Multiplayer Maps

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Guide

Multiplayer Maps

MW2 shipped with 16 multiplayer maps. Their names and a brief description of each follow:

Afghan: Open desert map with plane wreckage in middle, a cave with multiple access points, and some bunkers to the northeast. Watch for players using a Speed class to cover the map quickly, and also for snipers in the bunkers and on the cliff to the west. You can jump off the cliff if you land on the mattresses below. You can also climb up on the airplane in the middle of the map for some good vantage points.

Derail: Open snowy map with train wreck and central building, rooftops for sniping, frozen river and lake, other buildings on perimeter. For a large map, this one gets better use on the perimeter because of the sightlines from rooftops and upper floors at opposite ends. While there is almost always action in the central building, there is often someone sniping from at least one end of the map. The wrecked train cars and opposing raised walkway on the west side of the map.

Estate: Multi-story house, boathouse, greenhouse at top of map, other buildings on lower section. Most fighting is drawn to the main house and trying to control its three levels. The upstair of the main house has two access paths, the main stairway opposite the front door, and a route over a wood pile to an upper balcony in the rear. The main flor is accessible from the front and the rear as well as from below via the basement stairs. While objective game modes make good use of the entire map, deathmatch games tend to waste most of it by concentrating on the main house.

Favela: Multi-level dense map of paths and buildings to enter with lots of rooftop access, open area at top and central courtyard. Perhaps the most complex of the original 16 maps, Favela’s central buildings have many stairways, ladders, planks and jumps connecting them for the player who has learned his or her way around.

Highrise: Skyscraper map with opposing office sections, tunnel access to both with open area in middle below main level, crane with access, some perimeter climbing/glitch spots. It’s possible to move from the center helo pad across the cranes to a region ‘outside’ the map and hundreds of feet in the air to shoot back on top the map proper. You can also use this route to reach an elevated section in the north building. Take a leap of faith to grab the broken scaffolding to the left of the south building, then follow the ledge around to reach the rooftop. A lower level connects the two sides as well as offering an alternative route to the east from below. Similar to the central rooftop in Terminal, a good shot can make a long stand from the roof of the small building on the west side of Highrise. If an enemy tries this, blow up the tank he’s hiding behind.

Invasion: Urban desert with many interior building paths, some multi-level buildings, gas station with roof to the south, multi-level mosque at the north west. Standard left, right and center paths connect the two sides, thought the west route along the river is fairly exposed. As you move east the buildings often have two levels, so look for ladders and stairways, and there is almost always someone on the rooftop by the gas station.

Karachi: Urban desert with many interior building paths, some multi-level buildings, popular rooftop spots, even a market with chickens in cages. Mainly a close-quarters map, Karachi finds most fighting in the areas surrounding the destroyed building in the center of the map. Rooftops to the south and southeast are popular and easy to defend until an enemy gets a Predator missile.

Quarry: Stone quarry with many levels/buildings on perimeter of multi-level stone blocks. This mp is basically a bowl with several locations where you can see from one side to the other, so try out the Javelin if you have it. Several buildings have upstairs catwalks with windows, so watch for snipers there and also scattered around the many stone blocks that surround the central tower.

Rundown: Village at dusk with canal running north to south down the middle, buildings on both sides, many with interior access and upper floors with windows. The defining element of this map is the fact that access from one side to the other can controlled at four pinch points. There are three bridges, one with stairs from the canal below, all vulnerable from windows on both sides, and one set of stairs at the south of the canal that comes up several feet away from the southern-most bridge. Teamwork can own this map by controlling the bridges and the south stairs, though this is more easily done from the north-east side of the map. With the B flag on the center bridge in Domination, the north-east side is the one to take and control. Large open areas surround the central buildings, offering something for every play style.

Rust: Very small map with a pipeline and tower to climb. This began life as a Free For All map but has now been added to games with more players. It’s pretty hectic with 12 players and matches don’t last long because you rarely have more than a few steps to take before spotting an enemy or dying. Set your Killstreak rewards to Care Package and Sentry Gun. The latter can rip up enemies on such a small map, and if you live long enough to claim the former, hope for a Harrier or Helo, which can be murder on the other side.

Scrapyard: Small map with broken airplanes in middle and perimeter buildings on all four sides. A warehouse on the south faces an office building on the north side, and both have upper level windows to watch out for, though the warehouse is more exposed due to the upstairs being a metal catwalk. Climb the ladder in the warehouse to the top level where you can see most of the map. Upstairs in the office has only one staircase and can be protected well with a Claymore. Inside the planes is close quarters combat, so a shotgun comes in very handy as your secondary weapon.

Skidrow: Urban office/apartments with tunnel on one side and central interior multi-level section that opens to street on one end and garage with forklifts on other. Mot of the action is in the book store at the center of the map that connects the playground with the forklift garage. Watch for holes in the ceiling above and stairs/hallways that lead into this zone of death. The good news is there are several places for Emergency Airdrops that allows you to claim all four crates and protect them once they’ve fallen. Watch for a machine gun turret above the playground, which can add to the kill count in the book shop.

Sub Base: Snowy submarine facility with multi-level buildings, exposed central courtyard and peripheral paths. Many levels have exterior walkways or platforms, so seek out the higher ground and watch out for threats from above if you’re on the ground level. The central courtyard is surround by elevated rooftops and walkways, and most cross-map traffic seems to take place at the north and south sides for this reason. Toss an Emergency Airdop in the middle and sit back to watch the fun.

Terminal: Airport terminal with outdoor plane to enter from three points, interior airport waiting area with escalator and shops. This map is divided distinctly into two sides by one tight choke point, the entrance to the plane from the terminal, and the wider, more open one, the escalators leading from the upper to the lower level. In the middle is the rooftop from which you can see/shoot in 360 degrees. It has two entrances, a ladder adjacent to the escalators, and a barrel/storage crate on the level just below the rooftop. He who controls this area often controls the map as the vantage point is very good. Watch for Tactical Insertion flares up there, and once you gain that position, don’t give it up!

Underpass: Area under partially destroyed freeway overpass, with a grassy side divided from rundown buildings by a large flood drain with bridge. The many overpass structures make airdrops a challenge, and many matches will see a care package dropped where no one can reach it. The random approach direction of Emergency Airdrop planes means that even the best spots aren’t sure bets. There are plenty of buildings to explore as you look for good sight lines, and many levels on this map. The levels crisscross in several places, so beware of being picked off from above.

Wasteland: Redo of COD2 field map with central bunker that has three access points and some perimeter buildings. Most fighting in DM seems to focus on the bunker, but watch for snipers on the perimeter of the map picking off those coming and going to the party in the middle. Not much cover from Predators on this map, so when you earn one you’re sure to get somebody, and sometimes more than one if you can get lucky at one of the bunker’s entrances. This is another map with a border marked by radiation, so be careful to move back toward the center if you hear that clicking sound.

DLC Maps: As of now there are no plans for DLC until 2010 according to IW. Players can expect at least one set of maps to be offered at some point, however, probably by Spring 2010.