Many may consider Call of Duty: Modern Warfare one of the best Call of Duty games ever made. Its lively community and constant stream of content keeps the game fresh and exciting, from the strategically complex Reinforce mode to the rumored addition of the Warzone battle royale mode right around the corner. However, there is more to the game's success than the new ideas it brings to the table.
One of the biggest factors in the loyalty of Modern Warfare's player base is nostalgia for older games in the sub-series. That's why the addition of remastered classic maps like Crash, Shipment, and Rust have been one of the developers' top priorities in each season. As times change, though, players' fond memories may not hold up under the cold light of modern standards, design tweaks, new mechanics, and shifting playstyles.
What Makes Rust a Classic Map
Even people who have never played a Call of Duty game have heard the phrase "1v1 me on Rust." That alone is testament to the iconic status of one of the smallest, densest, and most hectic maps ever devised for Call of Duty. Rust was one of the most-requested classic Modern Warfare maps for a reason, as in one small square, there are enough platforms, levels, hidden passages, and corners for a map three times its size.
However, what made Rust so beloved was not how fun it was to play in any standard 6v6 game mode. In fact, 6v6 games on Rust were almost always a messy, chaotic experience rife with devastating killstreaks, frustrating spawns, and nonstop death from all sides. Much like its predecessor in Modern Warfare's Shipment, anyone jumping into a multiplayer match on Rust must be prepared for an uncontrollable bloodbath.
The real reason that Rust sticks in the collective consciousness of all Modern Warfare players is its legacy as a map for 1v1 battles, as any dispute could be solved by a one-on-one bout on Rust to determine who was the superior CoD player. Along with Shipment, Rust housed the fan-created origins of the Gunfight game mode that is now so popular in Modern Warfare.
Remaking a Modern Warfare Classic
The prospect of remaking something so near and dear to their fanbase is no doubt daunting for any game developer, and the challenge of modernizing a map to meet current standards without ruining it in the eyes of diehard fans is nothing to underestimate. It might even be impossible, since what many fans want out of a classic map is a return to the gameplay they remember so fondly. That just isn't feasible in a new game that is by nature an evolution of what came before it.
Even so, this recreation of Rust is far better than other remade versions of it in previous games. The map looks much the same and holds up well even with updated traversal and visuals. What the new Rust suffers from is excessive dust that blocks players' vision, broken CoD spawns that highlight the game's faulty systems, and the fact that the overall feel of Modern Warfare's community is different than when Rust was first invented.
The biggest objective issue in the map is the spawn system. While spawns may have always been bad in small maps like Rust, players have come to expect better from first-person shooters in 2020. Even in much older games, it seemed far less common for players to spawn in front of an enemy's line of sight, on top of a burning Molotov, or directly under the same airstrike multiple times in a row. However, the biggest problems for Rust come from players, not the map's design.
Changing Playstyles in Modern Warfare
There is an issue that is far more problematic for Rust than the broken spawns. Times have changed, and the Modern Warfare of today is a very different game than Modern Warfare 2. Skill based matchmaking is now one of the most prevalent forces in the game, and players know it. Players now pay far more attention to K/D and meta weapons than they once did.
The reason that Rust was so beloved is that it was the perfect playground for daring stunts and flashy kills, not because it was a great competitive map for multiplayer games. It was a map for solving disputed, using quick-scope snipers to out-style an opponent more so than out-compete them, and other fun but not strategic tactics. The map was never all that good for competitive game modes, but now players expect better map balancing and more focused design in first person shooters.
Modern Warfare's meta revolves around ARs and SMGs, making it far less likely to encounter an interesting variety of weapons on small maps like Rust. At the same time, skill based matchmaking all but ensures that most players will never encounter an enemy team that they will feel comfortable using weak-yet-fun weapons against.
If it were a gunfight-only map, the general consensus on Rust would probably be a lot more positive. The map deserves to be where it belongs- in playlists that encourage light, challenging fights between extremely small teams. The 1v1 Rust playlist was a step in the right direction, but Rust's permanent home should be in Gunfight, custom matches, and the occasional grind-focused playlist.
Rust is the ideal map to try out the new akimbo pistols or try to rack up kills with unusual weapons. Unfortunately, it is being misused in its current role as a hectic multiplayer battleground. The developers do seem to recognize why people love Rust so much, especially since they added a specialized playlist dedicated to 1v1s on the map. With the right rules and game modes, Rust does have the potential to be one of the best maps in Modern Warfare, just not for standard multiplayer games.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.