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, rather than a typical concrete structure for battle pass unlocks, players will be able to pick and choose what they want to work towards.

But what will this actually look like? Well, rather than a typical row of levels and unlocks, players will be faced with a multi-sector map. This map will be split into 20 sectors, with five items in each sector. When the pass goes live, you’ll be able to travel to a specific sector you’re interested, unlock the loot you want from it, before going out and picking another.

The goal of this is clearly to allow for more freedom to players, and for what it’s worth it seems like it could benefit both free and paid players alike if handled correctly. Many of you out there, and I, have levelled through a battle pass just to unlock the free weapons and disregarding everything else. For players like that, this might allow for a more streamlined experience.

Likewise, there are usually a few “winner” cosmetics spread throughout battle passes that encourage continued progression for paying players. In theory, you could now pick out the skins you like for the guns you use, and focus hard on obtaining those. More freedom in the player’s hands is always a good thing!

However, all of this relies on how progression actually works. From the official post, the resource used to dig through and travel between sectors are battle pass tokens. How you unlock these has yet to be revealed, they could be challenged-based, experienced-based, or acquired via some other mysterious method. However, with a follow-up post on the battle pass coming up next week, we’re sure to hear more soon.

If you’re looking for a taster on what goodies are coming in 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 SMG — Free with battle pass
• Chimera Assault Rifle — Store bundle or weapon unlock challenge
• M13B Assault Rifle —Store bundle or weapon unlock challenge

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

All in all, I’m keen to see how this works out! Every game these days has a bloody battle pass, everything! So some innovation on that aspect of the live service genre is great to see, even if it’s slight. For some reason it reminded me of For Honor, and it’s world conquest multiplayer map. That, even though it didn’t really add too much to the experience, was something that set that game apart. Here’s hoping the new Modern Warfare 2 battle pass has 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 Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 news, check out our reports on loadouts coming back in Warzone 2.0, as well as Modern Warfare 2 already making $1 billion before selling a single microtransaction.