Gunfight Returns To ‘Modern Warfare 2’ In Season 3: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Forbes Innovation Games Gunfight Returns To ‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ In Season 3 Erik Kain Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about video games, entertainment and culture. Following Apr 6, 2023, 02:00pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Gunfight returns! Credit: Activision One of Call Of Duty’s best modes is finally making a comeback.

The last time we had Gunfight mode in a Call Of Duty game was back in Black Ops Cold War which released in 2019. 2020’s Vanguard ditched the mode in favor of Champion Hill mode, which was fun but not nearly as fun as Gunfight. The concept of Gunfight mode is brilliantly simple.

Two small teams face-off on small maps in short rounds with pre-determined loadouts. Your task is to either eliminate the other players (there are no respawns) or capture the flag that appears in the final seconds of each round. The first team to win six rounds wins the match.

Gunfight lends itself to fast, highly-tactical play on effectively the most even playing field you can find in Call Of Duty. There are no killstreaks. There are no perks or customizable loadouts.

Everyone goes into each round with the same guns, lethal and tactical equipment, and so forth. It’s super fun and also makes for great custom matches with friends. This mode was first introduced in Modern Warfare 2019, and was adapted as the Gulag in the original Warzone.

If you’ve played Warzone you have a small taste of the full Gunfight experience. In both Modern Warfare 2019 and Black Ops Cold War, Gunfight saw a number of variants. There was Gunfight Tournament which offered up unique rewards like XP and gun blueprints.

In Tournament mode, 16 teams would pair off in an elimination-based event. Then there were snipers only modes, 3v3 modes, Blueprint Variant modes and so on and so forth. Now, Gunfight returns when Season 3 launches for Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2 next week.

The reason it didn’t come sooner, Geoff Smith, Multiplayer Design Director at Infinity Ward, tells me is simply a matter of not overwhelming players with too much content and too many modes all at once. “We wanted to give it a little bit of breathing room to have all this new stuff come out and then give it its proper spotlight,” he says. Basically, Infinity Ward needs content to release each season.

Season 2’s big new addition was Resurgence Mode and Ashika Island in Warzone 2. 0. This season, Gunfight is the star of the show.

MORE FOR YOU $100M Magic: Why Bruno Mars And Other Stars Are Ditching Their Managers Dylan Mulvaney—Transgender TikTok Star—Faces Latest Online Attacks From Kid Rock And More After Bud Light Collaboration Overwatch 2 Season 4 Requires A ‘Very Large’ Download Here’s everything coming to the mode when it launches: Three New Maps Gunfight will feature three new maps but will actually play on four since the always-popular Shipment map will be part of the Gunfight rotation. The other maps are: Alley Credit: Activision Alley: This map takes place in Al Mazrah in a small market alleyway. Alley Credit: Activision “It’s kind of a Z-shape,” Smith tells me ahead of the Gunfight reveal.

“It actually has a lot more verticality than we’re used to. ” This was a bit contentious at first, and not everyone on the team apparently loved the increased verticality, but ultimately it added a fun gameplay twist especially with drill charges in the mix. Blacksite Credit: Activision Blacksite: “We thought about setting a map in a jail in the middle of nowhere in this abandoned airfield,” Smith says.

“I don’t know if there’s favorites . . .

but this one might be the favorite with people in the office. ” Blacksite Credit: Activision Blacksite also serves as the new Gulag in Warzone 2. 0 , replacing the altered 1v1 Gulag currently in the map (which was itself a slimmed down version of the previous 2v2 Gulag).

Exhibit Smith says this map is based on the Museum 6v6 multiplayer map. “It’s two big galleries with a statue in the middle, very symmetrical, lots of quick-flanking roundabout passes,” he says. (No screenshots of Exhibit have been released and the official description is simply: “n addition, another Gunfight locale among the core four locations at launch.

” Weird). Shipment The classic Shipment map will also be part of the Gunfight rotation. New Gunfight maps will release every season, Smith adds.

Gunplay Has New Depth “We haven’t really changed the core of the mode that much,” Smith tells me of the new Gunfight mode. “We liked the 2v2. We liked the rotating loadouts.

I think the biggest difference with this is the systemic interplay we added with all the field upgrades and equipment. ” The introduction of the drill charge in particular has really changed how the mode plays out, he says. But for the most part, this is the same Gunfight you loved from the last game, only with new guns, maps and equipment.

Gunfight OSP Coming Mid-Season Gunfight OSP Credit: Activision A Gunfight variant will land later in the season with OSP mode—or On-Site Procurement mode—as a playlist update. This mode changes up the normal rotating loadouts by placing weapons and gear throughout the map. Players will need to procure their loadouts as quickly as possible to get the jump on enemy teams.

When speaking with Infinity Ward I asked about remastered versions of Modern Warfare 2019’s many Gunfight maps. It’s not off the table, Smith says, but nothing is certain. He thought it might make sense to have players vote on their favorite Gunfight maps from that game.

My take? The more the merrier when it comes to maps. Variety is key. I also suggested the return of Black Ops Cold War’s excellent Face-Off mode, which was basically 6v6 on Gunfight maps without Killstreaks—an awesome, fast-paced mode that was a fun alternative to normal Quick Play.

Here are the Modern Warfare 2019 Gunfight maps I’d like to see ported over to Modern Warfare II the most. Let me know what your favorites were on Twitter or Facebook . My faves: Docks King Speedball Stack Stadium Station 6 Aisle 9 Honestly, I enjoyed all the Gunfight maps though I seemed to perform the worst on Gulag Showers and Trench, and I wasn’t in love with the super grassy, foliage-heavy maps like Pine and Hill.

Rust always felt a little big and too vertical for Gunfight. I liked Bazaar, but it could be a little frustrating at times (so many windows!) I definitely prefer 2019’s version of Shipment, though. The ability to climb up on top of some of the shipping containers made for a much more interesting, unpredictable map than the one we have in Modern Warfare II.

’ Read all about the many new maps headed to Modern Warfare II in Season 3 right here . Check out the massive update to Warzone 2 here. Follow me on Twitter .

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