Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the latest title in the veteran FPS series from Infinity Ward, has recently entered its second season. IT brought a vast amount of changes and additions toModern Warfare’s already massively popular multiplayer gameplay, including new maps and crucial bug fixes.
On February 25th, the game was altered once again withUpdate 1.15, the first major refresh since Season 2’s launch. While the update is nothing compared to the 68GB juggernaut that was Season 2, it’s certainly no hasty patch. Downloads of 1.15 clocked in at 7GB on PlayStation 4, 11GB on Xbox One, and just under 10GB on PC. That kind of file-size contains a lot of potential for alterations both big and small, and very few players want to trawl through the vast patch-notes to find what’s really worth knowing. With that in mind, here’s our list of the biggest changes that have come to Modern Warfare since Season 2.
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Classified and Bazaar
The first change that players returning to the game after the patch will notice is the updated tile images on the main menu. While not game-changing, these new icons for Campaign, Multiplayer, Classified, Co-Op and Store may be a sign of a larger update on the horizon. Lending credence to this theory is the changes to the Classified option, the currently locked menu suspected to be forModern Warfare’s Battle Royale Warzone mode. Since it’s first appearance, the word Classified has been shown glitching out when players mouse over it, but now the glitches are becoming more chaotic, and the words “Transmission Incoming” have appeared as well.
One of the biggest changes in the 1.15 update is thenew 2v2 map, Bazaar. As is common with 2v2 maps, Bazaar is tight and claustrophobic, favoring close-quarters weapons. The map is a warren of passages, tight rooms and stone archways, giving players plenty of opportunities to get the drop on their opponents. Like the Docks map, Bazaar also has a little verticality, with a second floor and a few overlooking windows, requiring more tactical awareness than most 2v2s.
Boots on the Ground War
When it comes to Playlists, most previous updates have introduced three new game modes into the rotation, replacing the existing ones. Update 1.15 bucks this trend by introducing four game modes, and keepingGunfight Tournamentsin the cycle.
The first of the new game modes is Boots on theGround War, a variant of the Ground War mode which removes all vehicles. The absence of tanks and APCs lets the sprawling battles of Ground War break up into smaller conflicts more reminiscent ofModern Warfare’s traditional multiplayer modes. What’s interesting is that Boots on the Ground War also runs on the Realism settings, removing the HUD and making head-shots instantly lethal.
The second new game mode is 3v3 Gunfight Snipers Only, which is exactly what it sounds like. Following on from last week’s 2v2 Gunfight Snipers Only, the new game mode adds an extra player into the mix for a more chaotic sniping experience.
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Dirty Old Houseboat
Possibly the most fan-requested of the new game modes is the unusually-namedDirty Old Houseboat, which combines the Shipment, Shoot House and Rust maps into a single playlist. Given that these are three ofModern Warfare’s most deadly and chaotic maps, a lot of people will be excited to use this game mode to grind out achievements and gear upgrades.
The final game mode is Giant Infection, which is a combination of the Ground War and Infected modes. It is also not currently in the game, having been hastily removed by Infinity Ward after a bug that caused it to givemore XP than was intended.
Attachments and Secondaries
The Attachment that received the most changes is the Underbarrel Shotgun, gaining a pellet count, shell count and range increase, at the cost of a penalty to rate of fire. Overall though this works out to a pretty hefty buff, and players should be ready to see more Underbarrel Shotguns in play from now on.
A big bug fix was targeted at the Akimbo .357s with Snake Shot, removing an effect that only registered the damage of one shot when both guns were fired within the same frame. Given the Akimbo .357s with Snake Shot made it onto our list ofmost overpoweredModern Warfareclass choiceswhile this bug was active, it’s safe to say it wasn’t doing much to lower their effectiveness anyway. As this bug fix is essentially a buff to an already powerful gun, players can expect it to remain just as popular as it has been in recent weeks.
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Weapon Changes
In terms of balance changes, the Model 680 with the 30" Sport Barrel has had a range increase, bringing it up to the standard expected from along-barrel shotgun. To contrast this change, the Model 680’s Liberator 18" Barrel has received a Range decrease and an Aim Down Sight speed increase, which it shares with the R-90 Forge TAC Sentry and the Origin-12 Forge TAC Precision.
The Striker .45 with the 300mm Poly Barrel has received a bug fix, finally correcting the issue in which it wouldn’t receive any Range or Aim Down Sight changes from the Attachment. Finally, the update fixed theModern Warfarebugwhich stopped weapons from showing their progression one rank before top level. This will come as a particular relief to players grinding for Damascus Camo, as the bug made finishing a gun’s progression pure guesswork.
While none of these changes match up to the behemoth that was the launch of Season 2, it’s a promising sign that 1.15 followed so quickly on the heels of its predecessor. With the promise ofWarzone on the horizon, and frequent updates from Infinity Ward, it’s clear that Modern Warfare’s surge of popularity is going nowhere quickly.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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