Tactical Overview

Located in the oilfields of the Urzikstan desert, Rust is a small, square map dominated by its central Tower. Fight for your spot up top or use the map’s various obstacles to stay out of sight while you skirmish on the ground.

For the purposes of this guide, we’ve divided Rust into five sections based on key named areas in the map:

· MAIN SPAWN POINT: Pipe

· MAIN SPAWN POINT: Trucks

· ADDITIONAL AREA: Oil Pump

· ADDITIONAL AREA: Office Buildings

· ADDITIONAL AREA: Tower

SPAWN POINT: Pipe (NORTHWEST)

Pipe offers quick access to the Tower via the Pipe, but sticking to the ground floor can be just as useful. The bulky comms station provides strong cover, and by using adjacent obstacles you can get on top of it as well. The Gas Containers offer further cover, though the thin walls do little to stop the impact of incoming fire.

SPAWN POINT: Trucks (SOUTHEAST)

The Trucks starting spawn, while not providing many options in terms of verticality, more than makes up for it with its durable cover options. The fuel truck offers cover and concealment so you can keep the enemy guessing whether you’ll move toward the Oil Pump or the Office Buildings, and you can mount your weapon on one of the surrounding concrete blocks to dig in for a strong defense.

Long-range weapons do well here, with sights to the north and west and along a good portion of the Tower. You can also hop directly on top of the fuel truck to surprise your opponents; get back down quick before someone unexpected spots you.

ADDITIONAL: Oil Pump

This area is packed with possibilities. The Oil Pump itself provides a raised platform with commanding views up the Tower as well as to the north and east. Run along the Pipe for direct access to the platform, or, for greater concealment, stick to the ground and climb up in the far southest corner. Draw enemies into CQB by staying close to the ground and using the Oil Pump for cover; don’t miss the crawl space beneath.

The far southwest corner of Oil Pump provides a great vantage point, with the Oil Pump itself granting added concealment without over-compromising visibility. Be mindful of enemies rushing along the Pipeline toward your position.

ADDITIONALAREA: Office Buildings

A haven for Shotguns and SMGs, the Office Buildings funnel players into a narrow path along the northeast corner of the map, with no visibility other than what’s in front or behind them. While it’s a short trip, it’s full of peril. The covered passage toward Trucks marks another key ambush point here. Watch these areas carefully when passing through the nearby maintenance area.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Tower

The focus of the map, and everyone wants to get to the top. There are two ways of doing so: by climbing up the center ladder or by walking up the exhaust chute. The view is grand, but you’re a prime target.

At the base of the Tower, a compact maze mashes players together in crawl spaces and tight corners. The ladder here leads you to the top. You can also access the Tower’s middle platform via the pipeline or exhaust chute, providing less height but greater overall visibility around the map.

With ample surfaces to stick to, sometimes a sticky grenade is the best way to dislodge an enemy in the Tower. Step back, approximate their location, and toss your grenade. Be ready for them if they survive the blast.

Objective Overview

Overall Tactics

Rust challenges Operators with getting to the objective while minimizing threats against them. While it’s nearly impossible to avoid danger for too long, smart movement and positioning around cover can extend your life when it’s needed most.

Work with your team to call out and ping the position of enemy players. Discover which areas of the map you have the most control over and use those points to launch your next attack. Team up to improve your odds.

Domination

The flags are all on the ground floor, nearly equidistant to each other, surrounding the central Tower. Expect much contention over the Tower as Operators vie for its vantage points over the map.

Where the Tower doesn’t help is when your team is down a flag and needs to make a capture fast. Know when it’s time to get down on the ground and get on the objective. In fact, the Operators who can best navigate the Tower’s ground floor are the best equipped to succeed, enjoying quick access to all three flags. If you just can’t resist, fight your way to the top of the Tower and keep your teammates covered where they need it most.

Hardpoint

Of the five Hardpoints, only the second over the Oil Pump is elevated off the ground. However, as in Domination, the Tower still looms over all and as such plays a key role in providing vantage points over the surrounding objectives.

Trophy Systems are nearly a requirement here, along with any other defense you can muster against incoming grenades, particularly when battling over the inner three points. Pushed up against the Tower, these Hardpoints are primed for bombardment. You can always move back to the space below the Tower to get out of sight as you reposition to flank the enemy and secure the objective.

Cutthroat

On a map this small, expect the outcome of many Cutthroat matches to be determined through total elimination. Your squad needs to balance aggression with patience here. Take too long to engage and you risk being outplayed by a fast-moving team; run into combat too quickly and you risk getting squeezed by both enemy teams.

Keep close tabs on the overtime flag, as it's always a possibility to win through a capture. This works well in rounds where Operators aren’t moving as much, whether they’re in a stalemate over control of the Tower or the competing squads are evenly matched, and nobody wants to make the wrong move.

Search & Destroy

Starting from Trucks, the attacking team is slightly closer to the B Bomb Site than A. Completely exposed, A is a riskier play, though it does favor mid-range combat where CQB reins near the confined B site. If you’ve got the close-quarters advantage, take the fight to B, but if you’d rather draw the enemy out, A is your best bet.

Of course, on a map this small, many rounds will end with a team elimination. This again brings the infamous Tower into play, providing the perfect angles to wipe out the enemy. Just don’t forget about the bomb sites, lest you become the latest victim of the 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.