Since its initial launch about four weeks ago, it’s been pretty evident that Modern Warfare 2’s ranked play mode has been a solid win for competitive Call of Duty.
Aside from there seemingly being no glaring red flags about its ranking system, the ability for casual players to be immersed into the competitive formats, as well as the content arising from prominent faces of the scene grinding the public ladder, have breathed life into the community.
Thanks to the mode, fans and aspiring pro players alike are going head-to-head with some of the Call of Duty League’s best, pros are building up their brands with guides, videos, and streams, and viral moments are being clipped that bring back memories of years past.
But there has been a certain feature of the standard MW2 experience that has sparked debate among those who’ve tried out ranked play so far—weapon tuning.
Although weapon tuning has been unofficially outlawed in professional matches since the start of the 2023 CDL season by way of a “Gentleman’s Agreement,” the feature has been available for use in ranked play, enabling players to customize their attachments to non-regulation standards.
In its latest competitive ruleset update today, however, the CDL announced that it has officially banned weapon tuning, arguably giving ranked play players clarity on what the mode is for.
Prior to the announcement, many had been divided on whether or not to tune their weapons in ranked play. After all, what’s the point of not using weapon tuning if you’re not a pro? Additionally, Treyarch had advertised ranked play as using the exact CDL-approved rules, restrictions, maps, and modes for MW2. Since weapon tuning wasn’t officially banned there, players using it in ranked weren’t breaking any rules.
Now, with a verdict officially in place, it appears ranked play will be closer to the CDL experience than ever before moving forward.
