MW4 launch patch: 20 maps, four new modes, and Tac Sprint locked to a perk

Infinity Ward posted Modern Warfare 4’s launch patch notes on October 21. The worldwide launch is still October 23. Campaign early access and DMZ early access are already running; these notes are the Multiplayer pass that ships with the full game. Two Prestige paths are in the notes. The Prestige Classic vs Regular write-up is a separate piece. This one is maps, modes, and the Beta leftovers that actually change how you play.

20 maps at launch, Shipment on October 27

Day one is 20 Multiplayer maps: 12 core 6v6, three 32v32 Ground War maps, four 2v2 Gunfight maps, and Kill Block. The maps blog adds Shipment on October 27, set on a Russian harbor. Kill Block is the new modular map. It supports 3v3 and 10v10 Gunfight at launch, with 6v6 and extra Slabs promised after launch.

• 6v6: Cachette, Coal, Lithium, Lotus, Mumbai, Munition, Nautical, Reactor U92, Rooftops, Sentry, Silkworm, Transit 213.
• Ground War: Imjin Farmland, Wolves Stadium, Forest.
• Gunfight: Cafe, Library, NYC, Smuggler.

Four new modes, plus Halloween next week

The notes list more than a dozen Multiplayer modes, including Hardcore. Returning playlists: TDM, Domination, Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, Free-For-All, Frontline, Search & Destroy, Gunfight, and Gun Game. The four new ones are the story.

• Inflation: pick up cash off eliminations. Cross the High Value Target threshold and both teams can see you.
• Hijack: fight over a Data Spike, plant it at the enemy Comm Station, then hold the upload.
• Collateral: Search & Destroy with a buy phase. You start each match with a pistol and $800.
• Combat Outpost: Ground War territory control. Capture Outposts to score, respawn, and unlock team rewards.

Infected and a new Possession mode land “next week” as a Halloween drop. The maps blog places both in the pre-Season 1 Halloween window. Possession lets you steal a dead enemy’s loadout and teleport to their body. The notes do not name a calendar day for those two.

Guns, Blood Rush, and streaks

Launch loadout: 33 weapons, 33 Operators, a Level 55 climb, 17 Killstreaks you can pin to individual loadouts, plus 9 Tacticals, 11 Lethals, and 12 Field Upgrades. Create-a-Class unlocks at Player Level 4. Infinity Ward says Weekend 2 Beta TTK is the target: SMGs are stronger close-to-mid, one-hit-kill weapons were tempered with flinch and damage, and every attachment got a pass. Advanced Weapon Stats ship on day one.

• Blood Rush

  adjust

  Tac Sprint lives on this Perk 2. Default input is single-tap sprint. The extra Tac Sprint sprint-out penalty is gone.

• Battle Hardened

  buff

  Stronger cleanse on Flash, Concussion, and Screamer Mine.

• Resupply

  buff

  First recharge comes faster.

• UAV

  buff

  Health 100 → 150. Cost stays at 5 kills, or 4 with Hardline.

• Wheelson

  adjust

  Pathing and targeting retuned to be more aggressive.

• Flash / Concussion

  nerf

  Effective range and duration slightly reduced.

Tac Sprint is not a default movement option. It sits on Blood Rush in Perk 2. If you want double-tap or a stricter single-tap sprint, that is in Movement Advanced Settings. Perk 1 is Quick Fix, Overkill, High Alert, Ghost, Resupply, Kill Chain. Perk 2 is Hardline, Blood Rush, Bomb Squad, Fast Hands, Ninja, Birdseye. Perk 3 is Lethal Reach, Combat Grid, Battle Hardened, Scavenger, Tracker, Cold-Blooded.

Smart Streak Later is new: objective work such as a Domination capture feeds the Killstreak meter. Killstreak costs from Beta Weekend 2 stay. Infinity Ward also says third-person “snaking” mismatches found after the Beta are fixed.

Launch-day event, no weekly challenges in Season 1

The first event starts on launch day. Weekly Challenges are out for Season 1 — Infinity Ward wants the event tracks to be the grind. Recurring events are how you recover a missed top reward. Event loot listed: Apex Attachments, Weapon Camos, Calling Cards, Operator Skins.

DMZ crash and stability fixes dated October 20 are in the same notes, plus more DMZ work dated October 21. Campaign players get a progression-blocker fix in the Hotel sequence of Counter Attack. Live issues sit on Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 4 Trello board; @CODUpdates is the critical-news account they point at.