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In a historic franchise like Call of Duty, a rehash of a classic map is inevitable, especially in Activision’s latest entry MW3. Although some, like Skidrow, make a triumphant return to the game’s map rotation, some aren’t quite as successful. Enter Derail, a staple of the original 2009 Modern Warfare 2, which features a sprawling, industrial snowy area filled with mid-rise buildings ripe for campers to park themselves on. Unfortunately, it’s for this reason that most players consider it the worst map in the game.
Derail’s wide acreage becomes especially evident on 6v6 matches since you end up spending most of your time running around instead of actually engaging in gunfights. So no matter what MW3 game mode you play, whether it’s Team Deathmatch or Kill Confirmed, it becomes an exhausting exercise that works your WASD keys/left analog stick out instead of scratching your trigger finger itch. Just ask the disgruntled players on this MW3 Reddit thread.
Of course, the immediate solution to huge maps is to play them exclusively on bigger game modes, like 10v10 Moshpit. However, Derail being limited to these types of matches only reinforces the community’s consistent decision to rank it among the worst maps in MW3. Plus, unlike other large maps, Derail’s long-range gunfight-centric structure makes it unsuitable for players who just want to run and gun with some of the best MW3 SMGs.
Unfortunately, with how it’s currently designed, only a wide-scale makeover would probably bring it into the community’s good graces—highly unlikely, considering it’s an OG MW2 2009 map and we’re already well into the game’s lifespan. But even then, it still wouldn’t be as popular as some of the game’s action-packed, close-quarters offerings like Rust and Highrise. Luckily, with the alleged upcoming Call of Duty 2024 entry set to arrive soon, Derail won’t have to wallow for long in the shadows of its counterparts.
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