MW3 Derail Map - Modern Warfare 3

Tactical Overview

In team-based game modes, teams will either spawn by the Train Platforms (north) or the Street (south).

Between these two points of interest lies the trainwreck enveloped by an open forest, the glint of sniper rifles flashing between the trees.

Derail can be divided into seven areas using the following map callouts:

- MAIN SPAWN POINT: Train Platforms (+ Power Station)

- MAIN SPAWN POINT: Street (+ Gas Station, Garage Office, Water Tower, Crossing)

- ADDITIONAL AREA: Warehouse

- ADDITIONAL AREA: Office

- ADDITIONAL AREA: North Woods

- ADDITIONAL AREA: Train Crash

- ADDITIONAL AREA: South Woods (+ Creek)

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Train Platforms (NORTH)

Positioned between the Warehouse and the Power Station, the Train Platforms provide plentiful tactical options. The main power position here is the raised footbridge over the tracks, providing a commanding view to the south. In its immediate vicinity, various containers, barrels, vehicles, and other supplies provide solid cover options for Operators on the ground.

Be mindful of the Power Station just west, partially obscured by a large blue tarp helping players to avoid detection from within. If you need to attack an enemy in the area, try swinging north of the station and climbing on top of the blue containers for an elevated attack.

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Street (SOUTH)

The fenced-in railway town is largely confined from the rest of the map, though several openings look out into the forest and rooftop access provides a view to the north. There are two traversable buildings off the main Street, with a third down the road to the west.

Use a close-ranged weapon when fighting inside any of the buildings, then switch to something with more range when it’s time to fire on enemies outside. When moving down the Street, stick close to the parked vehicles to keep out of view from snipers positioned near the eastern Crossing.

To really open your up view, climb onto the rooftops over the Garage Office and Gas Station. While you’ll be more exposed, you’ll also enjoy a strong view of the surrounding area. When moving north toward the middle of the map, consider setting up at the base of the Water Tower just outside of town.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Warehouse

The Warehouse takes up a large portion of the northeast corner, with climbable containers stacked in the storage room and staircases and catwalks providing access to the second and third levels. Note the west-facing second-level windows for their view toward the Train Platforms and Office.

The containers on the ground floor partially obstruct the view, so two Operators with boots on the ground may end up playing cat and mouse around the two piles. In this situation, climb on top of the supplies for a view over your opponent.

An attached garage holds a forklift, and farther back another set of stairs leads to the administration office and up again to the third level. Get out onto a side roof here for longshots or move out to the catwalk for views down into the storage room. With multiple rooms and different access points to each level, the Warehouse can become a hot zone fast, so know when to hold your ground and when it’s time to retreat.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Office

The two-story Office building features tight, narrow rooms, so that any fighting within is bound to be fierce and up close. The real treasure goes to the Operator who can hold the upper floor, dotted by windows throughout for views over a large portion of the map. It won’t take long to find an enemy from some viewpoint, and if the battle gets hot, it’s easy to reposition and look for a new target elsewhere.

Defending against intruders is the hard part. There are two entrances into the building on either side, each a small storage room with a staircase leading directly up. It doesn’t take long to enter the building and reach the second floor, so forget the vantage points and defend your position when an enemy comes racing after you.

ADDITIONAL AREA: North Woods

One of two woodland areas, the North Woods are sure to see plenty of long-distance fighting as snipers scan the tree line for approaching enemies. On terrain like this, every rock and tree trunk takes on extra significance.

There are several outcrops from which an Operator in a crouched or prone position can defend against incoming shots, though be mindful that a flank attack can find you defending from a disadvantaged position. Take note of the sloping ground here, as well. Moving uphill gives you an advantage in staying out of sight, while moving down the slope exposes you to great swaths of terrain.

Situational awareness plays a big role in moving through the North Woods, so try to pinpoint where the action is and adjust your movements accordingly.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Train Crash

The Train Crash adds a frenetic play space to the open field. The wreck stretches down the middle of the map. Most of the railcars are accessible, so an ambush can occur at any moment when moving through the area, as well as from under the bridge and along the Creek.

Because much of the area sits below the woodlands, Operators gain some protection against snipers in the forest. In effect, close-quarters combat gains extra prominence, as do grenades that roll easily into the ravine. Climb up to the Water Tower west of the main crash site for a commanding view toward the bridge.

In the thick of the crash, use the railcars, bridge, and the tracks as your cover points while seeking out enemy Operators. A player who moves seamlessly through the wreckage can counter any threat.

ADDITIONAL AREA: South Woods

As with its northern counterpart, the South Woods is an attractive environment for snipers and other long-ranged Loadouts. The devil is in the details, however, with some notable differences between the two areas.

