First Modern Warfare competitive ruleset announced: modes, maps and bans

Activision have revealed the first official competitive ruleset for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare that will be used for the 2020 CDL esports season.

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The inaugural season of the Call of Duty League is set to kick off in late January, as the city, venue, and dates have already been confirmed for the launch weekend.

With there being less than three months until the season starts, Activision finally announced on October 29 what many players had been impatiently waiting for – the official ruleset that will be used for the esports competitions.

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Below, you can find everything there is to know about the ruleset, including all of the maps and modes that will be in the rotation, the specific game settings for each mode, and everything that’s restricted from being used in matches.

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Keep in mind that this is only the first iteration of the ruleset, as even Activision themselves have said that changes will likely be made to it throughout the season, based on feedback from the CDL and players and coaches.

The competitive ruleset for the CDL will continue to change and evolve as the season progresses.

Maps and Modes

The three game modes that will be in the official rotation are Search & Destroy, Hardpoint, and Domination, which returns to competitive play for the first time in many years.

S&D has a pool of seven maps, Hardpoint has six, and Domination has four. The four maps that will be featuring in all of the modes are Gun Runner, Hackney Yard, Rammaza, and St Petrograd, all of which are considered to be among the smaller maps in Modern Warfare.

Gun Runner will be in the rotation for all three modes, including Domination, which makes its grand return to competitive CoD.

Restricted items

As is usually the case every season, the restricted list for Modern Warfare’s competitive ruleset is full of weapons, attachments, kill-streaks, perks, equipment and field upgrades.

In terms of weapons, all LMGs, shotguns, and Launchers are banned. Most of the banned attachments are from the underbarrel category, more specifically things that enhance the weapon beyond its normal function, such as attachable grenade launchers, shotguns, incendiaries, etc…

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In total, there are 12 kill-streaks on the list, as well as six perks: Overkill, High Alert, Kill Chain, Restock, Shrapnel, and Tracker. Equipment-wise, the usual suspects are all not allowed, as well as Stim, which many players were wondering whether or not would play a role in competitive again after its prevalence in Black Ops 4.

Rounding off the list are Field Upgrades, which are also a new addition in Modern Warfare. There are five that are banned, leaving only Munitions Box, Dead Silence, Trophy System, and EMP Drone available for use. 

All shotguns are banned from competitive play in Modern Warfare.

You can check out the full ruleset below, as provided by Activision on Reddit:

Competitive Call of Duty rules adjust over time. The rules below do not represent the final competitive settings but an initial set of rules to kickoff the season. Competitive Settings V 1.0 have been developed in coordination between League Administration and representatives (players, coaches) of the Call of Duty League.

With the game having been released last week, we recognize that our final map set will need to be further refined than what we’ll have in place for the first version of our ruleset. That said, we’ll be paying close attention to both pro and amateur player feedback to ensure the best map set by season launch.

Maps and modes may change at a later date. Our pro player community is heavily involved in this process, and we look forward to narrowing down our settings a bit closer to the start of the season.

Updated: October 29th, 2019

Maps & Modes List

Search & Destroy

· Arklov Peak

· Azhir Cave

· Gun Runner

· Hackney Yard

· Piccadilly

· Rammaza

· St. Petrograd

Domination

· Gun Runner

· Hackney Yard

· Rammaza

· St. Petrograd

Hardpoint

· Arklov Peak

· Azhir Cave

· Gun Runner

· Hackney Yard

· Rammaza

· St. Petrograd

Search & Destroy Settings

Game Settings

· Round Time Limit: 2 M : 00 S

· Round Win Limit: 6 Rounds

· Win By Two Rule: Disabled

· Win By Two Max Rounds: N/A

· Round Switch: Every Round

· Match Start Time: 15 Seconds

· Round Start Time: 10 Seconds

· Skip Infil: Disabled

· Practice Round: Disabled

· Codcaster: Enabled

Advanced Settings

· Bomb Timer: 45 Seconds

· Plant Time: 5 Seconds

· Defuse Time: 7.5 Seconds

· Multi Bomb: Disabled

· Silent Plant: Enabled

· Reset Plant/Defuse Progress: Enabled

Player Settings

· Number of Lives: 1 Life

· Max Health: 100 (Normal)

