With the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare a little over a month away—Friday 25th October, to be exact—and acting as a soft reboot of my favourite Call of Duty series, I’ve decided to turn the clock back and take a look at some of my favourite maps from Modern Warfare’s past as I eagerly await to find out if the new addition will have any maps that are even half as good as the ones I have listed below.
Without further ado, I give you my personal top ten maps from the Modern Warfare series so far:
10. Crossfire – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Just managing to sneak on to my list, Crossfire is set in Al Qunfudhah, Saudi Arabia (or so I’m told). Although there is a street at each end of the map which act as each teams base, pretty much all combat takes place down the long street that runs from one end of the map to the other. There are buildings that run down either side of the street that can be used to make it from one end of the map to the other within cover, which is where the bulk of the close-quarters combat takes place, but the map is most notable for its intense sniper battles which take place between two buildings at each end of the street.
9. Resistance – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Resistance is the only map from Modern Warfare 3 that has managed to make it on to this list, because most of the maps were, quite frankly, a b naff. Set in Paris, France, Resistance is a medium-sized map that sees players doing battle on the Parisian streets with vehicles being the main source of cover. This map is probably most suited to Domination, although the narrow street where B is located becomes a major chokepoint, particularly when players inevitably take up positions in the shop window or on the raised ledge at either end of the street. Resistance was eventually remade as Ember for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and as Occupation for Call of Duty: WWII.
8. Pipeline – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Pipeline is a noticeably grey map that takes place in an abandoned rail yard in Ukraine. The map suits a variety of play styles, with mid-to-long-range combat favoured in the outer areas, particularly the raised grassy area at one end of the map, and close-quarters combat favoured in the two warehouses that occupy the centre of the map. The main camping spot of choice is the roof of one of the warehouses, which is accessed by climbing the ladder inside the warehouse and heading along the catwalk. Pipeline was eventually remade as Atlas Gorge for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
7. Strike – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Strike is a large urban map set in Afghanistan. Although there are a load of winding side streets and plenty of buildings to do combat in, the bulk of the action tends to take place in the central streets that form a T shape. As always, there is a very favourable sniper spot in the building next to the market which overlooks both the main street and the market square, and it’s also highly viable to set up camp here with a mid-range Assault Rifle to quickly rack up a killstreak. Strike was later released as DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as part of the Resurgence Pack.
6. Skidrow – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Skidrow is a medium-sized urban map set in and around an apartment block in California. Although there is plenty of combat to be had in the surrounding streets and alleyways, the majority of the conflict takes place in the central apartment building, particularly the long hallway where B is located if you’re playing Domination, which usually becomes absolute carnage. There is a set of steps at one end of the corridor which lead to an alleyway that takes you to A, and you can set up base on these steps to quickly move between covering both A and B. Standing on these steps and covering B can often lead to you quickly racking up an absolute mound of kills as people mindlessly jump on B or get caught in the crossfire as they try to move between rooms across the corridor.
5. Highrise – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Highrise was one of those maps that you either loved or hated. Set on the rooftop of a partly-constructed skyscraper in New York City, Highrise featured an elevated helipad in the centre of the map and two office buildings at either side. Although you could cause absolute carnage by charging around like a maniac with either a Shotgun or an SMG, most matches often devolved into end-to-end combat with either Assault Rifles or with Snipers in each building at either end. With enough practise and skill, it was possibly to climb on top of one of the office buildings, although this often took so long and left you so vulnerable that any journey there during a match was often short-lived. The map is very open—even the office buildings had windows in the ceiling—so getting an Attack Chopper or AC-130 on this map was often ridiculously overpowered. Highrise was remade under the name Skyrise, which was released as DLC for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare as part of the Supremacy Pack.
4. Estate – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Estate is a medium-sized map based around the “Loose Ends” level of Modern Warfare 2’s campaign. The map is notable for its large house that sits at the top of the hill, offering both the tactical high ground and great views across the majority of the map. This house often becomes the focal point of most matches as snipers take up position to try and control the game while waves of enemies close in on the house and infiltrate it through numerous avenues, including both the front and back door, the large windows that overlook the hill, and the basement. This is one of the only maps in Call of Duty that offers one distinctly strong area of the map that can be utilized to control the whole game, which is why games on Estate feel so different to any other map.
3. Terminal – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Terminal is a medium-sized map which takes place in an airport terminal. The map gives players access to the security checkpoint, lobby, shops, runway, and even an empty plane, which provides plenty of variety and makes any play style a very viable option on this map. That variety has led to Terminal becoming a firm fan favourite that is largely heralded as a classic, and it has since it also appeared in both Modern Warfare 3 and Infinite Warfare. The map is another very strong one for aerial killstreaks such as the Attack Chopper or the AC-130 due to the large amount of windows in the ceilings. The ‘Hallway of Death’, which occupies the centre of the map and offers a view of the outside area, should be avoided at all costs, as anybody that enters it will be vulnerable from attacks from several doorways, the cockpit of the plane, or the runway below.
2. Overgrown – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Overgrown is a large open map that is strongly favoured by snipers. One half of the map is occupied by a large farm while the other side is occupied by a curved street filled with houses, while a dry riverbed runs through the centre of the map. Matches on this map often end up being sniper battles which offers a nice change of pace from other maps in Modern Warfare, with the roof of the central house and the large two-storey farm house in the corner of the map being particular favourite spots for players. The vast open areas of the map make it another very strong map for killstreaks, as any player who spawns could have to travel a considerable distance to find cover. Overgrown is another fan favourite among players and it was eventually released for Modern Warfare 2 as part of the Stimulus Package.
1. Crash – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Crash has been my favourite Call of Duty map ever since I played it during the Modern Warfare multiplayer beta. Set in Basrah, Iraq, this medium-sized map offers a great blend of streets and buildings to fight in, with the rooftop of a large building being accessible to allow for some sniper gameplay. The centrepiece of the map is a downed helicopter which lays in ruins in the centre of the map, which makes matches on this map feel like you’re taking part in Black Hawk Down, which is just awesome. Matches on this map are fast, frantic, and chaotic, and the generous availability of cover means that airborne killstreaks are never overly dominant. Crash was incredibly popular and was re-skinned as Winter Crash for Christmas, before also making its way to Modern Warfare 2 as part of the Stimulus Package.
So, there you have it, my top ten maps from the Modern Warfare series so far. Do you disagree with any part of this list? Which maps were your personal favourites? Let me know in the comments below.
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