Its southern tip provides great sightlines into the railway town, covering the street and the rooftops. Sharpshooters can land eliminations from here without needing to get into the fray. Some logging activity has reduced tree cover when moving through the woods, though the rough terrain gives Operators the ability to move in stealthily when needed.

The terrain naturally changes around the Creek, a valuable route that runs north alongside the Warehouse. Use the Creek’s lowered elevation to stay out of sight while approaching the next objective.

Objective Overview

Overall Tactics

Objective modes bring a tighter focus to the map as teams vie for control over specific regions of the environment. Derail’s open landscape begs the question of when to beeline the target and when to take a longer route to get into an advantageous position.

Beelining the objective has its benefits. By jumping into the thick of the fight, you waste no time in accumulating match points, upping your chances of getting the early lead. If you win most of your skirmishes, it’s also a good way to build up your streaks.

If you’re losing your fights, on the other hand, you end up losing time. Maybe that sniper in the South Woods isn’t worth taking head-on, or the enemy in the Warehouse has the storage room on lockdown.

In these cases, it’s worth approaching your target from a different angle, whether that’s weaving through obstacles to approach a sniper’s position unsighted or using the Creek to attack the Warehouse from behind. When you seek out the most advantageous paths, you strengthen your team’s push toward the objective.

Domination

From the Warehouse to the Gas Station, the Domination flags focus the action on the east half of the map, though the North Woods offer a potent flanking route. The fight for B is paramount here, as the map’s large size makes holding A and C an arduous task for all but the most coordinated squads.

When approaching B, use the railcars and infrastructure to minimize your profile while scanning for enemies. Note the Water Tower and even the far west cabin, gaining further prominence for their long-distance views over B.

Note the various ladder access points to get onto the rooftops over A. Eliminate enemies from far out or opt for one of the open buildings at Street level and eliminate them as they approach the flag. Aim for the gas pumps to really give them a surprise.

For the C flag, consider fanning out to the Office for its commanding vantage points if there’s already someone defending the Warehouse. The Office features views over the C and B flags, making it a valuable stronghold. Prepare to defend your stake on the building; the advantages are well worth it.

Hardpoint

Check every piece of wreckage as the first Hardpoint kicks off at the center of the Train Crash. Move straight in if you’re looking to capture the objective or consider an angled view from the Office or Water Tower to cover the area from afar. From there, you’ll be running up and down the map in pursuit of the remaining four Hardpoints.

In the Warehouse and later the Office, the first priority should be clearing the inside and getting on the Hardpoint before establishing a wider defense. Once you’re racking up points, spread out to better cover the perimeter. Put down a Trophy System to defend against incoming grenades that can cause havoc in the tight interior spaces.

The Water Tower and South Woods Hardpoints move the fight out into the open. Consider swapping to longer-ranged weapons for these exterior Hardpoints that are exposed to the greater forest, whether you’re attacking the point from far out or using a high-powered scope to protect the objective from all corners of the map.

Cutthroat

Derail gives players a lot of options, even in the chaotic environment of a 3v3v3 match. The open forest provides space for Operators to spread out, punctuated by interior spaces and the train wreckage where close-quarters combat thrives.

It’s never a bad idea to fight your way to the overtime flag. The round ends after only a minute, and the map contains plenty of escape routes for Operators who don’t want to be found. By establishing control of the overtime flag, you don’t have to worry about tracking down every enemy, instead forcing them to come to you.

Move together to improve your chances of rescuing a fallen teammate or spread out to cover a wider area. Each tactic has its place and how you choose to fight will depend on your enemy’s approach. Whatever your strategy, keep the overtime flag in sight and use the rugged terrain to your advantage.

Search & Destroy

The woods are all that separates the attackers from the defenders in Search & Destroy, and one false move is all it takes to get knocked out of the round.

Starting from the southern railway town, the attacking team’s first task is deciding how to cross the woods. With this much open space, try spreading out so the enemy has trouble locating the bomb carrier; a grouped approach can work, too, by carving a path forward before the defenders know what hit them.

Whether you go for the A or B bomb site, you’ll first need to successfully breach the northern half of the map. Once there, pivot to the objective with the least resistance and defend the bomb carrier as they initiate the plant.

As the defending team, you must first locate and communicate the position of the enemy; it’s not helpful if you’ve got Operators covering portions of the map where there’s no activity. The second-story Office provides exceptional coverage of the area, as well as the elevated footbridge closer to the B bomb site. Don’t sweat it if the bomb gets planted. With this much room to move around, there’s always the possibility of sneaking in for a clutch ninja defuse.

Modern Warfare III Multiplayer: History Modernized

What’s your favorite Call of Duty Multiplayer map?

As Call of Duty nears its 20th anniversary, veteran fans could have over 100 potential answers to that question, and that’s not including the 16 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer maps that debuted in 2009 — one of the greatest Day One Multiplayer offerings of all time.

