Call of Duty: Modern Warfare released in October 2019 and its multiplayer component is still going strong with a healthy community and consistent updates. Since its launch came several months ago, many regular and semi-regular players have no doubt passed level 55 and started the seasonal Officer Ranks, which replace the series' traditional Prestige system.
After playing for this long, certain aspects of the competitive modes will no doubt start to grind on someone, as the following list will show. The multiplayer is still superb and perhaps the best the series has ever been, but it would be ten times better if these annoying details were remedied.
10 Battle Passes
The Battle Passes are a compromise players must endure in exchange for free maps. To keep the multiplayer alive, the studio has to find some way to monetize the popular component. Still, paying sixty-dollars for something and not being able to access every feature stings, even if they are only cosmetic.
Many prefer this over having to pay for new maps and modes. One would like their multiplayer experience free from advertisements, however, especially for a game they already bought.
9 Constant Updates
The first kind of update isn't too bad. Every once in a while, the game notifies the player it must restart in order to install the most recent changes. It is quick and painless. When new maps are added, however, the updates are large and can ruin a multiplayer session.
Modern Warfare boots up fast enough when maybe someone just wants to do some rounds for twenty or thirty minutes, but forcing the player to download a new map before jumping online can prevent the session from ever happening. Having to clear out space in a full hard drive makes it even worse.
8 Shield Users
An expert with a shield can still ruin someone's day. Then again, a handful of people probably got to level 55 and beyond by using the Riot Shield. With it equipped, players are nearly invincible.
When it is on the player's back, they cannot be killed from behind. Explosives are really the only surefire way to take these opponents out. This strategy is especially devastating in Search and Destroy, where a quick death forces the player to wait several minutes as the round finishes.
7 Nerfs Changing One's Strategy
The need for balancing post-launch is understandable, but it sucks when the update nerfs a beloved weapon or piece of equipment. 725 is the most notable example. While it may have been unfair and overpowered, players who used it now needed to either adjust to its changes or find a different gun.
Those who stuck with the game no doubt improved their skills as they adjusted to a new shotgun or found a different weapon class to use.
6 People Exploiting Bugs
Thankfully, Infinity Ward is vigilant about squashing bugs and glitches, but when one is found players will exploit it until the cows come home. Some of the Ground War maps had bugs letting players clip through walls, making them virtually invisible and invincible as they shot at other players.
A Riot Shield bug prevented them from taking explosive damage, making it even more of a nuisance. Every game has bugs, though, and the developer is commended for quickly addressing most of them.
5 Too Few Nighttime Maps
Night maps were heavily advertised prior to launch. When plunged into darkness, players have to utilize night vision goggles and strategic use of lights around the level to form combat strategies.
This simple difference changes the way one plays. Unfortunately, few maps have a nighttime version. Why does not every map, or at least the majority of them, have a nighttime counterpart? Did they playtest them and found they weren't fun? The mode adds a layer of intensity to the gameplay but grows repetitive when few maps are available.
4 People Abusing Voice Chat
Communication between teammates is key in certain game modes like Search and Destroy. Voice chat and coordination is the difference between glorious victory and humiliating defeat.
When playing with strangers, however, too often does one run into people misusing the feature, either blasting music or shouting mean-natured expletives. Multiplayer should be a positive experience, and these annoyances make people want to immediately mute everybody once a round starts.
3 People Dropping Out In The Middle Of Gunfight
One of Modern Warfare's most unique modes is Gunfight, 2v2 deathmatches on minuscule maps. The match ends when one team wins six rounds, each one of which lasts forty seconds.
The even teams, lack of perks, and identical loadouts make for a perfectly balanced mode until one player leaves in the middle of a match, forcing the remaining teammate to fight alone. Any lone wolf who sticks around during this moment deserves commendation, but it should never happen in the first place.
2 Cannot Do Free-For-All Playlists While In A Party
On the one hand, this is understandable. The developers don't want friends forming secret alliances to dominate a Free-For-All round. On the other hand, would it really be a large issue? Free-For-All is as chaotic as it gets, and it doesn't seem like a secret pact between two players would heavily affect a match.
If it really became an issue, they should just remove the name tags during the game mode so people don't know with whom they are fighting. Additionally, it is impossible to do the recently-added 1v1 Rust mode with a friend unless one makes an unranked, custom match.
1 Playing Against Mouse & Keyboard Users
Those accustomed to controllers truly understand the benefit of mouse and keyboard support once they've been shot in the head from a long distance by someone whose sensitivity makes it look like the character is constantly spazzing out. There is a clear advantage to the setup's precision when compared to analog sticks.
Fortunately, crossplay can be disabled, but then one is cutting themselves off from a portion of the player base. The problem is simply unavoidable, and one has to choose between playing with everybody or only playing with those on their console.