· Health Regeneration: Normal

· Tactical Sprint: Enabled

· Allow Revives: Disabled

· Show Enemy Death Location: Disabled

· Downed Health: N/A

· Downed Revive Health: N/A

· Downed Bleedout Timer: N/A

· Downed Revive Time: N/A

· Downed Give Up Time: N/A

Team

· Spectating: Team Only

· 3rd Person Spectating: Disabled

· Killcam: Enabled

· Final Killcam: Final Kill

· Enable Mini Map: Yes

· Radar Always On: Disabled

· Weapon Pings on Minimap: Enabled

· Weapon Pings on Compass: Enabled

· Enemy on Compass: Enabled

· Respawn Delay: None

· Wave Spawn Delay: None

· Suicide Spawn Delay: None

· Force Respawn: Enabled

· Team Assignment: Enabled

· Friendly Fire: Enabled

· Team Kill Punish Limit: Disabled

Gameplay

· Hardcore Mode: Disabled

· Spawn Ammo Mags: 3 (Normal)

· Realism Mode: Disabled

· Headshots Only: Disabled

· Health Steal: Disabled

· Perks: Enabled

· Killstreaks: Enabled

· Round Retain Streaks: Enabled

· Retain Streaks on Death: Enabled

· Equipment Delay: 5 Seconds

· Equipment Protection: Disabled

Domination Settings

Game Settings

· Round Limit: 2 Rounds

· Round Switch: Every Round

· Round Time Limit: 6 Minutes

· Round Score Limit: Unlimited

· Match Start Time: 15 Seconds

· Round Start Time: 10 Seconds

· Skip Infil: Disabled

· Codcaster: Enabled

Advanced Settings

· Points Per Kill: 0 Points

· Points Per Death: 0 Points

· Headshot Bonus Points: 0 Points

· Killstreak Kill Bonus Points: 0 Points

· Time to Capture Zone: 10 Seconds

· Zones Required to Score: 1 Zone

· Points Per Zone: 1 Point

· Objective Scaler: x4

· Flags Enable Kill Scoring: Disabled

· Starting Flags Captured: Disabled

Player Settings

· Number of Lives: Unlimited

· Max Health: 100 (Normal)

· Health Regeneration: Normal

· Tactical Sprint: Enabled

· Allow Revives: Disabled

· Show Enemy Death Location: Disabled

· Downed Health: N/A

· Downed Revive Health: N/A

· Downed Bleedout Timer: N/A

· Downed Revive Time: N/A

· Downed Give Up Time: N/A

Team Settings

· Spectating: Team Only

· 3rd Person Spectating: Disabled

· Killcam: Enabled

· Final Killcam: PotG

· Enable Mini Map: Yes

· Radar Always On: Disabled

· Weapon Pings on Minimap: Enabled

· Weapon Pings on Compass: Enabled

· Respawn Delay: 5 Seconds

· Wave Spawn Delay: None

· Suicide Spawn Delay: None

· Force Respawn: Enabled

· Team Assignment: Enabled

· Friendly Fire: Enabled

· Team Kill Punish Limit: Disabled

Gameplay

· Hardcore Mode: Disabled

· Spawn Ammo Mags: 3 (Normal)

