series, three players work together in co-op.
Third Person
The third person mode will return! This means that the camera is behind your character and you are looking over their shoulder. If you aim over the rear sight, the camera will switch to the first-person perspective. This third-person mode is meant to offer a new tactical way to play multiplayer.
Multiplayer Maps
You can expect the following two map types in Modern Warfare 2:
Battle Maps (up to 32v32)
The so-called Battle Maps are mainly available for the game mode Invasion / Ground War. They are specially selected sections Al Mazrah, the new map for Warzone 2 One of them is called Sarrif Bay, where you will do a lot of fighting on rooftops. The idea is based on the experience the developers had with Warzone Verdansk. Here team battles of up to 32vs32 take place, vehicles like boats, helicopters & Co. are represented.
Core Maps (6v6)
The much smaller maps are designed exclusively for the very classic 6v6 battles. They are even slightly smaller and more straightforward than previous multiplayer maps in CoD and rely on the tried and tested 3-lane layout with clearly defined running paths. One of the maps is called Mercado Lasa Almas and is set in a Mexican street market.
New Gameplay Mechanics
Water battles
You will be able to fight in Modern Warfare 2, over, on and in water. This happens in rivers, as well as in the wavy ocean. The water can also be used as an escape or hiding place. Under water, however, your weapon also behaves differently. You cannot use your primary weapon at all there, you have to switch to your pistol in these situations. Water is present, for example, on the large ground war maps and also in Warzone 2.
Pike Jump
The tactical sprint returns and remains the fastest way to get around on foot. The slide is also back, but is now triggered by pressing the duck button in the normal sprint. A new feature is the dive, which you can use, for example, to disappear defensively behind cover or to dive through a window. It is triggered by pressing the duck button while in a tactical sprint.
Hanging on walls
If you want to climb a building, you can hang on the wall and look over the edge before going all the way up. From this position you can also shoot with your pistol.
Air, water and ground vehicles
The vehicles can now be destroyed in much more detail, but you can also interact more with the vehicles.
- It is now possible to lean out of the vehicles and shoot while doing so. You can do this as a passenger, but also as a driver. You can also stand on top of the vehicle and fight from there.
- Doors and bumpers can be destroyed, Tires shot and vehicles completely disabled.
Perks, field upgrades etc.
We already know a few of the equipment parts. We introduce:
- Tactical Camera (Field Upgrade)
- Inflatable Decoy (Field Upgrade)
- DDoS (Field Upgrade)
- Shock Stick (Tactical Equipment)
- Drill Charge (Lethal Equipment)
- Perk Packages (Perk)
More Info
CoD Modern Warfare 2: The new Gunsmith gets much bigger, the most important changes explained
One of the most important features of the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot (and as a result, Warzone) was undoubtedly the Gunsmith. In this weapon menu, players can equip their arsenal with an almost endless number of possible attachment combinations and thus individualise it down to the smallest detail.
So it”s no wonder that MW2 wants to go one step further and massively expand the Gunsmith for even more tactical options. We had the chance to talk to the developers at Infinity Ward before release and take a look at an early version of the Gunsmith from Modern Warfare 2.
More essays & options
The first, and probably most mundane, insight is that Call of Duty MW2 is looking to step it up a notch when it comes to the sheer selection of attachments for your weapons. “We”re going to offer even more different types of attachments this time around, so there”s an even wider range of features,” Jack O”Hara, the shooter”s game director, tells us. “At the same time, we”re definitely not going in the sci-fi direction, but sticking with down-to-earth technology that exists in the military.”
If you want to see the new Gunsmith 2.0 in action for yourself first, here”s the presentation:
More Slots
O”Hara shows us an example of the attachments using the MP5. This time there are ten different components on a weapon that we can equip with attachments or change completely – in MW2019 there were still nine slots if you count the weapon perk.
In total only 5 attachments are allowed per weapon at the same time! You are allowed to change the following parts in the new Gunsmith of MW2:
- Muzzle (silencer, etc.)
- Underbarrel (grip, grenade launcher)
- Laser
- Ammunition type
- Optics (sights, scopes)
- handle
- barrel
- Shaft/Shoulder support
- Magazine (new)
- Receiver (new)
The most exciting part is the new receiver conversion, which is the heart of the weapon. By modifying the receiver, the type of weapon can be completely changed.
Weapon Trees
In this context, Jack O”Hara also explains a new unlock system: “We are introducing so-called weapon platforms – these are weapons that belong to a family. So you start with a certain gun and then unlock new variants of that platform within that family tree. ”
This is how it works in practice:
- You start with the basic model in the M4 weapon family and level it up.
- After a few levels you get e.g. the M16 receiver for the platform as an unlock
- If you change the receiver to M16, you have a new weapon in your hands.
- From now on you can play with either the M4 or the M16 (depending on the receiver).
- But the M16 can automatically use M4 attachments that you have received before
Each of these platform variants will have individual attachments for that one weapon only as well as family attachments shared by all receivers of that pedigree. As an example, O”Hara shows more M4 receiversthrough which you will unlock the following new weapons, among others:
- M16 version for longer range with 3-shot burst
- 556 Icarus as light MG conversion with cartridge belt
- FTAC Recon with special calibre .458 SOCOM
- FSS Hurricane for P90 magazines with more ammunition in 5.7mm calibre
What advantages do the developers expect from this? The team emphasises two things in particular:
Reduced Grind: Players won”t have to start from scratch every time they play a new weapon. Instead, new receiver variants within a family gain access to already unlocked attachments. Grips, sights & Co. can therefore be used across the board. UX designer Mary Evdjukian explains: “The new system makes it much less tedious to unlock the same attachments every time. That one handle from the first weapon automatically becomes available for the second weapon and so on. ”
Cross upgrades: The receiver swap further blurs the strict lines between weapon types and also lets us convert assault rifles into actual submachine guns. UX designer Mary Evdjukian explains the principle like this: “If you unlock a new receiver in an assault rifle family tree that belongs to the SMG category, you can actually turn the weapons into an SMG. And you can then use the attachments of the Assault Rifle in that SMG build as well. ”
Attachment tuning
A completely new feature in MW2 is the tuning system for weapon attachments, which Jack O”Hara describes as “its own game within the game”. Once you have levelled up a weapon sufficiently, you can tune individual attachments continuously, which happens with various controls in the Gunsmith menu.
In the case of the MP5, for example, you can give the barrel more weight so that you feel less recoil. However, it is then a little slower to attach the weapon. If, on the other hand, you make the attachment lighter, aiming is quicker – but the recoil is heavier.
“Players should be able to adapt their weapons even more to their play style. But it”s always a trade-off: if you twist too much on one end, it will negatively affect other stats on your weapon,” says Jack O”Hara.
What weapons will be in CoD MW2? We”ve clearly identified the first 16 models in an analysis of all gameplay footage to date!
