Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Ranked Play Won’t Be Available Immediately After Season 1 Reloaded Update After All

Activision has warned Call of Duty fans anxious to jump straight into Modern Warfare 3 Ranked Play after the Season 1 Reloaded update goes live that the new feature will not be available immediately.

In a tweet from the official Call of Duty Updates account, Activision said Ranked Play will not be available immediately after the Season 1 Reloaded update goes live today, January 17, at 9am Pacific / 12noon Eastern / 5pm UK across all platforms. The developers want to “perform checks” before enabling the mode, Activision said.

“Heads up competitors, Modern Warfare 3 Ranked Play will not be available immediately after players receive the Season 1 Reloaded update,” Activision said. “The Ranked Play team will be performing checks before enabling the mode for all players. Stay tuned for more updates.”

It’s unclear how long players will have to wait before Ranked Play is made available after Season 1 Reloaded goes live, but hopefully it won’t be a significant delay.

Modern Warfare 3’s Ranked Play, when it does go live, lets players rise through the ranks and skill divisions in four versus four competitive play featuring the same ruleset (settings, maps, and modes) used by the Call of Duty League.

Here’s how it works, per the Call of Duty blog: Ranked Play becomes available after players reach at least Level 55. All unrestricted gameplay items are unlocked for use in Ranked Play, regardless of how much you’ve previously unlocked. Some weapons, Killstreaks, Equipment, and gameplay content are restricted in Ranked Play to match CDL competitive rules. As you’d expect, Friendly Fire is enabled in all Ranked Play matches.

You begin at Rank 1. Your rank represents your Ranked Career. Win matches to earn stars and rank up. Rank is permanent and persists across seasons. You start your first Season in Bronze I. Advance through eight Skill Divisions and Tiers by earning SR (Skill Rating). SR is awarded when you win based on personal and team performance. In subsequent seasons, you will be dropped back three Tiers.

The highest Skill Division you can start a new season in is Diamond I. (SR penalties will result from being inactive, disconnecting from matches, and engaging in repeated friendly fire.) Win three matches in a row to earn a flaming rank. Continue winning to progress the Hot Streak flames. The flames expire if you lose or after 72 hours.

And here are the Ranked Play maps and modes:

• CDL Search & Destroy: No respawning; 1.5-minute round timer; Friendly Fire enabled. Supported maps include Highrise, Invasion, Karachi, Skidrow, and Terminal.
• CDL Hardpoint: 5-minute time limit; 250 score limit; 60-second objective rotation; Friendly Fire enabled. Supported maps include Invasion, Karachi, Skidrow, Sub Base, and Terminal.
• CDL Control: 30 lives per team; 1.5-minute time limit; 3-round win limit; Friendly Fire enabled. Supported maps include Highrise, Invasion, and Karachi.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].