With the highly anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare just on the horizon, Activision is keeping engagement high with updates on the game's features and mechanics on its blog. In a recent blog post, Activision has taken the time to outline how multiplayer progression will work in upcoming title, explaining in great detail the differences between the new title and previous installments from the series.
The most notable difference in how progression works is the removal of Prestige resets that have been a staple for the series since the original 2007 title of the same name introduced the system. To replace this system, Activision has instead split progression in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare into three separate classifications for leveling that include a standard ranking system, a seasonal system similar to games like Fortnite and Apex Legends, and then an ongoing level system that has no apparent cap or reset.
The seasonal system, dubbed Officer Rank, is the more interesting of the three, as it is based off of a similar progression style as the standard Enlistment Ranks, except it offers special rewards that reset every season. Once a player has reached the maximum level of 55 in the Enlistment Rank, earning all of the available weapons, loadouts, and killstreaks, they will be rewarded with Officer Rank 1, which will give them access to a special, seasonal emblem as well as a number of Officer Challenges that will help them rank up faster. For each level of Officer Rank achieved, players will earn a ribbon, and for every 10 ribbons earned the seasonal emblem will upgrade piece by piece, until it eventually transforms into an animated emblem at 100 ribbons.
As the term "seasonal" suggests, Officer Ranks will reset at the end of each season, leaving all players at Officer Rank 1 at the beginning of the new season and giving them all the opportunity to climb the ranks again for a new emblem. Since the Officer Ranks reset on a timer, Enlistment Ranks will not, instead opting to stop at 55 without the option to prestige and have to re-earn all previously unlocked weapons and killstreaks. Weapons, however, will also have their own experience, specified for each individual weapon, that unlocks modifications and camo skins as players continue to use the weapons, as another way for players to unlock weapon skins.
Most of these systems are far from groundbreaking, with weapon levels being a regular achievement within online shooters, but it's really what isn't there that makes this new system so surprising. Opting to remove the prestige system and instead offer players seasonal rewards, Activision is clearly looking to keep player attention well into the future, making sure that completionists and hardcore players have to come back season after season to collect everything. This strategy has worked for other games in the past, but it remains to be seen how fans will feel about the removal of such a prolific system from the series, however this new approach matches well with Modern Warfare's omission of loot boxes in lieu of a battle pass.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare releases on October 25th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Activision Blog