In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and CoD: Warzone, the in-house battle royale mode, Season 4 has finally begun. The developers have now presented their plans for the new season in a roadmap, showing that they are still going strong even more than half a year after the release. This is what you can look forward to in the new season.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is going strong: With Modern Warfare and Warzone, the “Call of Duty” series is doing many things differently and better. Not only have the developers Infinity Ward and publisher Activision breathed new life into one of the most popular CoD series, but they have also learned consistently from the mistakes of earlier installments. For many, the game is almost the perfect shooter.
For instance, the previously criticized season pass and microtransaction model has been revised with Modern Warfare and is now considered fair. Loot boxes are history. All essential content like new maps, base weapons or modes is available for free to all players simultaneously across all platforms. The battle pass is free for everyone, but access to premium rewards costs money, though most of these are cosmetic. The battle royale mode Warzone can be downloaded and played for free.
In addition, the CoD series has developed into a proper live-service game by now. This has made Modern Warfare and Warzone proper crowd-pullers. The scope for multiplayer fans is enormous, offering something for every taste. And with the seasons, there is a regular supply of fresh content.
In short: Modern Warfare and Warzone have been going strong since their release in 2019 and, even more than half a year later, there is no end in sight – this is now clearly shown with the new Season 4. We at MeinMMO now give you an insight into what to expect in this new season as part of the campaign “Find Your Next Game“.
Program Overview
Stay updated with Find Your Next Game: All information, dates, and what to expect from us in the coming days and weeks can be found in our program schedule.
Roadmap for Season 4 presented – What the new season offers
Since 8:00 AM on June 11, the new Season 4 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone has been live. After downloading the new seasonal update 1.22, you can look forward to the following content that will further enhance the current experience:
What Season 4 offers at launch
Trailer for Season 4:
Here’s a compact overview of the roadmap:
New Operator: As with every season, players can also look forward to new operators this time. One of the biggest cult figures from the Modern Warfare series is now playable – namely SAS Captain Price. Until now, this MW icon was only seen as an NPC in the single-player campaign; now you can step into his shoes in multiplayer and in battle royale.
New Battle Pass: Season 4 also offers a new battle pass with 100 tiers, where you can earn various additional rewards. This is free for all players, though with fewer rewards (not at every tier). However, if you want access to all his rewards, you must purchase the premium rewards branch. This costs 1,000 CoD points (about 10 €) or 2,400 CoD points for a bundle with immediate unlocking of 20 tier levels.
Here’s the trailer for the Season 4 Battle Pass:
By the way, purchasing the Battle Pass is by no means mandatory to enjoy Modern Warfare to the fullest. This only provides more cosmetics, CoD points, and some XP bonuses. All essentials, like new base weapons, can be earned completely for free. You can find out more about it here: CoD Modern Warfare: Battle Pass purchase or not – who is it worth it for?
New Weapons: Traditionally, the new season brings two new weapons at launch – the MP Fennek and the assault rifle CR-56 Amax. This further expands the already extensive arsenal of Modern Warfare.
The Fennek is inspired by the KRISS Vector – a cult weapon from the Modern Warfare series. The CR-56 is based on the Galil, which has been more at home in the Black Ops series and was very popular there.
By the way, how you can get these 2 weapons and another one can be found here: Season 4 with 3 new weapons for CoD MW & Warzone – here’s how to get them
Mastery Challenges for Weapons: With this, you can show everyone even better that you are a real pro with your favorite weapon.
Once you have mastered a weapon and unlocked gold for the firearm, new challenges for the weapon will become available.
In different challenges, you can earn special rewards like emblems and calling cards that allow you to showcase your skills with the respective weapon even more impressively.
New Multiplayer Maps and Modes: For the traditional multiplayer part, there are three new maps in Season 4. The developers continue to focus on the popular mix of beloved classics and brand new maps. You can expect:
- Scrapyard – a classic and fan favorite from Modern Warfare 2, which now makes its appearance in Modern Warfare 2019
- Barakett Promenade – a new map for the large-scale Ground War mode
- Trench – a new 2vs2 map for the fast-paced gunfight mode
In-Match Events for Warzone: With Season 4, in-match events are making their debut in the Warzone matches. In the course of a match, one of three different event types can randomly occur without warning. This significantly shakes up strategies and gameplay.
The 3 events are called:
- Jailbreak
- Fire Sale
- Supply Chopper
They bring considerable variety to the already fast-paced gameplay.
With Jailbreak, all killed players immediately return to the match – regardless of where they are, whether in the gulag or spectator mode. This brings a whole new dynamic to the game.
With Fire Sale, most purchasable items at the supply stations are significantly reduced in price or even completely free. Also, with less money and relatively early in the game, you could already face heavily equipped opponents or optimally equipped yourself.
With Supply Chopper, a heavily armored but unarmed helicopter flies over the map. If you manage to shoot down the heli, it drops powerful loot that can give you a big advantage in combat.
