As expected, Infinity Ward has revealed the first details about multiplayer in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Ghosts will include 14 maps out of the box, along with seven new multiplayer modes and more than 20 new Killstreaks.
In a debut trailer, multiple modes were shown off including Search and Rescue, which lets players on your team revive you (rather than only giving you a single life) and Cranked, which lets players gain new abilities each time they get a kill for a limited time. Each kill in Cranked will start a countdown clock, and if you don't get a kill before the clock expires, you'll explode.
Players can customize up to 10 soldiers, each of which will earn XP toward Prestige. Expanding upon Modern Warfare's create-a-class system, Ghosts will let players create a soldier with up to 20,000 possible combinations, including custom appearances and equipment. Players can also play as a female soldier for the first time. Players will earn tokens as they gain XP that can be spent on primary and secondary weapons, lethal and tactical equipment, and Perks. Attachments and Killstreaks will not cost anything to choose, and Deathstreaks have been eliminated.
Ghosts will also add 30 new weapons, including a new Marksman Rifle class. As described by Activision, the Marksman Rifles are "more versatile than classic Sniper Rifles, with greater stopping power than Assault Rifles. Marksman Rifles are great for protecting an objective point from range, while still having the power to deal with mid-range combat at ease."
Perks have been divided into the following types:
- Speed – Examples include Sleight of Hand and Agility allowing players to quickly move through the environment.
- Handling – Improve the player’s weapon handling abilities with perks such as On The Go (reload while sprinting) and Strong Arm (throw equipment further and decrease grenade cook time).
- Stealth – Perks such as Takedown (kill enemies without revealing their death location) and Off the Grid allow players to move through the environment undetected.
- Awareness – Improve a player’s situational awareness and ability to detect enemy equipment.
- Resistance – Enhance a player’s ability to withstand damage and regenerate health faster.
- Equipment – Perks that allow players to hold extra equipment, attachments and ammunition.
- Elite – A new type of player perk that includes Ping (a sonar ping that’s activated upon killing an enemy, revealing nearby hostiles) and Deadeye (consecutive kills increase the chance to deal more bullet damage).
Activision also confirmed the following Assault Strike Packages (which are based on consecutive enemy kills and are reset by death):
- Sat Com – Utilize satellite communications to relay enemy movements. Drop multiple Sat Coms on the map for enhanced reads on enemy locations.
- Guard Dog – Your Combat dog will warn you when there are nearby enemies and take out ones that got the jump on you.
- Maniac – Call in advanced juggernaut armor via Care Package; this knife expert forgoes guns in favor of a high-speed melee attack.
The following Support Strike Packages are also based on consecutive kills but do not reset upon death:
- Night Owl – An advanced companion drone that detects enemies based on proximity and protects you from explosives.
- MAAWS – Lase targets to guide missiles from the free-fire shoulder mounted rocket launcher.
- Helo Scout – Provide sniper support for your team aboard a controllable helicopter.
Activision also reiterated that Call of Duty: Ghosts will offer Dynamic Map Events, which range "from player triggered traps to map-changing events that allow gamers to strategically redirect the action and transform the map to deliver new levels of strategy and gameplay."
