What's New in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II?

Gamers everywhere are wondering what’s new in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II as the game is just around the corner and can already be pre-ordered.

To help you with that, we are listing all the major changes between the newest entry in the series and its predecessor—Modern Warfare I.

Let’s lock and load!

What's New in Modern Warfare II?

The key to winning a Call of Duty match is preparation, and there’s no better way to get ready than reading about the new MWII gameplay mechanics coming this October 28th.

Movement Changes

The game’s movement systems will see massive changes and additions in MWII that even pros will have to practice to master, such as:

• Ledge hanging—a feature that lets players hang off ledges and shoot with their sidearms, which should lead to more combat depth, especially in Warzone 2.0;
• Swimming—this long-requested gameplay and movement mechanic allows players to swim and use their primary weapons above water or their sidearms underwater;
• Dolphin dive—once a fan favorite, the ‘dive to prone’ mechanic is making a comeback and is sure to get you out of some tight spots;
• Leaning out of vehicles—vehicle combat has been reworked radically and now allows players, including the driver, to lean out of windows to engage the enemy;
• Sliding—the slide mechanic has been reworked to prevent any canceling actions; however, certain ingenious players did find a workaround to restore it.

Having personally played the MWII Beta, we have to say that the new mechanics add freshness to the genre, but they still feel clunky compared to the previous game.

For instance, mantling and going prone were notably slower in the Beta, and with such low TTK (Time to Kill), they often proved detrimental in a gunfight.

Sound Improvements

Since players were complaining about sound issues in Call of Duty: Warzone, Infinity Ward put a lot of thought into delivering a better sound design with MWII.

This time around, we get better and much clearer directional audio, as well as punchier gunfire that adds another level of immersion to the game.

Graphics Improvements

In addition to the impressive visual upgrades done for a sequel, such as next-gen lighting and reflections, high-resolution textures, and advanced caustic rendering, MWII also comes with improved visibility, vibrance optimizations, and more realistic color palettes.

Console gamers were also pleasantly surprised by the addition of the FOV (Field of View) slider—an option that was only available on PC platforms until now.

Gunsmith 2.0

While Modern Warfare II is bringing back the 5-attachment weapon system, the updated Gunsmith 2.0 feature comes with a whole host of changes and features.

First, unlike in the previous game, you won’t level up every individual weapon to get its attachments since you can reuse already unlocked attachments from other weapons.

This feature is made possible by implementing weapon platforms that come with a family of customizations, which allow you to change the base weapon into an entirely different weapon type after unlocking its ‘receiver’ slot, which is essentially a weapon variation.

For more intel, check our detailed article on the MWII Gunsmith 2.0 system.

New Equipment in Modern Warfare II

Aside from a plethora of new weapons, some of which have already made their introduction during the Beta Weekends, MWII also comes with new equipment:

• Drill Charge—this piece of lethal equipment burrows into surfaces before exploding on the other side, which comes in handy when dealing with campers;
• Shock Stick—tactical equipment that sticks to surfaces and electrocutes passing enemies, thus limiting their movement and making them fire their vehicle; it can also cause vehicles to malfunction and destroy enemy equipment.

Aside from these additions, the Heartbeat device now has a battery that drains as you use it—a change to ensure players don’t spam use it as they did in the previous game.

New Field Upgrades in Modern Warfare II

On top of most of the existing field upgrades, the new CoD game adds seven more options:

• Portable Radar—lets you place an unmovable radar device that highlights enemies on the minimap if they are within the radius of the radar ping;
• Suppression Mine—disrupts enemy sound and vision when activated;
• Battle Rage—an adrenaline rush shot that makes your health regenerate quicker, constantly refreshes tactical sprint, and makes you resistant to Tactical Equipment;
• Tactical Camera—a remote camera that can be manually controlled to mark enemies or emit warning sounds when enemies approach if left on its own;
• DDоS—this device creates a blast in an area that deactivates enemy electronics and sensors and limits their HUD;
• Inflatable Decoy—a proximity mine that creates an inflatable replica soldier meant to confuse enemies either automatically or manually;
• Smoke Airdrop—a smoke wall created by a line of drones at a selected location.

