The social media discourse around Call of Duty is sometimes filled with negative sentiment, but many players also have a lot of good things to say about Modern Warfare 3.
MW3‘s success may be magnified by the fact that it came out after Modern Warfare 2, which was comparatively a weaker title when it came to post-launch multiplayer offerings. But the facts can’t be denied that seasonal support in MW3 has been well done.
A group of CoD players came together in an April 4 Reddit thread to heap praise on the latest game in the series for its seasonal drops and post-launch content, and it was a breath of fresh air.
“Whew, each season has felt like a whole different game,” the original poster said. “Every week my friends and I are jumping on to see what kind of OP weapon kit you can get from the weekly challenges. I’ve been a COD player since 2006 with CoD 2, and I’ve never seen a game in the series that was THIS well supported post launch.”
Seasonal battle passes are optional and offer things like cosmetics, blueprints, and operators, but new weapons and maps are indeed free each season. For longtime players, this is especially exciting in comparison to how things used to be in the franchise.
“If you went back to the [Black Ops 1] days and told me we’d be getting new free maps and free weapons every eight weeks or so, I’d lose my mind,” they said.
Another big reason for MW3 multiplayer’s success at keeping players engaged has been weekly challenges and limited-time events, as the poster said. Each week, a new set of challenges is released with unique rewards to earn, like Aftermarket Parts to change up a gun, or an exclusive camo for completing every week.
Still, some players lamented what MW3 could’ve been if Sledgehammer Games had more time to work on the game.
“Honestly, MW3 has been truly fantastic,” another player said in the replies. “It just bothers me knowing how much MORE Sledgehammer could’ve made this if they had longer than 16 months and didn’t have Infinity Ward breathing down their necks. Despite this, though, they really put IW to shame. This game has been non-stop fun with great support. I’d say it’s my favorite CoD in the Warzone era now.”
After yesterday’s launch of season three, there are still several seasons of MW3 left before a new CoD releases this fall, so there’s plenty of content for players like these to look forward to before a new cycle begins.