MW3 Wasteland Map - Modern Warfare 3

Tactical Overview

In team-based game modes, teams will either spawn by Church (north) or the Farm (south).

A Wasteland of abandoned vehicles and living spaces lies between the two spawns, the open fields offering endless possibilities for long-ranged engagements split up only by the central Dugout where Operators meet face to face in a flash.

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

• MAIN SPAWN POINT: Church (+ North Road, North Hills, North Trench)
• MAIN SPAWN POINT: Farm (+ South Road, Chopper, Front Yard, School, House)
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Tanks (+ Graveyard, Gravedigger House, South Trench, Junkyard, Shed)
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Lake (+ West Trench, North Yard)
• ADDITIONAL AREA: Dugout (+ North Trench, West Trench, South Trench)

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Church (NORTH)

While the Church interior is inaccessible, the brick wall in front of it makes for the perfect spot to identify and tag adversaries from afar. The armored truck closer to the building can also be used as a vantage point, but outside of that and the nearby junction box it’s open land until you reach the North Trench.

With trees few and far between, you’ll need to make the most of what’s available, whether that’s standing tall and engaging enemies as they appear or using the mounds in the rugged terrain to get low and reduce your profile. Each has its use; consider the match score and the time left on the clock to determine how quickly you need to move through the terrain.

MAIN SPAWN POINT: Farm (SOUTH)

The Farm is set back in the furthest corner of the map, making it a supreme sniping location on a map already teeming with them. The attached shed, Chopper, and other cover objects offer a greater means to control your sight lines.

North of the Farm, a large mound provides some cover when moving through the open field. Take note of the School and House areas, each providing the most substantial interior cover outside of the central Dugout. These are great spots from which to defend the area, and likewise, make sure to check for enemies when passing by.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Tanks

Compared to the sparse Church spawn next door, Tanks has is teeming with cover points and ambush potential. The litter of armored vehicles and junked up cars provide a means to navigate the area without being stuck out in the open. For greater concealment, head to the northern Gravedigger House or the southern Shed; while on any other map these would be considered poor vantage points, on Wasteland you need to make the most of what’s available.

The Junkyard near the Shed provides even more substantial cover, including a concrete barricade that’s ideal for mounting your weapon. When you need to drop out of sight, take to the South Trench running through the area, the largest section of trench on the map.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Lake

Save for a few scattered vehicles, the Lake and its surroundings are bare. The few trees around are too thin to act as cover, with the closest shelter being the House and School toward the Farm.

It’s not all hopeless, however. The shallow West Trench gives you plentiful points from which to crouch down and mount on the surrounding sandbags, helping to conceal your position while boosting your accuracy. To get up high, climb on top of the large truck west of the Lake; go prone to reduce your profile while still retaining clear views all around.

ADDITIONAL AREA: Dugout

All trenches lead to the central Dugout, a small underground crossroads with a few flimsy walls acting as the only obstacles within. Considering the lack of overhead cover provided outside, you can expect the Dugout to get busy when aerial streaks threaten from above, not to mention its usefulness in quickly traversing across the map.

Though highly dangerous, an Operator with quick aim and a close-quarters weapon can do a lot of damage here. Shotguns in particular reign supreme due to their extreme close-up power. With direct access to the outer trenches, you can furthermore quickly get into a position to eliminate approaching enemies from afar, making the Gunner and Commando Vests worthwhile for the ability to equip two primary weapons at once.

Objective Overview

Overall Tactics

Where all-out aggressive play can carry you to victory in most Multiplayer maps, Wasteland requires a more tactical approach. Beelining the objective will likely turn you to into sniper fodder unless you’ve cleared enemy threats first to pave your way to the point.

Work with your team to identify and eliminate the biggest threats. Once you find an opening to take the objective, it falls on them to approach, rooting them out of their long-distance perches. By forcing them to make the next move, you can set up your own sight lines to eliminate threats from far out.

Don’t neglect the Dugout as a means to cross the map. Swap to your Handgun or other close-quarters weapon and prepare to take the fight up close. Though a risky maneuver, it can cut your travel time in half when reaching the objective is paramount.

Domination

The Domination flags are positioned nearly equidistant from one another, each set within one of the three trenches. This works to the defending team’s advantage, as once your team has captured a flag, you can move up and down the trench, using the sides to mount your weapon and eliminate would be attackers from afar.

There’s no ideal set of two flags to shoot for. While B is positioned closer to A and C, success here is more about your control over the surrounding environment than keeping your travel distances short. Use this to your advantage by adjusting your focus when necessary; losing a flag won’t break your team’s chances so long as you reposition to another objective.

While greater numbers are always a boon, Wasteland further gives lone wolf Operators the chance to attack an objective even when outnumbered. It’s all about positioning and precision here. If they can’t pinpoint your location, it doesn’t matter how many defenders there are. While it’s always a good idea to work in tandem with your team, sometimes you’ll find that it’s best to take matters into your own hands.

Hardpoint

Before you head straight into long-ranged combat across the fields, you’ll first need to get up close and personal to capture the initial Hardpoint in the central Dugout. While you can snipe to prevent enemies from getting there in the first place, it’s a difficult task to cover all three trenches leading in, so rushing the point may be the best move.

After the Dugout, the remaining four Hardpoints move throughout the wilderness. Thankfully, each is positioned in a location near cover, rewarding the team who gets on the point first. This is particularly true for the House and Church Hardpoints, providing solid cover facing out toward incoming enemies.

The Tanks and Chopper Hardpoints require a bit more finesse. The Tanks objective provides a small radius around the overturned car; stay alert to anticipate the best spot to stand in around the vehicle, depending on where the greatest threat is coming from. The Chopper objective provides a useful brick wall for cover, though it’s just outside the boundary of the Hardpoint, so don’t leave the area unless there’s a teammate already on it.

Cutthroat

Cutthroat is a whole different experience on Wasteland. While rounds can still be won aggressively, you’ve got to always be aware of where the nearest cover is or be ready to fight where you stand should you get caught out in the open.

The overtime flag retains its importance here, especially if your squad doesn’t have the highest health in the round. When you do, however, the flag becomes a great trap. Set up with a Sniper Rifle and a clear line of sight toward it and eliminate enemies attempting to grab it for the round win. For flags placed near cover, you might even take a Shotgun and blast them up close where they least expect it.

It's extra important to stick with your teammates in order to revive fallen Operators when needed. Since much of the fighting consists of long-ranged engagements, there’s often the chance of breaking their sight line after going down. Get the revive, regroup, and seek your revenge.

Search & Destroy

One life per round, no revives. If you were cautious on Wasteland before, Search & Destroy will test your ability to keep a cool head and stay focused on the objective. That doesn’t mean you have to move at a crawl, however, as aggressive plays can end the round early before the enemy team has the chance to execute their strategy.

The defending team starts at Church in the northwest corner of the map, the attacking team by Farm in the southwest corner. As the attackers, you can rotate around to the B bomb site at the top of the North Trench or take a more direct path toward A just outside the Dugout in the South Trench. Planting at B encourages a more sniper heavy approach, while heading for A gives the chance to cut off enemies at close range in the Dugout.

The defensive team has quick access to the north B bomb site, so consider sending an Operator or two to set up sight lines over the objective call out approaching enemies. Getting to A requires a bit more effort and a potential rush through the Dugout. To really throw the attacking team off balance, split your approach by sending close-quarters Operators through the middle supported by snipers moving up the sides.

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.