Modern Warfare 2 is getting a new battle pass with “more choices and more agency than ever before”

A new battle pass has been announced for Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0, this time with a focus on non-linear progression rather than the typical battle pass structure. What this means is that instead of a typical concrete structure for unlocking battle passes, players will be able to choose what they want to work on.

But what will this really be like? Well, instead of a typical row of levels and unlocks, players will be faced with a multi-sector map. This map will be divided into 20 sectors, with five elements in each sector. When the pass goes live, you’ll be able to travel to a specific sector you’re interested in, unlock whatever loot you want before heading out, and choose another.

The point of this is clearly to allow players more freedom, and for what it’s worth, it looks like it could benefit both free and paid players if handled correctly. Many of you, and I, have leveled up through a battle pass just to unlock the free weapons and disregarding everything else. For players like this, this could allow for a more streamlined experience.

Likewise, there are usually a few “winner” cosmetics dotted around the battle passes that encourage continued progression for paying players. In theory, you could now pick the skins you like for the weapons you use and focus on getting them. More freedom in the hands of the player is always a good thing!

However, this all depends on how the progression actually works. From the official post, the resource used to mine and travel between sectors are battle pass tokens. How to unlock them has yet to be revealed, they could be challenge-based, experience-based, or acquired through some other mysterious method. However, with a follow-up post about the battle pass next week, we’re sure to hear more soon.

If you’re looking for a taste of what’s coming to the Battle Pass, there are four new weapons on the way during the initial season. These are:

• Victus XMR sniper rifle — Free with Battle Pass
• BAS-P submachine gun — Free with Battle Pass
• chimera assault rifle — Shop Pack or Weapon Unlock Challenge
• M13B assault rifle —Weapon or Shop Pack Unlock Challenge

Packed alongside this will be the typical spread of operator skins, weapon cosmetics, sprays, etc. So you can pretty much expect the same package we saw with Modern Warfare 2019 and Warzone, just in a non-linear format.

All in all, I’m looking forward to seeing how this works out! Every game these days has a goddamn battle pass, everything! So it’s great to see some innovation in that aspect of the live service genre, however slight. For some reason it reminded me of For Honor, and its world conquest multiplayer map. That, while it didn’t really add much to the experience, was something that set that game apart. We’re hoping the new Modern Warfare 2 Battle Pass will have a similar effect.

But let us know what you think! Do you think this change to the battle pass is a good idea? Let us know below. For more news on Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0, check out our reports on returning loadouts in Warzone 2.0, as well as Modern Warfare 2 already making $1 billion before selling a single microtransaction.