MW3 Karachi Map - Modern Warfare 3

Tactical Overview

In team-based game modes, teams will either spawn in West Street (west) or in the Front Lot (east).

A city in ruins separates the two spawns, challenging teams to navigate a plethora of winding alleyways while battles break out in and between the city buildings.

We’ve divided Karachi into five sections based on key areas around the map:

- MAIN SPAWN POINT: West Street (+ West Alley, Side Alley, Warehouse)

- MAIN SPAWN POINT: Front Lot (+ Side Lot)

- ADDITIONAL AREA: Hotel (+ North Street, Café, Bus, Shacks)

- ADDITIONAL AREA: Rubble (+ Rubble Roof, Apartment, Mini Mart, Storage Room)

- ADDITIONAL AREA: Main Street (+ Market Place, Market Building, Store, Clock Tower)

MAIN SPAWN POINT: West Street (WEST)

Of all the key areas on the map, the West Street spawn is the most straightforward. Except for some midsized obstacles you can mantle on top of, fighting is relegated to the ground here. The biggest threat lies in the narrow, winding alleyways where danger can emerge around any corner. If you’re not already wielding a close-ranged weapon, you might want to swap to your Handgun when navigating the treacherous turns.

If you’re looking to get up high, take the center Warehouse Alley route to the ladder leading to the Apartment Rooftop. This is a strong power position with access to nearby balconies, the inner Apartment, and the Café Rooftop. Stick to the outside lanes to keep things on more level ground, with a CQB focus in the southern Side Alley and a midranged focus in North Street — just watch out for enemies stationed in the Hotel when moving north.

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Front Lot (EAST)

Like West Street, the Front Lot spawn mostly consists of level ground, though there are a few key differences between the two. First, the Front Lot doesn’t immediately narrow down into branching alleyways, opting instead for a more open arena. There are also more cover objects here with the broken sections of wall and the several vehicles parked in the Side Lot. Except for the southern Market Place, the sightlines mostly remain midranged until you get farther into the map.

The Front Lot is an ideal location to call in a Care Package or, if you’re on a roll, the Juggernaut Recon; it’s positioned away from the denser areas of the map, and it’s not hard to find cover to keep out of sight as you await delivery. Watch for enemies doing the same and you might get the chance to take their goods for your own use — a huge boon for your whole team.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Hotel

The Hotel is a major power position on the map, rivaled only by the nearby Apartment. Both areas feature frenetic close-quarters combat, whether you’re fighting down below by the lobby or up by the rooms. When the inside is clear, you’ll want something with more range to take advantage of the sightlines out of the Hotel, including views over the central Rubble, North Street, and Shacks.

North Street west of the Hotel is also a formidable area. The Café is a great defensive point with a rear exit when you need to get out fast. Ambush enemies from the Bus and use the stone walls and barricades for partial cover when engaging head-on. The Shacks east of Hotel bring the fighting back to the open; move around the Shacks for cover or jump onto their corrugated rooftops to get over enemies on the ground.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Rubble

At the center of the map, Rubble is a highly dangerous area to pass through but well worth the effort of trying. Situational awareness is of paramount importance when navigating the foundation below. Vantage points look down into the area from multiple angles, while close-quarters attacks reign within the foundation itself. Use the ladder on the area’s south side to reach the Rubble Rooftop or access the blasted hole on its north side for a quick mantle into the Hotel.

The Apartment west of Rubble offers a much greater defensive position. Though it’s not as large as the Hotel, the building offers multiple vantage points and quick access to adjacent rooftops for when you need to move on but want to retain your height advantage. The Mini Mart and Storage Room east of Rubble lead back to more straightforward fighting; use the Mini Mart counter for cover and the Storage Room to ambush enemies passing to and from the southern Market Place.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Main Street

The map’s south lane is divided into two main sections, Main Street to the west and the Market Place to the east. Both areas offer their own challenges, with the elevated Clock Tower path and the Tunnel underneath it adding even more complexity.

Main Street is largely made up of midranged sightlines, the adjacent Store offering a reprieve from the open and the opposite raised platform providing a solid vantage point over the road. Be wary of the Clock Tower and Tunnel when moving toward Market Place, or use them for yourself to stage ambushes against passing Operators.