Afghan. Derail. Estate. Favela. Karachi. Highrise. Invasion. Quarry. Rundown. Rust. Scrapyard. Skidrow. Sub Base. Terminal. Underpass. Wasteland.

As previously revealed, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® III will launch with meticulously crafted, modernized versions of these 16 Core Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps, constructed to maintain the authenticity and accuracy of the originals.

Multiplayer Maps: Then and Now

Fourteen years later, Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward have a wealth of game engine and design tech advancements at their disposal, such as variable-rate shading, and numerous runtime systems for better enemy visibility, to name a few.

These new, ever-advancing technological tools are vital in faithfully re-creating the Modern Warfare 2 (2009) classic maps just as fans remember them.

“There are places where the metrics of the level are adjusted to fit more modern gameplay,” Zach states, “but for the most part, it’s going to feel incredibly similar. The biggest changes are in a fidelity sense.”

In other words, those who played Favela, Terminal, or Scrapyard in 2009 may expect a wave of nostalgia as they encounter the visual updates, and more experienced veterans may appreciate the modernization updates for gameplay flow purposes.

One example is the vehicles lining the streets in various locations throughout the map pool; these are different models compared to the 2009 versions. As you explore these newly modernized maps, you’ll notice other areas have received touches that both improve gameplay and enhance scenic detail and visibility.

Buildings and other features may be a different color or material entirely, such as the old dirt-and-grass soccer pitch in Favela, which is now paved over with blue acrylic-coated blacktop.

And when it comes to lighting, this revision of the game engine truly shines.

The game’s in-game illumination techniques noticeably brighten areas like Favela’s central alleyways, allowing players to see enemy Operators more clearly, rather than have targets blend into the shadows.

However, the most important changes to the 16 Multiplayer Maps aren’t how they look but how they ultimately play.

Because of technological advancements in Call of Duty’s animation and movement techniques over the past 14 years, Operators can Tactical Sprint and leap between rooftops, mantle, and navigate alleyways with Tac-Stance, giving players more confidence during these frenetic, close-quarters engagements.

Essentially, a “modernized” Modern Warfare 2 (2009) map means an authentic Multiplayer experience with learnings from the Call of Duty franchise’s rich history.

Memorable Map Areas Modernized for Modern Warfare III

Many other updates and features are coming to all the maps, though each still retains its authenticity and core design. To that end, all the Modern Warfare III launch maps were built from the ground up (rather than being taken from existing points of interest in other maps, like Al Mazrah).

Prior to more Multiplayer map revelations at Call of Duty: Next on October 5, here’s a brief glimpse at some of the memorable areas contained within a few of the other Modern Warfare III launch maps. Sledgehammer Games’ careful and considerate modernization is set to offer the same maps you remember, but with a refreshing multiplayer experience:

Estate

The lake behind the boathouse is now accessible for wetworks. Operators can now maneuver in and under the water and can swim out to a platform overlooking the area. There’s also a greater military presence on the Estate grounds than there was before. While the original lodge offered a luxurious getaway, this one features intel posted on the wall and a tank sitting on the main road outside.

Skidrow

The bookshop is now a movie store, and the ceiling has been repaired; the lights are back on for greater visibility when passing through. Further lighting improvements to areas like the hallway and tunnel ensure that Operators are clearly visible against the environment.

Rust

Remember that open pipe jutting out in a corner that many a camper took roost in? It’s been replaced by a small building, keeping the fight out in the open. Also, be sure to take advantage of Rust’s verticality by climbing the center tower and the surrounding containers with greater agility than ever before.

Highrise

The standard office layout from 2009 has been updated for the new tenant, a company whose arcade machines, movie posters, and video game systems profess their love for entertainment. Though the occupants are different, both buildings retain their most notorious power positions. The crane still provides a killer view from the northern building, while those willing to scale the front of Actibase will be rewarded with an unmatched rooftop position.

20 Maps at Launch, All-New Core Maps Come to Live Seasons

As detailed in the Modern Warfare III Reveal blog, in addition to these 16 authentic modernizations of Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps, Modern Warfare III Multiplayer will also include four massive environments comprising three brand-new Battle Maps — where Ground War and Invasion game modes will be fought against monumental backdrops. There will also be a gargantuan War map as Modern Warfare III marks the welcome return and evolution of the legendary War Mode.

Expect the flow of free post launch content including Core 6v6 Maps and additional Multiplayer content to continue after launch. As previously stated, we’ll have over 12 all-new Core 6v6 Maps in our seasons, with three all-new 6v6 maps hitting in Season 01 and three all-new 6v6 maps hitting in Season 02, along with additional maps and modes throughout future seasons.