Modern Warfare 2 Raids explained: Release date, Atomgrad, gameplay, leaks
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is introducing the Raids experience to the franchise, so here’s all the latest on the new co-op feature making its way to MW2.
Call of Duty fans are being spoiled when it comes to Modern Warfare 2 gameplay variety. The new title has already delivered a cooperative Special Ops mode and added a new multiplayer third-person playlist to rotation.
Infinity Ward also innovated with the new Invasion mode variation of Modern Warfare 2’s Ground War. The list of game modes didn’t stop there as the free-to-play Warzone 2 and DMZ modes arrived with the Season 1 update and offer shared progression.
Another new mode on the way in Modern Warfare 2 is Raids. Infinity Ward have revealed what to expect with this mode, as well as its post-launch release date, so here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming co-op mode.
- Modern Warfare 2 Raids release date
- What are Raids in Modern Warfare 2?
- How to access Raids in Modern Warfare 2
- Modern Warfare 2 Atomgrad Raid revealed
- Modern Warfare 2 Raids gameplay details leak
- Are Modern Warfare 2 Raids free to play?
Modern Warfare 2 Raids release date
Raids will arrive in Modern Warfare 2 with the Season 1 Reloaded update, which goes live on December 14, 2022.
The Season 1 Reloaded update also brings Shipment to Modern Warfare 2 and will be the first major update for Warzone 2.0.
What are Raids in Modern Warfare 2?
Thanks to the official Call of Duty blog concerning Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, we know that Raids will be “a three-player cooperative engagement requiring teamwork and strategic, puzzle-solving thinking in-between bouts of intense combat.”
In a November 9 blog concerning Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 1, the devs had this to say about Raids: “Continuing the story of the Modern Warfare II Campaign, Raids will be the ultimate challenge for Trios with a mix of stealth, all-out action, and puzzle-solving objectives. Expect a full Tactical Overview and additional Raids intel at mid-season.”
How to access Raids in Modern Warfare 2
In order to access a Raid in Modern Warfare 2, you’ll need to earn a Raid Assignment. This will allow you and your team to enter the Raid for a full week, and this can be done in three different ways.
Here are the different ways to earn Raid Assignments:
- Complete a specific daily challenge in either Multiplayer or Special Ops.
- Place in the Battle Royale playlist’s top 20.
- Use the final extract helicopter in DMZ with at least $30,000 in cash.
The first Raid, Atomgrad, will arrive on December 14 with Season 1 Reloaded, and there are “new Raid episodes on the way.”
Modern Warfare 2 Atomgrad Raid revealed
Infinity Ward showed off the Atomgrad Raid at The Game Awards, showing Price, Gaz, and Farah infiltrating a flooded, underground facility. Here, they stealthily swim around the map, taking down enemy AI before it erupts into chaos.
In the December 12 blog post about Season 1 Reloaded, the developers revealed that successfully completing this Raid will unlock Gaz as a brand-new Operator along with his ‘Convoy’ skin in Multiplayer and Special Ops.
If you purchase his Store Bundle after completing this Raid then you’ll also get the ‘Grass Ops’ skin as a bonus reward. Players that get through the Atomgrad Raid will also be able to access a harder-difficulty Playlist.
Modern Warfare 2 Raids gameplay details leak
According to industry insider Tom Henderson, “it’s understood that the first Raid coming to Modern Warfare 2 will have at least two puzzles involved; one focused on numbers and the other focused on a water maze.”
Henderson reiterates the role of AI within the Raids experience. Infinity Ward have put a ton of effort into developing this new AI, and it’s no surprise to see it at the forefront of several Modern Warfare 2 experiences.
The leaker also shared specifics concerning the first Raid experience set for Modern Warfare 2. Players will reportedly be tasked with infiltrating a submarine base, which will be a mission that highlights Modern Warfare 2’s water mechanics, lining up with what we’ve seen from Atomgrad.
So far, dataminers uncovered three separate missions related to Raids. Interestingly enough, Henderson also explains that datamined images “indicate that raids could be built from the ground up and on their own individual map.”
Are Modern Warfare 2 Raids free to play?
Although Warzone 2 and DMZ are free to play, Raids are part of Modern Warfare 2 so the mode isn’t free to play.
You’ll need to either purchase the standard or Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 2, and you’ll then get access to the campaign, multiplayer, Spec Ops, and Raids.
For more on Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 Reloaded, be sure to check out how to unlock the new Chimera Assault Rifle and everything you need to know about the new Groups social feature.
Image Credit: Activision