You know that time when you thought something was really, definitely bad and were surprised to find out it was actually pretty popular? shipping (opens in new tab), a Call of Duty map that I consider to be the worst FPS arena ever shipped for consumption. Activision announced this week that the fan-favorite location is his one of two new maps that make up Modern Warfare 2 (opens in new tab) Debuted in Season 1.
For many, Shipment’s arrival in Modern Warfare 2 is cause for celebration. For others, it’s the return of bad things that some people inexplicably love, which is unfortunate, but not surprising. has a history of years. Back in 2007, its reputation was clear. When Shipment is revealed as the next map in rotation, it erupts into an explosion of overlapping curse words and “come on.” It was bad, but it became a memory.
Since then, the map has reappeared in various forms across ten CoD games. Including Shipment in the map pool has become a tradition (at least in his CoD studio at Activision), but by all forms of logic it’s a terrible idea.
Transportation makes no sense on paper. Spawn kills are constant, survival feels random, and the lack of cover keeps dominant killstreaks on the map. Shipment embodies all the clichés about Call of Duty and what non-players stand up for it.
Shipments are the embodiment of all the call of duty clichés that non-players uphold.
Like the glob of gum in my shoe that I feel with every step, Shipment proves to be a sticky, destructive presence in my usual favorite series. However, it is not as simple as “people like bad things for some reason”. The reason Shipment is a bad map is the same reason people love it. It’s chaotic, nonstop, and ripe for abuse. Bowling in a phone booth. It could be argued that Shipment enjoys more of a meme than a respected part of his CoD history, but it’s more accurate to describe Shipment as a popular tool. The map’s cramped sight lines and terrifying spawns make it relatively easy to get many kills in a short amount of time, creating a unique opportunity for players to hone their XP.
The best time to level up a weapon you don’t really like but need to use to unlock something else is when Activision enables a 24/7 shipping playlist is.We’ve been exemplified by recent widespread jerky trolls (opens in new tab) How far CoD players go for double XP. Consider Transport Triple XP. Not many people can resist its charm. Even I would sometimes dive headlong into a loading dock to turn a two-hour weapon challenge into his fifteen-minute breeze.
There is nothing against Shipment as a means to an end. Call of Duty is ultimately an RPG that sees repeat numbers grow, and in that respect earning his XP in Shipment is no different than finding loot caves in Destiny. This is an acclaimed boost that, when used sparingly, breaks the monotony of CoD’s traditional 6v6 maps.
Call of Duty claims to be far superior to Shipment when it comes to small maps with big XP potential. shoot house (opens in new tab), that’s exactly it. Shoothouse was the original map for Modern Warfare 2019, first brought back by Infinity Warfare. It’s also a smaller map, but instead of Shipment’s Gladiator layout, Shoothouse resembles his CoD map with the regular 3 lanes scaled down from the corners. The result is chaotic matches, lots of kill opportunities, and more reasonable spawns. Heck, another arguably more meme than Maps, he can also give his Nuketown a hint of a hat, a CoD staple.
As someone who plays Modern Warfare 2 for its stronger FPS fundamentals than weapon grinds, I’m a little disappointed that both season 1’s map additions focus on XP. It was great to see ‘s Ground War/Invasion maps mixed.Or, if Infinity Ward is looking to throw back, the 2022 version of TerminalApparently Warzone 2.0’s Al Mazrah map airport already has a terminal layout, so most of the work is done.
