Activision has released a bucket load of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer information at its XP event in Los Angeles this weekend. Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling was joined on stage by Sledgehammer’s Michael Condrey to talk about the latest features in MW3’s all-important multiplayer to an audience of hardcore Call of Duty fans.

Multiplayer is arguably the most imporant part of the Call of Duty franchise. Activision set the benchmark for the FPS genre, and as Eric Hirshberg said on stage at the XP keynote, perks, Killstreaks and different game modes are now the standard in the genre. Modern Warfare 3 will have 16 multiplayer maps included out of the box, as well as a whole host of new perks, Killstreaks and features you can read about here.

Killstreaks out

Bowling came out on stage and immediately emphasised that finding the right balance was extremely important to the success of MW3, and with that, announced the removal of several perks and Killstreaks that have been axed from the game, much to the audience’s delight. Perks and killstreaks we’ll be waving goodbye to are as follows:

Game-ending nuke, Commando, Last Stand, One Man Army, and shotguns as secondary weapons.

While some may not like the removal of such things, we are all for it. Game-ending nukes were hugely frustrating, especially if players were actually doing ok in the match, and Last Stand was hardly necessary as it ultimately delayed respawn.

Strike Packages in

That isn’t the only change to the Killstreak system, not by a long shot. The whole setup has been revamped and there will now be Pointstreaks accompanied by three different types of Strike Packages in which Pointstreaks can be spent.

Assault Strike Package: For the traditional, close combat player. Similar to the killstreak rewards in MW2 with some tasty additions, like the Juggernaut Suit, which will be earned after 15 kills.

Support Strike Package: For the team players out there. While Pointstreaks do not chain, they do not reset after death and include an array of perks that will be given to the whole team when earned, including ballistic vests, drones and a Stealth Bomber.

Specialist Strike Package: For the lover of the perk. After a second kill, players will earn an additional fourth perk to add to the thee available in the standard load out. Another perk will be added at both four and six kills, meaning players will have a total of six perks if they hit six kills with this strike package.

Known Strike Package rewards, courtesy of VG247, are:

Assault

5 kills: I.M.S.

9 kills: Strafe Run

9 kills: AH-6 Overwatch

10 kills: Assault Drone

15 kills: Juggernaut

Support

5 kills: Ballistic Vest

5 kills: Airdrop Trap

10 kills: Recon Drone

14 kills: Stealth Bomber

18 kills: Juggernaut Recon

Specialist

Unlock one additional Perk at 2 kills

A second additional perk at 4 kills

A third additional perk at 6 kills

Death streaks are also back, and here is a look at some to be found in MW3

4– Juiced (run faster)

5 – Revenge (last person to kill you is visible on radar)

5 – Hollow Points (increased bullet damage for 1 kill)

6 – Dead Man’s Hand (player falls into last stand with C4)

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Get Weapon proficient

Weapon Proficiencies are a new angle on levelling up in Call of Duty, whereby players can focus on advancing abilities and attachments with their chosen weapon as they use them. Big fan of the machine guns but want to reduce kick? You can do so using Weapon Proficiencies. Players have to earn the specific upgrades that they want, it’s like customisation that you have to work for. We like it.

Confirm that kill

There is a new Deathmatch game mode exclusive to MW3 called Kill Confirmed. In this mode, fallen soldiers will drop a pair of highly visible dogtags which players then have to capture to confirm the kill. Allow the enemy to reach the dogtags first, and the kill will be denied. Because of the high visibility of the dogtags, teams will have to be cautious not to leave themselves open in order to confirm a kill, which will add another level of strategy to the Deathmatch. Another new game type is Team Defender, where teams gain points for capturing a single flag and then keeping hold of it for as long as possible.

Make your own game mode

To cater to those that prefer a private match or two, it is now easier than ever mix and match settings and features to create user-generated game modes. Those subscribed to Elite can then share those game modes for others to vote on, and the best modes will be opened up to everyone. There are a few templates for private game modes out of the box, which include an ‘Infection’ mode where infected players must kill others to bring them over to the infected side. Gun Game and One in the Chamber will also be making their way over from Black Ops to join the party.

Sounds like an overhaul, doesn’t it?

It does sound like multiplayer has changed an awful lot in Modern Warfare 3, but rest assured, all of your favourites modes like TDM and Domination will still remain intact. It isn’t a complete overhaul but more of a refresh, with the new Pointsreak features and “balance” set to bridge the gap of enjoyment between the novice and the war lords. Those who are good at the game needn’t worry, as they will still be kicking arse all over the desert, or London, in the new maps. Those who aren’t so good will be able to approach multiplayer differently to enhance their usefulness to a team. In summary, expect much of the same winning formula, with enough added features for it to retain a fresh feel. Just what the doctor ordered.

Add the new Elite subscription service into this bundle of multiplayer joy and it becomes clear that Activision has laid the foundations for what is sure to be a compelling multiplayer experience, both in-game, at the computer and even on your smartphone.

“We think this is the deepest experience we’ve ever created. We’ve made more profound additions and changes to the core multiplayer experience in MW3 than we have in any other chapter. We’re supporting a larger variety of play styles than ever before. This is the most balanced multiplayer experience than we’ve ever done.” Bowling told journalists at a pre-XP event.

Let us play it already

While some of the lucky people at Call of Duty XP will be playing five of the 16 maps while you read this, you’ll have to wait until November 8 to get online and enjoy the new features. That’s unless you’ll be at GAMEfest which takes place from September 16-18, where you’ll also get the chance to check out some Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer.

We’ll be playing soon and reporting our impressions back to you, so you can look forward to that. In the meantime, check out the sleek new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox, and the multiplayer trailer!

What do you think of all these multiplayer features? Let us know in the comments below.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases November 8 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.