A new system for Warzone: The so-called Contraband contract system brings special, very rare contracts (Contracts) into play. If you fulfill them, you will be rewarded with a blueprint, i.e., an alternative appearance for a weapon, which you can permanently use in Modern Warfare and Warzone from now on.
New Warzone mode – Rumble: In addition to the already known team formats and the loot mode, a brand-new mode for Warzone is now in play. The Warzone experience is regularly refreshed and expanded.
In Rumble, two 50-man teams compete in various areas around Verdansk (the world of Warzone). You have access to your own loadouts and vehicles. Additionally, there are quick respawns.
What to expect during Season 4 – Roadmap
Additional new operators: During the season, another cult figure from the series will come into play as an operator – Gaz. Additionally, Roze, a previously unknown female operator, will add another playable character option.
New multiplayer map: Later in Season 4, a new map for traditional multiplayer called Cheshire Park is to be released. This takes place in a quiet suburb of a British town.
New multiplayer modes: The regular multiplayer is to continue offering plenty of variety, and thus several new modes will be added to the game. These include:
- All or Nothing: Spawn with a regular pistol, a throwing knife, and no starting ammunition. You earn additional perks with kills, but you lose everything upon death
- One in the Chamber: You gain ammunition when you eliminate opponents. The player with the highest score wins
- Team Defender: One player must hold the flag while his teammates protect him
New Warzone content: The battle royale will receive two more new modes during Season 4:
- BR Realism: Here, realism rules apply, that is, no HUD, no crosshair, and increased headshot damage
- Juggernaut Royale: Three supply drops will be dropped over Verdansk, each containing a Juggernaut suit with a minigun, which you can hunt – provided you collect it first
New weapon: Traditionally, a secret third weapon is expected to become available through a challenge over the course of the season.
This time, however, the 3rd weapon has been directly revealed in the roadmap. It is the Rytec AMR – a new sniper.
By the way, a 4th new weapon will also be introduced with Season 4 – the Kali Sticks. These are a pair of melee sticks for close combat.
Season 4 – Interesting for veterans and newcomers
Whether you want to continue with Season 4 in Modern Warfare or Warzone or want to jump in anew – it’s worth it. Because the new season is interesting for veterans, returnees, as well as complete newcomers.
What long-time Modern Warfare fans can expect: Fans of the beloved Modern Warfare series can look forward to a decent portion of nostalgia.
The most prominent character of the Modern Warfare series besides Ghost, Captain Price, comes as a playable character. Later, another cult figure from the Modern Warfare universe, Gaz, will join. Additionally, with the Vector in the form of the Fennek, an iconic weapon from the Modern Warfare universe will be available, and a very popular classic map will also make its debut. This is sure to excite quite a few hearts.
What veterans and returnees can look forward to: But there is also plenty of new content for veterans and returnees. After all, there are finally new maps to enjoy, a new battle pass including new weapons to earn, and numerous new modes to try out.
This is simply more of what players want anyway. And especially in Warzone, fresh wind is brought in with the new mode, events, and contracts.
Definitely worth a closer look for newcomers as well: New players can also be excited. With Modern Warfare, they receive a comprehensive package that essentially offers something for every taste and has just grown further with Season 4 – and all without additional costs. In short: If you’re into multiplayer shooters, you can’t miss Modern Warfare and Warzone in 2020.
Even if you don’t want to spend money: The free standalone Warzone offers a lot of fun and entertainment. Completely for free, you can play one of the best, if not the best battle royale currently on the market, which just received fresh content. Checking this out as a free-to-play experience is definitely a good move for anyone who has even the slightest interest in online shooters.
Additionally, there will certainly be weekends during Season 4 where you can also try the regular multiplayer of Modern Warfare for free. Many free-to-play players have already discovered a new game for themselves with Modern Warfare aside from Warzone.
Potential of the season and outlook: Very good
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone are currently the most exciting options when it comes to multiplayer shooters (PvP) and battle royale.
The reimagining of Modern Warfare and the battle royale mode Warzone do many things differently and correctly compared to earlier CoD installments and the direct competition – and can still captivate masses of players even in 2020.
This trend continues consistently with Season 4. They continue to rely on a mix of beloved nostalgia-influenced content and brand new content – exactly what players seem to want. And it resonates well.
With the current form of the seasons and the battle pass, they have finally found a healthy middle ground for monetizing post-release while crafting a compelling live-service game. Modern Warfare and Warzone particularly stand out in this regard.
In contrast to its predecessors, live service is being handled at a high level here. Everything indicates that Modern Warfare and particularly Warzone will last longer than what has been typical for “Call of Duty” titles so far. Season 4 is the latest proof of that. If they can maintain this level, it’s possible that any potential new CoD entries will initially have to take a back seat or rethink their strategy.
Sven Galitzki
Freelance author and shooter expert at MeinMMO