· Realism Mode: Disabled

· Headshots Only: Disabled

· Health Steal: Disabled

· Perks: Enabled

· Killstreaks: Enabled

· Round Retain Streaks: Enabled

· Retain Streaks on Death: Enabled

· Equipment Delay: 5 Seconds

· Equipment Protection: Disabled

Hardpoint Settings

Game Settings

· Time Limit: 5 Minutes

· Score Limit: 250 Points

· March Start Time: 15 Seconds

· Skip Infil: Disabled

· Codcaster: Enabled

Advanced Settings

· Points Per Kill: 0 Points

· Points Per Death: 0 Points

· Headshot Bonus Points: 0 Points

· Killstreak Kill Bonus Points: 0 Points

· Time to Capture Zone: Instant

· Zone Lifetime: 1 Point

· Initial Activation Delay Time: 30 Seconds

· Activation Delay Time: Disabled

· Location Order: Linear

· Scoring: Constant

· Pause Time: Enabled

· Capture Team Spawn Delay: Enabled

Player Settings

· Number of Lives: Unlimited

· Max Health: 100 (Normal)

· Health Regeneration: Normal

· Tactical Sprint: Enabled

· Allow Revives: Disabled

· Show Enemy Death Location: Disabled

· Downed Health: N/A

· Downed Revive Health: N/A

· Downed Bleedout Timer: N/A

· Downed Revive Time: N/A

· Downed Give Up Time: N/A

Team Settings

· Spectating: Team Only

· 3rd Person Spectating: Disabled

· Killcam: Enabled

· Final Killcam: PotG

· Enable Mini Map: Yes

· Radar Always On: Disabled

· Weapon Pings on Minimap: Enabled

· Weapon Pings on Compass: Enabled

· Respawn Delay: 2.5 Seconds

· Wave Spawn Delay: None

· Suicide Spawn Delay: None

· Force Respawn: Enabled

· Team Assignment: Enabled

· Friendly Fire: Enabled

· Team Kill Punish Limit: Disabled

Gameplay

· Hardcore Mode: Disabled

· Spawn Ammo Mags: 3 (Normal)

· Realism Mode: Disabled

· Headshots Only: Disabled

· Health Steal: Disabled

· Perks: Enabled

· Killstreaks: Enabled

· Round Retain Streaks: Enabled

· Retain Streaks on Death: Enabled

· Equipment Delay: 5 Seconds

· Equipment Protection: Disabled

Restricted Items

Primary Weapons

· LMG (All)

· M91

· PKM

· MG34

· L86A2

· Shotgun (All)

· Model 680

· R9-0 Shotgun

· 725 Origin

· 12 Shotgun

· Melee

· Riot Shield

Secondary Weapons

· Launchers (All)

· RPG-7

· PILA

· JOKR

· Strela-P

Attachments

· Underbarrel

· M203 40mm Concussive

· M203 40mm Smokescreen

· M203 40mm Recon

· M203 40mm High-Explosive

· M203 40mm Flash

· M203 40mm Incendiary

· 12 Gauge Deputy

· Perks

· Frangible – Wounding

Kill Streaks

3 Kill

· Personal Radar

· Shield Turret

4 Kill

· Counter UAV

· UAV

· Care Package

7 Kill

· IAV

· Sentry

· Wheelson

8 Kill

· Emergency Airdrop

10 Kill

· White Phosphorous

12 Kill

· Advanced UAV

15 Kill

· Juggernaut

Perks

Perk 1

· Overkill

Perk 2

· High Alert

· Kill Chain

· Restock

Perk 3

· Shrapnel

· Tracker

Equipment

Lethal

· Claymore

· C4

· Molotov Cocktail

· Proximity Mine

Tactical

· Heartbeat Sensor

· Gas Grenade

· Snapshot Grenade

· Stim

Field Upgrades

· Recon Drone

· Stopping Power

· Weapon Drop

· Tactical Insertion

· Deployable Cover

It’s worth noting that a lot more people than just pro players will be interested in this ruleset, since it will be used in a lot more competitions than just the CDL.

Call of Duty Challenges, the official amateur circuit, will also be using this, along with all of the other provisions that Activision posted in the 27-page rule book.

Even the in-game ranked playlist (when it launches), MLG’s own GameBattles, and all other third-party tournament and challenge websites will all likely be going with these rules, or something very close to them, so players who casually enjoy playing competitive matches from time to time will definitely be interested in it.