With a total of 15 field upgrades, almost half of which are new, players tried out a lot of new strategies during the Beta, especially using the DDoS and the Tactical Camera.

New Killstreaks in Modern Warfare II

The four new killstreaks that have made their way into MWII include:

• Cluster Mine—deploys a cluster of smaller mines in a limited area;
• Bomb Drone—a remote-controlled drone carrying a C4 explosive;
• S.A.E.—a trio of air support jets that drop explosives on a targeted location;
• Stealth Bomber—a classic killstreak that offers carpet-bombing in an area.

Note that you can choose a maximum of three killstreaks for a match but get one more during the game from a care package or via other means.

New Perk System in Modern Warfare II

Infinity Ward is also revamping the ‘Perks’ system, letting you use four different perks in three categories: two base perks, one bonus perk, and one ultimate perk.

Moreover, in addition to the existing perks, the devs have implemented extra options:

• Strong Arm—trajectory line is shown before throwing equipment;
• Fast Hands—packs in Sleight of Hand and Amped into a single perk;
• Survivor—self-revive once per life and revive downed teammates faster;
• Bird's Eye—zoomed out minimap with enemy directional movements.

While you start the match with the two base perks, the bonus and ultimate perks unlock two and four minutes into the game, respectively. But, you can reduce the time it takes to unlock them by racking up kills, assists, and objectives.

New Modes in Modern Warfare II

While the classic and beloved Call of Duty modes are returning, Infinity Ward has also designed several new ones that are sure to keep things new and engaging for a while:

• Warzone 2.0—perhaps the most anticipated mode as it is the successor to the best and most popular Battle Royale game right now;
• DMZ—played on the same map, DMZ promises to be a very different mode than the Battle Royale we know and love, but we have to wait for release for further details;

• Invasion—a less involved and much more fun 32v32 mode than Ground War as half of the lobby is filled with AI players;
• Prisoner Rescue—similar to the hostage extraction modes of Rainbow Six and CS:GO, one side needs to rescue the hostages kidnapped by the other side;

• Knockout—protect a package for 60 seconds or eliminate the enemy team with each player having one life per round and the ability to revive downed teammates;
• 3rd Person Moshpit—one of the requested new additions to the game is the 3rd person mode that lets you view the entire player model;
• Raid—coming sometime next year, it will supposedly “test teamwork and strategic, puzzle-solving in-between bouts of intense combat”.

As you can see, there are many new modes to choose from, most of which will be available when MWII launches across both console and PC platforms on October 28th.

The Modern Warfare II Campaign

The Call of Duty series has always been known for producing great single-player experiences with relevant stories, intriguing characters, and immersive plots, and this year’s edition is no exception as it will be offering an action-packed and diverse campaign mode.

Moreover, we’ll see the return of many fan-favorite characters that we met in Modern Warfare 2019, which comprise the now active Task Force 141, with the addition of new personalities that will join us on our globetrotting adventure from South America to the Middle East.

According to recent leaks, in the campaign mode, players will have more control than ever before—being able to interact with and give instructions to NPC companions and make decisions that could ultimately change the story's outcome.

Datamining efforts have also uncovered around 16 missions with various codenames that suggest we’ll see several night maps, infiltration missions, and water-based combat.

What’s Coming in Modern Warfare II Post Release?

First of all, Activision will release the anticipated Warzone 2.0 and the DMZ modes approximately a month after the official MWII launch date with the first Season and will continuously polish and adjust the base game and its various modes to keep things fresh and exciting.

Moreover, according to insider reports, Activision is moving onto a two-year cycle for Call of Duty, so we’ll see the next series entry in 2024 instead of 2023.

Also, every CoD studio, including Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games, will base their next titles on the new IW9 unified engine, which was implemented in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, thus using the same toolsets and easing their collaboration on future projects.