Market Place tightens up the fight as players weave in and out of the stalls in search of their target. Opt for the Market Building if you want to stay off the ground floor, largely negating the stalls’ ability to provide cover. Note the wooden platform connecting to the top of the wall over Main Street, providing a quick pivot to the Clock Tower, Rubble Roof, or the streets below.

Objective Overview

Overall Tactics

Objective modes ramp up the challenge on Karachi as Operators seek to control specific areas of this highly compacted urban map. Awareness of danger and recognizing opportunities are vital abilities for getting the most out of the environment.

Communication is also key. Even with a friendly UAV in the sky, it can be difficult to pinpoint an enemy’s exact location, not to mention those with Loadout items that keep them off the radar. Keep your eyes open and call out what you see.

If you’re going after an entrenched objective, ask for help. The more teammates you have at your back, the better your odds of taking the point. Considering the amount of vantage points and flanking routes available on the map, numbers really do make a difference. Team up with your allies, check every corner, and overwhelm the opposition.

Domination

Trying to avoid the central Rubble? In Domination, that’s exactly where you need to go. Take this trial by fire to learn all the ins and outs of the center path, an area full of danger and opportunity. Throw yourself at the point, see where you succeed and fail, and improve bit by bit until it’s just another spot on the board.

For the most part, B retains its function as a critical capture point. While it’s possible to take A and C as your flags, it spreads your team thin. There are so many points of contact between the two flags that holding them for any length of time becomes an uphill battle. The B flag is no walk in the park, but its proximity to A or C keeps the distance short so you can reinforce without needing to cross the map.

Approach B from the Hotel opening or the Rubble Roof for a strong angle down into the foundation, thus neglecting cover provided by the crumbling walls. Once clear, get on the point, capture it, then pull back to your station overlooking the objective. By moving with intent, you keep the odds in your favor.

Hardpoint

It’s a race for the Rubble as Hardpoint kicks off on Karachi, testing each team’s ability to brawl on the most contentious point of the map. Toss your grenades, bring your best weapons, and equip some defensive gear like the Trophy System, EOD Padding, and/or Tac Mask. You’ll need every bit of help you can get.

The next two Hardpoints, the Café and Mini Mart, take place on more straightforward ground, though they’re hardly lacking in challenge. You first need to get there through Karachi’s winding alleyways and vantage points, a feat in and of itself. Once you’re on the point, fight for all it’s worth.

The final two Hardpoints — Apartment and Hotel — amp up the challenge again by tasking teams with holding the lower level in a two-story building. When possible, try to cover both levels to reduce the chances of being ambushed from above, especially in the Apartment, where the stairs rise right over the Hardpoint. The more defenses the enemy has to break through to reach the objective, the better.

Cutthroat

Karachi offers all kinds of opportunities on Cutthroat, its density providing teams with near limitless opportunities. While on some maps it takes very little time to engage with one or both enemy squads, here the rounds are more versatile, from straightforward slugfests to slower-paced tactical engagements.

The minimap plays an important role here, as any intel is vital to tracking down your foes. Keep that in mind for your own tactics as well; sometimes it’s better to hold off on the attack if it means remaining concealed until a better time to strike.

Try to get above the enemy as much as possible. The Apartment and Hotel are both strongpoints from which to do this, depending on which one is closer to the overtime flag. By getting above your opponents, you cut the effectiveness of any ground cover in their proximity. Take your squad with you for support against enemies attempting to do the same, then reap the rewards of a commanding power position.

Search & Destroy

Search & Destroy ratchets up the tension on an already tense map. With just one life per round, every move counts. Whether you’re on offense or defense, your ability to navigate the map successfully and gain the initiative over opponents is key to winning the round.

The attacking team begins in the eastern Front Lot, with the option to plant at A near the Bus or B in front of the Main Street Tunnel. While on some maps, distraction can be a key component to your strategy, here it’s often better to move in full force for the greater odds it provides, especially as vantage points grow in number as you approach the bomb sites.

Starting in West Street, the defending team has a more difficult choice. Choosing the wrong bomb site to defend can have dire consequences, requiring the team to cross several treacherous points to pivot to the other bomb site. By splitting up, however, you reduce your team’s strength. This can be offset by taking up strong positions, such as the Rubble Roof overlooking B and the Café or lower Hotel overlooking A. Use the opening seconds of the match to get into place fast and be ready to engage.

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.