Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer revealed – here are the details

Activision and Infinity Ward show multiplayer section Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Today before the public beta, starting tomorrow.

One of the multiplayer features the developers showed off was swimming and water combat. Instead of dying when falling into the water like in previous games, the action now happens on water, on water, and in water. Various elements are present, such as currents and waves, and the water may be clean, cloudy, polluted, or detritus.

In the open beta, a map with water, which you can use as a stealth or escape mechanism, will showcase these enhancements. You can even change your stance or sprint to dive underwater. If you shoot underwater with pistols and certain gear, your weapon projectiles will suffer from increased density, so you may need to change your aiming. You’ll also need to pay special attention to tactical items, and you may want to try out new strategies when attacking ships, enemies below the surface, or dodging or deploying explosives.

The multiplayer portion of Modern Warfare 2 also features additional travel mechanics. For example, you can slide onto the floor and even use the Ledge Hang, which lets you peek out of the Mantle and look around. The developers are also testing the ability to pull up a pistol and engage from Ledge Hang.

Multiplayer will also provide more action-oriented operation on the new car. Expect various tactical advancements, including the ability to lean out of a window and shoot or cover the roof, destroy parts of the vehicle, and even blow out a tire.

Speaking of vehicles, you can use a variety of ground, air and water vehicles depending on the game mode and map. Nine of them are land-based and range from hatchbacks to heavy tanks. All-terrain vehicles have returned, and there are new utility terrain vehicles, tactical vehicles, SUVs and cargo trucks. There are also two tanks and an armored personnel carrier.

If you like to fly, you can choose the Light Helo and the new heavy duty helicopter, which works a bit like an air cargo truck in terms of carrying capacity. If you’re on the water, you can ride the narrower waterways in a rigid inflatable boat, or use an armored patrol boat with an armored hull and a .50 caliber machine gun.

In multiplayer, there are more unique options for tactical gear and battlefield upgrades than ever before. Tactical cameras allow you to monitor an area, and when enemies pass by, it will sound a warning sound. There’s also a Shock Stick that attaches to a surface and then sends out a burst of electricity that damages enemies, destroys equipment and messes up vehicles.

Another piece of tactical gear is the Drill Charge, which you hoist to the outside of the building. It drills a hole, and once the drill goes through, it fires a grenade that deals splash damage. Another is DDoS. This attack lets you know if there is a device or vehicle near your line of sight. If so, it will temporarily disable them and also interfere with enemy sensors in the nearby area.

There are also Perk Packages that contain four Perks – two basic, plus two others called Bonus and Ultimate. All of this is earned in multiplayer matches, usually four and eight minutes in non-turn mode. Kills, assists, objectives and tactical play can unlock these faster. You can even edit your Perk package in Loadout.

And, to us at least, the most interesting sounding is the inflatable lures. This polymer dummy swells when you drop it and also acts as a close-range mine.

In Modern Warfare 2, the gunsmith weapon customization system will bring new enhancements, the biggest of which is the weapon platform. Not in a separate family this time, but the weapon comes from the platform. This gives you full control over the weapons you bring into the game.

How it works, you’ll get a rank for each base weapon platform. The first weapon unlocked on the platform is known by its receiver, which is an attachment. As you progress, you can unlock more receivers and access more weapons within the platform.

Replacing the receiver changes the weapon, so it will be considered a new weapon when building a loadout, but it will remain in the same weapon platform. You can change receivers to create weapons with different capabilities, such as automatic rifles, light machine guns, battle rifles, or submachine guns.

After selecting your weapon of choice, you’ll start upgrading it and the platform, enhancing it with two different pools of attachments. These are weapon platform attachments, which are accessories that can only be used inside the weapon platform, such as the barrel, magazine, stock and rear handle. Then there are common accessories that can be used on all weapon platforms, examples include muzzles, down tubes, ammo, lasers and optics.

If you unlock a universal attachment, it can be used throughout Gunsmith and only needs to be unlocked once.

The game will also include an arsenal of weapons. The FJX Cinder Weapon Vault will be free to use in the open beta and the full game for those who pre-order the Modern Warfare 2 Vault Edition. It is a fully unlocked weapon platform.

Having an arsenal means being ready to use every attachment of an equivalent weapon platform. This is the “Ultimate Weapon Blueprint” as it unlocks dozens of platform-native attachments at once. You can access instant customization with a collection of weapon platform-specific attachments, and each attachment in your arsenal has a specific look.

The open beta will offer two types of multiplayer maps for you to play: battle maps up to 32v32 and core maps in 6v6.

The battle map was created for the Ground War mode, with multiple player squads per team. Here, every building can be explored, vehicles can be driven, and various styles of gameplay are available within a single battle map. AI combatants will appear on the Ground War map in a new Invasion mode, which Infinity Ward hopes will provide players with “chaotic and extremely satisfying” gameplay.

The core map is where special task forces are deployed, and all maps are specially tailored for the 6v6 game mode. They are slightly smaller and simpler in design than previous multiplayer maps. There is the Valdera Museum in Europe, the training facility Farm 18 and the small market Mercado Las Almas. Additional maps will be available at launch and each season.

Multiplayer also features other modes like team deathmatch and domination, but three brand new modes are scheduled during the open beta. One is a knockout, where you can try to eliminate the opponent’s power or keep the package to win. Without respawn, teammates can revive each other. There’s also Prisoner Rescue, which puts breakout and siege gameplay front and center, and Invasion for Ground War, a massive deathmatch that spans a massive map.

You can also enjoy the game from a new angle. In Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer and certain modes, there will be well-defined “third-person” playlists. For the open beta, the intention was to separate third-person and first-person playlists, but feedback and gameplay could change this plan.

In this mode, the camera is positioned a few feet behind the operator’s right shoulder. This allows you to learn more about your overall environment in exchange for a smaller depth of field in front of you. You can assist you with shoulder swaps when peeking around corners. Zooming is automatic whenever the camera moves, and the camera stops before it collides with objects that are close to you. Your crosshair is automatically set in the middle of the screen, and it will show an “X” whenever the camera is tilted behind an object. When you aim down, the camera switches to first-person for more accurate shots.

The shooting range will be available when Modern Warfare 2 is released. It’s an offline proving ground with three firing channels, ledges for support, and multiple targets at different ranges.

After completing the main campaign in the game, you can play special ops with other players for a cooperative experience exploring large hotspots for multiple branching operations.

Later this year, you can enjoy Raids, a three-player cooperative engagement that requires teamwork and strategy, solving puzzles between battles.

For PlayStation users who pre-order the game through the PlayStation Store, exclusive operator Hiro “Oni” Watanabe will be available at launch. Operators carry advanced weapon blueprints with them.

Finally, for players who prefer a level playing field, Ricochet Anti-Cheat and its PC kernel-level driver will be available on day one for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

While the focus of today’s Modern Warfare 2 showcase is multiplayer, don’t forget it also includes an event you can play up to a week in advance if you pre-order the game digitally.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.