MW3 Terminal Map - Modern Warfare 3

Tactical Overview

In team-based game modes, teams will either spawn in the Lower Lounge (north) or in Security (west).

The remainder of the map is split between the interior Terminal and the exterior Apron, each offering its own opportunities and challenges with variable sightlines and plentiful verticality throughout.

We’ve divided Terminal into six areas using the following map callouts:

• MAIN SPAWN POINT: Security
• MAIN SPAWN POINT: Lower Lounge
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Shopping (+ Bookstore, Makeup Store, Hallway)
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Dining (Upper Lounge)
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Apron
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Plane

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Security (WEST)

The Security area is a small rectangle with little cover. Any fights within its confines will be over fast, rewarding the Operator with the fastest draw and the steadiest aim. Lead with grenades when approaching enemies here for a chance to disorient and/or damage them before the skirmish begins.

Avoid passing through the metal detectors if you don’t want to give up your position through its loud chime. You can also climb onto one of the scanners for a slightly elevated view over the immediate area. Note the Kastovia Airlines office south of the scanners — this is a useful position for ambushing enemies in the vicinity as well as for its access to the east-facing customer service desk, an ideal point for sniping enemies all the way toward the Plane entrance.

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Lower Lounge (NORTHEAST)

The Lower Lounge caters to a variety of tactics, whether you’re fighting within the Terminal, looking out on the Apron, or climbing onto one of the strongest power positions on the map.

The ground floor is open, though some cover objects provide ways to stay out of view or regain composure midfight. Crouch behind the snack bar for a well-defended sightline up to the escalators and to the top of the ladder. The large glass windows can be a blessing and a curse: a blessing for those using their wide visibility to tag enemies on the Apron, and a curse for Operators focused on the interior and susceptible to incoming damage from outside. Position accordingly.

Watch for enemies appearing near the top of the escalators, as well as for any grenades they may lob down ahead of their arrival. Also note the ladder leading to a high platform overlooking the Upper and Lower Lounge. Smash the glass to get on top of Maintenance for a commanding view over the Apron, the Plane, and the Hallway.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Shopping

The Shopping area is the biggest interior space on the map, including the atrium, check-in counter, Hallway, Bookstore and Makeup Store. Though it’s a large space overall, there are plentiful cover options throughout; success here requires knowing when to dig in and when to advance.

The Bookstore passage provides a valuable shortcut between the Hallway and Shopping area. Close-quarters Loadouts perform great here and in the nearby Makeup Store. Use these spots to close the gap against long-ranged opponents and to punish enemy players running nearby in the open.

Watch for players moving in through the Dining area and the Plane, and when moving through the Hallway, be aware of the windows facing the Apron. The view is great for targeting enemies outside, but they can likewise fire shots in when you’re just trying to move through the area.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Dining

Marked by the checkered floor, Dining connects the Shopping area to the Upper Lounge. Burger Town sits in the corner, its wraparound counter and kitchen offering cover to entrenched Operators. Snipers here enjoy long sightlines to the east and south.

Use the nearby columns for cover when approaching enemies in Burger Town, and lob grenades behind the counter. When moving toward the Lounge, stay above the escalators for a height advantage, and watch the Hallway to avoid being flanked.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Apron

The sprawling Apron is similar in size to the Terminal, though the layout is very different. Large, open spaces are broken up by crates of air freight and the parked Plane. Players can use long-ranged Loadouts and stick to the map border or move up from cover to cover with more flexible midranged weapons.

Note all the windows overlooking the Apron from inside; get behind the Plane for better concealment. From here, you can take the stairs up into the Shopping area or remain inside the Plane for its strong view over the Apron.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Plane

The Plane is a useful chokepoint connecting the Apron to the Shopping area. Its advantages often outweigh the inherent risk of defending it. Use close-quarters tactics to respond quickly to incoming enemies and be willing to drop out of the Plane to escape grenades. There are three exit points available, one each in the front, side, and rear.

Use equipment to overpower the Plane. Lead with a Flash Grenade or even a Smoke Grenade to disorient enemies within. Whatever you can throw in has a good chance of being effective, so use it.

