Infinity Ward has revealed a new competitive destination for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 called Kill Block. Described as an “adaptive multiplayer battleground” the mode pits players against each other across modular, constantly shifting maps.
In a blog post, Kill Block is billed as “a modular multiplayer battleground that reconfigures every match, challenging players to rethink routes, sightlines, and combat spaces on the fly.” The name Kill Block is actually a codename for the West Bridge Advanced Military Training facility, an off-the-books location designed as a live-fire training environment. Kill Block consists of two sectional outer areas called End Slabs and a single central combat space called the Central Slab, which can be reconfigured into various positions to create “hundreds of unique layout combinations that reshape combat flow.”
Slabs are essentially sections of mocked-up environments modeled after a mix of classic Modern Warfare locations and entirely new ones, and they shift between multiplayer matches and between Gunfight rounds. As such, elements such as cover placement and line of sight routinely change. Infinity Ward touts that Kill Block will feature over 500 possible configurations when Modern Warfare 4 launches.
Each match is fought across a selection of three connected Slabs, called a Combo (basically a map), which Infinity Ward states will have roughly the same footprint size as the Shoot House map from 2019’s Modern Warfare. The two End Slabs bookend the map, with teams spawning there and fighting their way towards the Central Slab in the middle, though players can freely explore all three Slabs. Additionally, Slabs will feature simulated weather conditions such as misting water or snow flurries that challenge visibility.
Infinity Ward’s press release features some example Slabs:
- [ Ambush ] // Central Slab: A slice of the classic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare map, this training facsimile features a convoy-clogged main road with blown-out pre-fab buildings either side, with plenty of elevated sniper nests that look across the adjacent End Slabs.
- [ Blacksite ] // End Slab: Three prefabricated structures are positioned around the slab with open access between each of them, with mud and grass thoroughfare, a rusted van, open cargo container, and stacked military gabions as well as concrete barrier stacks to tactically maneuver between.
- [ Killhouse ] // End Slab: A section of the seminal Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare map, with a similar aesthetic, with gabions placed at corners of prefab walls, some with gaps to climb over, with a central kill box in the middle, and smaller scenic cover opportunities along the far edge of the Slab.
- [ ME-Town ] // Central Slab: A kill box dirt courtyard surrounded by four prefabricated structures, roughly in each corner, some with significant interior and roof top space available for long-range overwatch coverage. The main turquoise building is a warren of tight rooms and scramble points constructed with mobility training in mind.
- [ Snow Block ] // End Slab: A maze of stacked gabion walls of varying lengths, along with tactically positioned open cargo containers and other concrete blocks. Operators must weigh the benefits of overwatching from the top of these fortifications, as your line sights improve at the expense of cover.
- [ Trench ] // Central Slab: A no-man’s land of sunken mud walls and pill boxes with sandbags, tires, and wooden trusses keeping the dirt trenches from collapsing. The action is particularly fraught in the exposed middle with concrete barriers, and a burned tank offer a modicum of protection and sight lines.
Kill Block will also launch with new Gunfight options, both 3v3 and a new 10v10 mode. For Kill Block Gunfight matches, teams switch sides after the first round; at the end of the second round, the Slabs change to a new map configuration and players receive a new random loadout. The Slab combos will continue to change every two rounds until one team wins in six rounds.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. To learn more about the game, read about its DMZ extraction shooter mode.
