MW2 and Warzone bring back fan-favorite map Strike for Season 5

Ant Stonelake

Ant Stonelake

Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, two assault rifles and MORE is coming to Call of Duty starting August 2.

Season 5 for Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone looks to be stacked to the brim with brand new content for players of all kinds. New maps, new modes, new challenges, it's all coming with the new update to Infinity Ward's MW2 system, starting on August 2

Season 5 Roadmap

Season 5 is bringing with it a whole host of updates to the way MW2 and Warzone plays. There are three new 6v6 multiplayer maps, multiple new 2v2 Gunfight maps and a plethora of new operators including none other than, yep, Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg.

New weapons will also come into the game, including some throwback favorites returning to the game for the first time in years. Here's our breakdown of everything coming with Season 5 in MW2 and Warzone 2.

Global changes

With the nature of MW2 and Warzone, there are always big crossovers between the content that releases from season-to-season. This is the same with the new Season 5 update.

New weapons

Five new weapons are coming with Season 5. These include the returning WA2000 Sniper Rifle, which was first available in Modern Warfare 2 (2009). In MW2 and Warzone, it will be called the .300 Carrack.

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Also coming at launch is a brand new assault rifle. It bears a striking resemblance to the FFAR weapon that featured in Black Ops: Cold War. This time it'll be under the guise of the FR Avancer. It'll likely have a really fast firing rate and difficult recoil pattern.

In season, expect the M13C assault rifle and two other weapons that are yet to be revealed. Those will be an SMG and a sidearm.

Celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop

As part of Season 5, MW2 and Warzone will be celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop music. This is coming in the form of in-game challenges and some special celebrity guest skins.

These skins include Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj and apparently 21 Savage. These will come at varying times during the season, starting with the Doggfather.

Multiplayer changes

Multiplayer is the bread and butter of Call of Duty. It is where the game has thrived for years and will continue to be for the foreseeable. Infinity Ward are bringing some big changes for Season 5.

Strike is back in Call of Duty

Historically, Strike is a fan-favorite. Originally being in Modern Warfare (2007), the map was easily one of the early favorites for the competitive Call of Duty scene. It is now returning with a new lick of life with the Season 05 update to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Strike is back in Call of Duty with Season 5.
Strike is back in Call of Duty with Season 5.

Some people have taken issue with its addition, with World Champion Chris "Parasite" Duarte pointing out that Infinity Ward have waited until after the competitive esports season is over to add a map that could have definitely contributed to the season.

That being said, Strike will still be a valuable addition to MW2 and will have players reminiscing about the glory days of Call of Duty multiplayer.

Hitting Punta Mar in Las Almas

A brand-new original map is also coming during Season 5. Infinity Ward is sending the action back to Las Almas with Punta Mar. A town section of what could end up being the new Warzone map come MW3, Punta Mar brings the colors and vibe of Mexico.

Punta Mar is coming to Call of Duty MW2.
Punta Mar is coming to Call of Duty MW2.

This map will feature players fighting up hill in Las Almas. Look out for players at all levels in all of the buildings in the map.

New gunfight maps

There are two new gunfight maps coming in Season 5 for MW2. Gunfight is the 2v2 mode where teams have to win six rounds to take a victory.

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Canal is a section of the Vondel resurgence map that is pulled out and cut down. It's also at night-time, giving it a completely different vibe from the Warzone map itself. The other is Lounge, where players will compete in a bar-style setting to take on opponents.

There's also another 6v6 map coming in the mid-season update. That one is called DRC - Zone 1 and has similar vibes to the Himmelmatt Expo map that came earlier in the game's lifecycle.

New Havoc mode

It's not just new maps coming to multiplayer in the new season. There's also a brand-new gamemode coming, called Havoc.

It's similar to a Team Deathmatch mode but will feature changes in the game's look and feel with different milestones that are reached by either team. These modifiers occur randomly. There are 14 of them but we only know about a few right now:

  • Ammo Feeder: Auto reloads a weapon (from stock ammo) upon elimination.
  • Boots Off the Ground: Moon gravity. Affects only player jump heights, not thrown equipment or ballistics.
  • Flameshot: Flame-tipped Crossbows and Molotovs only. All Loadouts change immediately to this upon modifier activation.
  • Hero Landing: Landing from a big drop causes a frag-grenade-like explosion around you.
  • Perspective Shift: Everyone swaps to a third-person camera view.

Warzone updates

This is a fairly quiet update for Warzone gamers with developers keen to not break anything considerable in the build up to the first World Series of Warzone LAN event next month.

A new Champions Quest is coming strictly for Vondel Battle Royale, with players winning a blueprint for getting a victory on the map.

Champions Quest blueprint available for winning in Vondel Battle Royale in Season 5.
Champions Quest blueprint available for winning in Vondel Battle Royale in Season 5.

There are also two new vehicle types coming, including a motorcycle. Then last, but not least, there is a new underwater gas mask coming, which will allow players to extend the time that they can breathe underwater.

That's all for now, be sure to stick to esports.gg for all the latest news and updates from the Call of Duty world.