Summary
A huge amount of scrutiny is currently being placed on the core multiplayer ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with many accusing the title of not doing enough to carve out its own identity. This mainly stems from the release boldly choosing to re-use the maps of 2009’sMW2, as well as carrying over a lot of the multiplayer content from its 2022 predecessor.
Despite this,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3has made an effort to do things differently from a lot of recent releases for the IP, with its handling of its multiplayer rank system being a big example of this. As things stand, players are limited by how far they can progress throughMW3’s multiplayer by a rank limit, with the franchise’s famous Prestige system being locked until further notice. While Sledgehammer Games has its reasons for this decision, it is clear that the repercussions of these rank limitations could be devastating for the title.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s Prestige Lock Could Lose a Lot of Fans
Prestige Mode has been a dominant factor ofCall of Duty’s multiplayerexperience ever since the originalModern Warfarein 2007, going on to appear in almost every franchise entry since then. The mechanic has always been regarded as a fantastic way to boost the longevity of engagement with a givenCoD’s multiplayer, allowing fans to reset their rank back to level one after reaching the highest level possible.
A player’s Prestige ranking acts as a direct representation of their mastery of a title, being regarded as an addictive badge of honor for many fans. This system has beencontroversially tweaked with recentCall of Dutyreleases, which instead opted for a much higher level cap that would reset at the start of a new in-game season, regardless of what rank players had attained. This form of Prestige System was present in the followingCoDtitles:
It was recently confirmed thatModern Warfare 3 will be maintaining this form of Prestige System, befit a seasonal level cap. Unlike many past Prestige systems forCall of Duty,MW3’s will reportedly not reset all the unlocked equipment that players have earned, with only a player’s rank being reset.
Modern Warfare 3’s Prestige System is Locked at a Crucial Time
While this sets upMW3’s Prestige system as exciting, the main issue that surrounds the mechanic is that it will not be available untilSeason One ofModern Warfare 3launches. With Season One not being expected to launch until December 6, fans will have had a full month of play-time before being allowed to Prestige.
The opening weeks of anyCoDtile are massively important for dictating player retention and engagement, and it has always been important to allow fans a wide breadth of progression content to work towards during this time. Most consistent players will easily reach level 55 long before the launch of Season One, presenting a huge problem by leaving players unmotivated over the next few weeks.
The delay behind Prestige availability has only been made worse byModern Warfare 3’s carry-over system withModern Warfare 2, with players already having unlocked a lot of the camos and weapon progression ofMW2’s multiplayer content. With players hitting a wall so early on inModern Warfare 3’s life cycle, the decision to keep the Prestige system absent during such a crucial time for the release seems quite bizarre.
Of course,once Season One eventually rolls around,MW3will be boosted with a huge level of new content that could easily see the title experience a second wind of popularity. Despite this, the potential player-base falloff due to a lack of progression could makeMW3’s approach to Prestige mechanics a disaster for the release.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