Objective Overview

Overall Tactics

Map control is paramount on Terminal. To make the most of its features, Operators should be as confident in the Terminal as they are on the Apron.

If you’re stuck on the Plane, drop out the back and hit the ground running; move through the Bookstore and break the glass in the Hallway for passage to Maintenance. Knowing your options keeps you agile and on the initiative.

Playing objective modes like Domination and Hardpoint is a great way to learn the map. In the Terminal, move near the columns and walls to stay out of sight. On the Apron, use the shipping crates for cover as you advance.

Long-ranged Loadouts do well when you’re pressed back against the perimeter, while those looking to close the gap will need to find routes that circumvent long sightlines. Keep in mind how different areas interlink; for example, the Apron looks into the Hallway and Lower Lounge, but does not overlook Dining or the greater Shopping hall.

Use these connections to your advantage when moving toward objectives, but also be aware of their risks. Sometimes fighting head-on is the way to go, but other times a stealthier approach makes the longer route worth it. Move with intent and reap the rewards of Terminal’s branching possibilities.

Domination

Domination uses the full run of the map, the flags spread evenly over three major zones. In this arrangement, teams can be successful with any combination of two flags.

Though the B flag remains a dominant feature, it’s not as crucial as it is in other maps; a team can easily opt to remain inside the Terminal entirely, fighting for A and C instead.

Be willing to adjust your position when things go sideways. While it’s good to fight for your favored flags, it’s not worth falling behind in the match score. The best teams know how to move through the whole map, even if it means momentarily taking a disadvantaged position.

All flag combinations have their advantages. Taking A and C keeps the fight inside the Terminal building, which is good for teams who struggle on the Apron. With A and B, you can use the Plane to funnel between the flags, or cross through Maintenance between C and B. Find your strongest combination and fight for it.

Hardpoint

All Hardpoints appear within the Terminal on this map, making it a great mode for mastering the interior space here. Beginning with the Upper Lounge by Burger Town, teams will then need to lock down the Makeup Store, Plane, Dining, and the Bookstore.

While the objectives may be inside, it hardly reduces the use of the outer Apron. Operators can target enemies in the Hallway from there, board the Plane, down an enemy aerial streak, and even use it as a flanking route when the action is focused inside. As long as you’re moving through the Apron for a strategic purpose, it can easily fit into a team’s effective strategy.

On the first Hardpoint in the Upper Lounge, it’s possible to land area-to-ground attacks through the large glass windows in the ceiling. Outside of that, the remaining objectives require fighting on the ground, so opt for intel-gathering or ground-based streaks. After a few matches of Hardpoint, you’ll have a much greater understanding of how best to move through the map’s interior spaces.

Cutthroat

Cutthroat turns Terminal into a tactical playground as teams move through the main hall and Apron in search of action. While it won’t take long to engage if you head straight out for the fight, there’s enough room on the map to get into an advantageous position for squads who prefer to read and respond to the opening moments of the round.

When outgunned or outnumbered, use the larger environment to back off and reposition; even with lowered health, you can still be a threat. Better yet, back off toward your teammates to bait the enemy into a trap. You might even assign one of your squad as a sniper for the sole purpose of providing long-ranged cover for their more aggressive teammates.

Don’t lose sight of the overtime flag as the round nears its time limit. The whole map is for the taking before then, but you don’t want to lose out on your hard work by allowing an enemy to capture the point and take the round win at the last second.

Search & Destroy

Search & Destroy adds two bomb sites to the map. A is located in the Upper Lounge near the Hallway and Dining. The B bomb site is directly in the Plane, tucked behind the emergency exit.

Each site offers distinct risks and advantages, and teams who can succeed at both sites will greatly increase their chance at victory.

From Security, the attacking team can rush straight into the Dining area in an A-side blitz or consider a stealthier approach using the Plane for cover while planting at B. A daring Operator might use the Hallway for its view onto the Apron to check for defenders running toward the Plane. A skirmish can break out at any moment, and getting intel keeps the initiative in your favor.

Defenders need enough Operators to withstand an Upper Lounge push while also keeping an eye out for movement on the Plane. It can be helpful to keep an Operator on the Apron, watching the Hallway for activity with quick boarding access should a bomb plant start at B.

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.