Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s battle royale mode is one of the franchise’s worst-kept secrets. Alongside countless leaked maps and modes from datamines, the rumored battle royale mode has always been a key talking point for Modern Warfare leakers. Now we have practically concrete evidence of the game getting a battle royale mode thanks to a new datamine, and it looks like up to 200 players will be fighting for survival amidst a mishmash of Modern Warfare‘s ground war and spec ops maps.
Reddit user Senescallo shared details of the battle royale mode on the Modern Warfare subreddit earlier today. Much like last year’s Blackout battle royale mode that accompanied Black Ops 4, Modern Warfare‘s battle royale map will be comprised of familiar locations, albeit this time with locales from the same game instead of classic maps. Ground war maps like Karst River Quarry, Tavorsk District, and even the newly released Krovnik Farmland can all be seen in the leaked images of the battle royale map. Not only that, but maps from the game’s (pretty terrible) spec-ops missions like Operation Headhunter and Operation Crosswind can be spotted as well.
What differentiates Modern Warfare‘s battle royale mode from its counterparts like Fortnite and Apex Legends is its player count (as well as some unique features we’ll get to in a minute). The mode will support 200 players in one match, making it the largest battle royale we’ve seen in a mainstream AAA game. With a 50v50 mode reportedly on the way too, it looks like Modern Warfare is committed to the idea of having a wide array of player counts, ranging from 2v2 gunfights to 200 player battle royales.
Respawn tokens can be used to revive eliminated teammates. After looting a respawn token somewhere in the world, you’ll have to take your dead friend’s body to an ambulance for them to respawn. Of course, the ambulance won’t bring them back outright; they’ll instead be sent to the gulag, which is Modern Warfare‘s way of spicing up the respawn system.
In the gulag, players will enter a queue with every other dead player waiting to come back to life. These players will be fed into 1v1 matches, the winner of which gets to respawn. Newly-revived players will have to find a mobile armory to get their gear back. Every so often, a jailbreak will occur, kicking every player out of the gulag back into the match. Also, the gulag will shut down at some point during the match, preventing further respawns. Players waiting for their chance to duke it out will be able to bet on ongoing 1v1 matches using plunder, another of Modern Warfare‘s unique battle royale mechanics.
Plunder is an in-game currency that you’ll earn during battle royale matches. Plunder can be spent at plunder boxes to purchase weapons and other items, similar to Fortnite‘s vending machines. Plunder can also be converted to XP by depositing it into ATM machines, which are scattered throughout the map. You’ll earn plunder by killing enemies as well as completing missions that can be acquired by looting tablets in various locations. These missions range from assassinating certain players to capturing domination flags to finding scavenger crates, and each will reward you with plunder to spend.
There are some other interesting tidbits about the battle royale map in the datamine too. Points of interest include a bank, a fire station, a pharmacy, and a gun store, which sound like they could make for interesting drop zones. The gun store in particular seems like it’ll be super popular amongst players who want the best weapons immediately after dropping. The bank also reportedly sounds an alarm if players enter, which is a cool risk/reward mechanic that could make for some tense situations.
According to the leak, the battle royale mode is due out in early 2020. Rumors have been circulating that this might be a standalone free-to-play venture, but it could also very well just be a part of Modern Warfare‘s multiplayer package. Either way, it looks like a blast, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. If you’re still on the fence about the game, you can check out our review here.
