Where will you be battling for supremacy this October 25 when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches? Though these don’t represent the full complement of maps scheduled for launch, here are some descriptions of the maps you’ll be playing during the Beta, including what to more closely inspect and look for as you learn the layouts of these locations.

Azhir Cave (Day and Night)

Set at a makeshift ammunition factory hidden in the mountains of Urzikstan, infil points are to the far northeast and southwest. A partially bombed-out mountain village sits along the southern slopes of the map, with rusting tanks, rubble, fluttering blue signal flags of torn material, and a couple of makeshift bridges make the going treacherous. Structures feature small interiors, window frames, missing wall sections and dilapidated rooftops. Other buildings feature ladders up to flat rooftops, interiors with scattered belongings, assorted junk, various stacks of barrels, rusting equipment, rugs and dried linen, chickens gingerly pecking the dried earth, and other detritus and bric-a-brac.

The steps linking locations within the village were roughly-hewn even before they bore the brunt of enemy bombardment.  On the southwestern cliff edge are the charred remains of a downed drone, close to an ancient tower with the top completely destroyed. A mortar sits on what was once an open space where soccer was played.

Just over a third of the northern part of the map is a cave system, where the acoustics are remarkably different, and the majority of the munitions and weapon-making equipment resides. Rough tunnels create a confusing maze with intermittent shakes dislodging rubble, rusting and improvised lighting dimly illuminates specks of dust and fluttering moths.

A raised central sleeping cavern provides little solace (but a number of destructible objects). There are three main entrances into and out of the caves, if you don’t include the bottom of the village well. At the eastern end of the caves is a rough-and-ready command post, parked trucks, and a high-caliber artillery turret hanging from a roof winch, ready to be bolted to a pickup. Enter Azhir Cave at night, and expect pitch-black combat, where NVGs are a necessity.

Hackney Yard (Day and Night)

A gritty, rubbish-filled industrial park on the wrong side of town, Hackney Yard is a roughly-rectangular map, with the River Thames to the north, inaccessible due to the perimeter security walls, though you can watch the boats go by in between combat takedowns. Large crates, and white plastic refuse bins (known as “skips” in the UK) provide climbing access points past a parked police vehicle, if you’re traversing the wet concrete forecourt outside the “Cromwell Continental” warehouse structure, which has a access doors to an oak-paneled interior, as well as an upstairs and rooftop area with evidence of Al Qatala activity.

Continue to the northwest corner, passing a double garage with a Union Jack and flag of St. George (England) painted on the doors, as well as graffiti daubed across much of the brick walls. The northwest corner is an insertion point by a parked van, in a puddle-filled courtyard close to the B&L warehouse, building 4. Head inside for a freight elevator and an upper level with more Al Qatala evidence to spot. From here, you can climb onto the corrugated metal roof of the Union chimney stack, or drop down and head along the western perimeter, passing a dodgy-looking caravan, alongside the garages and an off-limits crane yard.

The yellow shipping and receiving building 3 has an upstairs area offering good views across the main yard, where a large metal “Rothwynn” shipping container sits, close to a rusting traditional London telephone box, and a sprawling central yard, dotted with more containers, and dominated by the main B&L warehouse to the south. This structure is clad in corrugated metal on its western side, and brick everywhere else and has numerous entrances, two floors, and has a sizable interior where barrels, tires, the odd scurrying rat, graffiti-daubed walls, and pressurized containers sit in the damp.

Pass the unloading crane and the red and white lorry, to the eastern edge of the map. Partially underneath a tube train bridge (listen for the underground train clattering by) is a small, two-storey brick hut, and the blue-bricked Reeding’s Auto Parts shop, close to a burning vehicle, and large metal skip where the opposing force infiltrates this map.

Grazna Raid

This overgrown, derelict town 5 kilometers outside of Venskaya, Russia on the edge of farmland to the south, and a trainyard to the west, where one of the insertion points is located. Navigate the “Pemoht” garage, workshop courtyard, and Auto shop, with its faded signage and cracked yellow tilework. Optionally climbing a ladder to the roof, where you can clatter across the corrugated metal to observe activity at the nearby coffee shop. Across the main thoroughfare to the northwest, where a small industrial complex of dilapidated buildings sits on overgrown concrete and grass.

            Signs of conflict are everywhere; not least the minefield along the northern perimeter, close to a snaking trench between a barn and a heavily-damaged, blue building. There’s a real feeling of ruination inside this structure, with its sagging sofas, rubble, and a rusting tank parked close by. Adjacent is the shelled remains of a yellow apartment building with a Barbers shop that’s seen better days, with a musty upper floor to explore.

            Head into the middle of town to weave through a maze of badly-damaged structures with upper levels to traverse, and sight lines to learn. Taller structures make up the southern side of the map; a large imposing tenement block, with a ground level and small playground to inspect. Further to the southeast, a shelled-out laundromat offers some upper level views towards the center of town, and the main road. Further to the east, along the perimeter is a mechanic’s garage and numerous scattered tires. 

Incoming Intel: Pre-Launch Information and Content

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