Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play details: maps, modes, and skill divisions cover image

Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play details: maps, modes, and skill divisions

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play arrives this week. It includes eight divisions plus the same game modes and maps as the Call of Duty League.

Activision is dropping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play quite soon. Arriving alongside the full release of Season 2 for Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, multiplayer and Call of Duty League (CDL) fans will have the chance to compete like the pros. Ranked Play replaces CDL Moshpit as the competitive home of the game.

Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play release date

Players don’t have to wait long to enjoy Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play. It releases on Feb. 15 for every player on every platform. This new game mode is a part of Season 2. Ranked Play is coming courtesy of a collaboration between Treyarch, the Black Ops developer, and Infinity Ward.

Maps and modes

Activision revealed that Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play unsurprisingly features all of the same game modes and maps as the CDL. For those players who checked out the CDL Moshpit over the last few weeks, nothing is changing there.

Here are the game modes and maps in Ranked Play:

  • Al Bagra Fortress: Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control
  • Breenbergh Hotel: Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control
  • Embassy: Hardpoint and Search & Destroy
  • El Asilo: Search & Destroy and Control
  • Mercado Las Almas: Hardpoint and Search & Destroy
  • Zarqwa Hydroelectric: Hardpoint

Ranked Play includes six different maps, and many of which feature more than one game mode. The three game modes of Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control are part of it, too.

Skill division details

Modern Warfare 2 screenshot (Image via Activision)
Modern Warfare 2 screenshot (Image via Activision)

While the game modes and maps don’t change all that much from CDL Moshpit, the same cannot be said for progression. Ranked Play takes the foundation built in Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard’s respective versions. Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play features a blend of the two, offering both skill divisions and ranks.

On the topic of skill division, this is a fluid category every player falls into. Each match a player completes grants them ranked points. This determines the player’s skill rating. The more points they have, the higher their skill division is as well. If they lose too much, though, their skill division may go down.

Here are the eight skill divisions in Ranked Play:

  • Bronze: 0-899 skill rating (SR)
  • Silver: 900-2099 SR
  • Gold: 2100-3599 SR
  • Platinum: 3600-5399 SR
  • Diamond: 5400-7499 SR
  • Crimson: 7500-9999 SR
  • Iridescent: 10,000 SR at minimum
  • Top 250: 10,000 SR at minimum

The Top 250 division only includes the Iridescent players with the highest SR out of the entire community. This is crucial to determining the best ranked players, especially since Vanguard ranked player star, Joe "JoeDeceives" Romero, was picked up by the Los Angeles Guerrillas through this method.

Your skill rating resets each season, too. In general, your division will go down at the start of a new season, depending on the highest placement you reached in the previous season.

Fortunately, one of the best changes with this new Ranked Play is not punishing players for teammates leaving a match. No skill rating points will be lost if a teammate who's not in your current party disconnects mid-match.

Modern Warfare 2 Ranks explained

In addition to skill divisions, players also have traditional ranks to progress through in Ranked Play. Everyone begins at Rank 1 and can level up all the way to Rank 50. Unlike skill divisions, ranks remain throughout seasons until the player reaches the max.

Ranks go up each time you win a ranked match. Wins earn you stars and several stars will grant you a new rank. This comes with various rewards, including new animal medals to represent your skill division.

Ranked Play rewards

Modern Warfare 2 screenshot (Image via Activision)
Modern Warfare 2 screenshot (Image via Activision)

Speaking of rewards, players can look forward to a plethora of Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play rewards as soon as it drops. Players can get rewards every few wins, including a sticker after five wins and a new SMG weapon blueprint after 10 wins. More rewards unlock all the way up to 100 wins.

In addition to those items, players can also unlock rewards based on their rank. New cosmetic items unlock every five ranks, including two free operator skins, more weapon blueprints, and a special knife. If that isn’t enough, the highest skill division you reach in a season will also determine various rewards you get, such as animated calling cards and emblems.

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more esports news and Call of Duty content.